I'm endorsing Brian Herr for Selectman.  In my experience working with Brian, he manages meetings well, listens more than he speaks, asks the right questions, and works to ensure a fair and open process.  Brian understands that Town Meeting is the ultimate authority on critical decisions in Hopkinton, and that the role of town boards is not only to implement Town Meeting decisions, but also to ensure community input is reflected in proposals that boards bring to Town Meeting.   Although I am a Democrat who will continue to support Jim McGovern for Congress, I believe the candidate in this …

 It may not always feel this way, but the economy has come a long way over the course of these past two years, and there is still a long way to go.  After the national unemployment rate reached a staggering 10.6 percent  just one year ago, it now stands at 8.2 percent in Massachusetts.  After losing millions of jobs during the recession, we have seen over 12 straight months of job growth with more than one million jobs created in the private sector.  After enduring a dark economic time, small businesses are beginning to grow once more and consumer confidence is on the rise.  There is little …

EDITOR'S NOTE: U.S. senators Scott Brown and John Kerry, Mass. 3rd Congressional District Rep. James McGovern, state Sen. Karen Spilka and state Rep. Carolyn Dykema were asked by the Hopkinton Patch in March to comment on the Wisconsin legislature's modification of that state's collective-bargaining agreement with state workers. This is Sen. Brown's response. The Hopkinton Patch thanks the Senator for his thoughtfulness and attention. Like many other states in this economic climate, Wisconsin began the new fiscal year with a looming budget deficit.  Specifically, with a $3.6 million deficit …