From Time Magazine:
Talk about a dream deferred. African-American and Latino schoolchildren are more segregated, according to a January report from UCLA's Civil Rights Project, than they were at the time of Martin Luther King Jr.'s death, in 1968. Nearly 39% of blacks and 40% of Latinos attended schools composed of 90% to 100% students of color in the 2006-07 school year, the report found, and blacks and Latinos are far more likely than their white peers to attend high-poverty schools and "dropout factories" where huge numbers of students don't graduate. With the segment of nonwhite American students at 44% and climbing, the potential economic consequences are dire. "In a world economy where success is dependent on knowledge," the report said, "major sections of the U.S. face the threat of declining average educational levels as the proportion of children attending inferior segregated schools continues to rise."
Read more: http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1945379_1944495_1944497,00.html?cnn=yes#ixzz0bB2SquSV
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Monday, December 28, 2009
Menino breaking campaign promises already !
Last week Mayor Menino broke 2 promises he made during his re-election campaign.
He dismissed disciplinary actions against sick leave abusers in the fire department, and he guaranteed dozens of firefighter jobs would be immune to budget cuts, even if those jobs are found to be unnecessary and the salaries a waste of taxpayer dollars.
Menino hid last week’s sell-out inside a larger agreement to hire non-union truck mechanics. He hopes that most people are too focused on truck maintenance to notice that he also guaranteed dozens of jobs, and that he canceled discipline for sick leave abusers.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/12/26/boston_firefighters_ok_changes_in_firetruck_maintenance/
Ned Flaherty
He dismissed disciplinary actions against sick leave abusers in the fire department, and he guaranteed dozens of firefighter jobs would be immune to budget cuts, even if those jobs are found to be unnecessary and the salaries a waste of taxpayer dollars.
Menino hid last week’s sell-out inside a larger agreement to hire non-union truck mechanics. He hopes that most people are too focused on truck maintenance to notice that he also guaranteed dozens of jobs, and that he canceled discipline for sick leave abusers.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/12/26/boston_firefighters_ok_changes_in_firetruck_maintenance/
Ned Flaherty
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Last nights meeting
Nancy Lo and James Travers at the School Committee Nominating Panel meeting
I appreciate people being interested in this, sorry I don't have more time to write now.
Last night in room 608, 7 of the 13 members of the committee showed up (amazingly, just enough for a quorom!) for this allegedly important meeting to decide which names to pass along to the Mayor for a 4 year term.
In the audience was an attorney for the City Law Dept., Mary Pierce from the Mayor's office, Sam Tyler from the Municipal Research Bureau, a woman who seemed to be an assistant to Mary Pierce, president of ABN Shirley Kressel and myself. (Interestingly, there were no African-Americans in the room, but then why would they care about the Boston Public Schools?)
I asked Nancy Lo, who is identified on the City Website as the contact person for the meeting, before, during and after the meeting if the 6 people that they discussed were the same people that they had already decided on at the Dec. 10, 2009 meeting and which the Globe had written about. She and the other 7 members of the committee present refused to answer the simple question, "are these the six people you already decided on at the Dec. 10 meeting"?
The meeting was a farce. Nancy Lo started up by explaining how they had narrowed the field from 27 to 11 people, they had held interviews with 11 people and had narrowed the list down to 6. She then "opened the floor" to nominations and the 7 members present pretended to have a discussion as they nominated the 6 people present. I had two favorite parts, one was when they were discussing a Cape Verdean gentleman, a Mr. Barros. Three times the phrase "he is so articulate" was used, right out of the textbook of 'how to say nice things about minorities.' When they were discussing the white candidates, no one said any of them were "articulate". I sure hope they are!
The second funny part was when James Travers spoke about how impressed he was with the open and thorough process that the committee went through to arrive at the nominations. Last year Mr. Travers was appointed to the board by the Boston Municipal Research Bureau. This year he was appointed by the Chamber of Commerce. Amazing how two separate business groups pick the same guy to be on the committee. Also amazing that Mr. Travers gave $500 to Menino's campaign last year.
They then held public comment and Mr. Tyler, Mrs. Kressel and I took our turns. I asked the committee to answer whether the same 6 people they had just nominated were the same ones they had nominated on Dec. 10, 2009. A deafening wall of silence ensued, while people on the committee instantly found how interesting their navels were. Nancy Lo broke the silence by saying this was comment period not question period, and in a back and forth it was determined that no questions would be allowed.
