The Codcast

On this end-of-year episode of The Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon editor Laura Colarusso sits down with reporters Jennifer Smith, Chris Lisinski, Jordan Wolman, and Hallie Claflin to discuss their 2025 storylines and what they each plan to cover in the new year.

On the monthly Health or Consequences episode of the Codcast, John McDonough of the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health and Paul Hattis of the Lown Institute talk with Zirui Song, associate professor of health care policy and medicine at Harvard Medical School and a physician at Massachusetts General Hospital. They discuss Song’s research and thoughts about the primary care crisis nationally and in Massachusetts, and dive into the promise and issues with private equity in health care.

On this week’s episode of the Codcast, Michael Jonas, executive editor of CommonWealth Beacon, sits down with Patrick Tutwiler, Massachusetts’ Secretary of Education. Tutwiler co-chairs a graduation council tasked with proposing new educational standards and assessments to replace the MCAS. Take a look behind the scenes.

On this week’s episode of The Codcast, what it means when political forces come for the arts. CommonWealth Beacon reporter Jennifer Smith talks with Élider DiPaula, the new executive director of Project STEP — a 12-year music program focused on bringing students from underrepresented or marginalized backgrounds into the world of classical string music. The program lost a federal grant this spring, as did hundreds of other Northeast programs considered out of step with President Trump’s nationalist priorities for the arts. DiPaula talks about his background as a Brazilian composer and performer, and what classical music sounds like, who it’s for, and who created it is both personal and political.

How much of Boston’s tax needs should fall on residents? The question is splitting City Hall and the business community, as dropping commercial property values and rising home values threaten a 13 percent residential tax hike in 2026. This week on the Codcast, Greg Maynard, executive director of the Boston Policy Institute, joins CommonWealth Beacon reporter Jennifer Smith as the city council prepares for a Wednesday vote expected to raise taxes on single-family homes. Maynard, who has butted heads with Mayor Michelle Wu since his think tank’s founding, says the administration is not moving quickly enough to inform the public about dire revenue forecasts or adopt new measures which could make up the difference.

On this week’s episode of The Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon reporters Jennifer Smith and Chris Lisinski check in as Beacon Hill heads into its winter break. Chris looks back at the end of year lawmaking hustle, and what was left for 2026, then turns to a possibly record-smashing number of ballot questions that could land before voters next November.

On this week’s episode of The Codcast, Jim Peyser, who served as secretary of education under Gov. Charlie Baker, talks with executive editor Michael Jonas about the yearlong series of essays he wrote for CommonWealth Beacon on the need for civil discussion of often controversial issues in an era of polarized debate. Peyser says a healthy democracy depends on our ability to move past the current moment, where opponents are often characterized not as adversaries but enemies, and complex issues, which often involve difficult trade-offs and not just matters of right and wrong, are often reduced to strident – and simplistic – slogans.

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https://commonwealthbeacon.org/author/james-peyser/

On the monthly Health or Consequences episode of The Codcast, John McDonough of the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health and Paul Hattis of the Lown Institute talk Matt Selig, the executive director of Health Law Advocates (HLA). They discuss the blur between medical and legal access issues, the group’s history and capacity, and their current litigation focuses.

Massachusetts Municipal Association Executive Director Adam Chapdelaine, Amesbury Mayor Kassandra Gove, and Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance Executive Director Paul Craney join The Codcast to dive deep on the world of municipal finances in a panel discussion moderated by CommonWealth Beacon reporter Chris Lisinski. Guests unpack the various dynamics putting pressure on city and town budgets, consider the value of the tax-cap law known as Proposition 2½, and ponder who might be best equipped to provide relief.

https://commonwealthbeacon.org/economy/could-boston-face-an-urban-doom-loop/

https://commonwealthbeacon.org/government/healey-pitches-new-revenue-source-for-cities-and-towns-vehicle-surcharge/

This week on The Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon reporters Jennifer Smith and Hallie Claflin talk about Claflin’s deep dive into the fallout from Steward Health Care’s bankruptcy. Two communities – the Boston neighborhood of Dorchester and the rural Nashoba Valley – lost their community health centers. Just over a year later, the local emergency health systems are strained and residents say they still feel confused about why the state allowed their centers to close while others were saved.

https://commonwealthbeacon.org/health-care/when-communities-lose-trust-one-year-after-steward-healths-bankruptcy-and-the-death-of-two-hospitals/

https://commonwealthbeacon.org/health-care/accord-pledges-234m-for-hospitals-health-centers/