Corrections? Email me with them to
pahre@comcast.net .
A-B District City Council candidates forum2007 July 23, 6:45 pm -- 8:30 pm
YMCA, Oak Square
Moderator: State Senator Steven Tolman
OPENING STATEMENTS (5 minutes per candidate):
ROSIE HANLON: Thank you so much. First of all, thank you to Norman
O'Grady, President of the Brighton Board of Trade, Bob Imperato,
President of the Allston Board of Trade. And I also want to thank and
welcome Katie Reed as the new Executive Director of Allston Village
Main Streets. I also want to thank Jack Fucci for hosting this forum.
Tremendous thanks to our Senator Steven Tolman.
But most of all, thank you -- thank each and every one of you for
being here -- taking your time out on a summer night, shows to me that
you have great commitment to this community, as do I.
I am Rosie Hanlon, and I'm running for City Council for
Allston-Brighton, and here's why:
I love this community. I love this community. I was raised in
Allston-Brighton, and I chose to raise my five children in
Allston-Brighton. I work in Allston-Brighton. I have the commitment
and the experience to serve you best as our next City Councilor. The
work that I've done in Allston-Brighton has generated results that
have enabled all of us to say, "I am proud to be from
Allston-Brighton."
I have the experience to get the basic City services that
Allston-Brighton deserves. People around here say, say many of you
here in this room can say, yes, "If you need something, go to Rosie.
She can do it." And here's a couple of examples.
I was having a conversation with Dr. Joanne Russell -- she's the
Principal for the Jackson-Mann School -- and we were talking about the
dilemma of obesity for our school-aged children, and how could we
remedy this. Simple solutions: let's get them out, let's get them
active, let's get them walking. A walking club was created, however,
before it was created, Joanne said, "Rosie, these kids need some
sneakers. They probably can't afford any. Can you help us?" I can,
and I did. I made a simple call to New Balance, who has been a
generous supporter of the Allston-Brighton community, we got
approximately 50 pairs of sneakers to these kids. The kids got
sneakers, the walking club was created, they lost weight.
Experience. Commitment. Results.
Here's another example, and I have many, and I'm going to taper it
down to only a couple.
Our center island was desperately over-grown and in need of planting
and cleaning up. I received some funding to purchase some flowers and
some mulch, I went down to Home Depot, bought the flowers, bought the
mulch, and the equipment, loaded up my car, drove it up to Brighton
Center, needed planters. Simple call, simple solution. I called down
to Scott Chamberlain, who is the Director of the Leaders in Training
Program here at the YMCA -- they do great work for our teens, and
thank God we have a Teen Center -- got the kids up to Brighton Center.
As they were pruning and cleaning out the center island, people were
going to them and saying, "Thanks guys, this is pretty awesome."
These kids felt great about themselves, they were busy. The result
that they created is something that they can look at all summer long.
They can be proud of this. And so can we.
As you know, one of the biggest issues that we have facing our
community is institutional expansion. The challenge of institutional
expansion is not new to me. I worked in the Boston College Task Force
for approximately a decade. I worked on several task forces
representing our community for many years. I worked to get the
students back on campus where they belong, freeing up housing stock in
our community, so that we can have room for families can come back to
Brighton and Allston.
I secured concessions from Boston College in the past Master Plan, and
we are not done yet. Finally, I am the single best candidate to be
your next City Councilor. I have the experience, I have the
commitment, and I deliver results. Thank you so much for being here
this evening.
JAMES JENNER: Thank you very much, thank you very much. I first want
to thank all the groups that are sponsoring this event, it's a great
event.
I think apathy is probably one of the biggest problems we have with
voting in our time. To see so many of you here puts a warm feeling in
my heart.
I am running for City Council because I love this community, as Rosie
stated before you -- you're probably going to hear this from everyone
-- I've lived on Kenrick Street my entire life, I was raised there by
my mother Frances, my late father Colonel Johnny Jenner, and they
instilled in me some strong values of sense of self, sense of
community, sense of pride for your community, and a sense of service
towards your community. You should put more back in than you take out
-- it's an old saying that many of you are familiar with.
I am concerned right now because we are being attacked -- and I use
that word because it is true -- from both sides, we are being attacked
by college expansions, we are being attacked by over-development and
an out-of-control BRA, we are being attacked by developers who are
more concerned with making a buck than the quality of life in this
community, and our residents are suffering. They can't get a good
night's sleep because of raucous parties. They can't make their way
through Brighton Center in a timely fashion because traffic is so
congested due to construction and due to the increased student
population. We have to really address these issues together, and
stand up together, and we can't be divided. We have to say enough is
enough. We need to have somebody in there who is a new face with a
new voice. Somebody who is not prone to the old way of politics,
money politics as I call it. Somebody who is not afraid to say what
needs to be said to the people who need to hear it. We need results
here in Allston-Brighton. I'm the man for the job. I'm young enough
and brave enough to say what needs to be said and really stand up to
the powers that be and get the results that we need.
I've already come out and pledged 20% of my own personal salary back
to this community if I'm elected. And I will work to guarantee that
we continue to increase the community fund which I would like to set
up in my administration to preserve what we have left of our history.
Once it's gone, it's gone forever. It's very important to preserve
that. Those funds would also go a long way with helping our crimes,
and getting more community activities in the neighborhood, getting
kids off off the street with after-school programs.
We have a lot of issues, and I'm just excited to be counted among such
fine candidates up here. I look forward to a very lively night
tonight, and lively next month-and-a-half until the end of the
campaign. Thank you very much.
ALEX SELVIG: Good evening, everybody, and thank you for coming to
hear all of us speak.
First off, I want to introduce my wife Daina. Daina is an incredible
of this campaign. Not only is she a great teammate, but she is also
an experienced and extremely talented attorney who made headlines
investigating and prosecuting public corruption in Toronto City Hall.
We have been married a little more than three weeks, and the day after
our wedding -- this is true, this is true -- the day after our
wedding, she sent us out on our honeymoon, which involved knocking on
the doors of registered voters in Allston-Brighton.
I want you to know, I mean no disrespect not wearing the politician's
uniform of the suit and tie. It is simply that it is not who I am. I
don't normally wear a suit and tie, and I want you to see me for who I
am. The real Alex Selvig is right here in front of you. What you see
is what you get. There is no B.S. here.
The gloves that I have in front of me -- for those who don't already
know, or haven't been to public meetings -- are a symbol of our fight
to protect Allston-Brighton. As James and Rosie have said, there are
many problems confronting the neighborhood, and we need to address
those.
And let me tell you a little story. When I was 29, I bought a
condemned house on Lake Street that I rebuilt with my own hands and it
was -- it still is -- a lot of hard work. And now I've made a home
for myself, and I love Allston-Brighton, and I don't want to go
anywhere else. And I hope to raise a family here.
One of my neighbors was an elderly Irish gentleman named Peter
Curtain. And he was great, and he would tell stories about the
neighborhood about what it used to be and what it is now, and
reminisce, and we'd share a beer, etc. And one afternoon, I remember
talking to him and looking out over at St. John's Seminary, and both
saying how we had it made -- how there was no way the Seminary would
go out of business. And that that conservation land would be
protected forever.
Of course we were wrong. We were very wrong. And that's part of the
reason I'm here today.
I'm running because I'm fully invested in the issues that are
confronting our neighborhood today. Our future literally hinges on
what happens in the next couple of election cycles. And it is
critical that we make the right decisions, with this wonderful,
hard-working community to survive and thrive in the future. And
that's where I turn the page.
It hasn't been a life-long goal for me to be a politician. And this
is not a launch-pad for future political office or a brilliant career
in Washington or any of this. I want to stay here in
Allston-Brighton, and I want to take care of Allston-Brighton. I
don't work for the City, I don't have any political operatives working
for the Selvig campaign, and I don't have the backing of rich downtown
lawyers, developers, or any lobbyists. I am a citizen just like you.
