Boston Mayoral Endorsement: John Connolly

With Mayoral Candidate John Connolly

Boston

August 7, 2013

If you could not figure it out from reading this blog, I kind of like Boston. I like clam chowder, and I like seasons. I like how the city is close to the beach and the ski slopes. I like how its skyline is welcoming to a weary traveler. I like how Boston is a city of neighborhoods, each fiercely unique.

The Boston I live in today is in its heyday. Perhaps the best barometer is the number of cranes visible across the city. Atop a Beacon Street roofdeck recently, I counted 20. People want to work, live and play here.

But Boston has problems. Some are small but clearly visible---the hindrances that are tradeoffs for the conveniences of city life, like the rats that sneak into the garbage left outside at night. Others demonstrate visible symptoms today, and will have serious consequences down the line if left untreated.

For me, the biggest Boston problem is young professional flight. Earlier this year, a couple I know well that lived in the South End moved out of town, ahead of the birth of their second child. They now live in some random "H" town on the south shore.

With their move, they took with them the enthusiasm they had for Boston, the commitment they would have brought to their community, and the energy they could have contributed to the fabric of the city.

They left Boston because they couldn't afford to live here. Most eviscerally, they could not afford the larger apartment in the South End. But from a more abstract perspective, they couldn't afford to gamble on the city's education system, and they couldn't afford to send their kids to private school as an "out."

I do not mean to pick on my freinds for leaving. I don't blame them. It's a scene I have seen repeated often in the years since my matriculation from Boston University. And the departure of so many young couples and families is a drain for the city, one that threatens the vibrancy of Boston's communities over the long term.

Their departure represents the convergence of a few challenges facing the city. Young professionals (like me) do not know there are strong, growing (and safe) neighborhoods throughout Boston---not just in the downtown neighborhoods. Many of those neighborhoods are affordable and are much further along than the "up-and-coming" label typically given them. At the same time, Boston needs to encourage mid-market housing. Developers need incentives to build with the young family in mind, in all parts of the city.

And then there are the schools. Whether they have a bad PR rap or not is the subject of another blog, but the perception is they are just not very good.

John Connolly shares my concern for the problems I see, and he has plans to address these challenges, among a long list of progressive programs he has outlined. And that is why I am voting for him on September 24 to be the next Mayor of Boston.

Before I go on, let me just say that if you had told me just a few months ago I would be writing this blog post, I would have told you to get out of town. We're in the midst of one of the most dramatic election seasons in the city's history. Over the next several weeks, the entire government of the city will change. For that very reason alone, this is a crucial election. Add to that the fact that the newly elected Mayor might keep that office for a long period of time, and the stakes seem insurmountable.

I first met John Connolly when he was running for Boston City Council at-large back in 2005. Since then, I have never met a harder working politician. I was floored when he actually lost in 2005. It was no surprise he tried again in 2007 and was victorious.

Beyond the fact that he's a hard worker, and he has a plan to address what I feel is the biggest challenge facing the city, John Connolly is not afraid to take a stand. Most recently, he turned down a $500,000 independent expenditure---telling the organization offering to support him that he didn't want it. John believes strongly that Boston's decision on our next Mayor should be left to the citizens of the city. He feels there is no place for outside money in this election.

He turned down $500,000 worth of support. That takes guts.

On education, John is betting his tenure as Mayor on the issue. He has made it such a central part of his campaign that he has to deliver change and improvements if elected, or he will face serious consequences down the line. I like that he's willing to go "all-in" on schools, and I like his ideas. He wants to cultivate the innovation within charter schools and bring the ideas incubated there to all other schools. He's willing to stand up to the teacher's union if it makes sense to make our schools better. I am the son of an elementary school teacher who taught me Kindergarten. I know first hand that public schools work if communities and teachers have confidence in them. John Connolly has a plan to make that happen.

On a variety of other issues this election, John Connolly and I also see eye-to-eye. He agrees that the Boston Redevelopment Authority needs to be reformed to make it more transparent---that the planning and development processes should be separated.

John Connolly understands that Boston must continue to be a city that supports innovation. He wants to make it easier for small businesses to get their start. And he sees strength in the budding innovation district as a place where new technologies will come to market. He plans to bring significant technology to City Hall, which will among other things remove red tape in the permitting process for residents and businesses alike. I would love for City Hall to feel like the Apple Store.

