Boston Globe Endorses Ciommo and Connolly for City Council

The Boston Globe offered two endorsements today for Boston City Council:  Mark Ciommo for the Allston-Brighton District 9 seat and John Connolly for one of the Councilor-At-Large seats.  They endorsed no other candidate for the Councilor-At-Large seats, even though voters may vote for up to four and four will be elected.

The Globe had previously endorsed Tim Schofield for the Allston-Brighton seat before the September 25th preliminary election.  When Schofield took third place, missing the final, he endorsed Ciommo -- a path the Globe has now followed.  The Globe's previous endorsement of Schofield appears to have been made without interviewing the six candidates, according to a number of them; the Globe has done a more thorough job this time by interviewing both Ciommo and Greg Glennon, according to Ciommo campaign worker Michael McLaughlin.

In their endorsement, the Globe noted that:

Ciommo's roots are deep in the neighborhood and his civic accomplishments are long...

Ciommo won't be pushed around, but he knows when it is time to draw the line and when it is time to negotiate with Harvard for community benefits and traffic mitigation. Even in Brighton, where Ciommo opposes the construction of a new [Boston College] dorm on land formerly owned by the Archdiocese of Boston, he suggests an alternative site.

The alternative site the Globe was most likely referring to is the counter-proposal for BC to build densely on their Main Campus (e.g., on the MODS location).

The Globe endorsed Connolly for Councilor-At-Large, calling him "a challenger with impressive energy and experience."  They primarily cited his experience as a former school teacher -- before he left the profession to pursue a law degree -- saying that he "understands and articulates the interplay of public safety, good schools, and stable neighborhoods."


In endorsing Connolly but not other candidates, the Boston Globe might appear to have avoided the sticky problem of endorsing candidates with opposing views.  But in their endorsement of both Connolly and Ciommo they had a bit of the issues clash.  Connolly favors a return to neighborhood schools, but Ciommo favors only a modest change to the walk-zone assignment process (e.g., from 50 to 60%; see "public schools" audio link).  Ciommo supports creating a city planning department, but Connolly opposes it.  

There are also some issues on which the two agree.  Connolly does join Ciommo in opposing Boston College's proposal to build undergraduate dorms on the former Seminary land, and both want BC to house all their undergraduates on their Main Campus.  Both Connolly and Ciommo (audio link on "gambling, taxes") support casino gambling in general, but want neighborhood input (or a referendum) before a casino comes to East Boston.


Harry Mattison on the Allston Brighton Community Blog compares the Globe's current non-endorsements of Councilors Felix Arroyo, Michael Flaherty, Stephen Murphy, and Sam Yoon with their past endorsements of each and every one of them (some in 2003, others in 2005).  Mattison asks, "Does The Globe feel that strongly positive about John Connolly or that negative about the other candidates?"  The Globe is pushing an odd position in their current endorsement of only Connolly for Councilor-At-Large.  They didn't use the term "bullet vote," but it sure sounds like that's what they're implying.

City Council Candidates' Positions on Creating a City Planning Department

Two questionnaires for City Council candidates -- Harry Mattison's and APAAC's -- have asked if they support or oppose the creation of a city planning department. This step would take away those city planning responsibilities from the Boston Redevelopment Authority.

An answer of "YES" supports creation of the planning department. The links next to each candidate's name direct you to their answer on the questionnaire.

Four of the candidates for Councilor-At-Large did not respond to either questionnaire (or, in the case of one, did not provide an explanation for his position). Three of these four candidates were asked the question at the candidates forum in Brighton on October 10, 2007. The transcript for their answers is provided at the bottom of this post.


Allston-Brighton District 9 City Council candidates:

1. Mark Ciommo: YES to hearings on the ordinance; YES to the ordinance itself
   
2. Greg Glennon: UNKNOWN (did not respond to either questionnaire)
   

Candidates for City Councilor-At-Large:

1. Councilor Felix Arroyo: YES, also see here
   
2. John Connolly: NO; see below
   
3. William Estrada: UNKNOWN (did not answer question on one questionnaire; did not respond to other questionnaire)
   
4. Councilor Michael Flaherty: YES
5. Matthew Geary: YES; see below
   
6. Martin Hogan: YES
   
7. Councilor Stephen Murphy: NO; see below
8. David Wyatt: YES
   
9. Councilor Sam Yoon: YES, also see here
   

The following candidates provided their positions on this issue during the October 10, 2007 candidate forum in Brighton.

QUESTION: Councilor Arroyo has proposed that the city planning part of the BRA's responsibilities be taken away, and that a city planning department be formed instead. Do you support or oppose his proposal?