What I do have is guts. I don't need polls to tell me which way the
wind is blowing and how to adjust my slate so that I can get elected.
I have the courage to take a stand on issues and let the chips fall
where they may. And I've done this right from the get-go. On my
website, and in my literature, right from the get-go, I hung my neck
out there.
I also have the imagination and drive of an entrepeneur. Every
candidate in every election in the country will give you the usual
hot-button topics: taxes, schools, public safety, and seniors. We
have politics as usual, and we have the usual politicians here at the
table. And they will reheat and reuse those bland dishes in this
election, too. These issues are extremely important -- they are, no
question -- and I'll work tireless on these issues. But the people in
this neighborhood deserve a lot more credit than that.
What about a City Councilor who works for tax relief, great schools,
dignity for seniors, safe streets, and wants to make Boston the
greenest city in North America? What about a City Councilor who would
work for record levels of citizen participation in government? How
about one who would enhance bicycle and pedestrian access to our City,
our parks and waterways? A City Councilor who would promote city-wide
internet access, free-of-charge, starting with the more disadvantaged
communities and housing projects.
If you want politics as usual, you can elect one of the usual
politicians. If you want someone to take a noble, energetic stand for
all of us in Allston-Brighton, please vote for me on September 25.
MARK CIOMMO: I too would like to introduce the supporter of my life,
my wife, Laura. Laura please say hi to everyone. Laura and I were
married for twenty years in February and we're raising our two boys,
Michael and Matthew, who are 15 and 16 and luckily for them away on
vacation right now. They would be really bummed out.
Thank you all for coming. I thank the Allston and Brighton Board of
Trade, and Allston Main Streets, and Jack and the Oak Square YMCA for
hosting tonight's event.
I believe I have a lot to offer the people of Allston-Brighton as your
next City Councilor. I have a lifetime of service, a lifetime of
experience living, working, and raising a family right here in
Allston-Brighton.
I ran for this seat nearly five years ago. It was a valuable
experience for me and my family. It gave me the opportunity to meet
so many people and listen to their issues and concerns. It only gave
me a greater appreciation of the great people who live and work here
in Allston-Brighton.
Since that election, I have remained an active leader in our
community. I have been an advocate for many members of our community:
the elderly, for whom I work at the Veronica Smith Senior Center for
the past fourteen years; youth and families as the assistant director
of the Jackson-Mann; and at-risk teens as the teacher for the City
[??] alternative high school program.
I am involved at many levels. As founding member of the Hobart Park
Neighborhood Association, member of the community policing task force,
and a parent representative of the Gardner School Site Council and
Extended Services School. I am also been Past President and Current
Coach of many youth sports teams.
These experiences have taught me how this City works. And I know that
Allston-Brighton needs strong, bold representation at City Hall.
Someone who knows how to get things done. My experience has helped me
build many relationship with the City Departments, the kind of
relationships that will help me be the most effective City Councilor
for you.
And most importantly, I believe that my long-time investment in this
neighborhood best prepares me to be your local City Councilor. Thank
you all for being here. My wife Laura and I own a home here, we are
raising our two children right here in this neighborhood. And I am
deeply invested in the Allston-Brighton community. And I would be
honored to continue to serve you and our community as your next City
Councilor. Thank you.
TIM SCHOFIELD: Thank you very much. I also want to thank the
sponsors of the debate, the Y, Senator Tolman. Thank you all for
coming out, this is a great turnout, this is an important election.
My name is Tim Schofield. We live in a great community. We live in a
community with diverse neighborhoods, with lively business districts.
We live in a community where long-time residents live side-by-side
with newer immigrants. We live in a community, a great community,
with engaged and committed citizens as evidenced by this room tonight
and evidenced by every meeting that occurs in this neighborhood.
We live in a great neighborhood, but we are facing serious challenges.
Crime is on the rise, our public schools still need further
improvement, and we must control the expansion of local colleges and
institutions.
I have the skills and the experience to address these issues. I have
the experience to be an effective advocate for this community.
I am an attorney here in Brighton. I have a law office in Brighton
Center with my partners Cathi Campbell and John Connelly. I own a
home in Cleveland Circle.
A little about my background: I am the youngest of eight children
from a working-class family, and the first in my family to go to
college. I got there by enlisting in the army when I was 17 years
old, and by using the G.I. Bill to pay for school. I served in Saudi
Arabia during the first Gulf War, and I later worked on Capitol Hill
as a legislative aide. I spent the last year and a half as the
Co-Chair of the Brighton-Allston Bicentennial committee. In that
capacity, I have helped to raise almost $300,000 that we, along with
the Brighton-Allston Historical Society, have used: to open a
beautiful museum in the community; to create a women's history trail;
to host a series of events that celebrate the history and the future
of our community.
I am running for City Council because we do live in a great community.
I am running for City Council because we are facing serious
challenges. I am running because I understand the importance of
reducing crime, of improving our public schools, and in controlling
institutional expansion. I understand that these issues are vital for
our future. I understand the inter-relationship between safe streets
and economic development, between good schools and a stable community.
I hear time and time again at the doors that families are leaving
because of the schools. You cannot maintain a stable community
without good public schools.
I also understand the relationship between responsible growth --
whether by institutions or by private developers -- responsible growth
and a thriving residential community, which is what this is. I
understand these things.
I also understand what it means to represent people. To fight for
people. As an attorney, I represent people every single day, that's
what I do. I frequently represent people who have no other voice.
They have no other means of fighting for themselves. I know from that
experience, I know when to stand up and object. There are times to
stand up and object, to bang your fist on the table. I also know,
however, how to sit down and mediate. There are times to sit down and
mediate. I know the difference. I have the experience and the
background.
I am confident that my diverse background in both the public and
private sectors, and as a community activist, will enable me to
address these issues that we are facing head-on and to be an effective
advocate for this community at City Hall.
Thank you.
GREG GLENNON: Thank you Senator Tolman, again thank you for all the
paid sponsors and organizers for all the good work you've done in
putting this impressive event together tonight.
Talking about why somebody wants to run for office and serve as an
elected official, and what somebody wants to do when elected, is
something that was on my mind as I thought about making this decision
if I was going to run for this seat. I thought about the same process
I went through when I did this two years ago as a candidate for State
Representative here in Allston-Brighton, an election I lost by little
more than 90 votes, which is never an easy thing to go through. And
you come to the point where you have to decide, are you going to do
this, are you going to go forward with this. Incredibly important
life decisions to leave your job -- I've given up my employment, I've
taken out a personal loan to finance my bills and to get through the
next three months until election day. Is it something that I want to
do, is it something that I can do? And why do it?
And really the answer for me is an easy one. And when I got to that
place where I said, yes, I am gonna do this. It's the same rationale,
the same reasoning I used the last time I did this. It's to help
people, and to make a difference.
You know, I had the honor and privilege of serving this community as
an aide in the office of former State Representative Brian Golden for
two years. And those two years were about finding housing for the
elderly, helping parents find special education services for their
kids, standing up with neighbors fighting unreasonable development,
helping somebody who has a streetlight that is out on their street,
having a sidewalk or road repaired, helping a high school senior who
wants help with college application with a recommendation letter. You
can really make a difference and impact on people's lives serving in
government.
I saw that as an aide to Rep. Golden, and I've seen even more in the
last two years as a prosecutor here in Suffolk County. As an
Assistant District Attorney in the Roxbury District Court for the last
two years, and also in the Charlestown District Court I was honored to
be assigned by DA Dan Conley as the supervisor in that court for him.
