Katherine Gregg|The Providence Journal

PROVIDENCE Lt. Gov. DanMcKee expects every member of current Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo's cabinet to stay through his own imminent, mid-terminauguration as Raimondo's replacement.

How long they actually stay is another question.

For example, Commerce Secretary Stefan Pryor "has told the incoming governor that he is exploring all his options,'' according to Pryor spokesman Matt Sheaff. (For what it's worth:Pryorwas a Yale Law School student in the mid-1990s withRaimondoand her husband, Andrew Moffit.)

Democrat Raimondo is poised to resign mid-term to take a new job, in Washington, as President Joe Biden's commerce secretary. Her confirmation hearing was Tuesday.An committee vote on her nomination is anticipated next Wednesday, February 3.

The exact timing of Raimondo's departure is unclear. ButSen. Roger Wicker, the Mississippi Republicanwho chairs theU.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, told Raimondo on Tuesday: "I do not believe you will be serving as governor of the state of Rhode Island for very muchlonger."

Against that backdrop, McKee is preparing for his move up one flightto the governor'sState House suite as soon as next week. He has set 5 p.m. Tuesday as the deadline for those seeking appointment by him as R.I.'s next lieutenant governor to submit "a letter of interest'' online to his transition team at http://www.mckeetransition.com/.

McKee, who had no working relationship with fellow Democrat Raimondo and no role in her administration's pandemic response efforts, issued this statement:

Selecting the nextlieutenantgovernorprovides an opportunity to reimagine Rhode Islands governance model and demonstrate how thelieutenantgovernors office can be leveraged to support the states pandemic response and economic recovery.

Our team looks forward to engaging in the selection process and identifying a partner to work closely with our administration starting on day one.

Brown University has confirmed that onecontender -former Central Falls Mayor James Diossa - started worked on January 25, on a six-month job as senior advisor to the BrownPolicy Lab.

According to a statement from Diossa, conveyed by the Brown public relations staff: "The Policy Lab conducts applied research to improve public policy in Rhode Island and beyond, bringing together experts from government, universities, and community organizations to collaborate and develop evidence-based policy and programs that improve lives and strengthen communities.

"As Senior Advisor, I will work closely with The Policy Lab Director, David Yokum, and senior staff to provide strategic advice on The Policy Labs engagement with state and local government partners at a high level...in particular, assessing and revising a proposal for a statewide municipal student internship program to support Rhode Islands recovery from COVID-19 and undertaking exploratory conversations with an array of prospective partners to refine this proposal and identify sources of philanthropic support."

Asked if Diossa wastaking his name out of the running for lieutenant governor, his political spokesman Chris Hunter said:: "He's still open to the opportunity for public service."

McKee's transition team plans to post updates onwww.mckeetransition.com.

Raimondo, meanwhile, appears to have spent much of the last week or so talking, in advance of Tuesday's confirmation hearing,to the members of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.

Both she and they referenced these detailed conversations where the senators laid out the issues on their minds from "salmon infrastructure" and fishing in the Pacific Northwest to China trade policy so she could address them at the hearing.

On Tuesday, her Rhode Island press office announced a spate of 11th-hour appointments to state boards and commissions.

Most but not all were reappointments, such as the reappointment of organized labor activistScott Duhamel and retired union chief Stan Israel to the State Labor Relations Board.

An online profile describes Duhamel asan assistant to the general president of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades and the secretary-treasurer of the Rhode Island Building and Construction Trades Council. Israel was the long-time executive vice president of SEIU District 1199.

Her new appointees include some familiar names, such as former Auditor General Ernest Almonte to the Narragansett Bay Commission.

Other new appointees include Bill Stone to the board of the R.I. Commerce Corporation. Stone isaco-founder and managing member of Outside CFO, Outside GC, which describes itself as "the nations largest provider of on-demand general counsel services," and Patent GC, "an on-demand provider of intellectual property legal services."

She also appointed Mark Amato, president and CEO of Innova Logic, to the governor's Workforce Board; former Providence City Councilman Peter Mancini to theR.I.Convention Center Authority andMarcy Reyes, founder and CEO of The Financial Literacy Youth (FLY) Initiative, to the R.I. Public Transit Authority.

Explaining the rush of appointments in what could be Raimondo's last week as the state's elected governor, spokeswoman Audrey Lucas said: "Making appointments to Rhode Island's boards and commissions is a responsibility that Governor Raimondo takes seriously, and one that has been significantly delayed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic."

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Lt. Gov. McKee expects Raimondo's cabinet to stay through his own inauguration, unclear how long after that - The Providence Journal

The establishment wings of center-left parties know how to fight when confronting left-wing challenges from within their own ranks. But they rarely show the same capacity or willpower when turning to face their conservative opponents.

Hillary Clinton pulled out all the stops to beat Bernie Sanders in 2016, only to be bested by a candidate who proved the most unpopular president since the advent of modern polling. Four years later, Joe Biden rallied the Democratic establishment against Sanders once again, but his narrow victory over Donald Trump probably would not have happened without a disastrous pandemic that should have buried Trump altogether.

In Britain, Keir Starmer has concentrated on waging a factional war against the Labour Partys left wing, including his predecessor Jeremy Corbyn. Meanwhile, Starmer still lags behind Boris Johnson and the Conservatives in most opinion polls, even after their incompetent handling of the pandemic has led to one hundred thousand deaths and counting.

