Sunday, May 12, 2013
The crowded field includes contenders also seeking the mayor's chair.
The mayor's race has gotten all the attention, but there are actually more people running for an at-large City Council seat this year. There are currently 25 people trying to secure the four at-large slots. Which makes sense: If Mayor Tom Menino is the keystone on Boston politics, then removing him leads to all the other stones shifting and sliding into new places. Some would-be candidates are hedging their bets, taking out nomination papers for mayor and at-large city council. Others are focused on one race. May 13 is the last day to take out nomination papers, so there's a small chance this list will grow. And there's no guarantee all 25 will return with the required signatures. For now, however, the ranks of at-large candidates are …
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Boston City Council's Education Committee Chairman John Connolly attended BPS' meeting, and had some major concerns about the five plans.
Boston City Councilor At-Large John Connolly credits the School Department with doing a lot of work on their proposed five plans for changing school choice - but the Council's Education chairman also has major concerns with the proposals. "First it was clear from the presentation that the 'no zone' plan and the '23-zone plan' are not under real consideration. And it seems as BPS wants to drive the process towards a compromise on the '6' or '9' zone plans," said Connolly, in an interview with Patch. "My second concern is that there were not a lot of specifics on upgrading quality across all schools. And so I think those are the big factors going forward. The citizen advisory committee needs to push for some different options," said …
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Menino says the map creates an over-concentrated area of protected groups in District 4.
On Monday Boston Mayor Thomas Menino rejected the second redistricting map submitted by the Boston City Council, once again citing concerns of an "over-concentration of protected groups" in districts. Menino said District 4, currently represented by Charles Yancey, is especially over-concentrated. In his veto letter, the Mayor wrote: "Under both maps passed, almost 70 percent of District 4's voting age population is Black and almost 95 percent is Non-White. In a city where diversity is found broadly, I had asked that you to endeavor to avoid over-concentration of minority voters, and I make that same request again." (See attached letter.) District 4 includes Dorchester and Mattapan. Menino vetoed the first redistricting map on Sept. 6 (see…
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Mayor Menino rejected the previous redistricting map submitted by the Boston City Council, citing it "concentrates our many citizens of color into too few districts."
The Boston City Council passed a second redistricting map today in a 7-6 vote, which now needs to be passed or vetoed by Mayor Thomas Menino. Menino rejected the previous redistricting map passed by the Council in a 7-6 vote on Aug. 23. He said the proposed map "concentrates our many citizens of color into too few districts, and in doing so may limit their equal opportunity to elect candidates of their choice." Several city councilors warned of possible litigation being brought against the city if the map did not accurately reflect the demographics of the city. City Council Tries Again District 7 City Councilor Tito Jackson reintroduced the map he and District 6 City Councilor Matt O'Malley created. (The map is attached to this article.) …
Thursday, September 13, 2012
At-Large City Councilor Felix Arroyo would like Boston to be the second city in the U.S. to offer its employees paid maternity and paternity leaves.
Boston City Councilor At-Large Felix Arroyo will hold a future hearing to examine the feasibility of instituting paid maternity and paternity leave for city employees. Arroyo introduced his hearing at Wednesday's Boston City Council meeting. "Boston could continue to lead in workers' rights... [Employees] either take sick time or find outside care and use up their vacation time. Or come to work quicker. I don’t think this is something working families in Boston should be faced with." The Massachusetts Maternity Leave Act (MMLA) passed in 1972 offers eight weeks unpaid covering both men and women. The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 is a federal law that guarantees 12 weeks of unpaid job leave, but only covers employees who have been…
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Bolling was the Boston City Council President in 1986-1987. He died on Sept. 11.
Bruce Bolling, the first black Boston City Council president, died from cancer on Sept. 11. He was 67. Several politicians released statements about Bolling's passing. “I am saddened to learn of the passing of former City Councilor Bruce Bolling. There are many who came before me who helped set the stage that allowed me to get elected," said Felix Arroyo, At-Large Boston City Councilor. "I have had the privilege of knowing Bruce my whole life. He has always been a friend and mentor to me, but most importantly, he was a great leader, husband and father. He will be missed.” City Council President Stephen Murphy tweeted: "RIP Fmr. Cllr. Bruce Bolling. He was a man who always championed the causes of others, never once thinking of himself." …
Monday, September 10, 2012
After 16 months of trying to come up with a map, it was vetoed by the mayor, sending the Boston City Council back to the drawing board.
After Boston Mayor Thomas Menino rejected the redistricting map passed by the City Council, councilors say they're ready to create a new map that will represent all people fairly. Menino said the plan left people of color concentrated in few districts. Ayanna Pressley City Councilor At-Large Ayanna Pressley, who voted against the map on Aug. 23 (the map passed the council narrowly, 7-6), said she knows the Council can do better. “We know the diversity of this city is only growing. Our final map needs to go further to increase equitable representation, voice, power and influence in city elections,” said Pressley, who warned her peers during the Council's vote the city could face a lawsuit if a non-inclusive map were approved by the …
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Council voted, 7-6, in favor of the submitted redistricting map on August 23.
Boston Mayor Thomas Menino vetoed the redistricting map submitted by the Boston City Council, saying the map "concentrates our many citizens of color into too few districts, and in doing so may limit their equal opportunity to elect candidates of their choice." In his letter to the Boston City Council, which was received by City Council President Stephen Murphy today, Menino outlined his suggestions for improving the map. (The letter is attached to this article.) The Boston City Council contentiously approved the redistricting map, 7-6, on August 23. The mayor has to approve it to become law, but several city councilors voted against the map due to the same concerns Menino has now voiced. Redistricting is required every 10 years based …
Monday, August 27, 2012
Boston City Councilor Tito Jackson is looking to learn about offering paperless voter registration—and the ability to do it Facebook, too.
Looking to increase and save money on voter registration, Boston City Councilor Tito Jackson called for a hearing to assess the feasibility of paperless voter registration—and using Facebook to register online. During Wednesday's Boston City Council meeting, District 7's councilor spoke about the state of Washington offering the ability to register to vote online through Facebook by using a program engineered by Facebook and Microsoft. Jackson said research has show that voting online costs three cents while voting on paper costs eight cents. New York City is offering online voting registration, as well, said Jackson. "Both Facebook and Microsoft have offices here—let's get them in and see how we can continue to expedite this …
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Ever wonder how much energy Boston City Hall uses?
With an impassioned speech, City Councilor Matt O'Malley asked modern questions about some non-modern buildings, offering an idea that could save taxpayer money. "The building we’re in right now - Boston City Hall was built more than 40 years ago... ever wonder how much energy it takes to keep this place running? Libraries, schools, police and fire stations. Some are newer with upgraded technologies. How energy efficient are they? How much does it cost to keep the lights on?" asked O'Malley during Wednesday's City Council meeting. "We can’t put up new buildings overnight, but we can change behavior. Turning off lights, timing vending machines or elevators - I am asking the city to create an online registry to track and report energy use …
don warner saklad
9:05 am on Friday, September 21, 2012
a) Label the NAMES of the BORDERING STREETS of the Boston City Council DISTRICTS. b) OVERLAY maps for comparing the current, proposed Districts. more ›