After 14 years working behind the scenes in government, I've seen firsthand what good government can mean and what it can achieve. Good government on the municipal level is about good service delivery, done in an open and transparent way, and most critically, done in a manner which ensures equity for all residents in all neighborhoods.
That means that every resident of Boston, no matter their background, no matter their neighborhood, should have equal access to excellent schools, safe streets and quality affordable housing. Here is my agenda, my vision for how to ensure equality and justice in Boston.
Education
I will work to ensure that every child in Boston, whether in Roxbury or West Roxbury, South Boston or South End, Mission Hill or Mattapan, entering kindergarten or starting their senior year, has access to a quality, challenging education. That means fostering relationships between parents, teachers and community organizations in every school, finding and keeping the best teachers, and improving access to mentoring programs.
Public Safety
When violence occurs, it traumatizes entire communities. I will work to provide access to counseling for those who need it, advocate for families that are impacted or imprisoned by violence, and help coordinate services that can stem the bleeding both literally and figuratively. Longer-term, I intend to work to bring parties together, to build trust that can foster community and reduce violence in the future. I will also fight for CORI reform. As the daughter of an offender, I know the stigma of reentry and the positive outcomes possible with the necessary support and services.
Affordable Housing
I will advocate for the development of diverse, mixed-use housing that gets built in neighborhoods across all of Boston. I will fight to ensure that expiring-use properties are protected, that renters of foreclosed properties can remain in their homes, and that new “Smart Growth” affordable units are built with easy access to public transportation.
Environment & Green Jobs
I will push for a Green Jobs workforce, new and improved recycling programs and increased outreach on all existing programs that reduce energy use. I will work to address the staggering rates of asthma in some Boston neighborhoods by supporting increased access to public transportation, designated bike lanes and community-specific transportation plans.
Economic Development
I believe that what attracts businesses and their employees to Boston coincides with what is important to all Bostonians: excellent schools, safe streets, open spaces, quality service delivery, solid transportation infrastructure. Economic growth must be a city priority for all neighborhoods, and jobs that are created must be available for residents in those neighborhoods, including through the strict adherence to the Boston Jobs Policy.
The Budget
I am committed to ensuring that we will not lay off teachers, police or fire fighters, and if budget cuts are necessary, that we won’t make short-term cuts that look good on paper, but create greater costs long term. We need to find more efficient programs, like the recent expansion of single-stream recycling, which can realize immediate fiscal savings. There are also technological investments that can help us become more efficient.
Open Government
Transparency is critical to building trust between those in public service and the public. The Boston City Council has come a long way in the last few years, revising rules, opening up finances, and putting all dockets online in PDF format. As a City Councilor, I will build upon those successes and continue working for new ways to make government accessible and open, including at the Boston Redevelopment Authority.
The issues may change but I promise you that the core beliefs which guide my thinking will not.
With just two weeks until Election Day, I am working tirelessly to talk with voters and make sure they get to know more about me. Despite my busy schedule, I welcome your questions, and I'll do my best to answer them in a timely fashion. Or feel free to contact the campaign at 617-825-8683 or info@ayannapressley.com.
I’d like to see other local candidates do this.
Hi Ayanna:
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p>As I told you months ago, you will be a new City Councilor at Large, congratulations!
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p>1) Are you for expanding the Charter School Cap or opposed to it?
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p>2) Where in the Back Bay/Beacon Hill are you going to advocate for diverse, mixed use housing?
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p>3) Do you agree with the current city council rules which allow for 6 councilors to meet behind closed doors and discuss issues? If not, will you introduce new rules in your first 100 days?
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p>4) Counseling for victims of violence is a good thing. What will you propose cutting from the budget to pay for it?
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p>5) How will you pay for a Green Jobs workforce?
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p>6) What penalties will you impose on contractors who don’t enforce the Boston Jobs Policy? Will you introduce legislation in your first 100 days?
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p>7) Will you refuse to give any funds to the BRA (as we do now) until they are as transparent as you think they need to be, which means voting against the budget if need be?
Such pledges are nothing more than campaign gimmicks. They didn’t work for you, and they won’t work for Ayanna either. I am much more interested in her values and goals than in how grandiose her promises are. I would rather a new City Councilor not piss off all the other Councilors in the first 100 days just to satisfy a campaign pledge.
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p>The charter school cap issue seems like a red herring to me, since unless one is proposing replacing all of Boston’s schools with charters – and no one is, it may or may not be a good idea to have more charters but it is not going to solve our most serious problems with the system.
Kevin-
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p>Thanks for the questions. I’ll do my best to answer them as thoroughly as my time allows. And don’t forget, I’m #8 on the ballot- hope I can earn one of your four votes.
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p>1) Are you for expanding the Charter School Cap or opposed to it?