The Australian Labor Party (ALP) follows the same pattern. The ALPs right faction likes to mythologize itself as the embodiment of ruthless pragmatism, willing to do Whatever it Takes to win power a motto most famously associated with the brutal bashing of a left-wing branch activist in the 1980s. But Labor Rights last candidate, Bill Shorten, was Labors most unpopular leader in thirty years, losing two consecutive elections in 2016 and 2019.

Since Shortens second defeat, Labor Lefts Anthony Albanese has led the party. Albanese has been an uninspiring leader, whose inadequate attempts at organizational reform have done nothing to challenge a coterie of right-wing bureaucrats who dominate the party machine. Few people in the ALP think he can win a national election against Liberal PM Scott Morrison, and theres mounting speculation that hell soon face a leadership challenge.

This would be the ninth time the ALP has changed its leader in just twenty years. But a change of personality at the top that leaves the ALPs organizational culture and policy platform unchanged will do nothing to address its problems. And most of the candidates to replace Albanese would represent a clear step backwards.

The nicest thing you could say about Jim Chalmers is that hes a nonentity. Right Labor presents him as a sensationally popular shadow treasurer, but 82 percent of Australians cant even recognize his name. Among those who follow politics closely, Chalmers is probably best remembered for having tearfully begged then Labor PM Kevin Rudd to support his preselection as an ALP candidate.

Chalmerss supporters insist that he is the right man to lead Labor because he hails from Queensland, which has a reputation as Australias most conservative state ignoring the fact that Chalmers has worked full-time in Canberra and Sydney since 2001.

Chalmers penned a hero-worshipping PhD thesis on former Labor prime minister Paul Keating, the man who first introduced Australias policy of indefinitely detaining asylum seekers. Keatings time in office revealed a staunch commitment to neoliberal economics: he referred to one economic downturn as the recession we had to have, and his stewardship of the Australian economy locked in a model characterized by spiraling inequality, privatization, and declining union membership.

Fans of Chalmers prefer to focus on his literary magnum opus, the bizarrely titled Glory Daze, which expresses his bafflement at the ingratitude of the Australian public toward the last Labor government. After all, Chalmers points out, former treasurer Wayne Swan for whom he worked as chief of staff delivered economic growth. Perhaps the lack of appreciation has something to do with the fact that for young Australians, the most realistic pathway to home ownership is waiting for their parents to die.

As immigration minister under Julia Gillard, Chris Bowen ensured that asylum seekers, including children, remained imprisoned in offshore camps. Some of those refugees sewed their lips shut in protest. He bears more responsibility than most for Australias illegal and inhumane asylum policy of indefinitely detaining refugees. When the history books are written, his name will be marked with shame.

While Labor Right members claim to be expert political tacticians, Bowens track record suggests otherwise. As shadow treasurer, he championed a reform to franking credits tax refunds paid to shareowners that are equivalent to the value of tax already paid by the companies whose shares they own. Even though Bowens policy would only have affected the wealthiest 10 percent of households, the Liberals still managed to present it as Labors death tax.

Bowen seemed helpless in the face of this bad-faith campaign, which presented franking credits as something that ordinary people could expect to benefit from. After the Liberals won the election, there were reports of pensioners ringing up the authorities to ask when their franking credits would come through, only to discover that the refunds were only available for the minority of people who actually own shares.

Albanese has just reshuffled the ALPs shadow cabinet, giving Bowen the climate change portfolio most likely in an attempt to appease Labors coal lobby representative, Joel Fitzgibbon. Fitzgibbon recently quit the shadow cabinet in protest against his partys confusing and scary climate change targets. Bowens promotion has brought Labor one step closer to abandoning those targets, leaving the planet to go to hell on a handcart.

Kristina Keneally perfectly embodies the gulf between the ALPs right-wing powerbrokers and Australian voters. Keneally oversaw the death throes of Labors last New South Wales (NSW) state government. Shes the apotheosis of the NSW disease, in which Labor frantically cycles through leaders in the hope of finding a popular one. Two Ministers in the former government have since been imprisoned, and one is currently facing a retrial. The NSW anti-corruption commission found that two more have been engaged in corrupt conduct.

Those corruption hearings were ultimately a sideshow compared to the social pain Keneally tried to inflict on the people of New South Wales with dogmatic neoliberal policies. In the teeth of entrenched opposition from unions and even her own right-wing faction, Keneally tried but ultimately failed to privatize the states monopoly on power generation, a move that would have raised electricity prices and led to cuts in pay and conditions for workers.

Labors right-wing bureaucrats may have forgotten about this, but voters havent. In 2011, Keneally led the most unpopular state government in NSW history to a record low vote share for the ALP of 25.5 percent less than half of the right-wing coalitions total. Six years later, she lost a federal by-election by 10 percent in Bennelong, a multicultural hub that should be one of Labors natural heartlands. That hasnt stopped the Right from trying to force through her preselection in Parramatta, against the wishes of left-wing party members.

Having found her way into the federal senate, Keneally has continued two old Labor Right traditions: hostility to immigrants and sycophancy toward the Catholic Church. Although she is an American immigrant herself, Keneally has called for crackdowns on asylum seekers and dog whistled about cheap foreign workers taking Australian jobs. At the same time, she has pandered to the religious right, most recently by opposing laws that would make it mandatory for Catholic priests to report child sexual abuse disclosed in confession.