COUNCILOR STEPHEN MURPHY: Let me say why I have not supported that. The BRA was created by Mayor Collins back in the 1960s. He did so because, at the time, when he had taken over as Mayor the urban renewal had come in, and they were building Government Center. They were trying to re-shape Boston out of its manufacturing past. And they hired a city planner from Connecticut, from New Haven, Ed Loeb [?], to, kind-of, put it all under one roof. Before that, according to Collins, you had Senators and Reps in every neighborhood basically saying, "You're not going to do anything here unless you come through me." So he tried to focus it that way.

Now, is it working the way it was intended? No. But I do believe there are planners up there, and that they know a little bit more about it than elected officials that would try to handle their own fiefdom. So I don't agree with him [Arroyo on that proposal].

JOHN CONNOLLY: I don't think that a separate planning is either a realistic option or is the way to go here. But I do have major concerns about the BRA's inability to hear communities, to hear the community voice, and to play hide-the-ball any time there is a development project pending in a neighborhood. But I think this goes to the heart of this race. Do you want a City Councilor with a strong independent voice who will stand up for you? I will be a Councilor who pushes to make sure that the BRA hears you, that pushes to make sure we have professional planning and a real planning process there, and that we have a strong Council that asserts its voice when it comes to the development process.

Let's also not forget the ZBA. Because we have zoning by variance in this city, and that's not the way it should be. It undermines the integrity of our communities. But when it comes to this race, I hope you are looking for a Councilor with an independent voice who will stand up for you.

MATTHEW GEARY: Yes, I would support that piece of legislation. I believe that Boston needs a democratically-elected planning board. I would respectfully disagree with Councilor Murphy's characterization of the BRA. The BRA, since its inception, has been running the interests of the universities, of the hospitals, of big real estate interests. There is inherent conflict-of-interest in the BRA where the work that it carries out is done in the interest of real estate developers, because the real estate developers line their own coffers. I don't think anyone at this table knows how much money the BRA actually has in their accounts, because they are not accountable, they don't have to report that kind of income. We need a democratically-elected planning board so we can use the land and the resources controlled by the BRA, and use that for community needs. Use the empty lots, and use our resources to consciously have a plan that builds affordable housing, that builds schools and community health clinics.

City Council Candidate Responses to Harry Mattison's Questionnaire

Earlier this summer, Harry Mattison of the Allston-Brighton Community Blog sent the City Council candidates (both A-B District 9 and At-Large) a questionnaire focusing on issues important to Allston (as well as Brighton):

1. Do you support the creation of a Boston Planning Department?
   
2. Should height limits in the North Allston Strategic Framework be strictly applied to Harvard’s proposed buildings?
   
3. Should City Council approval be required before a university can purchase property in Boston?
   
4. What are your thoughts about a possible Charlesview relocation?
   
5. What should be the future of the Speedway property on Western Ave?
   
6. How do you feel about the vacant Harvard-owned properties in North Allston and North Brighton?
   

The following candidates have, or have not, responded to his questionnaire to date (click on their names to read their responses on Mattison's blog):

Allston-Brighton District 9 City Council Candidates Responding to Questionnaire:

• James Jenner
  
• Mark Ciommo
• Alex Selvig
• Tim Schofield

Candidates not responding to date (as of September 16, 2007):

• Rosie Hanlon
  
• Greg Glennon

At-Large City Council Candidates Responding to Questionnaire:

• Felix Arroyo
  
• Stephen Murphy
• Sam Yoon
• Martin Hogan

Candidates not responding to date (as of September 16, 2007):

• Michael Flaherty
• John Connolly
• William Estrada
• Matthew Geary
• David James Wyatt

State of the Allston-Brighton Neighborhood: "Turmoil"

The Allston Brighton Community Development Corporation held its annual meeting (for 2006), which was a public event titled, "The State of the Neighborhood."

When the U.S. President gives his State of the Union speech, there is usually a line like: "Today I report to you that the State of the Union is strong." The final adjective is typically a positive one, but may vary from year-to-year.

Outgoing Allston-Brighton District City Councilor Jerry McDermott addressed the attendees at the ABCDC event by offering a less rosy adjective for the State of the Allston-Brighton Neighborhood: "turmoil." He immediately added a positive spin, however, by saying that, for the A-B community, "when the chips are down, they are at their best."

"The universities did something they didn't intend to," McDermott continued, "they got strangers [in the community] talking to each other. Some of the powers-that-be are a little nervous about that."

There was criticism from both the audience and the speakers about the problems faced by institutional expansion in Allston-Brighton. At-Large City Councilor Felix Arroyo called for structural changes at the City level: "We need a planning department. We are the only city in the country that doesn't have a planning department... The people should have a say in planning."

Arroyo is working on passing an ordinance to create such a department, and claims a total of five of the thirteen councilors are already on-board. He advised the crowd as to the importance of city planning and institutional development: "You are about to have an election. I think that is a key question about who you are going to vote for City Councilor.