After the meeting I asked the committee members again if any of them would tell me if this was the same group of 6 and again none of them would answer.
Such an impressive group of people who inspire my trust in government so much that they can't even answer a simple question about what they have done.
Pathetic.
But, don't forget that the Boston Globe endorsed Menino and so endorsed this type of behavior. It is not new or unknown to them. I called the editorial board, emailed them to ask how they got and endorsed two people (who were on the list of the final 6) before the committee had even met and the Globe wouldn't answer any questions either.
Case law has determined that holding a rubber stamp public meeting after an illegal meeting doesn't correct the violation if no true discussion ensued. Clearly no real discussion ensued.
Will the District Attorney do anything about it? We shall see. I did video tape the whole meeting in case anyone wants to waste an hour and a half of their life.
A Merry Christmas to all!
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
The School Committee rubber stamped the vote, I guess they didn't care about Oiste's letter!
December 15, 2009
Nancy Lo
City of Boston School Committee
1 City Hall Plaza
Boston, MA 02111
Dear Ms. Lo:
On behalf of ¿Oíste? I am pleased to submit a letter of support of Mr. Kevin McCrea’s application to the Boston School Committee.
As you know, ¿Oíste? is the first and only statewide Latino political organization in Massachusetts. The mission of the organization is to advance the political, social and economic standing of Latinos in the state. We bring these goals to fruition through civic education, leadership development and advocacy. For the past three years, we have worked on building an advocacy campaign to address the drop-out rates, particularly within students of color. We also have been extremely active on the issue of English Language Learners (ELL) on local and statewide levels and are particularly concerned about the status of ELL in the Boston Public School system.
I am sure you are aware of the study done by the Mauricio Gaston Institute at UMass, Boston which describes the disproportionate amount of Latino students not graduating from Boston Public Schools. In early 2010, another study will be coming out on the state of English Language Learners in cities, including Boston. The statistics are severe.
Given the dire situation of Latino students in the Boston Public School system, we need a person on the School Committee that has a track record of ensuring accountability who is not afraid to ask the hard questions; a professional who has a solid foundation in finance and administration and can bring creative financial strategies to tackle our failing school system; and an individual who has evidenced passion about education and will fight tenaciously on behalf of all of Boston’s public school students. This person is Kevin McCrea.
We are certain that Mr. McCrea will be an asset to the Boston School Committee by challenging the status quo and proposing new, innovative ways to move forward on critical issues facing Boston Public Schools. At the end of the day, the School Committee and the City needs a fresh perspective – better that it come from one of its strongest critics who is willing and able to help forge a better path to excellence in education.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely,
Giovanna Negretti
Executive Director
Nancy Lo
City of Boston School Committee
1 City Hall Plaza
Boston, MA 02111
Dear Ms. Lo:
On behalf of ¿Oíste? I am pleased to submit a letter of support of Mr. Kevin McCrea’s application to the Boston School Committee.
As you know, ¿Oíste? is the first and only statewide Latino political organization in Massachusetts. The mission of the organization is to advance the political, social and economic standing of Latinos in the state. We bring these goals to fruition through civic education, leadership development and advocacy. For the past three years, we have worked on building an advocacy campaign to address the drop-out rates, particularly within students of color. We also have been extremely active on the issue of English Language Learners (ELL) on local and statewide levels and are particularly concerned about the status of ELL in the Boston Public School system.
I am sure you are aware of the study done by the Mauricio Gaston Institute at UMass, Boston which describes the disproportionate amount of Latino students not graduating from Boston Public Schools. In early 2010, another study will be coming out on the state of English Language Learners in cities, including Boston. The statistics are severe.
Given the dire situation of Latino students in the Boston Public School system, we need a person on the School Committee that has a track record of ensuring accountability who is not afraid to ask the hard questions; a professional who has a solid foundation in finance and administration and can bring creative financial strategies to tackle our failing school system; and an individual who has evidenced passion about education and will fight tenaciously on behalf of all of Boston’s public school students. This person is Kevin McCrea.