Don't worry, we do disagree on issues. I would like John Connolly to have a more aggressive stance on casinos---specifically in opposition to them. As I have written on this blog, casinos suck economic oxygen out of the areas around them. But that debate has come and gone and the reality is, casinos are coming to Massachusetts.

As exciting as this election cycle has been, it's also personal. I know Mike Ross and Felix Arroyo, two other candidates. Ross was one of the first politicians I ever met after moving to Beacon Hill in 1999, when he was running for City Council. I have heard nothing but good things about Councilor Rob Consalvo, Representative Marty Walsh, and Bill Walczak. Trust me when I tell you I have thought about my choice for a long time.

With elections on September 24 and November 5, Boston residents will elect a new government for the city. The newly elected Mayor will have huge shoes to fill. That person will have to keep Boston's momentum going, without any hiccups. I want someone who will work hard, and someone who agrees with me on the challenges Boston faces. I want someone who would like for me to stay in the city and raise a family here.

For me, that someone is John Connolly.

"First in the City" City Council Forum Tuesday

If you look at elections as happening in four year cycles, this year's election should be a sleeper. There are no federal or even state elections on the ballot. The only elected officials voters will choose this fall are the city councilors who will represent them in the City of Boston.

Then former City Councilor Michael Flaherty decided to run, and the race suddenly got interesting. Flaherty was an at-large Boston City Councilor, and then two years ago he decided to run for Mayor (and got trounced by Mayor Tom Menino). Now, Flaherty wants his old job back.

Who am I kidding? In reality, this year's election is still a sleeper. The Flaherty vote provides the only real drama. Truth be told, most people don't care about local elections, which is sad, since the local officials tend to have the most impact on issues that people actually care about: crime, education, and affordable housing, to name a few. The people who do vote this year will be special; not many will go to the polls. If you say you are voting, I guarantee you will get special attention from those running for city council in Boston.

Certainly this election season really matters for the four incumbent at-large city councilors, who would like to keep their jobs despite Flaherty's decision to run. For that reason and for those candidates, this Tuesday's "First in the City" City Council candidates' forum is very, very important.

My ward committee, the Boston Ward 5 Democratic Committee, has a history of hosting the first city council candidates' forum for at-large candidates every two years. This year's forum promises to upstage the event's all-ready significant legacy. David Bernstein of the Boston Phoenix will be the moderator. Boston Neighborhood Network will tape the event to broadcast it at a later date on COMCAST cable. Reporters from the Beacon Hill/Back Bay Patch, Universal Hub and the Dorchester Reporter, among other outlets, are poised to cover the event.

If you would like to go, the forum starts this Tuesday, June 21 at about 7 p.m. at the First Church in Boston, which is at 66 Marlborough Street (corner of Marlborough and Berkeley Streets) in the Back Bay neighborhood of Boston. The forum will be an hour long. All seven of the presumed candidates for at-large city council have confirmed to the committee that they will be there: John Connolly, Ayanna Pressley, Felix Arroyo, Stephen Murphy, Will Dorcena, the previously mentioned Michael Flaherty, and Sean Ryan.

I have been a member of my ward committee for three years now, so I have some free advice for the candidates. Two simple suggestions:

1) Show up. Certainly the members of my ward committee have their quirks, but the group assembled Tuesday will be comprised of very motivated, active voters. If you impress, you will earn volunteers and donors... maybe even an endorsement by the committee, which brings other benefits given the committee's sizable bank account. As State Treasurer Steve Grossman reminded me last weekend, it was Woody Allen who said, "Ninety percent of life is just showing up." That could not be more true on Tuesday. I know there are members of my committee who will literally write off candidates that don't bother to appear at events like this.

2) Make your thoughts local. The forum is being hosted by the Ward 5 Democratic committee, so make sure you know geographically what Ward 5 includes and cater your comments to the concerns of that geography. We're talking Beacon Hill, Back Bay, Chinatown, part of the South End and part of Fenway. If you talk about trash, keep in mind that we don't have room downtown for large trash receptacles. If you talk about crime, remember that Fenway Park rests inside the ward. I know this sounds simple, and I know it sounds like I am preaching, but you don't know how many times candidates have appeared before the group and talked about their experiences in South Boston or West Roxbury. Not gonna work. As Speaker O'Neill said, "All politics is local."

To the candidates, thank you for agreeing to be at the "First in the City" City Council candidates forum. I am looking forward to it. Good luck.

