We had about 50 people, finance people, medical professionals, lawyers at an event held for us on Beacon Hill. It was nice that my wife Clara could attend as usually she is too busy with her own doctoral duties to participate.
Many were New Bostonians, a Greek contingent from the Philadelphia area, folks from New Orleans and other places. A great crowd, we stayed until 10:30 talking policy and good stories.
Very encouraging!
Friday, July 10, 2009
Flaherty & Yoon saying one thing and doing another
In the Herald today there is an article where Michael Flaherty talks about how we need a Mayor who saves money but doesn't spend money. Well in the four years since 2005 when I ran for City Councilor, Flaherty (and Yoon) have raised the City Budget for the City Council by 20%!!! Now that they have tired of working for the City Council saying that the job has no power and is perfunctory they want to be Mayor? So, let me get this straight-you have a job that has no power so you increase the cost to the taxpayers of this useless job by 20% and then you say you want to bring cost cutting to the Mayor's office?
Who believes this stuff?
Meanwhile Yoon's blog has a picture of him at the St. Patrick's Day parade. The same parade that he promised not to march in if we elected him to the City Council. I guess he is proud of the fact that he went back on his word to join a group that excludes people based on sexual orientation. That is the type of leadership we need in the 21st century, a politician who panders and goes back on his word, which he then conveniently forgets about. We certainly didn't have any politicians like that in the 20th century.
Who believes these guys?
Who believes this stuff?
Meanwhile Yoon's blog has a picture of him at the St. Patrick's Day parade. The same parade that he promised not to march in if we elected him to the City Council. I guess he is proud of the fact that he went back on his word to join a group that excludes people based on sexual orientation. That is the type of leadership we need in the 21st century, a politician who panders and goes back on his word, which he then conveniently forgets about. We certainly didn't have any politicians like that in the 20th century.
Who believes these guys?
Thursday, July 09, 2009
Boston not getting it's fair share of Federal Highway Stimulus Money
Contact: Antionetta Kelley FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Cell Phone: (857) 719-4761
E-Mail: electkevin@gmail.com
July 9, 2009
***McCrea would get Boston’s Fair Share of Federal Stimulus Dollars***
Yesterday, The New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/09/us/09projects.html?_r=1&hp) reported on metropolitan areas in the United States that are not getting their fair share of Federal Transportation Stimulus Money.
BOSTON IS DEAD LAST IN THE COUNTRY OF THE 20 LARGEST METROPOLITAN AREAS!!
(see graph at: http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2009/07/09/us/09projects.graphic.html)
Kevin McCrea says “This is a huge failure of the Menino Administration. When our roads and bridges are in urgent need of repair and we have thousands of construction workers out of work it is unbelievable that we are only getting a third to a quarter of the money of comparable cities such as Philadelphia, Atlanta and Washington.”
According to the study, Boston is only getting one quarter of the money that we should be receiving according to the percentage of Boston’s contribution to GDP. We are responsible for 2 percent of the GDP in the United States but we are receiving only half a percent of the aid.
McCrea reasons that Menino is not doing a good enough job of lobbying our local Congressmen. He says, “If I was Mayor I would be burning up the phones to make sure we received our fair share. I would even travel to Washington to lobby for those dollars if it meant bringing in millions for our transportation infrastructure.”
Kevin McCrea’s full platform can be viewed at his website www.kevinmccrea.com. Kevin McCrea’s campaign director, Antionetta Kelly, can be reached either through e-mail at electkevin@gmail.com or phone at (617)267-2453.
Cell Phone: (857) 719-4761
E-Mail: electkevin@gmail.com
July 9, 2009
***McCrea would get Boston’s Fair Share of Federal Stimulus Dollars***
Yesterday, The New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/09/us/09projects.html?_r=1&hp) reported on metropolitan areas in the United States that are not getting their fair share of Federal Transportation Stimulus Money.
BOSTON IS DEAD LAST IN THE COUNTRY OF THE 20 LARGEST METROPOLITAN AREAS!!
(see graph at: http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2009/07/09/us/09projects.graphic.html)
Kevin McCrea says “This is a huge failure of the Menino Administration. When our roads and bridges are in urgent need of repair and we have thousands of construction workers out of work it is unbelievable that we are only getting a third to a quarter of the money of comparable cities such as Philadelphia, Atlanta and Washington.”