We are certain that Mr. McCrea will be an asset to the Boston School Committee by challenging the status quo and proposing new, innovative ways to move forward on critical issues facing Boston Public Schools. At the end of the day, the School Committee and the City needs a fresh perspective – better that it come from one of its strongest critics who is willing and able to help forge a better path to excellence in education.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely,
Giovanna Negretti
Executive Director
Monday, December 21, 2009
Mayor's Committee has been violating the Open Meeting Law for at least 10 years
Applying to be on the School Committee
As a child of a divorced family who attended public schools in Massachusetts, Ohio, and Vermont I have always been appreciative of the free education provided me in our country, and I have volunteered in the Boston Public Schools, and spoken out strongly in support of our public schools. When my campaign for Mayor was over, many people suggested I apply for the school committee and Mayor Menino had told me that he was interested in working with me, in particular in regards to our trade school in Boston. During the campaign, Superintendent Carol Johnson had pulled me aside and thanked me for my strong words in support of public school education. I was hoping to work with the school department to make our schools better.
There are two open positions on the school committee this year. There was a deadline in early November at which it was announced that there was only one applicant, and the City extended the deadline for applicants until November 30, 2009. The application is fairly involved and it took a few hours and a number of pages to answer all the questions.
The applications were to be emailed to a Nancy Lo, who works for the City of Boston.
I sent my application in along with my resume and asked Ms. Lo to acknowledge that she had received it. She emailed back within a couple hours acknowledging she had received my application. I wrote back asking her what the process would be for selection. I didn’t get a reply.
Over the next couple of weeks when I had some free time I tried to find out what the process was. I checked the City of Boston website and the School Department website and there was no information about the Boston School Committee Nominating Panel or the process for selection, or the criteria for selecting people for the School Committee. I called the Mayor’s office to try and talk to the Mayor about how I’d like to work with him to improve the schools. Mary Pierce from his office called me back and said that the Mayor didn’t speak with any applicant because he didn’t want to influence the process, and she assured me that the process would be transparent, with emphasis on the word transparent. I called the Superintendent’s office and the School Committee’s office and neither of them knew anything about the process. I went to the Mayor’s office to ask them if they knew anything about the process and they told me to ask the school department. I left a voice message for Nancy Lo that was never returned.
By December 14, 2009 I still hadn’t heard from Ms. Lo and I knew that the two new school committee members needed to be chosen by the beginning of the year and I was wanting to make travel plans for Christmas but wanted to be around in case there was an interview to be at, so I sent another email to Ms. Lo asking her to again let me know what the process was. I also had my assistant look up the State law governing the Boston School committee since it didn’t appear as if anyone that worked for the City of Boston knew anything about it. (The Law can be found here: http://archives.lib.state.ma.us/actsResolves/1991/1991acts0108.pdf)
According to the State Law there are to be 13 people on the Boston School Committee Nominating Panel and there are specific details as to how these individuals shall be appointed. Four are appointed by the Mayor, one by the teachers’ union, one by the Department of Education, one on a rotating basis with the Private Industry Council, the Boston Municipal Research Bureau, etc. Every October they are to get together, elect a chairperson who is to submit a list of all the members to the City Clerk and they “shall meet in public for the sole purpose of deliberating upon, hearing public comment with respect to, and finally selecting a list of nominees” to be presented to the Mayor. They are to suggest 3 to 5 people for each open position to the Mayor.
I had some free time on Wednesday afternoon the 16th of December, and I still hadn’t heard back from Nancy Lo so I went to the City Clerk’s office around 3 pm. I asked for the list of the Boston School Committee Nominating Panel and a nice woman gave me a copy of the 2008 list which was the most recent one available. I then asked for the public notice of their meetings and minutes from their meetings for the last three years. There were none, and they had no knowledge of any meetings or any minutes. I asked to speak to Rosario Salerno, the City Clerk, and she said they don’t keep track of any boards like that.
