Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Mayoral candidate John Connolly said the B.R.A. is 'who you know culture' in City Hall.
Boston City Councilor and mayoral candidate John Connolly had some harsh words for the Boston Redevelopment Authority and outgoing Mayor Thomas Menino. “Although we have thrived from a development perspective, we are trapped in a system that puts the focus on who you know rather than the merit of your project,” Connolly said at a candidates forum, according to the Boston Herald. “That’s what we need to break and that’s the transparency — we need transparent decision-making within the BRA.” Connolly made the comments during a development-oriented candidates’ forum hosted by the Boston Society of Architects on Wednesday morning. To read the rest of the article, click here. SOUTH END PATCH: Facebook | Twitter | E-mail Updates
The Senate candidates will face each other in a live, televised debate Wednesday.
The Republican and Democratic candidates for the U.S. Senate special election later this month are set to conduct their first of three scheduled debates Wednesday night. According to an Associated Press article printed in the Boston Herald Monday, Republican businessman Gabriel Gomez of Cohasset and Democratic Congressman Edward Markey of Malden will debate at the WBZ-TV studios Wednesday in a debate sponsored by the TV station and the Boston Globe. WBZ previously reported the debate will take place and air live from 7 to 8 p.m. WBZ political analyst Jon Keller will moderate. According to the Herald, subsequent debates will take place on June 11 in western Massachusetts and June 18 back in Boston. The campaigns reportedly spent weeks "…
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
One observer called the trend "upward political mobility" for officials in the Bay State, but that's perhaps not the case with outgoing Lt. Gov. Tim Murray.
As Massachusetts Lt. Gov. Tim Murray conducts his final full week in state government, he finds himself close to joining familiar ranks of several top elected Bay State officials in the not too distant past. Murray, like with recent governors William Weld and Paul Cellucci, will not finish his last elected term in office. After this coming Sunday, Murray, a Democrat, will become the new president and CEO of his hometown Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce, a decision he announced last week. The decision once again raised questions about whether Gov. Deval Patrick will complete his term own term set to expire in early 2015. Weld, a Republican, left the corner office in the mid-'90s after he was tabbed by President Bill Clinton to be …
President calls Markey "a passionate and effective champion for middle class and working families."
Boston.com reported Tuesday that President Barack Obama has officially endorsed U.S. Congressman Edward Markey (D-Malden) in his bid to become the next U.S. senator from Massachusetts. In a statement from Markey's campaign, Boston.com reported that Obama called Markey "a passionate and effective champion for middle class and working families." Markey will face Republican Cohasset businessman and former Navy SEAL Gabriel Gomez in the June 25 election to replace U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in the Senate. Earlier this month, Boston.com also reported First Lady Michelle Obama will appear at a fundraiser Wednesday for Markey's campaign at Taj Boston. According to Boston.com, the minimum contribution for the event is $500. SOUTH END PATCH…
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
The Boston mayor threw his support at Democratic U.S. Senate nominee, while Markey responded to Gomez' 'pond scum' comment.
Calling him a friend to his city and state, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino endorsed Democratic U.S. Senate special election nominee Congressman Edward Markey in Dorchester on Friday morning. Speaking at a rally at the International Brotherhood of Eletrical Workers Local 103, Menino, a Democrat, said Markey has been with the city "at every corner." Menino said Markey helped the city receive more Homeland Security funding, has been "out front" on gun control and sustainability. "He's there for us all the time," Menino said. Markey welcomed the endorsement, calling Menino "America's greatest mayor" and a "transformative figure" for Boston and Massachusetts. "He has taken Boston and truly made it that shining beacon on a hill," Markey said. "His …
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Tuesday at 5 p.m. was the deadline for submitting nomination signatures to be a candidate on the ballot.
Seventeen possible Boston mayoral candidates submitted papers Tuesday before the 5 p.m. deadline at City Hall. But that doesn't mean all 17 will be on the ballot in the Sept. 24 election, as 3,000 individual signatures must be certified by June 25. Twenty-four people signed out nomination papers by the May 13 deadline, which leaves seven potential candidates by the wayside following this week's cut-off. With 17 possible candidates vying for signatures across Boston, it is possible that some voters signed for multiple candidates, and signatures can only count once. First come, first served is the rule, so some signatures may be thrown out. But for now there are some heavyweights in the biggest Boston election in decades. City Councilors …
Both candidates turned in the required amount of signatures to officially run, according to the election department.
It's official: As of Tuesday's deadline for signatures, candidates Suzanne Lee and incumbent Bill Linehan had turned in the required numer of signatures to qualify for this year's city council election. Lee, of Chinatown, and Linehan, of South Boston, are the only two candidates in the race for the District 2 City Council Seat, which includes the South End, Chinatown, South Boston and Bay Village. The 2013 race is an exact copy of the 2011 race, which Linehan won over Lee by less than 100 votes. "I am confident that my first six years in office will stand up in comparison to anyone who has held office both as a State or City elected official from the neighborhoods of South Boston, South End, Chinatown, Bay Village, Downtown and look …
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
In total, 24 people signed up for mayoral nomination papers, and 27 people signed up for nomination papers for at-large city council.
The deadline to sign-up for election nomination papers for Boston's mayoral and city council elections has passed -- with 24 possible candidates for mayor. To put that in perspective, there were five total candidates in 2009's preliminary election for Boston mayor. The deadline to sign up for papers was Monday at 5 p.m., and there were no big surprises at the deadline -- like Mayor Thomas Menino suddenly deciding to seek reelection. "The 24 candidates who signed up by Monday’s deadline must now gather 3,000 signatures by May 21 in order to appear on the September 24th election ballot," said city spokesperson Emilee Ellison. Some possible candidates have already started to announce they're not running for office, like Frank John Addivinola…
The outgoing Boston leader cautioned residents not to focus too much on the negative as the mayoral race heats up.
Mayor Tom Menino cautioned Boston residents not to focus on negative portrayals of the Boston Public School system as the city’s mayoral race heats up. Speaking at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new playground at Harvard-Kent Elementary School in Charlestown on May 10, Menino touted the progress public schools have made in recent years and asked residents not to allow anyone to “tear this school system down” in the coming months. “We’ve made a lot of progress in the Boston Public Schools in the last several years. It’s because of a lot of reasons—teachers, principals, the superintendent, the community—and I tell you, the graduation rate is up, dropout rates are down, more kids are going on to college,” Menino said. He spoke of how the …
Sunday, May 12, 2013
The crowded field includes contenders also seeking the mayor's chair.
The mayor's race has gotten all the attention, but there are actually more people running for an at-large City Council seat this year. There are currently 25 people trying to secure the four at-large slots. Which makes sense: If Mayor Tom Menino is the keystone on Boston politics, then removing him leads to all the other stones shifting and sliding into new places. Some would-be candidates are hedging their bets, taking out nomination papers for mayor and at-large city council. Others are focused on one race. May 13 is the last day to take out nomination papers, so there's a small chance this list will grow. And there's no guarantee all 25 will return with the required signatures. For now, however, the ranks of at-large candidates are …
janice ward
6:50 am on Friday, May 24, 2013
Linehan represents South Boston. The South End needs a councillor to represent the South End. Suzanne Lee , I hope , will be that councillor. Let's turn out to vote and make it happen! more ›