Can a souffl rise not once, not twice, but three times? Faction man Bill Shorten, the most unpopular Labor leader in thirty years, hopes the answer is yes. Despite having led Labor to one of its worst results in recent history in 2019, Shorten hasnt had the grace to take a back seat in the ALP, seeking instead to undermine his successor Anthony Albanese.

The word voters most associate with Shorten is untrustworthy. Even his factional allies agree. As Samantha Maiden reports in Party Animals: The secret history of a Labor fiasco, ALP veteran Stephen Conroy told former general secretary Jamie Clements that he still wouldnt call Shorten a friend, despite being the only person to have attended Shortens 18th, 21st, and 40th birthdays (not to mention his wedding).

Shorten has earned that reputation with his long record of destabilizing Labor leaders. Hes the power broker behind the right-wing ShortCon subfaction, immodestly named after himself, and orchestrated the downfall of both Labor prime ministers to have been elected this century.

The Right claims that Shorten lost in 2019 because his platform was too far to the left. In reality, it was a very mild set of policies, with a handful of progressive proposals like scrapping tax concessions for property investors and bringing fairer taxes on family trusts used by the superwealthy. The policies werent the problem in fact, they were demonstrably more popular than either Shorten himself or the ALP.

Compared to the other contenders, Tanya Plibersek, from Labor Left, may seem like a distinct improvement. As health minister, she brought in plain cigarette packaging laws that were so effective big tobacco sued her twice in a bid to stop them. Plibersek also made the chemical abortion pill RU486 accessible to all women through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.

Plibersek supported same-sex marriage at a time when Jim Chalmerss hero Paul Keating was noisily insisting that two blokes and a cocker spaniel dont make a family. At times, shes even been willing to take controversial stands for example, by condemning Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon for war crimes committed against the Palestinians.

However, we should still be wary. Even if the next Labor leader also hails from the Left, they will still have to face right-wing dominance over the party machine, which gives it massive influence over Labor candidates, caucuses, and policy. Even if Albaneses replacement proves to be another leader of the NSW Left, its hard to see what this would achieve without a more drastic reorientation of the party and its organizational culture.

Pliberseks personal record may not be as woeful as those of her potential rivals, but she has already shown signs of her willingness to capitulate to the Right in the interests of so-called party unity. Shes also been known to float conservative ideas like a pledge of allegiance for schoolkids a proposal that even right-wing talkback radio thought was pretty weird.

The real problem doesnt lie with the personnel at the top of the ALP its the factional balance inside the party. Labor Right claims to be in the busines of building an electable party. In practice, the factions tired mix of social conservatism and neoliberal economics has never inspired the electorate, but its leaders dont really care as long as they control the ALP itself.

This will only change if the ALPs left wing can find leaders with the courage to break up the corrupt, gerrymandered regime that controls the party, and decisively repudiate a commitment to neoliberalism that dates back to the age of Bob Hawke and Paul Keating. Until that happens, the only real leadership choice will be one between disappointment and despair.

Excerpt from:
If Anthony Albanese Steps Down Now, His Replacement Will Be Even Worse - Jacobin magazine

Reforming business risk management (BRM) programs, such as the AgriStability program, has been top of mind for many across the agriculture industry.

Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau proposed changes to the program at the federal-provincial-territorial agricultural ministers meeting in November, which the federal government says would increase AgriStability payouts by 50 per cent, but the three Prairie provinces have not signed on. Under the terms of the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, two of the three must agree to the program for it to proceed nationally.

The provinces have been given until the end of January to inform Minister Bibeau on whether they are still considering the proposal. The federal minister told reporters covering the Keystone Agricultural Producers annual meeting in Manitoba on Tuesday (Jan. 26) that she had not yet received an official response from any of the Prairie provinces.

Speaking with RealAgriculture, Minister of Alberta Agriculture and Forestry Devin Dreeshen says Alberta is still working with commodity groups to develop a potential replacement program to AgriStability. For Dreeshen, his primary concern is that cash flow should be much more immediate than the up-to-two years it currently takes under AgriStability.

Were looking at a more structured approach of replacing AgriStability with a margin-based insurance program, Dreeshen explains. Its something that weve released a report out to commodity groups. Weve had our intentions of looking at what the problems are that have flawed the design of AgriStability, and how a new AgriStability program should be a) more timely in its support when it actually pays out, and b) it should be something that is equitable across commodity types. It should also be predictable in that farmers and ranchers should be able to know in a year if they are actually going to get a payment or not, versus the melees and the question marks that are currently out there.

Currently, the province is working on getting to the cabinet treasury board to consider the AgriStability changes they are looking for; however, the main focus still lies on fixing the structural problems of AgriStability, and developing a program that does work for the entire ag sector, says Dreeshen.

Check out the full conversation between Minister Dreeshen and RealAgricultures Kara Oosterhuis, below:

Federal government sets deadline for provinces on AgriStability enhancement offer

Federal AgriStability proposal set up to fail, suggests Alberta Agriculture minister

Manitoba ag minister says federal offer doesnt address challenges with AgriStability

No deal, so far, on AgriStability enhancements

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Alberta working on margin-based insurance replacement for AgriStability - RealAgriculture

KARACHI: Sindh Education and Labour Minister Saeed Ghani said on Monday that Murad Ali Shah would continue to serve as the provinces chief minister even if he got arrested in a graft case recently registered against him.

In response to a question at the Meet the Press programme of the Karachi Press Club about the replacement of Mr Shah as the CM in case of his arrest by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), the senior PPP leader said that he will remain the provincial chief executive.