I looked at the list of the people on the committee and noticed one person worked right around the corner on the 6th floor at City Hall so I went there first to ask him about the meetings and the process but he wasn’t in. I then picked another name from the list and got a person on the phone. I identified myself, and that I was trying to find out about process for selection, and asked if they had held a meeting yet. He said that they had held a meeting but didn’t want to comment on my application, and he suggested I talk to Nancy Lo. After speaking with this somewhat evasive gentleman, my curiosity became less about my chances of actually getting on the school committee and more about the dubiousness of the selection process. I said that I had been trying to get in touch with Nancy Lo but had been unsuccessful. I asked when they held their meeting and he said he didn’t remember. When I asked whether it had been “in spring, in summer?” he asked me to hold a minute and came back and told me that they had met on December 10, 2009 at City Hall and that they had completed their assignment. I thanked him for his time and said I’d try and find out more information from Nancy Lo.
It seemed at this point that an Open Meeting Law violation may have occurred and between 4:30 and 5 pm I left a message at the District Attorney’s office, which is the entity that is supposed to enforce the O.M.L., asking them to call.
At 5:08 pm that day I received an email from Nancy Lo:
Hi:
The selection process is still ongoing. The Nominating Panel has reviewed the applications and have made our recommendations to the Mayor. His office will be continuing the review process and will be setting up any future meetings.
Thank you for your interest in the Boston School Committee.
The next morning, Thursday, December 17, I called Dot Joyce, the Mayor’s spokesperson and told her that I suspected that the School Committee Nominating Panel had not followed the proper procedure in nominating people. I suggested that the Mayor might not want to be involved in a process that wasn’t transparent. She told me that the Mayor has nothing to do with the process, he just selects from the names that the committee selects for him.
I made a few calls and left messages to other members of the committee to try and find out if I had made the cut or not. During the course of the work day I heard back from a number of the people on the committee. They were all extremely nice, freely answered my questions and clearly were just citizens who were volunteering and doing their civic duty who had no idea what the rules laid out by the State Law were. They had all been on the committee for years, some up to 10 years. They all referred me back to Nancy Lo who clearly was the organizing and directing force of the committee.
Through these conversations I ascertained that there had been a large number of applicants for the School Committee, that the applications had been received by Ms. Lo and sent out electronically to the members for their review. She received their feedback and narrowed the list down to 11 people, who were invited to the hearing on December 10, 2009 to be interviewed at which time they narrowed that group down to two sets of three people for the Mayor to choose from. I found out that they had not taken public comment for at least 10 years as the law requires. No one knew anything about voting for a chairperson, the committee has always been run by Nancy Lo.
One committee member told me that it is “not a fair process” and that committee members “dare not say anything” because if they disagree with Menino that they will soon be gone. I also took the time to look up Nancy Lo and found out that she has been with Menino for years, previously running the elections department and named by Boston Magazine as one of the most powerful women in Boston. She currently works for the Inspectional Services Department and makes more than $100,000 a year. On Thursday afternoon I sent a FOIA request by email to Nancy Lo for information about the process.
That evening I talked to my wife Clara who is infinitely smarter than I about what I should do about these types of things. I clearly could file an Open Meeting Lawsuit which if filed within 21 days of the December 10, 2009 non-public meeting would rescind the action the group took. But what was clear in speaking to the members of the committee is that there was no knowledge that anything they were doing was anything other than their civic duty, unlike the Boston City Council which was willfully trying to exclude the public from their decision making process. I didn’t want to drag good, decent citizens into something not of their making. It seemed to make sense that since the Mayor hadn’t made his final decision yet to just ask the committee to hold the process in accordance with the State Law.
The next morning, Friday, I called Dot Joyce again and let her know that I was now convinced that the Open Meeting Law had been violated, probably for at least a decade, but that I’d like to work with the administration to rectify the situation without wasting valuable time and resources. I asked her if she knew the person in charge of this: Nancy Lo. She said she had heard of her, but didn’t think she had met her. I told her that I hadn’t been able to get in touch with her, but perhaps she or the Mayor could get in touch with her, and let her know that the State Law had not been followed. I let her know I’d been working with the District Attorney on this matter as well.
I spoke with the District Attorney’s office again and they agreed that a “do over” that followed the law was probably a reasonable thing to do since no final decision had been taken. They said they would confer and get in touch with the City.
Although the Mayor doesn’t believe in using computers, and City Hall doesn’t believe in voicemail, one thing the City does believe in, like any totalitarian regime, is Caller ID because that way they know who is calling and whether they should take the call or not.