And when you stand and you give voice to victims -- victims who have
been often-times, women caught up in abusive relationships for years
and years, and you get to know a person who finally has the courage to
come forward, pick up the phone and dial 911. Then, all of a sudden,
that person at-risk -- that decision, it's all invested in that
prosecutor, who is now responsible for guarding that person through
the most difficult three-to-four-to-five months of their life. And to
get to that point where they come in for that trial date, and they
testify against that person who has brutalized them, who has made
their life a horrible experience. And to walk a victim through a
case, to prosecute drug dealers who prey -- prey -- on the most
vulnerable in our society, those who struggle with addiction issues.
To fight for people who don't have a voice.
Maybe that is what this is about. That is what public service is
about. That is what this job is about. And it is also about the
bigger picture issues. Because right now in Allston-Brighton, we are
all aware of what we are going through: institutional expansion;
property taxes up; water rates, homeowner's insurance -- people are
getting squeezed. And all around we have this growth of Boston
College and Harvard. And there is this anxiety out in the community.
We need someone who is going to go down to Boston City Hall and be a
voice, and not an echo.
I pledge to you that, for the next two years if I have the honor of
serving you, I will work my hardest every single day. I will always
be available. Every phone call will get returned, every email, every
letter. I am going to go down there to work for you, 24 hours a day,
seven days a week. It would be an honor to serve you at Boston City
Hall.
Thank you all for coming out tonight. I've already seen a lot of you
out along the campaign trail already, and I hope to speak personally
with everybody who has an interest in this election during the course
of the next two months. Again, thank you very much for coming out
tonight.
END OF INTRODUCTORY REMARKS
QUESTIONS: [Each question is posed to two candidates, who then each
have one-and-a-half minutes to respond.]
QUESTION: Explain some of the steps you will take to ensure that
Allston-Brighton receives their fair share of City dollars in roadway
and sidewalk and other improvements.
HANLON: Absolutely. It is difficult, and, you know, I am a homeowner
and many of you in the audience are. Our taxes: where are they
going? We need to bring the City services to the Allston-Brighton
community. I have worked very successfully in bringing the services
into the Allston-Brighton community.
It is a matter of knowing who to call, when to call, and listening to
what the needs are of the community. That is a commitment that is
part of our job that is part of our job as a City Councilor is to
bring these basic City services to us. I don't find it that
difficult, I really don't. I have been very successful in working on
getting our lights turned on and our potholes filled -- as a community
leader and a business leader. I will make sure that our tax dollars
go to work for this community, the Allston-Brighton community.
JENNER: Look, I already said in my opening statement that 20% of my
personal salary is going back to Allston-Brighton. Specifically, I'll
create a fund for Allston-Brighton. That money is specifically for
our infrastructure: roads, parks, lights, crosswalks, whatever needs
to be done. On top of my 20% -- we'll get into this, I'm sure, later
-- I would like to see some contributions by the colleges into the
same fund. But aside from that, I don't see where the money is at
this point. I'm sure none of you know, either. Brooks Street is a
primary example. The problem with this is that we have roads and
sidewalks that aren't owned by one certain City or just City. Brooks
Street, for example, under the bridge is the City and MDC. They both
partially own that so you kind-of got contradictory views on how to
repair that. And it's sad because citizens suffer. I can't tell you
how much money I've put into my car because the roads stink around
here. There's a lot of potholes and a lot of cracks and a lot of
bumps. And it's not fair. I mean we're spending enough money as it
is on our homes and keeping them going. We shouldn't have to worry
about streets and lights. I think my community fund will go a long
way in helping to solve a lot of these problems.
QUESTION: The City Councilors are now debating whether to compel
collective bargaining for tenants. Do you believe this is the
euphemism for rent control and would you vote for it?
SELVIG: That is actually one of the hot button topics here for
Councilor Yoon -- are you back there somewhere? This is your
petition, am I right?
It does sound like another euphemism for rent control. It is, in
fact, a euphemism for rent control. There is a problem in enforcing
private investors to charge what is essentially a
government-stipulated fee for their home use. There is a better
solution we have found in public housing, perhaps. The matter of fact
of rent control is that property owners don't have the necessary money
to maintain their properties and keep them up. And property values
generally go down as a result.
CIOMMO: I also don't support the collective bargaining. And I don't
think it does one thing to create more affordable housing. It only
scares investors away. And I would support the work the
Allston-Brighton CDC has been doing for many years in our neighborhood
creating hundreds if not thousands of affordable units. And I believe
that's the way to go. We need more development of affordable units,
not less.
QUESTION: I've attended other City Councilor's community meetings in
other areas. Community participation builds a cohesiveness and
enthusiasm for support for the issues being addressed. What will you
do to create excitement for the community, to engage and get involved
and promote cohesiveness?
SCHOFIELD: We certinly have involvement in this community in this
room. I think you've been attending the various meetings with respect
to BC and Harvard, we have a very active community which is great. I
think bringing that together is an important issue. We need to speak
with one voice right now. And there are always going to be
differences, but I think fixing them is an important part of the job
of the next City Councilor, to build consensus in this community
around issues -- whether it be the Harvard development or the BC
development, public education, transportation. I think an important
job of the City Councilor is to bring the community together. I think
there are specific ways to do that, which is to have the City
Councilor facilitate meetings and communications between different
parts of the community. I am out door-knocking a lot lately right
now, and it is interesting to see the differences. We have eight or
nine distinct neighborhoods within our neighborhood. And often-times
they are not speaking to each other, and they don't necessarily
understand. Issues in Oak Square are not always understood in Union
Square. I live in Cleveland Circle, they don't always understand what
is happening in North Allston. I think it is crucial in our
neighborhood, in particular, given how big it is and how diverse it
is, that the City Councilor be a unifying force for the community.
And there are ways that the City Councilor can do that, to use the
communications that we have: email, mail, and meetings. I really
think it is a crucial role for the City Councilor to be a facilitator
for the community.
GLENNON: I will agree. I've been attending community meetings in
this neighborhood for years. This is a very active community. The
level of attendance at community meetings is incredibly high numbers
of civic-minded people. People that truly care. All of you here
tonight, and across Allston-Brighton. And certainly, as a City
Councilor, to help facilitate that in any way. Even more, always
being available, being in the community, always having a publicly
listed home phone number anyone can call whenever they want to pick up
the phone to call me. Just making sure that you're always available
to the people. This seat belongs to you. Whoever holds it is just a
steward of that seat, but it is your seat. You pay the City
Councilor's salary, the City Councilor works for you. So just being
some one who is constantly available to respond to the needs and the
concerns of the community whatever they may be, is really what I would
do. I would certainly continue to help -- in any way -- foster
community meetings. Residents of certain areas may want it.
Residents of certain streets want to have a community meeting talking
about residential permit parking, which just happened in Allston on
some streets. There was a community meeting which took place just for
people on certain streets. I did that and facilitated that as a
legislative aide. I would look forward to doing that again. Knowing
what the people's cares and concerns are by being available, it is, I
think the best thing to do that.
QUESTION: What are the issues that you would address that others
haven't?
HANLON: There are many, many issues that need to be addressed, and as
a City Councilor you have to be multi-faceted. My experience as a Mom
of five kids is safety issues. My children are all [inaudible]. I'm
afraid of nothing.
The issues right now are: the substance abuse issue that is huge in
this community. Senator Tolman is doing a brilliant job of working
and finding halfway homes and treatment homes for our kids that do.
And families that do get affected by it. It's really bringing
awareness to the parents of this community of this problem. Keeping
our kids safe. Making sure that they are educated. Bringing more
education out early on in the schools to address this in prevention.
Not wait for the fire, but bring out prevention. That is a huge
issue, and that's one of the many issues that I would work. I think
it's kinda like a blind-folded issue we need to unfold it and really
address it, attack it, and make sure that our kids are safe.