Endorsements: John Connolly and Ayanna Pressley

It's a big weekend for local politics in Boston. Tuesday is the preliminary election, when Boston voters will go to the polls. On the ballot will be four candidates for Mayor and 15 candidates for four at-large Boston City Council seats.

I have already stated on this blog that I am voting for Mayor Menino and have been volunteering to help his re-election bid. I was hoping, tonight, to outline the four votes I will cast for Boston City Council at-large seats. However, I have only made up my mind about two of my four votes. The other two, frankly, might come down to the wire.

In truth, there are so many good candidates in the Boston City Council race. For the record, here are two that I will be voting for on Tuesday:

John Connolly
Councilor Connolly is one of the hardest working elected officials I have ever met. I got that impression when I first shook his hand four years ago, when he was unsuccessful in his first race for city council (I voted for him then, too).

Councilor Connolly understands well one of my biggest concerns about the City of Boston. Numerous younger families are leaving the city because they don't trust the Boston Public School system, and they can't afford private school. At the Ward 4/5 City Council forum earlier this year, Councilor Connolly had the absolute best answer about education. He is on board with experimenting, and he is on board with giving teachers the flexibility to do their jobs.

Ayanna Pressley
How can you not fall in love with Ayanna Pressley's story? A native of Chicago, she was raised by her mother, as her father spent her younger years incarcerated. She moved to Boston to go to college, but she dropped out to work full-time after her family fell on hard times. She worked her way in public policy as a staffer for Congressman Joe Kennedy and Senator John Kerry.

Ayanna is a young, smart, and sharp community-action oriented person, and her neighborhood focus is vital in Boston-- arguably a city of several distinct neighborhoods. It was bittersweet when Ayanna moved out of Ward 5-- where she was a Democratic Committee member-- to buy a home in Dorchester. I am thrilled she's running and am eager to vote for her on Tuesday.

So that's it for now. No doubt I will get to speak to many of the candidates running on Tuesday over the weekend, as I am spending the entire two days in Boston. I am in Mission Hill tomorrow for the Mission Hill road race. Sunday is a huge day for my neighborhood of Beacon Hill, with activities all day-- culminating with the annual Beacon Hill Civic Association block party, one of my favorite events of the year.

City Council Forum: My Thoughts

Thirteen of the fifteen candidates for at-large seats to the Boston City Council appeared at a forum held this past Tuesday, sponsored by Boston's Ward 4 and Ward 5 Democratic Committees.

Adam Gaffin of Universal Hub was there, and David Bernstein of the Boston Phoenix was the moderator. They both filed nice summaries and stories based on the forum. I figured I would jot down my observations here, primarily so that I do not forget them later as the election gets closer.

For those that are interested, the Boston preliminary election is on September 22. The field of 15 will be slimmed on that day to eight. The final election is on November 3, when the four at-large seats will be filled from among those eight.

This year's election is a municipal election only; there are no state or federal offices on the ballot. Municipal elections in Boston are non-partisan. That's why there is a "preliminary" election and not a primary.

OK, enough with the primer. Here goes on my thoughts.

I voted to endorse four candidates. Two of them are incumbents: John Connolly and Steve Murphy. I also voted for Ayanna Pressley and Scotland Willis. Based on the votes cast, the Ward 5 committee officially endorsed Connolly and Pressley, as they both earned a vote from more than 2/3 of the Ward 5 members present (It took 17 votes to earn an endorsement).

Now, I know what you are thinking-- Why with so many candidates did you vote for the incumbents? Much has been written about how Boston is an incumbent-protected town; but the bottom line is, both Connolly and Murphy were the most educated candidates in the room. That's certainly because of their tenure. It might not be fair to the others, and this was the *first* forum of the campaign, so the others will only improve.

I was impressed by John Connolly's answer on education. He stressed the need for creative approaches that I have been looking for. And he somehow summarized his thoughts in 30 seconds (candidates were given 30 seconds only to discuss education, kind of like curing cancer by Monday).

I was impressed by Steve Murphy's reality check on the BRA. Everyone wants to change it; some want to get rid of it. But getting rid of it would require a change to state law. I don't like how Murphy says this is "impossible." It's not impossible, but of course it will be hard.