I decided one last time to try and call Nancy Lo, but first to block my number so she wouldn’t know that it was me who was calling. At 11:00 a.m. I called and amazingly enough I got her. She confirmed that I had not made the cut to make the interview process. She said she had received my FOIA request and was already working with the City Law Department to get a response to me within 10 days.
I asked her if she had read the State Law and she said she had “reviewed it from time to time”. I asked if she had ever held a public process with public comment and she said she would “refrain from comment.” I asked if she had been elected as chairperson and when, and she said she had been “elected in private amongst ourselves” about a month ago. I asked if she had ever met with Dot Joyce and she said she had. I read the part of the State Law to her about holding a public meeting and asked if she had held an Open Meeting. I asked her to please hold the process in accordance with the State Law which she said she had looked at from time to time.
When I got back to my office after 5 pm on Friday there was a message from the District Attorney’s office that next Tuesday there would be a public meeting of the Boston School Committee Nominating Panel at City Hall and that it was posted on the City’s website.
Here is hoping that the City understands that the entity that makes the laws should obey the laws; and, that asking tough questions of people in an open, public forum is more than appropriate when said people will control an $800 million dollar budget and how our children will be taught. It is an important process that the public deserves to participate in. My hope is that we may end up with people on the Boston School Committee who are not only qualified and passionate about our schools, but are also not afraid to ask questions to make sure the schools are the best they can be.
It is too bad that I had to go through of all this just because the chairperson of the committee wouldn’t answer a simple email asking what the decision making process was for over two weeks. But in the end, it will have been a worth-while endeavor if in the future, the process is transparent and in accordance with the law.
As a child of a divorced family who attended public schools in Massachusetts, Ohio, and Vermont I have always been appreciative of the free education provided me in our country, and I have volunteered in the Boston Public Schools, and spoken out strongly in support of our public schools. When my campaign for Mayor was over, many people suggested I apply for the school committee and Mayor Menino had told me that he was interested in working with me, in particular in regards to our trade school in Boston. During the campaign, Superintendent Carol Johnson had pulled me aside and thanked me for my strong words in support of public school education. I was hoping to work with the school department to make our schools better.
There are two open positions on the school committee this year. There was a deadline in early November at which it was announced that there was only one applicant, and the City extended the deadline for applicants until November 30, 2009. The application is fairly involved and it took a few hours and a number of pages to answer all the questions.
The applications were to be emailed to a Nancy Lo, who works for the City of Boston.
I sent my application in along with my resume and asked Ms. Lo to acknowledge that she had received it. She emailed back within a couple hours acknowledging she had received my application. I wrote back asking her what the process would be for selection. I didn’t get a reply.
Over the next couple of weeks when I had some free time I tried to find out what the process was. I checked the City of Boston website and the School Department website and there was no information about the Boston School Committee Nominating Panel or the process for selection, or the criteria for selecting people for the School Committee. I called the Mayor’s office to try and talk to the Mayor about how I’d like to work with him to improve the schools. Mary Pierce from his office called me back and said that the Mayor didn’t speak with any applicant because he didn’t want to influence the process, and she assured me that the process would be transparent, with emphasis on the word transparent. I called the Superintendent’s office and the School Committee’s office and neither of them knew anything about the process. I went to the Mayor’s office to ask them if they knew anything about the process and they told me to ask the school department. I left a voice message for Nancy Lo that was never returned.
By December 14, 2009 I still hadn’t heard from Ms. Lo and I knew that the two new school committee members needed to be chosen by the beginning of the year and I was wanting to make travel plans for Christmas but wanted to be around in case there was an interview to be at, so I sent another email to Ms. Lo asking her to again let me know what the process was. I also had my assistant look up the State law governing the Boston School committee since it didn’t appear as if anyone that worked for the City of Boston knew anything about it. (The Law can be found here: http://archives.lib.state.ma.us/actsResolves/1991/1991acts0108.pdf)
According to the State Law there are to be 13 people on the Boston School Committee Nominating Panel and there are specific details as to how these individuals shall be appointed. Four are appointed by the Mayor, one by the teachers’ union, one by the Department of Education, one on a rotating basis with the Private Industry Council, the Boston Municipal Research Bureau, etc. Every October they are to get together, elect a chairperson who is to submit a list of all the members to the City Clerk and they “shall meet in public for the sole purpose of deliberating upon, hearing public comment with respect to, and finally selecting a list of nominees” to be presented to the Mayor. They are to suggest 3 to 5 people for each open position to the Mayor.