We have been saying since day one that NAB is a Niazi nexus and it has become an instrument of the government, he said, adding: NAB would make a reference against whoever gives a tough time to the federal government.

He said Mr Shah had spoken about the rights of Sindh, talked about the National Finance Commission share of this province and done record development work in Karachi. He has shown the people of the country that Sindh has a constitutional right on the gas of this province and in return for it, there is a NAB reference against him, he said.

Threatens to air recording of Jan 16 meeting that saw a spat between chief minister and PTIs Ali Zaidi

Video of CM-Ali Zaidi spat

Talking about a terse exchange between the CM and Maritime Affairs Minister Ali Zaidi during the Jan 16 meeting of the Karachi Coordination Committee, he said they had not made any secret recording of the meeting but many participants had joined in through a video link and it is all recorded.

If the real face of this PTI government were to be shown to the people, then we would definitely air that recording, he said.

Mr Ghani also said that the federal cabinet and the prime minister were answerable to the people about the sugar, wheat and medicine scandals.

Also, with all the reports about the petrol, LNG and gas scandals coming to light and the involvement of cabinet members including their prime minister and their ATM and bank accounts that are being filled, there is also a burden of billions of rupees on the nation. The federal cabinet is full of crooked ministers and spokespersons and when they get stuck somewhere they resort to shenanigans, he said.

Talking about the Pakistan Steel Mills, the minister said that the Sindh government still wanted to take it over and run it.

It is the governments incompetence that the Steel Mills incurred a loss of Rs42 billion. Instead of questioning those who destroyed the Mills by cutting off gas connections, punishment is being meted out to the poor workers there, he said.

Published in Dawn, January 26th, 2021

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Murad will not be replaced as CM if arrested in NAB case: Ghani - DAWN.com

FRANKFORT, Ky. Gov. Andy Beshear today announced that the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Regional Driver Licensing Office in Owensboro has moved into larger, permanent quarters that will accommodate customers while maintaining social distance and all necessary COVID-19 public health protocols.

It is the 13th permanent regional office the cabinet has established in a network that eventually will number about two dozen offices around the commonwealth to handle driver licensing. The expanded office is at 2620 KY 81, in Owensboro.

Like all other KYTC regional offices, the Owensboro office adheres to Gov. Beshears Healthy at Work guidelines to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus 2019 also known as COVID-19.

We are offering essential, in-person public services while taking care to do so in a way that protects public health, said Gov. Beshear. Those essential services include issuing, renewing and replacing operators licenses and official identification cards for our fellow Kentuckians who depend on them for employment, travel and emergencies.

The new office will process applications for REAL ID or standard licenses and ID cards. Any required driver testing, which is conducted by Kentucky State Police, must have been completed beforehand. Application for a REAL ID must be done in person, with proof of residence, social security and identity at a KYTC regional office.

Those seeking to renew or replace a standard-issue license or ID card can do so by mail or drop-off with the circuit court clerk in the license holders county of residence, provided there has been no change of name or address and the license holder does not require driver testing by Kentucky State Police.

Gov. Beshear encouraged anyone able to use remote services to do so, thereby limiting person-to-person contact. Forms for renewal or replacement can be downloaded here.

The same services are offered at other KYTC regional driver licensing offices in Paducah, Bowling Green, Madisonville, Elizabethtown, Frankfort, Lexington, Morehead, Somerset, Richmond, Columbia, Jackson and Prestonsburg. KYTC also has temporary regional offices operating by appointment only at Catlettsburg, Florence and Louisville-Bowman Field.

The new Owensboro office expands an important customer service, KYTC Secretary Jim Gray said. But we are doing so in a way that protects the health and safety of our customers and our employees. That includes social distancing, wearing face masks and having a sanitized work station for every customer.

The Owensboro office will be open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Central. Applicants may make appointments online at drive.ky.gov. A limited number of workstations will be available to serve walk-ins. To avoid gatherings in common waiting areas after checking in, applicants may be asked to wait in their vehicles and will be individually notified when to return to the issuance office to be served.

To maintain the safest possible environment, office employees and customers will adhere to Gov. Beshears Healthy at Work standards, which include wearing a mask. Social distancing will be observed. Surfaces will be cleaned and touchpad equipment sanitized after each use. The complete list of Healthy at Work requirements can be found at Healthy at Work.

Keep up with information from Gov. Andy Beshear and his administration about the COVID-19 pandemic at governor.ky.gov, kycovid19.ky.gov and on the Governors official social media accounts Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Please consider subscribing today and support our work in the community. If you are already a subscriber, thank you very much. Subscribers get access to our daily email newsletter of every headline and obituary from the last 24 hours as well as access to OC Healthy, our new community wide initiative to help Ohio County get healthier.