According to the study, Boston is only getting one quarter of the money that we should be receiving according to the percentage of Boston’s contribution to GDP. We are responsible for 2 percent of the GDP in the United States but we are receiving only half a percent of the aid.
McCrea reasons that Menino is not doing a good enough job of lobbying our local Congressmen. He says, “If I was Mayor I would be burning up the phones to make sure we received our fair share. I would even travel to Washington to lobby for those dollars if it meant bringing in millions for our transportation infrastructure.”
Kevin McCrea’s full platform can be viewed at his website www.kevinmccrea.com. Kevin McCrea’s campaign director, Antionetta Kelly, can be reached either through e-mail at electkevin@gmail.com or phone at (617)267-2453.
A Democratic Debate Suggestion
There are five TV stations in the metropolitan area. I believe all of them have indicated an interest in holding a debate, I have talked to four of them directly.
A natural division would be to have 3 debates prior to the primary and two between the primary and the final. It would be nice for the citizens if all the candidates could get together with the TV stations and pick five dates that work for everyone. We then put all 5 TV stations into a hat and randomly pick them out. It could even be a "made for TV event" like the NBA draft lottery, will Bill Simmons as MC!
I'm sure that Flaherty and Yoon would agree to such a format but how about Menino? Menino could even stick with his 'only 3 debates' promise and not attend two of the other debates, if he so decides.
What this would do is get rid of all the back room dealing that Menino is now doing with the different TV stations, excluding his three challengers from the discussion, and it would be an equitable solution for letting the public get good use of the "public" airwaves.
All we have now is the Mayor playing out the clock, playing the different TV stations off of one another, while nothing gets finalized. According to WGBH and others it is not easy to schedule these debates and they were already running out of time a month ago to put on the type of production that they believe this race deserves. Boston is the loser in all of this, and only Menino and his cronies gain.
A natural division would be to have 3 debates prior to the primary and two between the primary and the final. It would be nice for the citizens if all the candidates could get together with the TV stations and pick five dates that work for everyone. We then put all 5 TV stations into a hat and randomly pick them out. It could even be a "made for TV event" like the NBA draft lottery, will Bill Simmons as MC!
I'm sure that Flaherty and Yoon would agree to such a format but how about Menino? Menino could even stick with his 'only 3 debates' promise and not attend two of the other debates, if he so decides.
What this would do is get rid of all the back room dealing that Menino is now doing with the different TV stations, excluding his three challengers from the discussion, and it would be an equitable solution for letting the public get good use of the "public" airwaves.
All we have now is the Mayor playing out the clock, playing the different TV stations off of one another, while nothing gets finalized. According to WGBH and others it is not easy to schedule these debates and they were already running out of time a month ago to put on the type of production that they believe this race deserves. Boston is the loser in all of this, and only Menino and his cronies gain.
Our latest Press Release
***MENINO NOT KEEPING PROMISES***
Mayor Menino has been breaking promises to the citizens of Boston for years, and as recently chronicled in the Boston Herald, Christine Colley the woman in charge of making developers keep their promises to the neighborhoods in which their work is being done hasn’t produced a single report let alone a database since being hired 5 years and more than half a million dollars ago. Kevin McCrea, candidate for Mayor says “When Colley was hired, then BRA director Maloney said ‘a promise not kept is a lie’. The Mayor has had many, many promises not kept and the citizens should hold him accountable.” McCrea continues, “Menino hired her as payback for getting the Columbus Center Parcel shepherded through, and now the citizens have paid her and her assistants around one million dollars with nothing to show for it. We simply can’t afford this wastefulness while we are threatened with police and teaching layoffs.
Other recent promises not kept by the Mayor which he could follow through on if he wanted to keep his word:
• In December 2004 Menino promised to renovate the Ferdinand Building in Dudley Square
and house City workers there. 4 years later the plan has been put on hold. In addition, two thirds of the work done on the building was done by out of town workers, not living up to the promise of the Boston Jobs Policy.
• Menino promised to debate his challengers and to meet with us by July 1, 2009 to go over formats. Instead, he has refused to even respond to Flaherty, Yoon or myself.
