Civics
Civics
Malibu ‘splash’ planned as fundraiser for beaches
Feb. 17, 2011
Instead of dressing up in black and white, fundraisers for the inaugural Cupid Splash benefit for Save the Harbor/Save the Bay will be wearing bows and wings – and maybe even a bathing suit.
Nine beaches across the state will host the costumed dip-and-dash on April 2 , which raises money for their free events and programs, like the near-annual Dorchester Beach Festival. (The event was originally set for Feb. 12, but was postponed this week.) Read more
Imperiled block grants called key factor in local economy
Feb. 17, 2011
Dave McDonald, a Mattapan-based contractor, gets 75 percent of his business from the city of Boston and has worked on more than 60 housing projects with the help of a block grant program.
But his business is now in danger, he says, with President Obama’s budget axe poised to come down on the federal Community Development Block Grants (CDBG), which also support programs for the homeless, economic development, and human services. Read more
Boston's State House delegation votes in Rep. Michlewitz as chair
By
Boston's State House delegation on Wednesday voted in state Rep. Aaron Michlewitz as chair.
The North End Democrat, who was unopposed in his bid, also serves as vice chairman of the House side of the Joint Committee on Transportation. Michlewitz, former aide in City Hall and constituent services director for former Speaker Salvatore DiMasi, was elected as state representative in 2009. Read more
The state of the District 7 race
By
The preliminary special election to replace former City Councillor Chuck Turner draws near, and that means things are heating up. (Though nobody’s falsely called anybody a crack addict yet.)
Cornell Mills, one of the seven candidates running for the District 7 seat, took a shot at the odds-on favorite, Tito Jackson, in this Twitter post on Wednesday, echoing a similar push from surrogates: “70% of my donations from [District 7] residents. Not 15%. My events all held in the District. That's real action, not just talk.”
In an email, a spokesman for Jackson’s campaign shot back: "We are not interested in what the Cornell Mills campaign has to say. We are focused on talking to as many voters about Tito and his vision for the community."
More ground is covered in this week’s piece on the contest, which looks at the state of the race. (Some of what was left on the cutting room floor is included in this blog post). Read more
One-third of Dorchester households now use food stamps
Feb. 10, 2011
Top Ten Food Stamp Stores in Dorchester-Mattapan 2010
This article was reported by Rachel Zarrell, Gal Tziperman Lotan, and Stephen Kurkjian, and written by Zarrell.
The last year has been a difficult one for Matthew St. Andrews. In March, he was let go from his full-time job as a FedEx manager. Then in November, he went on unemployment after he lost his temporary construction job. With his income drastically reduced and heightened concern about how he could take care of the needs of his daughter, who stays with him three days a week, St. Andrews successfully applied for the federal food stamps program.
“If I didn’t have a three-year-old, I’d probably be more likely to sleep on friends’ couches,” he said, “and just survive on my own, however I could.”
Anh Vo: Assists customers at Maria's Market on Dorchester Ave., one of many convenience stores with a high volume of SNAP purchases. Photo by Steve Kurkjian With a new food stamp card tucked in his wallet, St. Andrews is like so many other people in Dorchester who are having their own bad times. In the past four years, almost 17,000 Dorchester residents have joined the program, making nearly a third of those living in the neighborhood dependent on stamps to buy food for their families. At the end of last year, residents of two of the four Dorchester zip codes placed third and eighth, respectively, in the state for the greatest use of the program.
This increase in the numbers of recently unemployed and the concerted drive by the Patrick Administration to get the poor and elderly who qualify to participate in the program have elevated the numbers of those on food stamps in Massachusetts to the highest levels in history. Read more
Another former City Council At-Large candidate enters race for District 3 seat
By
This week’s Reporter’s Notebook takes a brief look at the first candidate to jump into the City Council District 3 race, former City Council At-Large candidate Doug Bennett, who is now living in Adams Village. Read more
Arroyo pushes for neighborhood advocate on Licensing Board
By
City Councillor At-Large Felix Arroyo is pushing for Gov. Deval Patrick to appoint a neighborhood advocate to the city’s powerful Licensing Board.
The three-member board, which largely grants and regulates alcohol and food licenses for restaurants and nightclubs, among other businesses, has had a vacancy since last July when chairman Daniel Pokaski retired. Patrick appoints the board members. Read more
First Lady Patrick introducing Jackson at campaign kick-off Monday night
By
Gov. Deval Patrick may tend to stay out of contested primaries, but his wife, not so much. First Lady Diane Patrick is headlining District 7 candidate Tito Jackson's campaign kick-off Monday night.
The kick-off starts at 7 p.m. at Hibernian Hall in Roxbury.
Jackson, a former aide to Gov. Patrick, is among seven candidates running for the open seat, left vacant after the City Council voted out Councillor Chuck Turner because of his bribery conviction. Read more
Walsh promoted to ethics chair as House freshmen get committee assignments
By
House Speaker Robert DeLeo on Friday named state Rep. Marty Walsh (D-Dorchester) to the top of the House Ethics Committee.
Walsh, a local union leader who once strongly backed DeLeo's rival for the speakership, served as vice chair of the Joint Committee on Community Development and Small Business.
Chairs receive an extra stipend as part of job.
And Read more
An Open Boston City Council http://anopenbostoncitycouncil.blogspot.com
An Open Boston City Council
http://anopenbostoncitycouncil.blogspot.com
