Foundation President and CEO Amie Shei, Ph.D. recently wrote a CommonWealth Magazine op-edreflecting on the clear regional differences in town-by-town state election results last month. She noted that regional inequities in access to public goods, to rights enshrined in the Massachusetts Constitution, and to the services and opportunities that so many of us take for granted have contributed to very different sentiments about the role of government and who should lead. Dr. Shei called on the new administration to address long-entrenched regional inequities across the Commonwealth so that all residents can thrive.
The piece highlighted regional inequities in drinking water protections and transportation, which the Foundation is actively seeking to address. Since 2020, the Foundation has provided over $1 million in funding to the Quaboag Valley Community Development Corporationto support the development of theQuaboag Connectorrural transportationservice. Also since 2020, the Foundation has invested over $1 million in funding toRCAP Solutionsfor thePrivate Well Program to Protect Public Healthto ensure that drinking water is safe from contaminants like PFAS, arsenic, and E.coli, an issue that has beendiscussed previouslyhereandhere. Both projects are actively advocating for state-level systems changes to promote health for all residents, regardless of where they live.
