MMA history

The Massachusetts League of Cities and Towns was formed in 1961. In 1979, the League was consolidated with the Massachusetts Selectmen’s Association and the Massachusetts Mayors’ Association and the name was changed to the Massachusetts Municipal Association.

The following are a few of the noteworthy events in the history of the Massachusetts Municipal Association:

1979
* On June 27 at the Sheraton Lexington hotel, a meeting was held that resulted in the creation of the Massachusetts Municipal Association. The formation of the association represented the culmination of more than three years of effort and work under the leadership of the Massachusetts Selectmen’s Association, the Massachusetts Mayors’ Association, the League of Cities and Towns, the Massachusetts Municipal Management Association, and the Association of Town Finance Committees.

* The new Massachusetts Municipal Association would pool the political and financial resources of all of the organizations to increase the political strength of local officials on Beacon Hill. At the same time, because the MMA is a federation, it allows the member groups (e.g., the Selectmen’s Association or the Mayors’ Association) to speak to particular concerns that affect only towns or cities. It also enables them to pool their efforts on the majority of issues that are shared by all the state’s municipalities.

* The new association had to choose a new logo. Although it appears to be an abstract design, the MMA logo is actually a proposal for a 17th century Danish city. The plan featured a large octagonal place from which streets branch out to the bastions of the fortifications. The logo was designed by Carolyn Rufo of Boston in 1979.

* The MMA’s clout was immediately tested when Gov. Edward King proposed to transfer $166 million in new local aid to the state’s general fund. In response to the MMA’s strong objections, King agreed that the money should go toward property tax relief.

* What started out as a five-member coalition has continued to grow over the years as other organizations of municipal officials have established partnership status. These include the Local Officials Human Services Council, representing human service program professionals, the Massachusetts Municipal Personnel Association, representing personnel directors, the Massachusetts Highway Association, representing public works officials, and the City Solicitors and Town Counsel Association, representing municipal legal officers. Another related standing committee is the Women Elected Municipal Officials.

1980
* The MMA received a rude introduction to the decade, with local aid frozen in spite of rampant inflation, and the Legislature failing to develop an alternative to Proposition 2 1/2, thus frustrating months of work by the MMA’s Tax Policy and Expenditure Control Committee. The state also grabbed one-half of the increase in revenues from parking and moving violations. The thinking that the MMA must take steps to make itself more politically effective and visible in the 1980s was reinforced. A new strategy evolved, that the MMA would invite more political activity among local government officials on statewide issues.

* Taxes and mandates took center stage in 1980, as the MMA battled against Proposition 2 1/2 and fought hard for a ballot question to protect local autonomy. Election results were mixed for cities and towns, as both Proposition 2 1/2 and Question 5 passed overwhelmingly. In response to 2 1/2, the MMA lobbied for legislation to reduce municipal reliance on property taxes so that the law would not cripple local governments. Question 5, meanwhile, amended the constitution to limit the power of the Legislature to impose costs on local governments in the area of municipal employee salaries, benefits, status and conditions. Kennedy Shaw, the MMA’s first-ever executive director, departed on Oct. 22 to become city manager in Englewood, N.J.

* The first full year of operation under the aegis of the MMA saw the joint membership grow to 331 municipalities.

1981
* The MMA opened the year by anouncing its intent to form the Massachusetts Interlocal Insurance Association, a nonprofit insurance pool to be run by municipal officials.

* The MMA earned a hard-fought victory when its proposed reform of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s funding mechanism was approved by the Legislature.

* The association also turned up the heat on state officials when Gov. King announced just $37 million in new aid to cities and towns, despite the more than $600 million in losses municipalities faced as a result of Proposition 2 1/2. Thanks to the MMA’s efforts, local aid was increased by $265 million in the state budget.

* The most important phenomenon to occur over the year was a willingness on the part of rank-and-file members and the leadership of MMA member organizations to meld into a single, coherent, unified organization.

