Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | June 8, 2020 | Worcester Business Journal 7 We can reopen safely F L AS H P O L L Do you think Massachusetts should allow hotels and restaurant dining rooms to reopen on June 8? The Massachusetts economy officially began to reopen on May 18, following the regulatory shutdowns in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The reopening plan includes four phases, with at least three weeks between the beginning of each phase. However, official start dates for phases two, three and four have not been released and are subject to change based on public health data. The soonest the second phase, which includes restaurants and hotels, may begin under the reopening plan is June 8. When polled online, the majority of WBJ readers felt June 8 was an appropriate date to reopen the next phase. W "My answer is no, but for a reason you didn't offer. Little has changed since February. Testing is slow, incomplete and inconclusive. The virus is still out there. The risk is still high and will get worse as selfish scofflaws ignore the regulations out of hubris or ignorance. Businesses and our governments want to play the averages, but I won't let them play Russian roulette with my life." "Massachusetts is way past due for total reopening. The governor is putting small businesses out of business with pages of silly, unnecessary rules while thousands of people take to the streets take to the streets with impunity to protest." COMMENTS: Yes, infection rates have dropped low enough to reopen. 18% 6% No, COVID-19 case numbers are still too high. No, it's too soon to know whether the first phase has induced new clusters of infection. 23% Yes, the next round of businesses are prepared to open safely. 53% Tourism agency appoints new executive director Discover Central Massachusetts, the region's public tourism marketing agency, has appointed a new executive director in Monique Messier. Messier, whose appointment was an- nounced Monday, was the sales director at Discover Central Mass. for the past year. She joined the Worcester-based office from the MGM Springfield casi- no, where she was an executive director on the team that opened the casino in 2018. Messier's career began in Worcester at what was then the Worcester Marriott, later the Crowne Pla- za. She has worked primarily in sales and business development at hotels in Springfield and Nantucket, as well as for the Greater Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau and for Spectra Venue Management. Messier graduated from Becker Col- lege in Worcester and UMass Amherst. She replaces Stephanie Ramey, who in May became the president of the Worcester Railers hockey team. SJC clears beer-and-wine question for ballot e state's highest court ruled Attor- ney General Maura Healey was correct to certify a proposed ballot question allowing more stores to sell beer and wine, clearing the way for the issue to go before voters in November. In its decision, the Supreme Judicial Court said the proposed law does not improperly combine disparate topics as the Massachusetts Package Store Association had argued and ruled that the question passes legal muster. e question, backed by convenience store giant Cumberland Farms of Westborough, would permit more food stores such as Target and Walmart to sell beer and wine than is allowed under existing state law. With the hurdle cleared, proponents of the proposal can put the question before voters in November if they collect sufficient signatures by a June 17 deadline. e coming campaign could be a raucous and costly battle. Liquor store owners opposed the proposal, filing the lawsuit with the Massachusetts Package Stores Associ- ation shortly aer Healey certified the initiative petition in an attempt to get it tossed aside. Monique Messier, DCM executive director A Sound Tax Structure? We Help Anticipate The Curves. FletcherTilton.com WO RC E ST E R | F R A M I N G H A M | B OSTO N | C A P E CO D Tax planning. It's a building block of business strategy and the cornerstone for informed individual goals. Our tax attorneys have highly specialized knowledge and employ sophisticated tools. They look beyond general planning to tax liability and consequences, tax benefits, charitable giving, succession planning, and more. And a good plan makes a strong structure. BUSINESS FORMATIONS | BUSINESS TRANSACTIONS NONPROFIT & TAX-EXEMPT ENTITIES | INDIVIDUAL TAX PLANNING EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION | ESTATE & GIFT TAX PLANNING TAXPAYER RESOLUTION SERVICES Dennis Gorman, Esq., CPA, LLM 508.459.8037 Michael Duffy, Esq., CPA, LLM 508.459.8043

• Cover