As many in the Blue Mass Group community know, I am a former school teacher, a current At-Large Boston City Councilor, and I’m running for Mayor of Boston.
I’ve always believed that city government is at its best when it’s inclusive and transparent and nurtures a free exchange of ideas. BMG is an example of these values at their best, which is why I’m announcing the release of my platform here.
It is a long, detailed platform. Leading a city takes bold new ideas, so I want to put myself out there and start an in-depth discussion about our agreements, our disagreements, and our visions for the future of Boston.
I hope you’ll take some time to read my platform on the ideas section of my website: www.connollyforboston.com/ideas. This platform runs to over 20 single-spaced pages when printed. There’s a lot to discuss, and I hope you’ll let me know your thoughts, here on BMG or by emailing ideas@connollyforboston.com.
I imagine we won’t agree on everything, but I want to hear your feedback. Please also send me your own ideas on how we can work together for Boston’s future. I don’t care whose idea it is – if it will help our city, I want to hear it.
Thanks, and I look forward to hearing from you.
It is my understanding that the BRA will continue to exist until such time as it decides to self-terminate. While you are proposing making the permitting process online and transparent, it is time that the city planning be brought back “in-house” so that planning and zoning are accountable. I would like to see you commit to appointing a BRA head who will bring the BRA to an end and transition back into non-autonomy and accountability.
It’s moved lots of positive change for Boston, including some good commercial development and vastly greening all commercial development in Boston.
I wonder if some fundamental changes to the BRA would drive substantial improvement without throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
I share some of your frustration, Mike, and I agree with stomv that fundamental changes could help create a substantially more clear, predictable, and fair permitting system.
Although you and I might not agree on ending the BRA, I’ll say that it’s tremendously important to make Boston’s zoning and permitting process more transparent and accountable.
Do you (or others) have any ideas on how we could achieve this?
The BRA does a pretty decent job on economic development. It could (and I hope will) do an even better job as it gains some more independence under a new Mayor.
HOWEVER, the BRA does a terrible job in it’s function as a “planning” agency. Boston is the only city in the United States without a planning department separate from its redevelopment authority. Since 1960, when Boston dismanteled its Planning Board, the BRA has gone out of its way to ensure that “planning” doesn’t interfere with development. EAny genuine land-use planning has been largely replaced with site-by-site “planning” designed primarly to ensure that a favored project is allowed to move forward without too many complaints from the neighborhoods. No genuine city planning is done by anyone.
Boston’s next Mayor should end the inherent conflict of interest that arises from having a single Authority with jurisdiction over both promoting economic development and ensuring a democratic city planing process. We need a new City Planning Agency staffed by professional planners with no development role. With this, planning would control development and not the other way around. We would see increased accountability and oversight by the City Council and by the public. And we could have a truly open, inclusive process that provides needed information to the public, engaging citizens and neighborhood groups in responsible decision-making.
Councillor Connolly:
Thanks for stopping in. I’m thrilled to see that your platform has green ideas prominently. I think you can do better though. Here’s why: I boiled your “Greening Boston” section own to a key idea per bullet:
* leading
* trash
* trash
* trash
* bicycles
* trash
* sidewalks (& street trees)
* farmers markets
all good things. But you’re missing the big stuff. Solid waste is important, and Boston’s recycling rate is pretty terrible. However, if you really want to green the city, in addition to what you mention I suggest you:
* Focus on efficient buildings. Reach out to the Massachusetts chapter of the USGBC, and to John Dalzell of the BRA.
* The BRA has really pushed for greening commercial buildings in Boston. Do more of that, and empower them to do more. Be clear on how you’ll do it.
* Boston is (finally!) working with the MBTA to begin the process of giving the Green Line trolley traffic signal prioritization (TSP) so that 150 people on a Green Line don’t wait at a red light on Comm or Huntington so that six people in 4 cars can turn left. Not only must you embrace this kind of change and push for it, but you’ve got to go further. You’ve got to do that for buses. Silver Line, the CTs and key routes in Boston [the key MBTA routes, not all of which are in Boston, are the 1, 15, 22, 23, 28, 32, 39, 57, 66, 71, 73, 77, 111, 116, 117]. The MBTA needs your help to keep the buses on time and on schedule, and if you help, you’ll get a city with less congestion, slimmer waistlines, fewer broken hips and legs, and cleaner air.
* PILOTs aren’t all they’re cracked up to be. Instead of squeezing non-profits for annual cash payments, work with the unis and the hospitals to provide more and broader public benefits. Improve the physical infrastructure along Longwood and Comm and Huntington. Get more cheap/free medical and dental visits to citizens. Etc.
* Help folks in residential neighborhoods stay in their homes by helping them reduce their energy bills. Switching to gas and PV panels are two ways, but so is improving insulation and air sealing. Figure out how to leverage the utilities and other programs to help drive down home energy bills — and carbon emissions which result.
I’m thrilled that you’re interested in green issues, and while bikes and sidewalks and trash are important issues, the real gains to be had in CO2 emissions come from improving public transit and reducing the energy use from Boston’s buildings, citywide. Push on that hard, and you’ll really green the city.
This is all tremendously helpful, stomv. Thank you.
I think you’re definitely right that Boston needs to take innovative approaches to greening both commercial and residential buildings. Although I do discuss that in my platform, you’re absolutely right that this is an important issue that deserves detailed planning and vision. We can’t address climate change without having energy efficient buildings. And I think one of the most important roles city government has to play in this is to lead by example in our schools and municipal buildings.
The TSP information that you give is really, really interesting. Do you know if there’s a reason that this isn’t currently being done for buses? By any chance could someone on my staff chat with you about this?
on the complexities of the MBTA and BTD bureaucracies, nor the on-again off-again on-again relationship of the MBTA and the BTD. But the very short answer is: lack of leadership. The technology exists. The money is relatively short given the improvements to so many residents. The mayor and the MBTA GM have to both want it badly at the same time to make it work.
In this case, it takes two to tango (MBTA and BTD), with possible funding sources including the Feds, the DOT, the MAPC, the MBTA, City of Boston, MASCO, and maybe even benefiting hyperlocal non-profits (see my PILOT comment).
Who’s going to burn capital pushing dozens of bureaucrats across multiple agencies, multiple jurisdictions, perhaps 100 public meetings with public input, and seek out sources of funding, all to improve a form of transit that virtually none of those bureaucrats even use? All to possibly fail if some or even any of the necessary partners decide to derail the process? It’s great public policy to implement TSP for buses, but it may not very well be smart politics. Therein lies the rub.