As for Ayanna Pressley, she is an incredibly exciting candidate on paper. She grew up in difficult circumstances. Her mom raised her while her dad was in prison. She became policy director for Senator John Kerry. She used to live in Ward 5 and served on the Democratic Committee.

The problem is the expectations for Ayanna, unfortunately, are sky high. While she performed fine on Tuesday, the sizzle of her resume was missing in her presentation. I still think she deserves the job (hence she got my vote), but the expectations' battle she faces might cause her problems down the road.

As for Scotland Willis, well, he touched me with his life story (raised four boys on his own), and he impressed me with his knowledge of the issues-- especially neighborhood development. And I really appreciated seeing him on the T on a random Sunday weeks ago collecting signatures to get on the ballot.

To be sure, there are many other impressive candidates. Tomas Gonzales performance was admirable. Felix Arroyo left his campaign kick-off early to attend, which is admirable, and he spoke with a passion that will remind many of his dad (a former councilor). Also, most of the candidates support an ultimate move to neighborhood schools, and a careful look at the way Boston plans its development, which are among my priorities.

Lastly, every campaign has its comic relief. And in this campaign, it has to be Doug Bennett. I caught myself chuckling at his colloquial, almost folksy style. He started the forum by noting that he's running for city council at large, almost as if that's his knee-jerk first line to any question. He pumped his fist and gestured to the other candidates when urging for a round of applause to congratulate them all.

I am not in agreement with Bennett's politics, but I have to say I eagerly awaited his answers on Tuesday.

First City Council Debate Tuesday Night

On Tuesday of this week, the Boston Ward 4 and Ward 5 Democratic Committees are hosting a forum for the candidates running for the four Boston City Council at-large seats.

Given that the Mayoral race in Boston has attracted two current at-large City Councilors, and by running for Mayor those two cannot also run to be re-elected as Councilors, this year's race has attracted a regular bevy of candidates.

Tuesday's event will be held at the Community Church of Boston, 565 Boylston Street, in Copley Plaza (over the Globe Bar and Restaurant). Beginning at 7 p.m., it is the first time the candidates will debate.

Following the debate, the committees will consider endorsing candidates. As a member of the Ward 5 Committee, it will be a tough choice. As of right now, I have decided to vote to endorse one candidate (I can pick up to four). And that's one of the incumbents, John Connolly.

Councilor Connolly has done a good job since he took office less than two years ago. I am impressed by his dedication. I hear he is often in the office very late at night and very early in the morning. He also called me personally to ask for my vote, which means a lot. To be fair, candidate Tomas Gonzales has also called me, but I have not decided if I will support him or not.

I am also hearing that the forum will feature new rules regarding how the forum will proceed. Candidates will receive the questions in advance, and the forum will be moderated by David Bernstein of the Boston Pheonix.

Here's what I am looking for at the debate:

-- Candidates that understand the limitations of the Boston City Council. Boston has a Mayoral form of government, and city councilors are not really given much power. However, given their staffs, they can greatly assist with constiutent relations and as feeton the street for pressing day-to-day challenges. I will be watching for candidates who know that a city councilor cannot effect sweeping change.

-- Candidates that have done their homework and know the issues of concern to Ward 5 residents. Given that Ward 5 includes portions of Beacon Hill, Back Bay, South End, Bay Village, and Fenway, we certainly have our hot-button issues.

How to Clean Up Beacon Hill: Towing is Just a Start

Boston City Councilor Bill Linehan is proposing that Boston do away with towing cars on street cleaning days. It's a bad idea.

Trust me, trash is something I know well. It's the biggest issue for us downtown residents who live on Beacon Hill. Since I joined the Clean Beacon Hill committee, I have been volunteering personal time to trash since 2000. I should put that on a business card or something. Nine years and counting.

Councilor Linehan's proposal is a populist reaction to a policy put in place by Boston's Chief of Public Works, Dennis Royer, two years ago, which called for strict enforcement of posted street sweeping signs-- including towing on street cleaning days. It's not exactly a strict policy, since the street sweeping signs are very clear as to when street sweeping takes place and mark the street as a "tow zone" during that time. Councilor Linehan would like to do away with the towing, and instead simply give out tickets with a higher fine. His constituents will like the idea. Except it won't work.

Towing is a massive inconvenience. The Boston tow lot is not accessible by public transportation. A typical tow victim needs to hire a cab to get to it. Once there, the fines can be high, starting with a 75-dollar ticket and then charges for being in the tow lot. Karen Cord Taylor of the Beacon Hill Times quipped recently that at least there's an ATM machine at the lot now. Quite a novelty.