• On September 30, 2008 Menino promised about the Rose Kennedy Greenway not “to have the Greenway be made a canyon, Manhattanized.” and about tall buildings putting shadows over the public parkland he said“We don’t want to allow that” But, he is having his agency, the BRA, spend hundreds of thousands of dollars reviewing plans by developers wanting to put 700 foot buildings where zoning only allows 150 feet when he could just say no and save taxpayer money. (Boston Globe)
Of course, we also have older Menino promises like only serving two terms which he has reneged on. McCrea says “This is why citizens get cynical and decide not to engage in local government to the detriment of all. I have put my promises in black and white so that citizens can hold me accountable, I hope that we start holding the Mayor accountable as well.”
Mayor Menino has been breaking promises to the citizens of Boston for years, and as recently chronicled in the Boston Herald, Christine Colley the woman in charge of making developers keep their promises to the neighborhoods in which their work is being done hasn’t produced a single report let alone a database since being hired 5 years and more than half a million dollars ago. Kevin McCrea, candidate for Mayor says “When Colley was hired, then BRA director Maloney said ‘a promise not kept is a lie’. The Mayor has had many, many promises not kept and the citizens should hold him accountable.” McCrea continues, “Menino hired her as payback for getting the Columbus Center Parcel shepherded through, and now the citizens have paid her and her assistants around one million dollars with nothing to show for it. We simply can’t afford this wastefulness while we are threatened with police and teaching layoffs.
Other recent promises not kept by the Mayor which he could follow through on if he wanted to keep his word:
• In December 2004 Menino promised to renovate the Ferdinand Building in Dudley Square
and house City workers there. 4 years later the plan has been put on hold. In addition, two thirds of the work done on the building was done by out of town workers, not living up to the promise of the Boston Jobs Policy.
• Menino promised to debate his challengers and to meet with us by July 1, 2009 to go over formats. Instead, he has refused to even respond to Flaherty, Yoon or myself.
• On September 30, 2008 Menino promised about the Rose Kennedy Greenway not “to have the Greenway be made a canyon, Manhattanized.” and about tall buildings putting shadows over the public parkland he said“We don’t want to allow that” But, he is having his agency, the BRA, spend hundreds of thousands of dollars reviewing plans by developers wanting to put 700 foot buildings where zoning only allows 150 feet when he could just say no and save taxpayer money. (Boston Globe)
Of course, we also have older Menino promises like only serving two terms which he has reneged on. McCrea says “This is why citizens get cynical and decide not to engage in local government to the detriment of all. I have put my promises in black and white so that citizens can hold me accountable, I hope that we start holding the Mayor accountable as well.”
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
funny debate cartoon...
The Globe uses their brushes to paint an accurate look at Menino's diatribe with himself.
Big Debate announcement today
One of the major news sources in the City hopes to announce a televised debate today. I, of course, will accept.
I wonder about David Bernstein's Mayor McChicken? He has been getting hammered over refusing to participate in a forum put on by MassVOTE and other partners, so he needs something to show that he actually will answer a question.
It seems that some Menino supporters have been boosting his numbers in the poll at left, I wonder who doesn't really believe MassVote can put on a debate? Please feel free to write your comments in below, I will be happy to post them.
I wonder about David Bernstein's Mayor McChicken? He has been getting hammered over refusing to participate in a forum put on by MassVOTE and other partners, so he needs something to show that he actually will answer a question.
It seems that some Menino supporters have been boosting his numbers in the poll at left, I wonder who doesn't really believe MassVote can put on a debate? Please feel free to write your comments in below, I will be happy to post them.
Monday, July 06, 2009
Bay State Banner closing
Saying that the advertising revenue is down, Mr. Miller the publisher is closing it down.
I had dinner with him years ago and we had a great talk well into the evening at his home. He had some choice stories about Menino and it was clear that he did the newspaper because of his passion for advocacy not for money. Even back then he was looking for a golden donor to put in $50,000 or so and he said he could "really do some things with that money." I hope that this action serves his purpose of getting some new blood and money interested in the weekly.
It probably isn't a direct correlation, but isn't it interesting that the one newspaper in this city which outright calls for Menino to move aside is shortly in the red and can't get advertising revenue. I wonder if there is any correlation???
