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.”
- Pennsylvania
Philadelphia has lost $331 million in net interest payments and cancellation fees related to swaps, the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center wrote in a report.
By Paul BurtonJanuary 20 - New York
New York City Comptroller John Liu’s office has launched a website, “MWBE Report Card NYC,” to track how much each city agency spends on minority- and women-owned enterprises. The address is mwbereportcardnyc.com.
By Paul BurtonJanuary 20 - New Jersey
Gov. Chris Christie signed a bill legalizing sports betting in New Jersey, but the move would take effect only if a federal ban on such gambling is reversed.
By Paul BurtonJanuary 20 -
Moody’s Investors Service on Friday downgraded Connecticut’s general obligation bond rating to Aa3 from Aa2, affecting about $14.6 billion in outstanding general obligation bonds.
By Paul BurtonJanuary 20 -
Rockland County will ask the New York Legislature for authorization to issue up to $80 million of bonds to cover its operating deficit, and to raise its sales tax by three-eighths of 1% to cover those bonds.
By Paul BurtonJanuary 18 -
There's ample blame for Harrisburg's debt crisis, the operator of the incinerator in Pennsylvania's capital city said in a 133-page forensic investigation report released Wednesday.
By Paul BurtonJanuary 18 - Rhode Island
Five days after it placed Woonsocket, R.I., on review for downgrade, Moody's Investors Service lowered the city's long-term general obligation rating to Ba2 from Ba1, affecting $225 million of parity debt.
By Paul BurtonJanuary 18 - New York
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey plans to auction $400 million of 171st Series consolidated bonds to support capital projects.
By Paul BurtonJanuary 17 - New York
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday introduced his fiscal 2012-13 executive budget. The $132.5 billion spending plan marks a decrease of $225 million from 2011-12. The recommendations cut the projected four-year deficit by more than half, to $7.4 billion from $16.4 billion.
By Paul BurtonJanuary 17 - Rhode Island
A bill to provide East Providence a $12.6 million advance on state education aid to prevent it from running out of cash Friday is headed for Rhode Island’s Senate.
By Paul BurtonJanuary 13 - New York
Calling it "the most talked-about empty building in the Bronx," New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced on Thursday an initiative to redevelop the site of the Kingsbridge Armory.
By Paul BurtonJanuary 12 -
Nassau County, N.Y., won a court case last week in a dispute over payment of tax rebates to homeowners, but the county can expect a court challenge.
By Paul BurtonJanuary 12 - New York
New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli's office will initiate an audit of Nassau County's contracting procedures, which a state board that oversees the county's finances had requested last month.
By Paul BurtonJanuary 11 -
Harrisburg's City Council has delayed a vote on overriding mayor Linda Thompson's veto of the $54.3 million annual budget, citing a law that requires a three-day waiting period after the veto.
By Paul BurtonJanuary 11 -
Dire warnings about the future of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission based on a $450 million-per-year infrastructure payment requirement are overstated, according to a research report.
By Paul BurtonJanuary 10 -
Bond lawyers and restructuring experts agreed that bankruptcy court approval of pension agreements between Central Falls, R.I., and its retirees and public sector unions is good for the bond market.
By Paul BurtonJanuary 10 -
The New York Senate on Monday confirmed Gov. Andrew Cuomo's nomination of Joseph Lhota as chairman and chief executive of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which runs New York City's transit system.
By Paul BurtonJanuary 9 - New York
Suffolk County, N.Y., armed with a new executive and stung by adverse rating actions, has formed a task force to review its operating budget.
By Paul BurtonJanuary 9 - Rhode Island
Patrick Rogers will resign Friday as chief of staff and executive counsel to Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee. George Zainyeh will succeed him.
By Paul BurtonJanuary 6 - Rhode Island
Rhode Island General Treasurer Gina Raimondo, who championed the state law that changed the pension system for public employees, received the 2011 Urban Innovator Award from the Manhattan Institute for Public Research.
By Paul BurtonJanuary 6