It's good that towing causes all sorts of pain, since that makes it an effective deterrent. The proof is on the streets. I took a walk on Beacon Hill today, and relatively speaking, it's pretty darn clean. It is clean because the street cleaning program is working better than it has before. And that's because cars are moved on street cleaning days.

Anderson Street at Revere looking North
Beacon Hill, Boston
April 18, 2009

Prior to Chief Royer's strict policy, cars would never move. Despite raising ticket fines several years ago, the charges never worked. Residents figured the fine was like paying for parking (especially since the Boston resident parking sticker doesn't cost anything).

Towing changed all that. Suddenly residents had an easier time remembering to look at the posted street sweeping signs, and remembering what the signs said. With the cars not there, the street sweepers can reach the curb. And when they reach the curb, they work well.

I have said many times that if towing doesn't happen, there's no reason to have the street sweeping program at all. Because it's a complete waste of money.

To be sure, street sweeping is just the first leg in a three-legged-stool solution that is necessary to bring real cleanliness to Beacon Hill. The other legs are: first, enforcement of the "green tickets" that ISD issues to trash scofflaws, and second, switching to two days of trash pick up on Beacon Hill.

I have written about the green ticket issue before. Boston's Inspectional Service Department (ISD) writes green tickets to residents that improperly dispose their trash. Unfortunately, the tickets have no teeth and are not enforced. Boston's Mayor Tom Menino, City Council President Mike Ross and State Representative Marty Walz, among others, would like to pass a state law that allows Boston to connect the green ticket fines to property owner liens; the best scenario would be if the fines show up on individual tax bills. Unfortunately, Governor Patrick wouldn't sign the law when it passed in December. In fact, he didn't do anything with it, and the legislation suffered the ignominious "pocket veto." I am hoping the law is passed again this year and is signed by Governor Patrick.

The second issue is far more emotional, and it's one I have thought about a lot. Beacon Hill has enjoyed three days of trash pick up for some time. It has its advantages, especially if you live in a neighborhood where small is the norm-- or as I put it, everything in my apartment is a "miniature" version of itself.

The problem is three days of trash pick up means crap is on the side of the street for 42 hours a week. That is one fourth of the week. No joke. Trash is on the street curbs roughly one-quarter of every week on tony Beacon Hill. We have tried to address this issue as a community by shortening the amount of time one can place trash on the curb (what's called same-day pick-up). The problem is this really doesn't give much time for residents to put trash out. The Beacon Hill Civic Association, of which I am a board member, supports same-day pick-up, but we are also trying to move the start of trash pick-up on the hill to 9 a.m. in the morning to give residents two more hours.

Removing a day of pick up cuts down the amount of time trash is put at the curb by a third. From 42-28 hours. Wham. Just like that. And an informal survey I am conducting on the hill is showing that most neighbors would be ok with it.

Councilor Linehan, I don't like your populist idea. Street sweeping is working now better than ever before. And with green ticket enforcement and two days of pick up (instead of three), we can all make our streets far cleaner than they have been.

Legislature says: Let's get moving!

This week I attended two events to kick off the 2009 legislative session.

On Monday, my City Councilor, Mike Ross, was elected Council President, and I attended the first council hearing of the year at City Hall, where the vote took place. A few observations:

-- Hats off to the Councilor's staff for coordinating the offline and online worlds so well. While Ross addressed the Council from the rostrum, his staff launched a new campaign website and posted a blog entry via Boston Magazine online (Ross has penned a blog there for many months). Even better yet, the messaging across all the vehicles was in sync.

-- Ross pledged to make the Council more open to all residents, both by using technology better and by holding council meetings in Boston's neighborhoods. I am not sure how the second idea would work logistically, but it makes sense. It's hard to attend City Council hearings during the day. Also of note, Ross addressed the issue of electronic access in his blog post, a wise move given it's an area of contention for many active Boston bloggers.

-- Ross proposed an economic summit of City leaders, modeled after a volunteer summit organized by the previous City Council President, Maureen Feeney. A summit to think of ideas is always a good idea. Let's hope it happens soon, given the economy is in rough shape, and I for one am ready to do whatever I can to put the resulting good ideas into action quickly.

