01.29.2025

State officials fork over tens of millions for settlements with disgruntled workers | Watertown revives public housing | Trump and the 19th-century populists | Boston mayoral race scuttlebutt | Contractors shifting to public sector work amid collapse of housing and lab development | Contrarian Boston to hold chat on immigration debate today/Wednesday at noon |

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Hungry contractors could mean taxpayer savings: Amid a big drop-off in private sector construction, a relatively booming public sector beckons for contractors seeking to stay afloat

When it comes to saving taxpayer dollars, state officials in Massachusetts rarely miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity.

That’s especially the case with big public works projects, with a long and colorful local history of budget-busting projects that went off the rails.

Think Boston’s waterfront convention center, nearly canceled after soaring construction costs sparked public outrage.

But with the collapse of new office, lab, and residential construction across Greater Boston, state and local officials have a rare and likely fleeting opportunity to build some major infrastructure projects and save a few dollars while they are at it.

Photo by Ivan Henao on Unsplash

The economy may still be booming, but private sector construction in the Boston area has yet to rebound from the interest rate hike shock, which derailed plans for desperately needed new apartment buildings, condos, and homes.

Work on new housing all but ground to a halt this past fall in Boston, as Contrarian Boston has reported.

The shift to remote work and a burst lab space bubble have killed off new work in those once thriving sectors as well.

Contractors and unions are now hungry for new work, with seven to eight bidders chasing work on new schools, hospitals, and other public or institutional projects where two or three was the norm previously, Joe Kelly, a construction consultant and host of a popular industry podcast, tells Contrarian Boston.

“We are creating a strategy to get more into public work,” Jon Desmond, CEO at Cox Engineering, noted in an interview on Kelly’s Mass Construction Show. “It does seem like an opportunity. With life sciences drying up, you really have to be creative.”

Jon Desmond, CEO of Cox Engineering

Now is the time for state and local officials to seize what could be a once-in-a-generation opportunity to negotiate some good deals on major public works projects.

But to do so will mean finding a way to get billions of dollars in contracts for major projects moving before the window closes.

We are talking about projects like the $4 billion replacement of the Cape bridges, the $1 billion straightening of the Turnpike in Allston, and the rebuild of $800 million rebuild of Madison Park, Boston’s struggling vocational school.

The contractors are out there, sharpening their pencils. The question is whether anyone in state or local government is paying attention.

Bring your opinions and hot takes: Contrarian Boston will host a live chat from noon to 1 p.m. today/Wednesday on the mainstream media’s coverage of the immigration debate

The national debate over immigration has kicked into high gear with the arrival of the second Trump administration in Washington.

Has the immigration issue in all its facets been covered fairly by the mainstream media?

And are there blind spots on both sides of the political aisle regarding this crucial issue?

Contrarian Boston will host a live chat from noon to 1 p.m. today/Wednesday for paid subscribers.

Join us at Substack Chat and we look forward to seeing you there.

Hush money: State officials cut potentially hundreds of nondisclosure agreements with employees who complained of harassment and other issues, report finds

The numbers are simply staggering.