JENNER: That's a great question. I think being the youngest
candidate in this race that the one issue I have a little bit of an
edge over the others is getting our younger voters more active in this
community. Like I said before in my opening, voter apathy is a
horrible, horrible thing to see. To see your friends -- and I've seen
my friends that are my age and younger -- who don't care what's going
on because they aren't addressed. A lot of times "politicians"
address those who vote, and that usually is the more family-oriented
wife, children, group. 18 to 30 year olds, 18 to 25 year olds, aren't
always addressed, and the issues aren't always made important to them.
Because of that, they feel like they don't really have a need to vote.
They're not addressing the issues they're concerned about. The reason
is because things like what's going on in our community happen.
Things get out of scope, expansions go beyond what they need to be,
crime gets on the rise. We have, like Rosie said, a huge drug
problem, our schools suffer. We need to get the younger people
involved very actively, and bring democracy and democratic process
back to everyone -- not just those who are addressed every year by our
national politicians. I hope that I do that in this election.
QUESTION: What do you have to offer that the other candidates do not?
SELVIG: I would prefer their question, but...
I have to offer freedom of movement. I am not entangled with any
interests, or any lobbyists, or any hangovers from previous
administrations. I don't want a political career; I want to serve
Allston-Brighton, and that's where it's gonna stop. I don't want to
be a State Senator, I don't want to be a State Representative, I don't
want to be Governor.
I can offer fresh ideas as an entrepeneur. I can offer imagination
that other candidates don't have. I can think outside of the box and
promote green space, and environmental causes, and Wi-Fi to bridge the
digital divide in public housing complexes. I can help build the
community with new ideas.
CIOMMO: I think I said it a little bit in my opening. I have been
serving this community both professionally and civically. For the
last 20 years, I have been involved in many levels of this community.
I have worked on public safety issues with the community policing task
force, and I am also proud to say tonight that Sheriff Andrea Cabral
has endorsed my candidacy. I have worked on open space issues,
improving the Hobart Park area, doing a community build bringing our
neighbors together to improve the park, make it more family-friendly.
And now you can go by that park and you see daycares frequenting our
park for many different activities. And that is thanks to people like
Kevin Carragee, Dave Per[inaudible], and myself, who got together to
help improve that park.
I have been involved in education, as I said earlier, as a parent
representative of the Gardner Elementary School and a founding
steering committee member for the Extended Services School, which
provides after-school programs and tutoring to help kids succeed --
which is one of the most important functions of our City, to make sure
our kids are educated so that they have a good shot and a good future,
like I've been able to have.
QUESTION: The population density of Allston-Brighton is one of the
highest in the City. The open space ratio is one of the lowest. How
much building density can our neighborhood continue to take? How
would you go about acquiring more open space?
SCHOFIELD: The first thing I think we have to do is to enforce the
zoning that we have. We see it time and time again that developers
show up and you would think that the zoning code was a mere
suggestion. Every time they show up at the ACA and BAIA, it's as if
they didn't read it. They just don't care, they just steamroll right
through it. A lot of people spent a lot of time developing the zoning
code for this community. A lot of people spent a lot of time
developing neighborhood planning initiatives for this community, and
they get ignored time and time again. So the first thing I think we
have to do is enforce the zoning that we have.
With respect to open space, we have get creative. We have the lowest
amount of open space in the City. We have to preserve this space that
we have. I will give you an example of a great initiative headed up
by Charlie Vasiliades over at the EF Institute which is to draft and
implement a conservation easement, which essentially protects property
from use. What I would say is that as part of any institutional
master plan, or as part of any development, there has to be a certain
portion of land required to be set aside under a conservation
easement. We cannot simply rely on the good word of developers or
even the good word of our institutional neighbors. Let's get it in
writing. I'm a lawyer. Let's have conservation easements to protect
this land in perpetuity.
GLENNON: I think that the first place to start -- and it kind of hits
on a theme that has been mentioned -- and that's that the community
speaking with one voice. I've been standing up to Boston College and
saying, no undergraduate housing on the Archdiocese property because
we have a jewel in the City of Boston here. And that is open space
that is green space, it's a beautiful oasis in this City. And to
think that we might be seeing 600 or more undergraduates finding
housing on a place that's been really just a place for this community
to enjoy right here in the City of Boston. A place of quiet. A place
of peace. Just to walk around, go for a jog, all those things that
make it such a great place for our neighborhood and our City. I'll
certainly be an aggressive advocate in fighting for the neighborhood
on that issue. And certainly enforcing the existing zoning code is
obviously extremely important. Putting my attorney skills and skills
as a prosecutor to use in dealing with developers who come before the
community is holding their feet to the fire, and making sure that this
neighborhood is not getting played by people who look at
Allston-Brighton as a blank canvas, which has been going on for far
too long in our neighborhood. Just being aggressive and trying to
[inaudible] to bring our community together on those issues.
QUESTION: What are your ideas to attract businesses other than
restaurants to our community?
HANLON: Thanks, Steve. As Executive Director of Brighton Main
Streets, that has been my mission. And one of the things that I work
on is the ideas and the needs of the community. Constantly having
surveys, and asking what it is that we need. I've worked directly
with the Office of Business Development, Andre [?] Porter, where we
have tried to recruit businesses.
The problem with the local business district is that we're small, that
the square footage of each business area is small. What we do is we
need to market. When I started with Brighton Main Streets, we were
50% vacant. 50% vacancy. We are now approximately 95 -- we're in a
little flux right now -- 95, 90% fully leased. That's a big deal.
It's a matter of marketing, it's a matter of being creative. Letting
people know we are a destination, we're not a drive-through area,
we're a place to see. Once you get people into see the area, then
businesses want to come in. It's your desires that we need to work
with, and that is what I depend on as the Executive Director of
Brighton Main Streets. And I would continue to do that as City
Councilor.
JENNER: Look, I am all for small businesses. What gets to me is when
large corporations come to town and make family-owned businesses go
out of business. To me that is probably [inaudible]. We have Lowe's
coming into town, which I think is going to be a great addition. I
can't say I see why we need it as close as it's going to be to Home
Depot. My main thing would be bringing family businesses back. I
remember when I was growing up we have a Rourke's [?], we had a
Flanagan's, we had the entire Washington Street area was all
family-owned businesses. Now we have got Kabloom, Boca Grande, and
we've got chains coming into town. To me, they've got enough money as
it is. And they're pushing small businesses out to their competitive
pricing that families can't just do -- they need to make a living. So
my thing would be to put up with some kind of an agreement families a
little bit of a more break than corporate businesses that are coming
into our area.
Can I go back to that green space, real quick, while I still have
time? We really need to do something about this green space issue.
And in my head, and I may go a little farther than most people want to
hear right now, there is something out there called eminent domain
that government uses against us. And there is a myth about reverse
eminent domain, taking land back for the community. And I think that
is something we seriously need to look at. We are slowly becoming a
UMass-Amherst, where all that is up there is UMass, and that town is
gone. There is really no families up there anymore. And I refuse to
let that happen in this community. It is just too important of a
community for that to happen.
QUESTION: Why specifically should the neighborhood elect you over the
other candidates?
SELVIG: Didn't I just have this question? Let me go back to the
previous question and answer that, allowing a little bit of liberty.
Please, everybody, shop your local stores. Go to Brighton Center,
patronize the little fruit store, the coffee shop, the sandwich shop,
the people who actually live and work in Allston-Brighton. Spend your
money there. Try not to go to Shaw's. If you can find groceries
locally, support our little business centers in Allston and in
Brighton. You'll find a lot of times that it might be cheaper, and
you're doing something good for the neighborhood, and you're getting
to know your local shopowners.
I would like to see a bookstore in Brighton Center. Rosie, if you
could work on that. To get some books -- people don't read enough any
more, it's really important, it's really important.
