Five Questions With Brad Jones

North Reading Patch, in corporation with Reading Patch and Lynnfield Patch, have introduced a feature where we bring your questions to State Rep. Brad Jones.

Once per month, we will ask you what one question about a local issue you would ask Jones if you had 20 minutes to sit down with him. So, if you have a question for Brad Jones, ask it in the comment section below, or email william.laforme@patch.com.

Here are five questions that the state representative answered for this month's installment:

Q. You are aware that state, city, county and federal pensions are non state taxed in Massachusetts while at the same time private pensions are state taxed. In the case of GE retirees their pensions are double taxed. H 2569 and S01492 would help but not completely right this wrong. Where do you stand on these bills? 

A. I am not particularly familiar with the specifics of the two bills which are both currently before the Joint Committee on Revenue, one of which has had a public hearing while the other has not. I do however appreciate the concerns raised about the taxation of private versus public pensions. I am open to being supportive of these bills, but want to see a fiscal analysis of the legislation before making any commitment. 

Q. Brad, is there anything the Legislature can do to override the Governor's refusal to enter into the Secure Communities program? 

A.  As a practical matter, not at this point. During the House debate on the Fiscal Year 2012 budget, and amendment to the budget, which I co-sponsored, would have directed the Governor to join this federal initiative. Unfortunately, this Republican lead initiative was defeated by a vote of 73-84. While there has been a lot of back and forth about whether we should join this program, it has come to light that under a federal mandate, Massachusetts will be required to join Secure Communities by the end of 2013.

Q. Reading is currently rolling out a community alert system that allows people to receive messages about town programs relevant to them via email, cell phone, home phone or text message. The system can also alert residents to emergencies on a geographical basis. Does the state have anything like this in the pipeline? 

A. In consultation with the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, the answer is as follows.

“Here is a summary of the MEMA communication methods.

• Any statewide emergency would utilize local communication systems in addition to TV and Radio, and mass.gov.  MEMA would push out emergency alerts to local emergency directors who would then utilize whatever internal systems they have developed (Reverse 911, local cable, subscriptions to email or text alerts from the city or town,  police patrols using their speaker system, etc,). 
• MEMA uses the Emergency Alert System- Activation of EAS within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and may be made at the request of the Governor, Director of the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, Massachusetts State Police or the National Weather Service.  Such request shall be made directly to the State Primary, the Alternate State Primary or Local Primary Stations of the affected operational areas.
• All local broadcast and cable systems which have voluntarily joined the EAS program monitor the State Primary, State Alternate Facilities and National(NOAA) Radio. (We used this during the MWRA water main break last year)

State Primary Facility: WBMX Radio, Boston
State Alternate Facility – WBZ Radio, Boston

Local Primary Facilities:
Greater Boston WBMX Radio, Boston
Northeastern WQRS Radio, Lawrence
Southeastern WPLM Radio, Plymouth
Cape & Islands WQRC Radio, Barnstable
Central WSRS Radio, Worcester
Connecticut River Valley WHYN Radio, Springfield
Berkshire WBEC Radio, Pittsfielf 

• MEMA utilizes Mass 211 to answer citizen questions and address concerns.
• MEMA also pushes out alerts and updates via Twitter and Facebook to citizens who join those social media services and follow/friend MEMA. 
• These alerts are more general in nature, ie: "NWS is issuing a Flood Watch for Eastern MA" or "Watch the skies after 4pm for possible severe t-storms", etc.
• During an event, we use social media to deliver hourly power outage updates, road closures, shelter openings, etc.”

Q. The Board of Selectman recently approved a yearly audit for N.O.R.C.A.M. The station is allowed a waiver, but not two years in a row. Do you think it is necessary to spend the extra money for an audit? 

A. I always think that it is appropriate on a periodic basis to audit public entities which is ultimately what NORCAM is. As you may know, North Reading’s finances undergo an annual audit to ensure proper accounting, fiscal control, and accountability measure. I am not sure the NORCAM audit will be a part of this, but generally this periodic audit is responsible. Audits can validate activities as well as find problems, unintentionally otherwise, that should be corrected.

Q. Did you think North Reading's Zip Trip was beneficial for local businesses in North Reading, even if they were not featured in the segment?

A. Absolutely. Based on the comments and feedback I received from people outside North Reading, I think there is only an upside for everyone. Certainly being featured in the various segments is terrific. North Reading will benefit as a whole because of the Zip Trip and the segments, people, and businesses that were featured.