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p>I was fortunate enough to have a mother who cared deeply about my education, and fought hard to ensure I got the best education possible. Today I see the long wait lists for a number of our city’s charter schools, and those wait lists only exist because there are so many parents who take personal pride and responsibility for their child’s education. It is the job of a City Councilor to support those parents who have decided this is what’s best for their children. So while I do support lifting the existing cap, I am concerned that there could be some fiscal “blowback” on BPS.
2) Where in the Back Bay/Beacon Hill are you going to advocate for diverse, mixed use housing?
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p>I believe development must include community-input that is respected and taken seriously by developers and the city. I don’t have specific locations in mind and would be uncomfortable imposing my views, at this time, on a process I really believe should be driven by neighborhood residents.
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p>3) Do you agree with the current city council rules which allow for 6 councilors to meet behind closed doors and discuss issues? If not, will you introduce new rules in your first 100 days?
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p>As far as I know, Council rules do not allow for 6 councilors to meet behind closed doors. I support the work that has been done in the last few years to improve and ensure that the Council is fully educated on and compliant with the Open Meeting Law requirements.
4) Counseling for victims of violence is a good thing. What will you propose cutting from the budget to pay for it?
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p>I think it’s a bit irresponsible to advocate cutting programs before I am elected and before we have a clearer idea on where the city stands fiscally next year. There are opportunities to collect unpaid taxes, fees and tickets that could amount to tens of millions of dollars. Some may see my answer as pie-in-the-sky idealism but I think making rash announcements in October about budget cuts is more about political posturing than anything else.
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p>5) How will you pay for a Green Jobs workforce?
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p>In the budget section of my post, I spoke about a few places where we can improve on revenues. Longer term, I believe we need to be thinking about economic development as a way of sparking our economy and generating revenues. But “paying” for a Green Jobs workforce isn’t our immediate challenge- educating a Green Jobs workforce is and that can be achieved through creativity, innovation and commitment on the part of our educators and teachers, and not necessarily out of the city’s checkbook.
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p>6) What penalties will you impose on contractors who don’t enforce the Boston Jobs Policy? Will you introduce legislation in your first 100 days?
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p>Adherence to the Boston Jobs Policy is a priority. If I’m fortunate enough to be elected, I will definitely start work on issues like this. I don’t want to make a promise today about legislation that I may write, or tie myself to an immediate timeline, these issues are too important to rush into without talking with all the parties involved. If it takes 101 days, but that extra day makes the difference between O.K. legislation favored by a few and comprehensive legislation favored by most, the important thing is achieving the ultimate goal of better enforcement of the policy.
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p>7) Will you refuse to give any funds to the BRA (as we do now) until they are as transparent as you think they need to be, which means voting against the budget if need be?
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p>Transparency is absolutely essential. But I don’t believe in making threats, particularly before I have even been elected, and I don’t believe it is productive to hinge my entire budget vote on one issue and in effect abandon all the other priorities that I have for the city.
I will be enthusiastically voting for you and have spread the word in my neighborhood about your candidacy.
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p>I have one overarching concern that only time will tell, but I do want to get it out there. Ayanna has been endorsed and aided by many established, and frankly machine politicians and organizations that do not actually share her vision for progressive change. While I understand that she has to do what it takes to be elected in a municipal, low turnout race in Boston – I worry that she will feel more accountable to those interests than she will to regular people. She has been endorsed by several colleagues on the council who will try to draw Ayanna in to their way of doing business.
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p>What we need is real independence on the council. I hope Ayanna is up for it.
I have always admired your drive and ability to get things done. Ever since I first me you, I was drawn to your earnest passion to help people with no voice, and I look forward to voting for you on November 3rd. Best of luck!
This is a nice gesture and I hope more candidates have the courage to do this, but I have a couple questions. Your explanation of your plan for education is pretty vague so I am wondering:
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p>How do you plan to “foster relationships between parents, teachers and community organizations in every school”?
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p>How do you plan to “find and keep the best teachers”? What plans do you have to combat the teacher’s union on this issue? For instance, I know that NYC has been working on this and having a very hard time with the union there.
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p>And some other questions:
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p>You speak about CORI reform as especially important to you, what would your ideal program look like? What changes would be deal breakers for you if they are not included when this comes up?
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p>When you talk about economic development you fail to mention tax policy as important to businesses, what are your ideas about making a more business friendly tax policy in Boston?
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p>Which of your issues listed are you most passionate about, not necessarily you would deal with first, but you would fight the hardest for?
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p>Thanks for your time, looking forward to responses.
And I believe that she is one of the most effective, thoughtful, compassionate people who has ever been in politics. Her previous jobs have taught her a HUGE amount about what it takes to make real change; she will be a great city councilor if the voters have the wisdom to put her there – I only wish I lived in Boston (instead of in Somerville) so that I could vote for her. Go Ayanna!
Will you advocate for greater access to the public records of city government?… for example better access to the stenographic machine record of the last public meeting of Boston City Council?…