-- The Council Chamber buzzed with energy, both because of the youth of the new President, and also because embattled City Councilor Chuck Turner led the session until Ross was elected.

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On Wednesday, I trudged through the snow, sleet and rain to watch the swearing in of my new State Senator, Sonia Chang-Diaz, at her new office at the State House. It was my first trip ever to the State House, and it allowed me to reminisce with other campaign volunteers and staffers, such as Deb Shah and Marianne von Nordeck. I snuck out of the office during the proceedings to visit with fellow Ward 5 member Laura Sargent, who works for my State Representative, Marty Walz.

Witnessing my first Senate proceeding was at times, well, comical. One of the more perplexing ceremonies of the day? How about when the Senate Leader appointed a committee of other senators to escort the newly elected Senate President, Therese Murray, to the rostrum. I guess there's concern the Senate President might get lost?

Pomp and circumstance aside, the new state and local legislative sessions have begun, and at a time when it's got to be challenging to be an elected leader. Still, what I witnessed gave me a sense of optimism. President Ross and President Murray both noted the *urgent* need to get moving for their constituents. (Mayor Menino and Governor Patrick echoed these sentiments when they addressed the respective chambers.)

The sessions have gotten off to a fine start. After all, President Murray found her way to the rostrum, thanks to a committee of her colleagues. Definitely a good sign.

Boston Civic Summit

I attended the Boston Civic Summit today. While I do enjoy any reason to visit the sparkling new Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, I was not expecting to spend most of the day there. The summit turned out to be a fairly good event.

The best measure of civic involvement in Boston is by counting people who vote. Turnout in Boston in November of 2007 was 14 percent (of registered voters). That's pretty bad. This year, turnout should be high, since we're in a Presidential year. Maybe it will even reach 60 percent (it was in the high 50s in 2004).

What I find ironic about this is that the great majority of issues I hear every day from Boston residents are local issues. Crime. Education. Picking up trash. These are issues that are not really addressed by the President of the United States. They are issues that are addressed by the Mayor and Boston City Councilors. Yet, turnout this November for the Presidential election could be three times as high as turnout will be in November 2009, when Boston will elect a Mayor and the entire slate of City Councilors. For the election that really matters for the issues my neighbors care about, no one will bother to vote.

In some ways I like that Boston has off-year municipal elections. Since so few voters actually go to the polls, the people who do vote are *really* important. Local candidates work very hard to figure out who they will be-- based on voting records for similar municipal elections. The flood of auto calls and literature I receive ahead of these elections is pretty impressive.

Back to the civic summit. In my opinion, the afternoon was better than the morning. I got a chance to chat with Adam Gaffin, who runs Universal Hub, about better ways for me to get his site Beacon Hill information, without causing extra work for him.

The lunch talk was outstanding. Dr. Thomas Sander, who is the Executive Director of the Saguaro Seminar at Harvard, discussed the need for social capital. The fact that social capital within neighborhoods is what creates trust and improves quality of life. The fact that cities with high social capital are just bound to be nice places to live. The fact that as residents we need to "bond" to neighbors who resemble us and "bridge" to neighbors who don't look like us.

The best part of the talk was at the end. Eva Webster, who's with the Aberdeen-Brighton Residents Association, made a passionate plea for all to bridge social economic classes in our neighborhoods. I hear her. Beacon Hill isn't exactly known for being diverse in this regard.

After the lunch talk, the 400+ participants held a town meeting of sorts. It was a little long, but the format resulted in a few near-term civic initiatives that should be goals for the entire civic summit:

• Establishing a civic association exchange program,
• Improving the after school mentoring and tutoring program,
• Enhancing the summer employment program for at-risk kids, and
• Creating a city-wide litter and anti-graffiti program.

Long-term goals were selected as well, though the short term ones took special attention. Participants were asked to volunteer to support one of the four initiatives. I picked the civic association exchange program. There is a follow up meeting planned for June 3 in the evening back at the Boston Convention Center.

Overall, I had low expectations for the event, and I was pleasantly surprised. It was refreshing to see so many people talking about ways to make Boston better without complaining all the time. The passion was contagious.

Michael Pahre files his report here.

Mr. Levanto Goes to City Hall

This past Tuesday one of the Boston City Council's committees held a hearing on towing policies in Boston and their affect on keeping the city's streets clean. Since I have been involved in this issue (fortunately or unfortunately) since I first volunteered in Beacon Hill, I decided I would got to the hearing to testify.