* At the MMA Annual Meeting, in the wake of Proposition 2 1/2, Barbara Anderson, executive director of Citizens for Limited Taxation, addressed the MMA membership to discuss technical changes to the new tax-cap law. The discussions ultimately led to the creation of new types of Proposition 2 1/2 overrides, annual ability to override, and a decrease from two-thirds to majority vote to pass an override; the changes help make Proposition 2 1/2 work without crushing local government.

* At the time of the MMA formation, a statewide organization for councillors did not exist. Through the efforts of a group of councillors and with the assistance of the MMA, the Massachusetts Municipal Councillors’ Association was formed in early 1981.

* As a body, MMA members craft the strategy that convinces the legislature to respond to Proposition 2 1/2 by allocating a percentage of state revenue as unrestricted local aid, setting the stage for a decade of revenue sharing and constructive state-local partnership.

1982
* The Massachusetts Interlocal Insurance Association Inc. (MIIA) is incorporated by the Massachusetts Municipal Association as a nonprofit organization to provide insurance services to the cities, towns and other governmental entities of Massachusetts that are members in good standing of the MMA.

* In January, the MMA released its Report on the Impact of Proposition 2 1/2, a 14-page insert to The Beacon.

* Under a newly enacted state law, municipalities became responsible for processing their own parking tickets and collecting the revenue. Since most communities did not have the resources to handle such a task, the MMA developed the Violation Control System (VACS) to provide municipalities with a cost-effective way of collecting fines. In the first 10 months of the program, VACS collected more than $1 million in fines for 44 communities.

* In mid-1982 the MMA bylaws were amended to provide the officers of the Massachusetts Municipal Councillors’ Association with seats on the MMA Board of Directors, with equal representation to the other municipal groups.

* The start of an annual tradition, a professional development conference for the state’s mayors, was held in December. Co-sponsored by the MMA, the Harvard-MIT Joint Center for Urban Studies, and the Kennedy School of Government, the conference was a joint effort between the public, private and academic leaders in Massachusetts. Financial backing was received from the First National Bank of Boston, Wang Laboratories, and Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company.

1983
* The MMA unveiled a new health program to help control the escalating costs of providing health coverage for municipal employees. The Master Health program was developed in conjunction with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. Cost savings to municipalities would be realized through closer administrative control aimed at minimizing hospitalization.

* After months of lobbying by the MMA, the state removed standards for local road construction and reconstruction carried out with funds provided under Chapter 90, meaning that municipalities obtained full responsibility for road safety, but would still have access to Chapter 90 funds for professional design and engineering work.

* The MMA won passage of a bill that guaranteed cities and towns $15 million in state reimbursements for mandated property tax abatements for the elderly, veterans, the blind and widows.

* The MMA Annual Meeting & Trade Show marked the fifth statewide gathering of the association since it was formed. The MMA is like a tabletop supported by legs that are the individual associations. The entire structure benefits from the strengthening of each piece.

* The Mayors’ Association developed a new format for monthly meetings. The location of meetings would be rotated throughout the state, with the “hometown” mayor acting as host. The plan has enabled the group to hold in-depth discussions about specific initiatives in community development, commercial revitalization, industrial development, and other urban issues.

* The 1983-84 edition of the Massachusetts Municipal Directory was published as a special insert to The Municipal Forum so that it could reach more municipal officials as part of their basic MMA membership benefits.

1984
* After working with Gov. Michael Dukakis and legislative leaders, local officials received an increase of $155 million in local aid. Dukakis shared with local governments approximately 40 percent of the state’s projected growth in corporate, sales and income tax revenues.

* In another major victory for the MMA, the Legislature passed a two-year, $40 million bond issue for cities and towns. Under the plan, municipalities received a cash appropriation for Chapter 90 funds for road construction and reconstruction.

* As 1984 came to a close the major excitement was over H. 6262, the so-called “education reform” bill. The bill would have created a minimum salary of $18,000 for all public school teachers and enabled the commissioner of education to compel municipalities to spend their state aid money on schools. On Nov. 20 the MMA sent a letter to local officials across the state urging active opposition to sections of H. 6262. A week of press releases and media interviews concluded with a joint press conference by the MMA, the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, and the Massachusetts Business Roundtable. Speaking for the three groups was MMA Executive Director James Segel. The legislation became mired in a sea of amendments. Many were adopted by the House and made improvements to the bill. The MMA took satisfaction in having prevented the adoption of legislation that would have hurt local government far beyond any benefit that would have accrued to the public education system.

