Paul Burton is the Northeast Regional Editor for The Bond Buyer. His major coverage has included New York City and MTA finances; the Harrisburg, Pa., debt crisis; the 38 Studios bond financing fiasco in Rhode Island; and unfunded pension liability. Paul hosts podcasts and videos and has moderated at Bond Buyer conferences. Previously, Paul was senior editor and copy chief at M&A-oriented financial media company The Deal LLC. His award-winning career has spanned financial, sports and political journalism. A Boston native, Paul is the author of the book “Tales from the Newsrooms.” He is a frequent public speaker and has appeared as an expert on municipal debt on radio and television shows, including former CBS News White House correspondent Sharyl Attkisson’s public-affairs program, “Full Measure.”
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Harrisburg's receiver said that recovery for Pennsylvania's capital city starts with finding out how much cash upfront it can get for its assets.
February 6 -
PennsylvaniaShortly after two of the top three credit rating agencies improved their outlooks for the city to stable from negative, Pittsburgh sold $114.5 million of general obligation bonds to provide funds for overdue capital improvement projects and save money through a refunding.
February 3 - New York
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg repeated his cry for pension overhaul while introducing the city's $68.7 billion preliminary budget and four-year financial plan for fiscal 2013.
February 3 - New York
New York City's law department has issued a request for proposals to provide bond counsel and disclosure counsel services.
February 3 - Rhode Island
Unlike many of its Rhode Island neighbors, Jamestown “is in good fiscal shape,” an auditing firm told its Town Council.
February 3 -
Providence Mayor Angel Taveras warned that the Rhode Island capital will run out of money in June without a reduction in pension obligations and larger contributions from tax-exempt institutions such as Brown University.
February 3 -
State-appointed receiver David Unkovic’s long-awaited financial plan for the struggling city of Harrisburg, Pa., is due Monday.
February 3 - New York
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a bill requiring the Long Island Power Authority to undergo periodic audits.
February 3 - Massachusetts
Massachusetts Treasurer Steven Grossman has named Jack McCarthy the permanent executive director of the Massachusetts School Building Authority.
February 3 - Massachusetts
Nixon Peabody LLP public finance attorney Navjeet Bal has joined the board of directors of the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center.
February 3 -
The Connecticut State Bond Commission has approved $291 million of borrowing over 10 years for a proposed research laboratory adjacent to the University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington.
February 3 - New York
Nassau County, N.Y.'s state-appointed control board cut the county's requested bonding plan by one-third from $90 million, and again chastised officials for failing to provide a plan to save $150 million in labor costs.
February 2 -
The attorney for the Harrisburg, Pa., City Council said he might appeal the latest federal rejection of its Chapter 9 bankruptcy petition.
February 2 - New York
Nixon Peabody LLP has elected Jeffrey Piemont as a partner in the law firm's New York office. He assumed his new duties Wednesday.
February 1 -
Providence may appeal a Rhode Island Superior Court ruling Monday that for now stops it from switching police and fire retirees to Medicare after they turn 65.
January 31 - New Jersey
New Jersey's unfunded pension liability will probably worsen because the state does not plan to fully fund its actuarial annual required contributions to pensions until fiscal 2018, Fitch Ratings said Tuesday.
January 31 -
The Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority will offer a mandatory tender and purchase Tuesday of all three outstanding series of its variable-rate general revenue bonds, Series 2003 and 2005, totaling about $535 million.
January 30 - Pennsylvania
The Pittsburgh City Council is scheduled to vote Tuesday on a sale of $125 million in general obligation bonds. Officials say it’s the city’s largest bond ever, and the first new debt issued under Mayor Luke Ravenstahl.
January 30 -
ConnecticutAnyone who needed a wakeup call got one 10 days ago when Moody's Investors Service threw a high, hard one at Connecticut, lowering the state's general obligation bond rating to Aa3 from Aa2, citing budgetary and pension shortfalls, and depleted reserves.
January 27 - Rhode Island
Rhode Island’s cash advance to East Providence is a credit positive for the financially strapped city, according to Moody’s Investors Service.
January 27