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Opening of new location for KYTC Regional Driver Licensing Office in Owensboro announced - Ohio County Monitor

The Roebling Bridge is slated to close to vehicular traffic for nine months amid a restoration project, officials with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet said Thursday. Starting Feb. 1, the bridge will be reduced to a single lane of traffic. Then, beginning Feb. 15, the bridge will close entirely to vehicular traffic for a lengthy restoration project to preserve the 154-year-old historic landmark.The bridge is scheduled to reopen to traffic by the end of November and the overall project is expected to be complete by Dec. 31.The bridge was closed in April 2019 as a safety precaution after sandstone fragments broke from the east side of the north tower. Temporary netting was installed, and the bridge was reopened in August 2019. Transportation officials and representatives of the State Historic Preservation Office have been working to develop a project that will address several issues and help preserve and protect the structure for future generations.The $4.7 million project was awarded to Lithko Restoration Technologies LLC. The project includes masonry work and the repair and replacement of sections of sandstone on the north and south anchorages and towers. Other work includes minor deck and sidewalk repair.The bridge will be limited to a single lane of traffic for two weeks, then closed to traffic altogether for this restoration, said Bob Yeager, chief district engineer for the Department of Highways District 6 office. But we know what a vital connection this is and we will keep a pedestrian sidewalk open during the project.Special traffic signals will be installed to allow for a single lane of traffic.The Roebling Bridge carries approximately 8,100 vehicles a day. Motorists may use the Clay Wade Bailey Bridge (U.S. 25) or the 4th Street/Veterans Bridge (KY 8) to the Taylor Southgate Bridge (U.S. 27) as a detour.

The Roebling Bridge is slated to close to vehicular traffic for nine months amid a restoration project, officials with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet said Thursday.

Starting Feb. 1, the bridge will be reduced to a single lane of traffic.

Then, beginning Feb. 15, the bridge will close entirely to vehicular traffic for a lengthy restoration project to preserve the 154-year-old historic landmark.

The bridge is scheduled to reopen to traffic by the end of November and the overall project is expected to be complete by Dec. 31.

The bridge was closed in April 2019 as a safety precaution after sandstone fragments broke from the east side of the north tower. Temporary netting was installed, and the bridge was reopened in August 2019.

Transportation officials and representatives of the State Historic Preservation Office have been working to develop a project that will address several issues and help preserve and protect the structure for future generations.

The $4.7 million project was awarded to Lithko Restoration Technologies LLC. The project includes masonry work and the repair and replacement of sections of sandstone on the north and south anchorages and towers. Other work includes minor deck and sidewalk repair.

The bridge will be limited to a single lane of traffic for two weeks, then closed to traffic altogether for this restoration, said Bob Yeager, chief district engineer for the Department of Highways District 6 office. But we know what a vital connection this is and we will keep a pedestrian sidewalk open during the project.

Special traffic signals will be installed to allow for a single lane of traffic.

The Roebling Bridge carries approximately 8,100 vehicles a day. Motorists may use the Clay Wade Bailey Bridge (U.S. 25) or the 4th Street/Veterans Bridge (KY 8) to the Taylor Southgate Bridge (U.S. 27) as a detour.

Continued here:
Roebling Bridge will close to traffic for 9 months amid restoration project - WLWT Cincinnati

Boston Mayor Marty Walsh bid farewell to his hometown Tuesday night in what his office described as his final state of the city address.

After being nominated to serve as President-elect Joe Bidens labor secretary, Walsh is preparing for life in Washington, D.C.

And the wake of his pending departure leaves behind some deal of uncertainty not just about who will replace Walsh but also when voters will choose that replacement, and just how many times theyll have to do so.

In the short term, Walsh if confirmed by the Democratic-controlled Senate hands off to Boston City Councilor Kim Janey, who as City Council president becomes acting mayor for at least a few months.

In the longer term, its a little less clear.

Walsh is set to leave office in the midst of an election year, with a preliminary election and general election scheduled for September and November, respectively, and two declared candidates City Councilors Michelle WuandAndrea Campbell are already running to be the next mayor. More are expected to jump into the race; Janey herself is even considering a bid for a full term.

However, according to the city charter, Boston is required to also hold a special election if Walsh officially vacates his position within 16 months of the last citywide election or, in other words, before March 5.

Its theoretically possible that the narrowly divided Senate doesnt approve Walshs nomination before March 5, in which case the entire subject becomes a moot point. The first labor secretary under President Donald Trumpwasnt confirmed until April of 2017. However, that was only because the process was delayed after the Republican presidents first labor nominee withdrew. All of Trumps other cabinet nominees wereconfirmed by March 2.

Assuming that Senate Democrats confirm Walsh by March 5, a special election would need to be held between 120 and 140 days after he officially vacates office. And while the charter does not explicitly mention it, officials say the city would also hold a preliminary election for that special election.

All that is to say that Boston voters could be staring down four elections over the course of fewer than six months this year.

Some local elected officials say thats unacceptable, especially in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

During a Boston City Council meeting Wednesday afternoon, Councilor Ricardo Arroyo filed a home rule petition to override the special election requirement if Walsh leaves after March 5, calling it irresponsible to schedule multiple elections at a time the region is seeing record levels of the contagious disease and with a vaccine still months away for most residents.

Arroyo also argued that an additional election would exacerbate voting disparities and put an additional burden on already-strained city resources.

Having multiple elections for the office of mayor in the same year in the midst of a pandemic is a serious threat to the health of our residents and communities, will contribute to the disenfranchisement of people of color, disabled and low-income communities, would be a wasteful and costly expenditure for the city at a time when our revenues are down and so many critical services are in need of increased funding, the District 5 councilor said.

As Arroyo noted, the special election would create the possibility of four different people serving as Bostons mayor in less than a year.

Under these conditions, when we can act to prevent it, we should, he said.

During the meeting, Councilor Kenzie Bok also noted that another logistical issue is that the special election would result in overlapping signature requirements where we would have a special still running while people were gathering signatures for a general. Even with just one set of elections last year, local signature thresholds faced legal challenges due to the pandemic.