I took a half day off and decided to take a tour of City Hall in the process. Some of my friends work there, and I always like to meet my elected officials. In the morning, I stopped by the office of John Connolly, newly elected City Councilor at large. Mr. Connolly is a very hard worker-- I have heard anecdotes that he gets to the office early and stays very late. During my visit, he commented that he's been studying the budget process-- He's on the Ways & Means Committee.

I voted for John Connolly and can say, following my visit with him, that I am happy I did. We talked for twenty minutes about hot topics on Beacon Hill, many of which I have written about on this blog. I also mentioned to him that I had recently cheered on a basketball team of fifth graders (coached by my good friend Jen) who are from his home neighborhood of West Roxbury. New piece of Boston knowledge: "The 'Parkway' includes both Roslindale and West Roxbury-- the team in question was from Parkway.

I then went to the Council Chamber and attended the hearing. Here's a quick summary of my testimony: Street cleaning works, and towing cars for the sweeper is a great idea. There's a discussion underway about making street sweeping in Boston a year-round program. I think that's a great idea. Street sweeping is overwhelming effective, but it's worthless unless the street sweeper can reach the curb. Making the program year-round will be tricky, given that-- among many reasons-- there sometimes will be snow on the ground. But we can work through those issues. If you are still reading this (bless you), you can email me to learn more on this.

I Blame the Boston Globe for Voter Apathy

Idealistically, the media serves as the town crier. The person who stands in the middle of the town square and tells the community what it needs to hear. Certainly the media also tells an audience what they want to hear; but clearly human beings do not often want to hear what they need to hear.

It is not surprising to me that turn out for the recent Boston City election was low. If you had lived in Boston in the weeks leading up to the election, you never would have known there was one. The Boston Globe did not cover the election. Globe columnist Adrian Walker wrote a column on election day that noted how dead the election season was.

He concludes:

People just don't pay enough attention to the City Council to feel invested in who serves on it.

That's too bad, because on a range of issues, from neighborhood violence to property taxes, the council holds the most significant platform, other than the mayor's. The council has a limited ability to act, but that doesn't mean it doesn't matter. Nine nervous candidates are waiting to see if voters today reach the same conclusion.

To be frank, these two paragraphs infuriate me. That a Globe columnist says it's disappointing the public does not pay enough attention to the City Council should be reflection of the Globe's coverage. Looking at Mr. Walker's own columns is telling. I do not see one column about the City Council election in his recent archive, which goes back to early October-- a month to the election. I did see one column about the Boston Red Sox, which is interesting given that Mr. Walker is not a sports columnist. I understand certainly the Red Sox have a cultural impact far beyond just the Sports page, but his Red Sox column was published one week to the election. One week later, Mr. Walker is criticising his readers for not caring to vote.

How is anyone to pay attention to the City Council race when the Boston Globe doesn't bother to cover it?

I was in London when my neighborhood organized a candidates' forum, sponsored by several neighborhood groups. Almost all of the Boston City Council candidates were there (including the top five vote-getters in the election who battled for the four at-large seats), and between 70 and 100 residents attended. The Globe did not cover it. It's a good thing that I had already done a lot of research on the race before the forum took place. I was not here for it, and there's no way I would have read about it in my local city newspaper. (Props to the Beacon Hill Times and Back Bay Courant for covering it, though).

Adam Gaffin at the Universal Hub hosted a blog string on this topic, and the discussion is pretty good. Apparently, Globe City Editor Brian McGrory finds the City Council boring. Well, Mr. McGrory, why should we be surprised, then, that the voters do not go to the polls? Adam Gaffin also dissects the Globe's online coverage during election night in a previous post. Long story short, if you wanted to know who won the City Council elections in Boston on election night, one would not have found them on Boston.com.

To be sure, the City Council election is not as important as many other elections. People generally don't want to care about it. But they need to know about the races, the key issues, and the positions of each of the candidates. And the responsibility of giving people what they need to know rests on the media.

Where were the profiles of the candidates? The in-depth profiles of each and what issues they stand on? The coverage of the debates?

The election is past us now, and despite the fact not many went to the polls, the results are very important. Matt O'Mally, a former city council candidate, breaks down some of the numbers on his blog. What's great about numbers in a low-turnout election is that you know the voters who actually voted are the types who will vote in *every* election. If you want to earn "the base," you have to understand them.