Why should people vote for me? Because I have ideas like this. I
come up with things like this all the kind. I get up at three in the
morning thinking about stuff like this. I have never been so
energized and so exhausted at the same time. It is truly wonderful.
So anyway, shop your local businesses, let's work on getting a
bookstore in Brighton Center, maybe one in Allston -- maybe part of
the Harvard project could be getting a commitment for them to make
their bookstore big and beautiful and available to the community, not
just the Harvard students.
CIOMMO: First, I want to compliment Rosie. For the past seven years,
Rosie has done a wonderful job with the Brighton district. For
someone who is born and raised and grew up on Crenshaw Street, it is a
different place in Brighton Center than it was when I was a child.
There is great stores, great restaurants, it's a wonderful place. At
one time, there was some seedier bars who remained, though, those of
us who have been around a while will remember. I'm glad they're gone.
But I also would like to say: Harvard has a lot of vacant properties
that they are just letting just stay vacant. They should make some
available for local entrepeneurs and small businesses until they plan
to do something with them. And at this point, again I've walked the
site down there, and it's in deplorable condition. And an institution
such as Harvard, that touts its social justice internationally, to
treat our neighborhood with that kind of disrespect is beyond me. So
I would encourage them to fix up their properties, make the vacant
store fronts available to local entrepeneurs to create jobs and
revitalize those areas, and take care of their properties until they
-- we, we as a community can determine together what to [do with them].
QUESTION: There are many project being approved as-of-right. Would
you be willing to publish, in the TAB on a monthly basis, all of these
right projects that have been approved? It says, "as-of-right", not
getting variances.
SCHOFIELD: I think we should -- all zoning issues and BRA [inaudible]
should be publicized and available for everybody. I think it raises a
couple of important issues about honest and accountable government.
Let me say first of all: as-of-right build projects are -- that's
what they are, as-of-right. Those actually comply with zoning, as
opposed to the vast majority of the ones that we have come to the
neighborhood and we hear of those.
But I do want to talk about open and accountable government. During
the course of this campaign, I want to make sure that I'm up on
everything that is happening with the City Council. It's a near
impossibility. The bills that have been offered by City Councilors
are not available online. None of us can go there now and read what
is there. To look up an old bill that was introduced or passed in the
past -- to look up an ordinance -- it isn't easy. Being a lawyer, I
have access to legal databases and it's not available. How can you
ask people to weigh in and comment on proposals under consideration
and they can't even find them online.
We have to make sure that people have access. It is really
inexcusable nowadays with the technology that we have that people
can't have access to it. So I would commit as City Councilor to
establish my own website. Any bill that is introduced in front of the
City Council or Mayor, any hearing that is coming up, will be
published on the website. If the City is not going to do it, then I'm
going to do it.
GLENNON: Right now you can go to cityofboston.gov/isd and there is a
link for as-of-right permits that exist right now. And certainly, if
I'm elected as City Councilor I'll do a mailing to affected streets
with as much advance notice as possible for as-of-right permits that
are currently in existence. It's a pretty effective service right now
online, I find it [inaudible]. I'll certainly make that link
available on the website that I'll have as City Councilor, so people
can navigate on the web and they can come in, get the information.
Certainly as well in the mail from me, from my office.
QUESTION: Commonwealth Ave has been slated for improvement for many
years now. On two occasions, the money has been allocated but it did
not happen. Beacon Street in Brookline is beautifully done. Why has
this not happened, and what would you do about it?
HANLON: Why has is not happened? And that's the problem. Oftentimes
in Allston-Brighton, we are known as a peninsula or the orphan
district of the City of Boston. I would aggressively go and work as I
have done -- my work ethic in Brighton Main Streets district is
undeniable. I would do the same with the broader brush for the entire
community of Allston-Brighton. I would work to find out why this has
not happened. I would work with our Senator and State Legislators --
Mike Moran and Representative Kevin Honan -- to see where this money
is and why isn't it coming here. And I would also work to get the
local community active in the area to make somee noise and to bring
the improvements that are needed up there. It's wrong that our monies
often go into the inner City of Boston; we've got to bring them out
here. Again, we pay a lot of taxes in this area -- both business and
home taxes -- we need to make them work for us and our community.
JENNER: Comm Ave's a mess, and that's the fat and simple truth.
Beacon Street is gorgeous, it really is. Many of you have driven it,
I have, I love it. And the reason Comm Ave doesn't get take care of,
is because nobody really cares. And that is the bottom line. And the
bottom line is that City Councilors don't have as much power as you
would like to think that they have. What we can do for things like
that is really pulpit -- the bully pulpit. We can make a lot of
hoopla and noise and pressure and hope that something gets done. And
my real question would be: Comm Ave is a lot of BU and a lot of BC,
there's a lot of money there, and there's a lot of power with that
money. We need to utilize that and get some results and put some
pressure on the Mayor's Office and put some pressure on Public Works,
and get Comm Ave fixed up because it is travelled every day by
thousands of cars. And the fact of the matter that Brookline is
showing us up is really kind of an awakening, isn't it? Why can they
do it and we can't? It's City of Boston politics, and that's kind of
why I'm running -- because I'm tired of it. It's all bureaucratic and
it needs to stop and we need to get results and we need to get
somebody in there who can say all this to the people who are making
the decisions. And get the money out here. And again, my community
fund would go a long way towards that as well.
QUESTION: What are the solutions to houses that have become party
houses or are falling into neglect through absentee landlords? (and
address the needs of the other neighbors)
SELVIG: Absolutely, it sounds like you are talking about some of the
houses right down the street from me. We constantly have to go
knocking on doors and try to get them to behave a little bit. I know
that the District 14 Boston Police Captain King (the new one) is very
successful. She was kind enough to sit down with me for a morning.
We discussed this issue. This is the biggest issue facing all of us
in Allston-Brighton: the party houses, the kids, they are driving us
crazy. It's not always kids, and I hesitate to call them student
houses; I call them bad neighbors and bad landlords. There is a
policy where ISD Inspectional Services works with the police
department and goes after these landlords and looks for building code
violations, and frequently finds them. There's also what we need to
do is create more cooperation with the universities -- Bill Mills is
here from BC -- to make sure these kids are disciplined by the
university. They live in our community, they are part of our
community, they are our neighbors, but they should behave like good
neighbors as well. They are here for an education, and part of their
education should involved civics. And the landlords are making a lot
of money off of these properties, and aren't being held accountable.
Part of the problem is Inspectional Services needs more resources.
And that is something that I would pledge to do as City Councilor. I
would push for ISD to have more inspectors out there, greater
enforcement powers, and really press the universities to keep their
kids in line. Absolutely.
CIOMMO: For houses that are falling into neglect, we need stricter
enforcement of the housing codes. Anyone who lives in an apartment in
our community, is paying a kind of rent that we have to pay or some
have to pay (I own my home). They need to have a great standard of
housing. And we need probably more Inspectional Services people to
enforce those codes. We also need more police on our streets to
respond to these calls. As I have been campaigning in the past couple
of months, I've been down on Holman [?] Street area, and one of the
guys called 911, and they don't respond. Because it is a low priority
call. For someone who can't have their children sleep through the
night, or has an elderly sick parent, that's unacceptable. We need to
have enough resources on the street that those calls are responded to.
And if I'm elected as City Councilor, I will advocate and make sure
that our voices are heard in City Hall. We need those calls responded
to.
QUESTION: If elected, how do you plan to engage the community groups
such as the two Main Street organizations, the CDC, etc., in the
institutional expansion that is taking place in the area?
SCHOFIELD: I think it's important that all groups in the community
play a role in this process. And I think it comes back to a question
of facilitation and coordination. As City Councilor, I would work to
facilitate bringing together the various groups. Interesting thing,
it has come up a few times tonight, we have a very active community.