Secretary of State Bill Galvin, the top election official in Massachusetts, also backed the idea of bypassing the special election requirement this week, given the potential confusion for voters with what could become a crowded field.

Its not about the candidates, its about the voters, giving the voters the maximum amount of time to make choices, Galvin told The Boston Globe this week.

For their part, at least one of the candidates also supports skipping the special election, even though a shorter runway would ostensibly benefit those who are already organized and have campaign infrastructure in place. Wu told Politico on Tuesday she supported nixing the special election, saying that the extra costs and public health considerations of having two elections in a year have to be weighed in this current moment. Campbell also added her name Wednesday in support of further discussing the subject at the to-be-scheduled council hearing but has not yet taken a stance on Arroyos petition itself.

Home rule petitions do face a number of hurdles, including approval from the City Council, the mayor, both chambers of the state legislature, and Gov. Charlie Baker. However, state lawmakers and Baker just recently approved a similar petition to bypass a special election this year in Lawrence, whose mayor officially resigned to take a state job.

Arroyos office said Wednesday that they were confident they had sufficient support to follow suit in Boston and his petition has received support from civil rights groups, including the local chapter of the NAACP.

However, not all of Arroyos colleagues are on board.

During the meeting, Councilor Matt OMalley argued that the additional costs of a special election shouldnt be a consideration, amid concerns about going the majority of the year with an unelected acting mayor.

Democracy costs money to do it well, to address these barriers, to do it safely, to make sure that we have early vote, to make sure that we have vote by mail, he said. To make sure that were able to allow as much civic input in this important, important election is what we ought to be spending our money on.

OMalley and fellow Councilor Frank Baker also raised concerns that effectively canceling a special election could give the appearance that the council is putting their thumb on a race involving at least two of their colleagues and further sow distrust in government.

Baker even directly suggested that his colleagues were acting out of self-interest.

Theres a reason why people, right now, dont like politicians, because were doing things like this, where we because we have the power to manipulate elections now were going to manipulate elections, he said. And even though we say its about finance and its about COVID its about who is our person in the race and how does it benefit them directly. I cant help but think that that is the underlying reason.

Several other city councilors, including Annissa Essaibi-George and Micheal Flaherty, are also considering a mayoral campaign in the wake of Walshs departure.

Arroyo, Baker, Bok, and Councilor Lydia Edwards, who chairs the committee that will hold a hearing on the petition, all made a point of noting that they are not running for mayor, nor have they publicly endorsed either Wu or Campbell.

Councilor Julia Mejia, who has also said she wont run for mayor, shot back that a special election would simply compound the advantage that older, white voters have historically had in low-turnout municipal elections.

Were going to let a few thousand politically active people decide who will be the mayor of 700,000 people for the next four years, because we already know whats up, Mejia said. Dont get it twisted here. We know who comes out in droves in special elections. It is not those who are mostly impacted by the decisions that are being made every single day.

During the meeting, Bok suggested that the body shouldnt get stuck in the obvious political implications. Edwards, who unsuccessfully ran in a 2016 state Senate special election, added that special elections hurt all candidates opportunities to engage with voters.

Edwards made the case that the council should let the process play out and have a transparent open conversation with a hearing in her government operations committee with advocates and stakeholders, followed by a potential working session.

There is no special bending, working around, and trying to manipulate, Edwards said. We have legal procedures. We are all following them.

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Marty Walsh is shipping out of Boston. So what exactly happens next? - Boston.com

Lands Cabinet Secretary Farida Karoney addresses a press conference in Nairobi.

A notice by the Ministry of Lands that it will issue new title deeds to replace those issued under repealed laws as it transitions to a new registration system has raised concern among landowners.

As a follow up to a gazette notice published on December 31 by Lands Cabinet Secretary Farida Karoney informing landowners in Nairobi of changes in their land reference numbers, Ardhi House on Tuesday said it will cancel and replace all title deeds issued under old laws.

The laws include the Indian Transfer of Property Act, 1882, the Government Lands Act (Cap. 280), the Registration of Titles Act (Cap. 281), the Land Titles Act (Cap. 282) and the Registered Land Act (Cap. 300), which were repealed by enactment of the Land Registration Act.

Replacement of the title deeds will follow a process set out by the Land Registration (Registration Units) Order, passed by parliament in 2017.

Parcel numbers

There will be changes in the parcel numbers, which Karoney told the public to be on the look out for.

The changes have already started in Nairobi where over 5,000 new titles will be issued.

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For instance, in the Nairobi, the parcel of land identified as L.R. No. 209/7229 is now Parcel Number 1 in Nairobi/Block1 while L.R. No. 4393/12 in Nairobi/Block2 is now Parcel Number 1 in Nairobi/Block2.

Since enactment of the Land Registration Act, registration of land transactions has been going on under the transitional provisions since 2012.

Title deeds bear the title of the law that they are issued under, just below the coat of arms. Title deeds issued before 2012 bore the title of the now-repealed Registered Land Act, but titles issued after 2012 bear the titles of both the repealed and the new law.

The conversion begins with the Ministry of Lands preparing cadastral maps, graphical indices of parcels and a conversion list which will show the old land reference number and the new one.

The announcement has caused concern among sceptics who see it as opening for dispossession when the land is converted.

Existing freehold

The ministry and the Law Society of Kenya, however, say the process is foolproof and there will be no change in existing freehold and leasehold tenure.