1985
* Cities and towns won a major legal victory when the Supreme Judicial Court ruled that municipalities could disregard a 1983 state law because it constituted an unfunded state mandate. The law required local school systems to provide transportation to private school students who traveled more than two miles to school.

* Local aid increased by more than $146 million and was distributed to communities as Chapter 70 school aid. The MMA defeated the Legislature’s aggressive attempts to reinstitute a form of binding arbitration. The MMA also began tackling the issues of education reform and right-to-know legislation.

* In the closing weeks of the 1985 legislative session, the issue the MMA was most concerned about was binding arbitration. Legislation that would have created a closure mechanism binding on municipal chief executives appeared to be heading for passage in the House. Thanks to active participation by local officials across the state, MMA was successful in convincing the House that the issue was too hot for them to pass without more thorough consideration. The bill was sent to committee and died when the session ended.

1986
* Tension mounted when Congress passed the Gramm-Rudman Act, intended to force the federal government to balance its budget by 1991. The law called for substantial cuts in aid to cities and towns nationwide. The MMA turned to the state for assistance and ultimately earned an increase of more than $12 million in aid for communities.

* The MMA also earned a long-awaited victory when the Legislature enacted a new law that allowed counties to adopt their own charters.

* The MIIA Workers’ Compensation Group was formed to provide a program of workers’ compensation coverage for the cities, towns and other governmental entities in Massachusetts that are members in good standing of the MMA. In addition, the Group provides risk management services, with an emphasis on loss control and loss management.

* In February, the MMA moved from 131 Tremont St. in Boston to larger quarters around the corner at 60 Temple Place.

* In September, the MMA published Managing Small Towns, A Primer On Municipal Management For Towns With Populations Under 20,000.

1987
* The problem of solid waste disposal was a priority for the MMA’s legislative efforts. The association pursued legislation asking the state to create a comprehensive plan to address the long-overlooked issue. “Contamination of an aquifer does not respect municipal boundaries, and what one community does, or does not do, can affect many others,” said then-MMA Executive Director James Segel. As a result of the MMA’s efforts, Gov. Dukakis signed a solid waste bill into law that called for $100 million in aid to communities to clean up and prevent contamination at landfills.

* Segel left the MMA after six years as executive director. He was replaced by former state budget director Edward Moscovitch.

* MIIA Property and Casualty Group was formed to provide a program of property and casualty coverage for the cities, towns and other governmental entities of Massachusetts that are members in good standing of the MMA. In addition, the Group provides risk management services with emphasis on loss control and loss management.

1988
* After a four-year battle, the MMA earned a pension reform victory when Gov. Dukakis signed a new law aimed at tightening the disability system and improving employee benefits. The key provisions of the plan called for new fitness standards, a no-smoking requirement for new public safety personnel, and grants to communities to adopt a normal cost-funding schedule.

* A bill providing $21 million to municipalities to help them build schools was also signed into law.

* The MMA earned an important “save” when the Legislature rejected a proposal to divert $51 million in Lottery revenues from cities and towns to help cover for the state’s $450 million shortfall.

* The MMA published the Handbook for Massachusetts Selectmen, Second Edition.

* MMA members set the parameters of a municipal water and wastewater-treatment policy that led to passage of a $1.3 billion grant and loan program for the planning and construction of wastewater-treatment facilities.

* In December, the Field Services Division of the MMA formed an independent for-profit corporation, the Massachusetts Municipal Association Consulting Group Inc.

1989
* State and local fiscal affairs took center stage at the MMA’s 10th Annual Meeting & Trade Show, as more than 1,500 local officials, employees, speakers, exhibitors, and others from across Massachusetts gathered in Boston on Jan. 7 and 8. Local officials debated changes to Proposition 2 1/2, voted on local priorities for state government, and discussed money-saving solutions, all in the shadow of the state’s burgeoning deficit.