There are many, many groups. And not all of them are represented in
the process right now with respect to institutional expansion. And
they need to be. And I think it is the job of City Councilor -- in
fact, a response I gave earlier truly is facilitating communication
within the community. City Councilor has to be a consensus-builder
and has to be the facilitator. I think some of it is simply playing
an active role, going to the various meetings. Obviously, these folks
who are in these groups or part of these business organizations,
they're busy. They're small business owners; I'm a small business
owner. I understand that. The job of the City Councilor is to bring
the message to them, to bring the information to them. For a
recurring them up here tonight, that we have communication problems
between our community and City Hall. As City Councilor, that would be
one of my top priorities, to serve as that link between those two.
GLENNON: I would say that being available, going to the meetings,
having a good listening ear, and making sure that as City Councilor I
have a good understanding of what a civic [group] such as the BAIA or
the Allston Civic Association -- whatever the group may be -- knowing
what their concerns are, knowing what their agendas are for monthly
meeting. Making sure that I'm available, aware, and having
information and being someone that works with different groups as a
partner. I'll organize meetings that find answers and find solutions.
And be someone who is going to listen, and not walk into a meeting
just to show up. But actually go there and wanting to hear what
people have to say. And what are the priorities of the organization.
Think about an extra meeting: we have some well-established civic
organizations in this community that go back years and years and
people have been giving incredible amounts of their time and
sacrifice. Their personal time. So getting to those meetings,
listening to those people who are active in the community -- the civic
activists -- and making sure as City Councilor I know what they care
about. Nobody's got a better ear for what's going on in this
community than the people that really give enough and continue to give
so much of their time because they love this community so much. And
we have so many of them. So many of you are here tonight, and across
this neighborhood. So working with the civic groups is something I
really take very seriously.
QUESTION: How do you see yourself doing the job differently from
Jerry McDermott, the current City Councilor?
HANLON: First of all, being the only woman candidate up here, I
believe that women see differently, very differently, than men. I
will bring to our community a very maternal, yet pit bull-ish,
approach to getting things done. And my kids can attest to that. And
my kids are down there. And in all seriously... I am committed to
this community, I am here, I have been here, I have been active in all
the civic associations, I have been an active participant of
institutional expansion. Of job creation, of basic City services. I
will be constantly here, I am here, and I will attending all of the
meetings. I will continue all of the meetings. It is a different
view. We haven't had a female City Councilor in Allston-Brighton,
ever. And it's time. And I will bring a very, very -- can I say -- a
view from a broad.
JENNER: Before I say anything, as many of you may have read my
information, I know Jerry personally. As a person, I think he is a
great guy, he is a great father, a great family man. I am a little
dismayed and a little upset at him recently, especially today when I
read that we are going to be without a City Councilor for four months
because he is stepping down early, which is unacceptable. I think
that the community suffered because of the fact that decisions were
based on prior relationships before getting into office, and
friendships, and, you know, alliances. And it's usual politics. And
many of you know what I'm talking about, I hope, and I hope you can
relate to it. I don't have that. I don't have any ties like Alex
here -- I don't have any ties to any group, I have no allegiances to
anyone but you all. And you know what, how I would do it differently:
he made some good decisions in the beginning, I think in latter years,
because of family obligations and things, I think we've suffered. We
need somebody who doesn't have to worry about that. I don't have to
worry about a life at home or kids at home. It's just me. I can be
up all night, which I am anyway. And if, you know, discussing enough
of worry [inaudible] married, I'm sure [to Selvig] you're gonna start
planning having kids. I'm sorry to say but I don't have that kind of
obligation. [inaudible]
TOLMAN: Alex, is there something you want to tell us? Alex?
SELVIG: We're trying.
QUESTION: What would make you a good negotiator in dealing with the
universities, the turnpikes, the institutions, and other development?
SELVIG: What would make me a good negotiator? The interesting thing
is that I'm trained as a diplomat. I'm an international relations and
political science major Boston University. I studied basically how to
draft disarmament treaties, nuclear disarmament treaties, that's my
training, this is what I do.
I'm also a businessman. I work on several different continents, and I
know how to work with people of all different kinds of cultures --
whether they be ethnic cultures, or corporate cultures, or
institutional cultures as we have with BC and the turnpike, MassPort
or whatever. As a businessman, I make deals and I negotiate. You
don't always get what you asked for, nor does the other side. There
is always compromise involved. You just have to look for the best
possible solution for everybody involved. Something everyone can live
with. Reconcilation is very important, as well. I'm trained in this.
This is what I do.
CIOMMO: In my professional experience recently, as the Director of
the Veronica Senior Center, I negotiate grants, and negotiate with
housing authorities to get elderly in. Helping them with
applications, and negotiating to them on the waiting list. If there
are emergencies, in my experience, doing the Hobart Park Association
we also had to negotiate with the City Parks Department, the Brown
Fund, coordinate all of those first. And in my private experience
before going into public service, I was in real estate. And I had to
negotiate purchases and sales agreements. I was also in sales -- I
sold ad space many years ago. You always have to negotiate the price
and the terms of all those. So I bring much of that experience from
my private entrepeneurial life prior to my public service life. But I
also have the public service experience of grants [inaudible],
year-to-year, every year, that I had to deal with.
QUESTION: What is your position on the moving of City Hall to South
Boston, and do you support it or oppose it? Will you take an active
role of moving City Hall?
SCHOFIELD: I oppose moving City Hall. It comes back to a question of
access and accountability of government. City Hall where it now is
located is accessible on all four T lines, the center of many bus
lines, it needs to be in the center of the City. People need to have
access to City Hall. So I don't support the move. I understand the
desire. I would love to see new City Hall located at Government
Center, a green building. For it takes the lean and green movement
that the Mayor has talked about doing that. We could build a
cutting-edge green City Hall. But that's a question of resources.
One of the reasons that it could occur is that you sell the current
property which is worth a lot of money. I just think that is the
wrong way to go. I think City Hall needs to be easily accessible to
people of the City. Where it is now is the ideal location. I would
not support moving City Hall.
GLENNON: I would definitely a new building, but I think the location
does need to be in downtown Boston where City Hall is accessible to
all the residents of the City. The proposed relocation area is
out-of-the-way; and maybe, yeah, in 10, 20, who knows, 30 years down
the road, there might be convenient points of access, parking,
pedestrian-friendly ways to get there. But as things are now, it just
wouldn't work. I wouldn't support it. Obviously, a building that in
some respects is an eyesore, but it serves a purpose that is very
important. It's accessible to the residents of the City of Boston. I
would look for, as a long-term goal, to do all we can do to utilize
City Hall Plaza -- which is a vast swath of downtown geography -- to
get something up that reflects better on our City. But for now, I
would not support a relocation to the South Boston neighborhood.
END OF QUESTIONS
CLOSING STATEMENTS (five minutes per person):
GLENNON: Just getting back to what I talking about in my opening
statement, and continue on the theme of what I would do as your City
Councilor. Being available to you and working hard for you and making
this job about representing you is why I'm running, and what I would
do as your City Councilor.
It's not just about that, though. This is a time when, in our City,
in this neighborhood, there's a lot of anxiety out there. There is
the sense that the institutions will do whatever they want to do, an
attitude amongst a lot of the people: the process at Boston College,
the process at Harvard, is a fait accompli.
I've talked to homeowners who have seen their property taxes go up an
average of 12% per year for the last six years. Talking to a family
that is moving out, they're leaving, their seven-year-old son got a
school assignment in East Boston, so the For Sale sign is up.
Somebody asked me, who has the most yard signs up in this campaign.
And I said, as I'm walking around, the most yard signs that I'm seeing
are yard signs from local realtors. People are leaving the City.
Property taxes are up. We just heard water rates are going up again.