Land Registration Act 2012 needs georeferencing of land parcels to produce cadastral plans and maps to eliminate overlap of the land parcels.

There are about 11 million title deeds in the hands of Kenyans, 6 million of which were issued between 1963 and 2012.

We cannot migrate all those titles at once. We are starting with Nairobi and even then we are doing it in batches, Karoney said.

The ministry has started the process of migrating 29 out of the 250 blocks that make up the city.

As we go digital in a county, we are going to migrate the titles until we finish all of them. That is why we are starting with Nairobi because it is going go fully digital in a month, the CS said.

The process of the conversion is supposed to continue until the end of 2022 and will be done free of charge.

The landowner will be required to apply to the Ministry of Lands for the new titles. The application will include providing the original title and copies of their other identification documents.

Ardhi House is, however, silent on the time it will take to produce the new titles.

Advocacy group, Land Development and Governance Institute (LDGI), said confidence the public has on the government will inform how the process will be received.

Does the public trust that when they deliver their titles and dont get the replacement the same day they will be comfortable getting it at any other time? That is where you hear a lot of noise from Kenyans,Ibrahim Mwathane who heads LDGI said.

Mwathane says the aspect of public trust will be the most fundamental in the exercise. He said it unfortunate that there is that perception of a deficit of trust in the ministry.

I think I can understand where the Kenyans are coming from. But I am sure the CS and her team know that there is that perception.This is a very demanding and sensitive exercise, any error can be misconstrued and can undermine confidence and consequently deter people from supporting the exercise, he said.

Mwathane said another concern Kenyans have is the governments capacity to carry out the exercise.

This is a very massive exercise and it will be extremely demanding. One would expect that it would be phased out. I want to believe what has started is the first phase which will be like a pilot so people learn lessons and hopefully once the lessons are learned there will be an improvement going forward, Mwathane said.

But the CS said the new titles will be produced almost immediately. The trust problems that have plagued the sector have been created over 57 years. Part of what we are doing is to set up systems that will restore public confidence. That is why digitization is a priority. The best way to assure the landowners is to put in place a system that is not only accessible to them but is also kept away from fraudsters, she said.

Karoney said yesterday that they will work overtime to complete the process.

We are doing it gradually because we do not want the process to be overwhelming. Migrating all those titles is not easy so you have to phase it out, she said.

Ardhi House has attempted to build confidence in the exercise withKaroney saying fears and speculations over the exercise are unfounded.

The entire process will be carried out in a transparent manner. The conversion process does not involve a change of ownership, she said. The transition to the use of Registry Index Maps will curb fraud as landowners will easily note changes as opposed to deed plans that contain survey data on one parcel of land.

Cases pending

There are questions about the fate of titles on contested properties with cases pending in courts or titles that were acquitted for infrastructural development. The ministry has not given plans on how it was planning to handle the conversion of such titles.

CS Karoney said the ministry is still consulting stakeholders in the land sector to find a way forward and shall issue further communication in due course.

But landowners whose titles are held by banks as collateral will have to talk to their banks so the financial institutions can facilitate their application for the title replacement. Some of the titles are held by hospitals and courts and shall only be replaced on the application by a proprietor, who will have to liaise with the third party to facilitate the replacement process.

Land that is under caveat shall automatically be migrated to the new register.

Link:
Jitters as ministry plans to replace old land title deeds - The Standard

Lands Cabinet Secretary Farida Karoney. PHOTO | FILE

Land owners in the country will soon be required to apply for new title deeds to replace the old titles issued under the old laws.

This is after the Ministry of Lands embarked on a process of converting all parcels of land under the repealed statues with a view to migrating to the newly enacted Land Registration Act,2012.

Lands Cabinet Secretary Farida Karoney said the object of the conversion is to collapse land registration processes in the repealed land registration laws into one with all titles issued under the repealed laws cancelled and replaced with titles under the Land Registration Act,2012.

She explained that the cancellation and replacement will migrate the parcels to the new regime while retaining the ownership, size and the other interests registered against the respective title.

This will mean the full use of Registry Index Maps (RIMs) as registration instruments, replacing the deed plans further minimising land fraud.

Boundaries, as well, will not be affected since RIMs are generated from survey plans with fixed boundaries.

Both the RIMs and the survey plans are accessible to land owners on request for verification of boundary details at the Survey of Kenya Headquarters, Ruaraka.

The RIMs display all land parcels within an area as opposed to a deed plan that captures data on one specific parcel. It is thus easy to note any change or alteration, said Ms Karoney.

The migration is necessitated by the need to have a centralised land registration process eliminating fraud, delays in service delivery and threats to the right to property in the process.

Title documents held by third parties including banks, hospitals, and courts as security at the time of commencement shall be replaced upon application by the proprietor. The general public is advised to take note of the converted parcel numbers, she said.

The Lands CS decried that even though the Land Registration Act was enacted in2012thereby repealing all other land registration statutes in the country by unifying the registration regime in Kenya under the statute, the country had however not migrated to the exclusive use of the new Act continuing to ride on the saving and transitional clauses in the Act and thus operating as though the statutes had not been repealed.

Some of the repealed legislations included the Government Lands Act (Cap. 280), the Registration of Titles Act (Cap. 281), the Land Titles Act (Cap. 282) and the Registered Land Act (Cap. 300).

Each of these pieces of legislation created its own register making land registration complex. The confusion occasioned by the different regimes has become a breeding ground for fraud, delays in service delivery, centralisation of land services and threats to the right to property, she decried.