Maybe this is why the Globe and Herald treat Menino with kid gloves?
I had dinner with him years ago and we had a great talk well into the evening at his home. He had some choice stories about Menino and it was clear that he did the newspaper because of his passion for advocacy not for money. Even back then he was looking for a golden donor to put in $50,000 or so and he said he could "really do some things with that money." I hope that this action serves his purpose of getting some new blood and money interested in the weekly.
It probably isn't a direct correlation, but isn't it interesting that the one newspaper in this city which outright calls for Menino to move aside is shortly in the red and can't get advertising revenue. I wonder if there is any correlation???
Maybe this is why the Globe and Herald treat Menino with kid gloves?
BRA not doing what they promise? Blow me over with a feather
The Herald today has an article today about how Christine Colley and her staff aren't doing their jobs which is to make sure promises given by developers are kept.
Mark Maloney can't remember anything, what a surprise. What he said when she was hired was "a promise not kept is a lie." Well the BRA and the developers in this City have been doing nothing but lying according to this article. I have tried to get Christine Colley to do things for years such as take care of the alley between Mass Ave and Wellington Street which was promised to be fixed by the developers of the Mass Ave infill buildings but nothing ever happens.
The other thing that the BRA is supposed to do is make sure the Boston Jobs Policy is enforced. The truth is that most of the jobs on the monitored projects go to non-minorities from the suburbs. The most recent and egregious example of this is the City's own renovation of the Ferdinand Building in Dudley Square. In 2005 Menino promised to renovate that building to help invigorate Dudley Square. 4 years later the job is boarded up and has been put on hold. I put in a FOIA request to the BRA after driving by the site numerous times and sure enough only 34% percent of the workers came from Boston (50% at a minimum are supposed to be from Boston)
This is why we are having problems in the inner city, even when Boston does their own project they don't hire Bostonians. This is an easy way to combat urban violence, unemployment, and decay. Let's train and hire our own people to work on these projects.
UPDATE: As some people reminded me of where Christine Colley came from and why she was given this cush job, she moved the Columbus Center approval along for Menino and Wilkerson and was given this reward. A reader writes in:
Let's not forget that she was given that job (and a parking space) as a quid pro quo for the "successful" shepherding of Columbus Center through to approval. And the first committment she (and Randi Lathrop) made on her hiring was that she would give a "full accounting" of where development projects stand w/r/t committments one year after her hiring. We're still waiting.
Further update, another friend writes in:
The B.R.A. official profiled in the attached article (Colley) chaired the Mayor’s Columbus Center Citizens Advisory Committee.
In that role, she blocked screening of the developer’s qualifications, blocked competitive proposals, blocked the disclosure of project financial data, blocked citizens from videotaping public meetings, and allowed a committee member to vote in favor of the proposal, after he had missed virtually all of several hundred public meetings evaluating it.
Shortly after she voted to approve the proposal, she was given the job described in this article.
Mark Maloney can't remember anything, what a surprise. What he said when she was hired was "a promise not kept is a lie." Well the BRA and the developers in this City have been doing nothing but lying according to this article. I have tried to get Christine Colley to do things for years such as take care of the alley between Mass Ave and Wellington Street which was promised to be fixed by the developers of the Mass Ave infill buildings but nothing ever happens.
The other thing that the BRA is supposed to do is make sure the Boston Jobs Policy is enforced. The truth is that most of the jobs on the monitored projects go to non-minorities from the suburbs. The most recent and egregious example of this is the City's own renovation of the Ferdinand Building in Dudley Square. In 2005 Menino promised to renovate that building to help invigorate Dudley Square. 4 years later the job is boarded up and has been put on hold. I put in a FOIA request to the BRA after driving by the site numerous times and sure enough only 34% percent of the workers came from Boston (50% at a minimum are supposed to be from Boston)
This is why we are having problems in the inner city, even when Boston does their own project they don't hire Bostonians. This is an easy way to combat urban violence, unemployment, and decay. Let's train and hire our own people to work on these projects.
UPDATE: As some people reminded me of where Christine Colley came from and why she was given this cush job, she moved the Columbus Center approval along for Menino and Wilkerson and was given this reward. A reader writes in:
Let's not forget that she was given that job (and a parking space) as a quid pro quo for the "successful" shepherding of Columbus Center through to approval. And the first committment she (and Randi Lathrop) made on her hiring was that she would give a "full accounting" of where development projects stand w/r/t committments one year after her hiring. We're still waiting.