People are getting killed on homeowners insurance. The public schools
continue to underperform.
All across the City, we see poor, horrific stories -- horrific stories
-- of crime out of control, in different parts of our City. I know
that first-hand working in the Roxbury District Court as a prosecutor
for the last two years. We look at our streets and all across
Allston-Brighton street cleaning are not getting done. Some of these
streets are absolutely filthy, it's outrageous. People are paying
exorbitant property taxes, excise taxes. And we hear now about a
meals tax which will inevitably be passed right back onto the consumer
who frequents local establishments -- and which I absolutely oppose.
We are at a point in the City where everything that ought to be up is
down, and everything that ought to be down is up. And I think that we
need somebody who is going to go down to City Hall and really shake
things up and stir up the pot. And not be a shrinking violet. That's
the attitude of, say, [inaudible], but also an attitude of working
together with fellow City Councilors. And again, being someone who is
a listener, a hard worker. But as I am for those victims that I fight
for, every day in court, to be an advocate. To be available to you on
the things that matter in quality of life, and to be a fighter for
this neighborhood on those bigger picture issues, that are really
driving people out of the City. And people are reaching a point where
they are saying: You know what, I can't stay here, I can't afford it,
I can't send my kids to the schools here, I'm not getting any bang for
my buck -- the services aren't any good. Recognizing there are these
problems, there are these issues, and not going into City Hall with
blinders on and having my eyes wide open to these real concerns, these
real issues that are happening right now -- are the sorts of things
I'll take with me, and the issues I'll fight for.
And, like I said, I will always be available, 24 hours a day, seven
days a week, for any concern, for any issue. You can call me at home,
you can call me at the office, you can send me an email. This is your
seat. This City Hall seat belongs to you, and the next City Councilor
will work for you -- and that's what I want to do, I want to work for
you, I want to do good things for Allston-Brighton. Do good things
for this great neighborhood, and for the wonderful people I have
gotten to know over the years, and that I see every day along the way
as I knock on doors, go to civic meetings, go to the coffee shops.
It's such a wonderful experience to know your neighbors. I want to
fight for you, and that's why I'm running. I'd love to have your
support. I'm not going to make the mistake of not asking every single
person tonight for your vote. I'm asking for your vote. I'm asking
for your support. And I thank you very much for coming out tonight.
And I look forward to seeing you along the way as the campaign
continues. Thank you very much.
SCHOFIELD: I am going to take the Senator's invitation to address the
issue that wasn't one of my questions during my five minutes here.
I just want to proceed to talk about landlords and responding to
dilapidated housing. We do need more ISD enforcement, that is
certainly a key issue. But we have seen historically in the last
couple of years, there is something on the order of $1.2-1.4 million
in ISD fines that are outstanding right now. They just simply don't
pay the fines. They simply ignore them. And ISD doesn't have the
resources to take them to court, or have the authority to do it. I
propose making ISD fines a surcharge on the property taxes, so you can
be certain that, if you don't pay your property taxes, the City is
going to do something about it. So let's check that over, let's make
those fines a surcharge on property taxes so we can get those paid.
We can increase enforcement, but if we aren't increasing the paying,
it's not going to do much good. We have to make the landlords pay the
balances.
First of all, let me thank you all for coming out tonight. This is a
great turnout. This is an important election. I know everybody knows
it, I hear it at the door, people talk about it. Just the feeling,
the sense, we are at a critical time in our community. We do need
strong, effective leadership right now.
As we have heard tonight, there are numerous, complex challenges
facing this neighborhood. Institutional expansion is obviously the
largest one right now. But public education, public safety, property
taxes, making this an affordable and livable community. I know that
we can do it, because I look, and I see what is happening in Jamaica
Plain, and I see what is happening in Roslindale, and they are booming
right now. And so you can't tell me it is just schools, because they
have our schools, too, they have public schools, too.
There's something more. I think part of it is we need to promote our
community. I find it interesting when I'm up there, some of the
streets I walk, "My God, this is a gorgeous neighborhood." And people
around the City, unfortunately, when people are looking at us, they
think Comm Ave. That's something we are, that's part of our
community. We need to make people aware of what a wonderful place
this is. Oak Square is beautiful, and North Allston is beautiful,
Cleveland Circle is beautiful. There are wonderful places to live.
And I think we -- and it's really going to be a job of the City
Councilor -- to be an ambassador of this community. There is no
reason that more families can't be moving into this community.
Another important piece on that front is immigration. We have
wonderful new families moving into this community: Brazilians,
Chinese, Russians. We have to welcome them and integrate them into
our community. They are laying roots in our community. They are
raising families in our community. They are the future, we have to
integrate them -- that's an important part of our future.
These are complex issues: solving public education, a complex issue;
institutional expansion, a complex issue. We need a City Councilor
who has the experience and the background to be an effective leader
who understands the inter-relationships between public education and
stablizing the community. Between economic development and public
safety. These are all important issues, and they are complex. And we
need someone with the experience and the background. I have the
experience and the background, as an attorney, as a former legislative
aide, my experience in the military, I'm a homeowner, I'm a small
business owner. We need someone who understands these complexities.
I believe I'm the best person for this job. I am committed to this
community, I would be honored to earn your vote, and I, too, will ask
for your vote.
CIOMMO: I thank you all for coming tonight. As I started campaigning
almost two months ago, many of the doors I knocked, said, "Mark, why
do you want to be a City Councilor?" And it's an easy question for me
to answer: four generations of my family have lived, worked, raised a
family, and retired in this community. As newcomers, they faced many
challenges, but their hard work and perseverance paved the way for
future generations leading me to become the first person in my family
to earn a college degree. Also, being raised by a single parent left
to raise two children at the age of six, that helped me understand how
much a community can offer a kid. I know that a good community can
make a difference in the lives of its citizens. I want to be your
City Councilor because I love this community. This community made a
difference in my life, and I will use my passion and love for this
community to get up every single day, and fight to make a difference
in the lives of all of our citizens. And I need your help, and I need
your vote, to be able to do that. Thank you very much.
SELVIG: I'm not really going to give you a big speech about why you
should vote for me, but more really about one of the major issues that
all of the candidates have all of a sudden embraced. And that is:
institutional expansion. I would like to say that we are on the
Southern Front of Allston-Brighton. People who live in North Allston
live on the Northern Frong. We are being encroached upon, our tax
base is shriveling, and families are moving out of Allston-Brighton
because of more of the student party houses and things like that.
Allston-Brighton has paid a disproportionate price for the prosperity
that the universities bring to this entire area. All of Massachusetts
benefits from these universities being here, there is no doubt that
they are wonderful for our economy. But you and I are the ones, the
neighbors of these student party houses -- of these stadiums, of all
this -- that end up paying for it. The Mayor made an argument in
front of the State Legislature and -- I guess you'll back me up on
this, Senator -- that Boston should have more state aid because it
shoulders more of the burden for these universities that generate a
lot of money for the entire region. The same argument can be made for
Allston-Brighton. We are paying more of the price, and receiving
fewer of the benefits for these universities. And now they are going
to expand even more.
Meetings have been going on for Boston College's expansion for two
years before I found out about it. I live across the street. As soon
as I found out, I ran around the entire neighborhood, distributed 350
flyers, and actually it's nice to know that I have five more sets of
hands that are willing to help me next time I have to do this. It's
an issue that is very important, and it's not communicated very well
to the abutters or to anybody in the neighborhood. The master
planning process sets very, very small, very limited guidelines as to
how you are supposed to notify the community. A lot of you who are
here, my neighbors have received these flyers and know exactly what I
am talking about.
People were shocked to know what was going on in their very own
backyards. And nobody was doing anything wrong, that was just the
guideline that was just the guideline that was set up in Article 80
Boston Redevelopment Authority process. This process needs to be
changed. We have to know what's going on across the street from us.