The conversion process will entail preparation of cadastral maps together with a conversion list indicating new and old numbers for parcels of land within a registration unit or registration section/ block and their corresponding acreages.

Under regulation 4(4) of the Land Registration (Registration Units) Order,2017, the cadastral maps together with a conversion list will be published in the Kenya Gazette and two daily newspapers with the notice specifying a date to be the date after which the register shall be open to the public for transactions or dealings within the registration unit.

Thereafter, any person with an interest in land in the registration unit shall lodge a complaint to the registrar who shall resolve the same within 90 days of receipt.

At the commencement date, all registers shall be closed and all transactions carried out in the new register. However, all the closed registers and supporting documents shall be maintained in the new registration unit.

A notice will be published in at least two newspapers of nationwide circulation and announced in radio stations of nationwide coverage inviting registered owners to make application for replacement of title documents from the closed registers.

The application shall be accompanied by the original title and the owners identification documents. The registrar will replace title deeds with new ones but retain the old title documents for record and safe custody.

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Why all land owners will have to apply for new title deeds - Nairobi News

The Democratic-controlled US House of Representatives, which is rushing ahead towards impeaching Donald Trump over the unprecedented Capitol Hill attack, has passed a resolution urging Vice President Mike Pence to invoke 25th Amendment to remove the president from office.

The resolution was voted by 223 to 205 votes on Tuesday night. The voting was mostly on party lines, with one Republican voting in favour of the resolution and another five abstaining. The resolution calls upon Pence to mobilise the Cabinet to activate the 25th Amendment to remove the president from office.

The 25th Amendment, adopted more than 50 years ago in the wake of President John F Kennedy's assassination, provides a mechanism for the succession of the president for his or her replacement in the event he or she proves unfit to serve. Under the amendment, the vice president and a majority of either the Cabinet or some other body designated by Congress may remove the president from office.

The vote came after Pence, a Republican, wrote to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that he would not invoke the 25h Amendment.

Under our Constitution, the 25th Amendment is not a means of punishment or usurpation. Invoking the 25th Amendment in such a manner would set a terrible precedent, Pence said in a letter to Pelosi, a Democrat.

Speaking on the House floor, Pelosi said on January 6, President Trump incited a deadly insurrection against America that targeted the very heart of its democracy, the US Capitol.

"Defiling the genius of the Constitution, separate but equal, attacking the first branch of government, trying to prevent the US from ascertaining the constitutional duty to ascertain that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will be President and Vice President of the United States.

The gleeful desecration they have gleeful desecration of the Capitol and violence against the Congress, our staff and our workers are horrors that will forever stain our nation's history. Five Americans have died following the violent attack. More than 50 police officers were seriously injured, including fifteen officers who were hospitalised, Pelosi said.

She said the "facts are very clear" that the President called for the seditious attack.

"For days, he urged supporters to come to Washington for the insurrection. Wednesday (Jan 6) morning he participated in a rally to encourage the rioters to march on the Capitol and fight. And, not only did he urge people to march on the Capitol and fight, he further fanned the flames and he and his family cheered and celebrated the desecration of the Capitol, Pelosi said.

As the dangers escalated, he ignored and flat out rejected the pleas of Congress, including those of his own party, to call off his supporters the rioters, the terrorists as they engaged in vandalism and violence. Later that day and, now, the President is saying that he is not responsible and that his incitement to violence was totally appropriate, she said.

Referring to the impeachment proceedings against him, Trump in a public speech on Tuesday in a Texas border town said free speech is under assault in the US like never before.

"The impeachment hoax is a continuation of the greatest and most vicious witch hunt in the history of our country and is causing tremendous anger and division...which is very dangerous for the USA, especially at this very tender time," he said.

Pelosi said Trump's actions demonstrate his absolute inability to discharge the most basic and fundamental powers and duties of his office.

"Therefore, the President must be removed from office immediately. This is a decision we make with the utmost solemnity and prayerfulness, which this crisis requires. Removal of the President is an unprecedented action, but it is required because he is an because it is an unprecedented moment in history because of the danger he poses," she said.

The House of Representatives is expected to consider an article of impeachment against Trump on Wednesday, thus opening the possibility of Trump becoming the only president in US history to be impeached twice.

The articles of impeachment charges Trump with a count of 'incitement of insurrection' for his actions on January 6, when he delivered a speech inciting his supporters to lay siege to the Capitol, an action that temporarily halted the counting of Electoral College votes and resulted in the deaths of five individuals, including a police officer.

Earlier, the House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler released a majority staff report for the impeachment of Trump. The 50-page report made a strong case to impeach the Republican president.

Trump has falsely asserted that he won the 2020 presidential election and repeatedly sought to overturn the results of the election. As his efforts failed repeatedly, he continued a parallel course of conduct that "foreseeably resulted in the imminent lawless actions of his supporters, who attacked the Capitol and the Congress", the report said.

The facts establish that he is unfit to remain in office a single day longer and warrant the immediate impeachment of President Trump, it said.

The House on December 18, 2019 had approved the articles of impeachment against Trump, charging him of pressuring Ukraine to smear Biden, using nearly USD 400 million in military aid as leverage. However, the Republican-controlled Senate in February 2020 acquitted him of the two charges -- abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Continued here:
US House passes resolution asking Pence to remove Donald Trump from office - Business Standard