Politics
Politics
City Hall team will help businesses, residents with damage
Oct. 30, 2012
City officials have assembled a team to work closely with home and business owners affected by Hurricane Sandy. Boston Home Center staff will be working with homeowners and senior homeowners to help facilitate any necessary renovations due to the storm. Also, a team of City Hall staff will "work closely with business owners in the coming days to offer guidance and assess the exact needs of each business affected in an effort to expedite the process of reopening."
DND’s Office of Business Development is standing by to provide technical and permitting assistance. Businesses affected by the hurricane can reach the Office of Business Development at 617-635-0355. Read more
Advice for voters: Read up now on ballot questions
Oct. 29, 2012
Voters lined up outside the Chittick School on Ruskindale Rd. (Hyde Park-Mattapan line) today.
The city’s elections chief is warning voters to read up on today's ballot, saying its length could lead to longer wait times at the polls. The ballot spans two pages and is 18 inches long due to several complex ballot questions dealing with auto repair, assisted suicide and medical marijuana. Some ballots will have a fourth question, a non-binding resolution on federal budget cuts.
“You need to do your homework before,” said Election Commissioner Geraldine Cuddyer. Read more
As deadline looms, the state of play in redistricting
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The redistricting clock is ticking for city councillors, who must pass a map reordering Boston’s political boundaries next week.
Here’s the state of play heading into the weekend, as Hurricane Sandy is eyeing New England and the City Council prepares for a potential Halloween vote on Wednesday, according to City Hall insiders:
One of the precincts in the middle of the back-and-forth is the one City Councillor At-Large Felix Arroyo lives in: Ward 19 Precinct 7. Read more
No consensus yet on redistricting maps for City Council
Oct. 25, 2012
A segment of a map proposed by City Councillor Tito Jackson shows how District 4 would take seven precincts now included in District 3, including Lower Mills and parts of St. Mark’s Area, and push District 3 into South Boston.
City councillors yesterday continued their internal debates as they worked to produce yet another map – their third this year – that would shift the boundaries of several districts for the 2013 municipal election. The council adjourned without making a decision and scheduled another working session for next week. The mayor’s vetoes of two previous maps have set off a scramble and increased tensions among the councillors who have struggled to put together a proposal that would pass mayoral muster. In both vetoes, Menino cited the concentration of people of color in District 4 as a top concern. Read more
Medical marijuana stirs fans, foes to debate
Oct. 25, 2012
State Rep. Marty Walsh speaking out against a marijuana ballot question on Monday. Mike Deehan/SHNS photo
Opponents of a ballot initiative to legalize medical marijuana claimed on Monday that proponents ultimately hope to legalize the drug for all uses, but proponents accused them of using “hysteria and fear” to keep people from necessary medicine.
The two sides met in front of the State House steps on a sunny afternoon, where doctors and lawmakers on each side made their case, backed by those who said they suffered through the lack of proper pain relief, on one side, and those who had experienced the perils of drug addiction, on the other. Read more
Council should prioritize voter empowerment over geography
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The City Council’s agonizing redistricting process drags on this week as it weighs several competing maps that would redraw the lines of the district seats in time for next year’s election. District 4, which covers parts of both Mattapan and Dorchester, has become the main focus because two mayoral vetoes of earlier maps passed by the council specifically cited the “packing” of too many voters of color into the district. Read more
Friday’s ‘Broadside’ to feature Treasurer Grossman and GOP’s Baker
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Could this be a preview of the gubernatorial race in 2014? The GOP’s nominee in 2010, Charlie Baker, is scheduled to appear with Treasurer Steve Grossman, a Democrat and past candidate for governor, on Friday on NECN’s “Broadside with Jim Braude.”
Both are frequently mentioned in local political circles as potential candidates for the Corner Office in 2014. Gov. Deval Patrick is not running for a third term.
The political chat show airs at 6 p.m. and will come after a busy week in politics, with a presidential debate set for Tuesday night and plenty of tough races in Massachusetts. Read more
At fundraiser with alums, Menino remembers past campaigns and alludes to future
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A few hundred past and present members of the Menino administration turned out for a Thursday night fundraiser that was in part a look back, with a video featuring old campaign footage. But there was also a strong 2013 undercurrent, with talk of unfinished work and allusions to upcoming elections, according to people who attended.
Elizabeth Warren, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, dropped by the event, mingling with the crowd of Menino administration officials and alumni. State Rep. Aaron Michlewitz and District 1 City Councillor Sal LaMattina were also in attendance. Read more
Sign-holders for Brown and Warren face off in Grove Hall
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Brown, Warren supporters duel in Grove Hall: Friday morning standout drew a crowd. Read more
New Jersey’s Whitman touts Brown in Dorchester
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Whitman endorses Brown : Sen. Brown was endorsed by former NJ Governor Christine Todd Whitman on Tuesday at Phillips Old Colony House.
US Sen. Scott Brown picked up the endorsement of former New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman on Tuesday at the Phillips Old Colony House on Morrissey Boulevard. Looking for a full six-year term, Brown, a Wrentham Republican, is in a close battle with Democratic candidate Elizabeth Warren, who visited a construction site at South Boston’s Fan Pier several miles away around the time of Brown’s press conference.
A flood of polls confirms the tightness of the race and mailers from groups supporting each candidate litter front porches across the state. For its part, Dorchester has served as a backdrop for numerous campaign events along with television ads. Read more