We have to know what's going on in our backyards, whether somebody is
going to put up a baseball stadium for 2000 people and floodlights
right under somebody's child's room. This is important stuff. This
is daily, quality-of-life, community stuff that has to be addressed
and has to be brought out into the public.
The BRA's process right now doesn't do that, and it must be changed.
They have the power to change what is now zoned as conservation
protection subdistrict into an institutional zone, which means they
can put pretty much whatever they want, whatever the BRA rubber-stamps
it to be. If they want to put up dorms, they can. If BC wanted to
pave the entire 64 acre parcel, and the BRA said "Sure, fine," they
could. They could do this. They don't have to listen to us, there is
no requirement that they listen to us. It is [inaudible].
The government is here for us, it is for the people. And it should be
by the people, and we should have a voice in what is going on in our
own neighborhood.
This is part of the Harvard plan. This is just one little piece of
it. 600 pages. This thing weighs eight pounds, it's three inches
tall. Exactly. It will make for a wonderful doorstop. This is only
one of the little pieces of this little process. How can you get
community involvement when you keep building probably five or six of
these for the whole Harvard plan? Who can read all of this? I've
just started, and these are all the tabs, these are all the questions
I have in it. There are probably 30 of them right now. Things that I
have serious issues with, and if I lived in North Allston, I would be
even more concerned with what is going on. I would also be concerned
about whether I have a voice -- whether I can do anything -- to
mitigate this. Whether I can do anything about the trucks that are
going to be driving by my house, two a minute, two big trucks every
minute will be driving by houses on Windom Street -- which, by the
way, receives 400 cars every morning between eight and nine o'clock as
it gets now. If you've been on Windom Street, you know how tiny that
little street is. There is currently no resident parking in North
Allston, which means all the construction workers are going to park in
North Allston. Harvard will be offering parking between $800 and
$1600 a year, but if you can park for free in North Allston, we'd all
do that, wouldn't we, if we worked for Harvard?
Anyway, I'm going to bring imaginative, out-of-the-box, not
politics-as-usual to City Hall. I urge you to please vote for me,
please send somebody to City Hall with new ideas, fresh perspectives,
and the energy to protect Allston-Brighton. Thank you.
JENNER: I agree with you on the last part: send somebody with fresh
ideas and a lot of energy. I think that, you know, describing me is
very, very good of you, Alex.
Look, Allston-Brighton is facing a crossroads, and you're next City
Councilor is going to have a huge hand in how we are developed and how
we look in the future. Sure, BC and Harvard are the biggest issues we
are facing, but they are not the only issues. I mean, a lot of people
will harp on that, and harp on that, and harp on that, like it's the
one issue that we all have to deal with. And it is, but it's not the
only issue. BC is probably more important to me, because of the fact
that I live right around the corner. Harvard has it's issues as well.
I'd like to go into a little bit of history here in terms of Harvard.
Some of you may know it. When Harvard wanted to expand in Cambridge,
the government took a stand and the fought Harvard, and they beat
Harvard. And the zoning laws were able to be changed, and able to be
controlled by the City and by the residents because of some laws that
were overturned that gave Harvard almost uncontrollable power. And I
think we are seeing kind of that happening again in what used to be
North Allston, and it's now mostly Harvard all up and down Western
Avenue. And displacement of our citizens is unacceptable to me. If
they want to stay there, they should be allowed to stay there.
Harvard has enough money, fix up the facade, make it look like you're
building, but don't move our residents. They've built lives there,
they have history there, they have memories there, and they shouldn't
have to move if they don't want to move.
BC is my neighbor. I actually have reached out to BC and to Bill
Mills, and we are going to sit down, we are going to talk. I'd like
to see a few things from BC -- and from Harvard, actually -- one is a
monetary contribution yearly to the community fund which I will set
up, based on the projected revenues of the new buildings and the new
softball stadium. The projected revenues: give us 10 percent of it.
Give us 15 percent of it. You don't pay taxes as it is, you can
afford it. I'd like to see unlimited access to these new fields that
are going to be at the end of Kenrick Street and Lake Street. They
are talking about high fences and locks and things like that and
safety wires, I understand that, but the community shouldn't have to
suffer the loss of a large green area and not get something in return.
Let Allston-Brighton Little League play some games at the new stadium
if they want to. Let the kids go into it when it's not being occupied
and play some sports. Let Allston-Brighton Trade or CDC or whatever
organization wants to use the new auditorium use it when it is not
being used. And I would like to see a commitment by the College, in
relation to its students, every year, every six months or so, it's
mandatory community service weekend where the students come out,
side-by-side with us, the residents, and clean up the streets and
improve the streets. They live here and they contribute money here,
they should contribute time as well to improving the infrastructure.
Brighton has lost a lot in the last few years. Two parish schools
have closed -- St. Anthony's and Our Lady of Presentation. Luckily,
we have the OLP Foundation that is turning that into a community
center, which is a fantastic addition. We have absentee landlords
who, looking for profit-making properties, drive housing prices
through the roof. And then they rent off-campus students who disturb
the peace. Allston-Brighton is one of the only two communities in the
entire City that decreased in its percentage of owner-occupied housing
between 1990 and 2000 census, while the entire City itself went up.
This is inexcusable. Why, why are we suffering the most in this City,
when it should be that we are reeling in the benefits from what is
going on with the development.
Lastly, no matter whether you vote for me or not, vote with your heart
and vote with your mind. And vote based on the issues. Don't vote
based on you're friends with someone, or you happen to think this
person has a better smile than the other. This election is so
important, and I ask for your vote -- obviously, I'm not going to sit
here and not ask for it -- so I ask for your vote, please, give it to
me, give it to me. And if that, I guarantee you -- actually the last
thing I would like to say is ask my fellow candidates to go the step
I've taken. $87,500 a year for City Councilor is an exorbitant of
money to make. Go the step I've taken, and follow me in guaranteeing
a percentage of your personal salary back to this community
specifically. I don't need $87,500, I really don't. I can't think
what I'd do with that money, which is why 20% of it is going back to
this community.
HANLON: First of all, thank you for taking the time out. I hope that
this forum was enlightening to you. I look into the audience and I
see my five beautiful kids, and I thank you guys for the support that
you've given me forever. And I thank my Mom, for bringing us to
Allston-Brighton. And my cousins, Rosie and Frank, to come from
England to come from here for this debate.
I've been going door-to-door, I've been going group-to-group, for the
past couple of months now, and I've been meeting as many people as I
possibly can. And it has inspired me, it has energized me, and it has
made it crystal clear that I have chosen the right path. Yesterday, I
was in Allston and I was going door-to-door, and I happened upon
Garnet Long [?] -- do you guys know him? He's an Allston resident,
and he's a local, notable historian who was born in 1919. So he has
the history down of this community, and we had quite a lengthy
conversation of what was, what is, and what he sees pending. It was
inspiring, to say the very least. At the end of our conversation, he
looked me squarely in the eye and he said to me, "Rosie, will you make
a difference?"
Will I make a difference? And I think that is the big question. As
the Executive Director of Brighton Main Streets, I have worked to
bring in millions of dollars into this community through federal,
public, and private investments. I have worked to bring jobs into
this community, I have worked to bring economic stability into this
community, I have worked to beautify this community, I have worked to
make us proud of this community. As your City Councilor, I will
continue to do that, and more.
I am ready to roll up my sleeves, and I'm ready to represent this
community. I am committed to addressing your personal needs: to turn
on the light, to fill the pothole, to bring the services to you that
you deserve. We deserve it, we need it, we want it, and if you vote
for me -- when you vote for me -- you will get it. I cannot do this
without you, and I ask you for your vote on September 25th. Thanks so
much for taking the time tonight.