* Longtime MMA Legislative Director Sheila Cheimets was named executive director of the association on Jan. 1, replacing Moskovitch.

* State revenue shortfalls of nearly $500 million left the MMA and local officials scrambling. Gov. Dukakis responded to the state’s financial malaise by cutting aid to cities and towns by $239 million. As a result of the deep cuts, the MMA organized a statewide ballot question that called for providing the state’s 351 communities with a 40 percent share of the state’s revenues generated from sales and income taxes.

* In December, the MMA published the premier issue of the Municipal Advocate, which replaced the Municipal Forum. The first issue also included the MMA’s annual Massachusetts Municipal Directory. The Municipal Forum had replaced the Massachusetts Selectman, a quarterly publication of the Massachusetts Selectmen’s Association, in 1980.

1990
* The year started off with a bang for local officials as the Committee to Save Our Cities and Towns, the organization set up by the MMA to coordinate a statewide ballot question campaign, filed 80,000 signatures on its initiative petition with the secretary of state’s office. The initiative became known as Question 5 and passed in the November general election, 57 percent to 43 percent. The law called for 40 percent of state revenue growth to go to cities and towns. More than 1.1 million people sent a clear and unambiguous message to state government: We want our local services protected, we want them funded, and we want an end to the political games that have been played with local aid.

* After a strenuous battle, the MMA also convinced the governor and Legislature to adopt the first reform of the public employee health care system in 35 years. The new law required municipal employees to pay for 10 percent of their health maintenance organization premiums, and communities were given the authority to increase this 10 percent contribution through collective bargaining.

* In February, the MMA distributed to each member A Design Primer for Cities and Towns, a publication of the Cultural Council, funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. Written as a resource for town boards and elected officials, the publication’s objective is to help public officials and citizens be more effective advocates, consumers, and decision-makers in the design of their communities.

1991
* In a display of unity regarding the potentially divisive issue of how to distribute cuts in local aid, officials from a range of communities agreed that all cities and towns are in crisis, and asked newly elected Gov. William Weld not to change the formula for distributing aid without consulting local officials. Weld agreed to the proposal and guaranteed four local aid distributions. Predicted local aid cuts of more than $300 million drew strong protests from local officials, however. More than 500 municipal officials turned out for a May 19 protest at the State House. Weld eventually signed a budget bill that cut $329 million from local aid.

* In a sign of the times, the MMA’s annual legislative conference, a tradition for 16 years, was moved from the State House to town and city halls. The community meetings were expected to make a greater impression on legislators than any one meeting at the State House.

1992
* The year opened with a changing of the MMA guard, as Geoffrey Beckwith, a former state representative from Reading, replaced Sheila Cheimets as executive director in January.

* After nearly $600 million in cuts over the previous four years, the state’s budget bleeding finally stopped, prompting local officials to call for an increase in local aid. The MMA campaigned successfully to override a Gov. Weld budget veto, resulting in an increased local aid package of $208 million.

* The MIIA Health Benefits Trust was formed to provide health coverage for the employees and retirees of the cities, towns and other governmental entities of Massachusetts that are members in good standing of the MMA.

1993
* In January, the MMA awarded the first Marcia Carleton Award for Distinguished Service to Patricia McGovern. Marcia Carleton, a Needham selectman and longtime member of the MMA Board of Directors, and her husband were killed in a plane crash in West Virginia on Oct. 21, 1992. The MMA Board established the Carleton award to recognize individuals who best exemplify the qualities for which she will be remembered: kindness, selfless devotion to public service, and a desire to make Massachusetts a better place to live.

* A new education reform law and the arrival of a new Lottery game, Keno, were highlights on the political landscape for the MMA and local officials in 1993. The education reform law baffled local officials as they attempted to sort through the numerous formulas. The MMA held a series of workshops around the state to help explain the new law. Regarding Keno, the MMA met with Gov. Weld to recommend that the state proceed carefully in any expansion of gambling. Municipal officials also maintained that local voters should have the authority to decide whether any new form of gambling should be allowed in a community.