Further update, another friend writes in:
The B.R.A. official profiled in the attached article (Colley) chaired the Mayor’s Columbus Center Citizens Advisory Committee.
In that role, she blocked screening of the developer’s qualifications, blocked competitive proposals, blocked the disclosure of project financial data, blocked citizens from videotaping public meetings, and allowed a committee member to vote in favor of the proposal, after he had missed virtually all of several hundred public meetings evaluating it.
Shortly after she voted to approve the proposal, she was given the job described in this article.
Sunday, July 05, 2009
Constituent letter to Menino-you and Yoon are playing politics with our lives
This is from the Allston/Brighton blogs
7/5/2009
Mayor Menino,
Of all of the elected officials representing the citizens of Boston you have first hand knowledge of the response matrix of Boston EMS to specific medical emergency criteria. You know full well, the need for a rapid response to cardiac or respiratory emergencies and the need for a first responder to initiate CPR or a Cardiac defibrillator within a very limited time limit of 4 minutes from receipt of a 911 call. You took pride in the article published in USA Today which highlighted the working relationship between Boston Fire and Boston EMS working in concert to increase the survival chances of Boston citizens in dire need or emergency medical intervention.
Yet with all of your vast insight into EMS you, your fire department commissioner, the Chief of EMS and the District Fire Chief of District 11 elected for political gain, placing the residents of the Oak Square section of Brighton in harms way by closing Engine 51's house last week. In doing so, it became IMPOSSIBLE for either the BFD's Engine 29 or Ladder 11or Boston EMS A14 or A9 to respond to a 911 emergency medical call within the required 4 minutes or less.
In supporting your idea, Mr. Yoon has also shown himself to be far more interested in his political fortunes then those of the residents of Oak Square. The elderly of Brighton , the cities largest concentration of citizens over 65 including myself, certainly take no comfort in knowing our safety is just another strategic move in your tool box.
The bell can not be unrung! You and your staff of Public Safety experts have made what I consider a terrible decision. You denied us a reasonable chance of survival by making a decision that is clearly outside of established medical emergency response protocols. I for one would be impressed if you simply acknowledged your oversight and insured us that it was a lesson learned and something that would never happen again. If not, then perhaps legal intervention by the taxpayers of Oak Square is the only answer we the residents have left at our disposal.
I look forward to your response,
Thank you,
John Robert Powers
7/5/2009
Mayor Menino,
Of all of the elected officials representing the citizens of Boston you have first hand knowledge of the response matrix of Boston EMS to specific medical emergency criteria. You know full well, the need for a rapid response to cardiac or respiratory emergencies and the need for a first responder to initiate CPR or a Cardiac defibrillator within a very limited time limit of 4 minutes from receipt of a 911 call. You took pride in the article published in USA Today which highlighted the working relationship between Boston Fire and Boston EMS working in concert to increase the survival chances of Boston citizens in dire need or emergency medical intervention.
Yet with all of your vast insight into EMS you, your fire department commissioner, the Chief of EMS and the District Fire Chief of District 11 elected for political gain, placing the residents of the Oak Square section of Brighton in harms way by closing Engine 51's house last week. In doing so, it became IMPOSSIBLE for either the BFD's Engine 29 or Ladder 11or Boston EMS A14 or A9 to respond to a 911 emergency medical call within the required 4 minutes or less.
In supporting your idea, Mr. Yoon has also shown himself to be far more interested in his political fortunes then those of the residents of Oak Square. The elderly of Brighton , the cities largest concentration of citizens over 65 including myself, certainly take no comfort in knowing our safety is just another strategic move in your tool box.
The bell can not be unrung! You and your staff of Public Safety experts have made what I consider a terrible decision. You denied us a reasonable chance of survival by making a decision that is clearly outside of established medical emergency response protocols. I for one would be impressed if you simply acknowledged your oversight and insured us that it was a lesson learned and something that would never happen again. If not, then perhaps legal intervention by the taxpayers of Oak Square is the only answer we the residents have left at our disposal.
