Blue Mass Group

Reality-based commentary on politics.

John Connolly is running for Mayor of Boston

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I just got an email from John Connolly, stating that he is running for Mayor of Boston. This pleases me very much. I have known John for several years, going back to his first “At-Large” run, and although I am not a member of his campaign team, (full disclosure) I probably will be a volunteer soon. The following is a cut and paste from his email.

I am running because every child deserves a world-class education from the Boston Public Schools. In fact, Boston’s future depends on the quality of our schools. The success of our schools directly impacts our ability to build safe, healthy, and livable neighborhoods for everyone, as well as our ability to create jobs, attract talent, and retain families in Boston.

Changing our schools is not beyond our reach as a city, it is a matter of political will and a bold desire to challenge the status quo. As a former teacher and a current Boston Public School parent, I know firsthand that urban schools can succeed. As your City Councilor, I’ve also learned how much work still needs to be done. Mayor Menino is a good man, and I respect his deep commitment to our city – but transforming our schools requires new ideas, new energy, and new leadership.

http://www.connollyforboston.com/

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Comments

  1. The only way he is leaving City Hall is in a ‘cadilliac station wagon’* on a one way trip

    *what my grandpa called an ambulance or hearse

  2. “Changing our schools is not beyond our reach as a city, it is a matter of political will and a bold desire to challenge the status quo.”
    So, who gave John Connolly the Green Lantern ring?

    It’s not so much my business, given that I live next door in Cambridge. But I’ve seen a lot of promises about improving schools in the different states and cities I’ve lived in… so I would be curious to read more on the fellow’s website about just what he thinks would be an improvement, and the mechanism he thinks will get Boston from the status quo to paradise.

    We all need our Boston Public Schools to work because great schools lead to safe and healthy neighborhoods.

    I’m a little skeptical about the order of cause-and-effect in this sentence. I would think that services like police patrols and public health regulations might be more directly related to having safe and healthy neighborhoods.

    • I am all for better schools, but I am highly skeptical of any politician’s grandiose claims of school “transformation”.

      I hope that he has something to say for those of us Boston residents who don’t have children. I am not going to vote for a candidate for Mayor based on their school agenda (although I might vote against someone if they appeared to have a blatantly bad ideas about schools).

      Anyway, I would love to see a non-white, non-Catholic in the race someday…

  3. Except that his law office used to be in Brighton, Connolly was rarely seen here.
    When we had an outdoor rally to save our library Ayanna Pressley and Felix Arroyo came and stayed the entire evening despite a drenching rainstorm.
    During a long City Council hearing on that library, Connolly made his statement and then left citing small children at home. Other city councilors stayed long into the night.
    I haven’t seen him during the dozens of meetings in which community members tried to stop Boston College from building stadiums, parking garages and dormitories in the middle of a residential neighborhood. (We lost)
    But now I read that he chose Brighton High for his campaign kickoff because the school had been warned that it was one of five Boston public high schools in danger of losing accreditation for preparing students for college due to things like mold, leaky pipes, and science labs without functioning equipment. The school had inadequate staffing and offered limited access to technology for students and instructors.
    Why hasn’t he come to Brighton to do something about this before he decided to run for mayor? Why haven’t we seen him for help with the fact that Allston-Brighton is being sliced up and taken over by institutional powers despite the many families here who, by the way, also have small children.

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