1994
* In contrast to the local aid cuts of the late 1980s, the governor’s office proposed to fully fund the new education law, increase Lottery distributions, and cut state taxes. The new school finance law was amended to correct problems with the original draft. Local aid increased dramatically ($464 million in Additional Assistance, $184 million in new school aid, and $42.6 million in new Lottery aid). The state also agreed to begin a phase-out of the Lottery cap over five years.

* Trustees of MIIA’s Workers’ Compensation Group approved an unprecedented $2 million dividend for local government units in the program.

* In June the Massachusetts Municipal Association introduced a computer bulletin board service, Massachusetts Local Net, designed to enhance the exchange of information among local officials statewide. This free service is exclusively for the use of Massachusetts municipal officials and MMA members. Local Net would provide municipal leaders with late-breaking news on municipal issues, resource and discussion areas on key local government subjects, access to important documents, and e-mail privileges for communication with other Local Net users and those on the Internet.

* In June, the MMA established the Municipal Tobacco Control Technical Assistance Program funded by a grant from the Department of Public Health.

* As part of an ongoing effort to broaden its membership and build a stronger network of municipal officials, the MMA formed a closer working relationship with the Massachusetts Municipal Personnel Association and the Association of Town Finance Committees by providing direct services to both groups.

1995
* Boosted by a healthy economy, the state increased local aid by 9 percent, an increase of $264 million. The state budget also fulfilled the third year commitment of the seven-year Chapter 70 schedule by distributing $1.83 billion in school aid, an increase of $51 million.

* In December, the Massachusetts Mayors’ Association celebrated its 50-year milestone. The statewide association officially organized in 1945 to represent cities and mayors and to advocate for the interests of local government. When the MMA was formed in 1979, the Mayors’ Association became a member group, working as a partner with local officials across the state to improve the effectiveness of municipal government.

1996
* The MMA won a hard-earned victory when Gov. Weld approved a new law requiring the Lottery Commission to notify cities and towns when an application is filed by a local business to operate Keno. Municipalities were given the opportunity to object to any Keno license application from a local business.

* The Weld administration reduced the number of Cabinet secretariats from 11 to six. The Executive Office of Communities and Development was replaced by the Division of Housing and Community Development.

* Local aid increased by 9 percent, or $285 million, bringing Cherry Sheet totals to $3.5 billion.

* In December, the MMA unveiled its Web site (www.mma.org).

1997
* After more than a year of public hearings and debate, the Legislature and governor approved a far-reaching proposal to change the rules governing the generation and sale of electricity in Massachusetts. The key component of the new law was to create an electricity marketplace that would result in lower rates for both residential and business ratepayers.

* The 20th anniversary of Women Elected Municipal Officials was celebrated in January. WEMO is an MMA-affiliated organization of women elected municipal officials with goals of keeping members well-informed on issues affecting communities, and encouraging women to run for elected office.

* The MMA’s MunEnergy program was launched in December. The program was designed to help Massachusetts municipalities achieve substantial savings in the newly restructured electricity marketplace through aggregated purchasing and energy efficiency and conservation measures.

* As part of an ongoing effort to broaden the MMA’s membership and build a stronger network of municipal officials, the MMA resumed a closer working relationship with the Massachusetts Highway Association.

* The MMA conducted its Fiscal 1997 Employee Census of the Cities and Towns, a staffing level survey of the 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts. The census was the first comprehensive staffing level project undertaken in recent years.

1998
* The MMA kicked off the year by announcing its new energy purchasing consortium, MunEnergy. More than 70 municipal entities signed up for the new program.

* The MMA also focused much of its attention on the proposed regulation of cellular towers and efforts to reform special education.

* MMA published the Handbook for Massachusetts Selectmen, Third Edition.

* The MMA published Mass Innovations: A Three-Year Compendium of Creative Municipal Programs and Projects, a compilation of 46 programs that had been featured in Mass Innovations in The Beacon.