I look forward to your response,
Thank you,
John Robert Powers
Menino keeping jobs from Bostonians in an effort to get re-elected
This will be in Banker and Tradesman tomorrow:
“Mum’s the word when it comes to Hub Projects – Menino puts clamp down on city development - As he cruises toward re-election, Mayor Thomas M. Menino is pursuing an artful strategy of clamping down early on any potential controversy that might attract unwelcome attention. . ”
Examples of this are the BC expansion in Brighton, the One Congress garage which the BRA has shelved until September at the earliest, the zoning of the Greenway, etc.
Clearly putting the advancement of the City on hold for 6 or 9 months is a tiny price to pay as long as we re-elect the dictator, "Mayor McChicken" as David Bernstein calls him.
“Mum’s the word when it comes to Hub Projects – Menino puts clamp down on city development - As he cruises toward re-election, Mayor Thomas M. Menino is pursuing an artful strategy of clamping down early on any potential controversy that might attract unwelcome attention. . ”
Examples of this are the BC expansion in Brighton, the One Congress garage which the BRA has shelved until September at the earliest, the zoning of the Greenway, etc.
Clearly putting the advancement of the City on hold for 6 or 9 months is a tiny price to pay as long as we re-elect the dictator, "Mayor McChicken" as David Bernstein calls him.
Friday, July 03, 2009
The Emperor (Menino) has no clothes
How much does Tom Menino remind you of the Hans Christian Andersen children's story about how the Emperor has no clothes?
The Emperor is too vain and only cares about clothes, not his country or his people. Two tailors sell him a "suit" that is invisible to anyone who is stupid or unfit for his position. Of course, the emperor can't see the "suit" which doesn't really exist but he pretends because he doesn't want to admit he is unfit for his position.
Today in the Herald, we have Menino's excuse as to why he won't attend two debates being held by MassVote and dozens of co-sponsors, from the Boston Teacher's Union to the NAACP, to Oiste, the list goes on and on of groups from around Boston that care about our urban life. Here is his campaign "negotiator" Ed Fouey:
Fouhy, a former CBS news executive, said yesterday that it was “doubtful” the mayor would attend the MassVOTE forums, suggesting the group “lacks the organizational capacity to sponsor a debate.”
What does that mean? You mean they can't invite a bunch of people and put 4 chairs and a microphone on a stage? I would believe that Menino might not be able to handle that on his own, but MassVOTE?
The arrogance and disregard for the people shown by Menino is truly incredible. What is more incredible is how the mainstream media in this town play along with his invisible suit as well. The TV stations and the Globe and the Herald play along with this ruse because they are afraid of his vindictiveness, and they aren't doing the fourth estate's job which is to expose what is going on.
Kudos to MassVOTE for bringing the people what they want. Kudos to Mike Flaherty and Sam Yoon for accepting the invitation. Kudos to the person who points out that the Emperor has no clothes.
The Emperor is too vain and only cares about clothes, not his country or his people. Two tailors sell him a "suit" that is invisible to anyone who is stupid or unfit for his position. Of course, the emperor can't see the "suit" which doesn't really exist but he pretends because he doesn't want to admit he is unfit for his position.
Today in the Herald, we have Menino's excuse as to why he won't attend two debates being held by MassVote and dozens of co-sponsors, from the Boston Teacher's Union to the NAACP, to Oiste, the list goes on and on of groups from around Boston that care about our urban life. Here is his campaign "negotiator" Ed Fouey:
Fouhy, a former CBS news executive, said yesterday that it was “doubtful” the mayor would attend the MassVOTE forums, suggesting the group “lacks the organizational capacity to sponsor a debate.”
What does that mean? You mean they can't invite a bunch of people and put 4 chairs and a microphone on a stage? I would believe that Menino might not be able to handle that on his own, but MassVOTE?
The arrogance and disregard for the people shown by Menino is truly incredible. What is more incredible is how the mainstream media in this town play along with his invisible suit as well. The TV stations and the Globe and the Herald play along with this ruse because they are afraid of his vindictiveness, and they aren't doing the fourth estate's job which is to expose what is going on.
Kudos to MassVOTE for bringing the people what they want. Kudos to Mike Flaherty and Sam Yoon for accepting the invitation. Kudos to the person who points out that the Emperor has no clothes.
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