I had some free time on Wednesday afternoon the 16th of December, and I still hadn’t heard back from Nancy Lo so I went to the City Clerk’s office around 3 pm. I asked for the list of the Boston School Committee Nominating Panel and a nice woman gave me a copy of the 2008 list which was the most recent one available. I then asked for the public notice of their meetings and minutes from their meetings for the last three years. There were none, and they had no knowledge of any meetings or any minutes. I asked to speak to Rosario Salerno, the City Clerk, and she said they don’t keep track of any boards like that.
I looked at the list of the people on the committee and noticed one person worked right around the corner on the 6th floor at City Hall so I went there first to ask him about the meetings and the process but he wasn’t in. I then picked another name from the list and got a person on the phone. I identified myself, and that I was trying to find out about process for selection, and asked if they had held a meeting yet. He said that they had held a meeting but didn’t want to comment on my application, and he suggested I talk to Nancy Lo. After speaking with this somewhat evasive gentleman, my curiosity became less about my chances of actually getting on the school committee and more about the dubiousness of the selection process. I said that I had been trying to get in touch with Nancy Lo but had been unsuccessful. I asked when they held their meeting and he said he didn’t remember. When I asked whether it had been “in spring, in summer?” he asked me to hold a minute and came back and told me that they had met on December 10, 2009 at City Hall and that they had completed their assignment. I thanked him for his time and said I’d try and find out more information from Nancy Lo.
It seemed at this point that an Open Meeting Law violation may have occurred and between 4:30 and 5 pm I left a message at the District Attorney’s office, which is the entity that is supposed to enforce the O.M.L., asking them to call.
At 5:08 pm that day I received an email from Nancy Lo:
Hi:
The selection process is still ongoing. The Nominating Panel has reviewed the applications and have made our recommendations to the Mayor. His office will be continuing the review process and will be setting up any future meetings.
Thank you for your interest in the Boston School Committee.
The next morning, Thursday, December 17, I called Dot Joyce, the Mayor’s spokesperson and told her that I suspected that the School Committee Nominating Panel had not followed the proper procedure in nominating people. I suggested that the Mayor might not want to be involved in a process that wasn’t transparent. She told me that the Mayor has nothing to do with the process, he just selects from the names that the committee selects for him.
I made a few calls and left messages to other members of the committee to try and find out if I had made the cut or not. During the course of the work day I heard back from a number of the people on the committee. They were all extremely nice, freely answered my questions and clearly were just citizens who were volunteering and doing their civic duty who had no idea what the rules laid out by the State Law were. They had all been on the committee for years, some up to 10 years. They all referred me back to Nancy Lo who clearly was the organizing and directing force of the committee.
Through these conversations I ascertained that there had been a large number of applicants for the School Committee, that the applications had been received by Ms. Lo and sent out electronically to the members for their review. She received their feedback and narrowed the list down to 11 people, who were invited to the hearing on December 10, 2009 to be interviewed at which time they narrowed that group down to two sets of three people for the Mayor to choose from. I found out that they had not taken public comment for at least 10 years as the law requires. No one knew anything about voting for a chairperson, the committee has always been run by Nancy Lo.
One committee member told me that it is “not a fair process” and that committee members “dare not say anything” because if they disagree with Menino that they will soon be gone. I also took the time to look up Nancy Lo and found out that she has been with Menino for years, previously running the elections department and named by Boston Magazine as one of the most powerful women in Boston. She currently works for the Inspectional Services Department and makes more than $100,000 a year. On Thursday afternoon I sent a FOIA request by email to Nancy Lo for information about the process.
That evening I talked to my wife Clara who is infinitely smarter than I about what I should do about these types of things. I clearly could file an Open Meeting Lawsuit which if filed within 21 days of the December 10, 2009 non-public meeting would rescind the action the group took. But what was clear in speaking to the members of the committee is that there was no knowledge that anything they were doing was anything other than their civic duty, unlike the Boston City Council which was willfully trying to exclude the public from their decision making process. I didn’t want to drag good, decent citizens into something not of their making. It seemed to make sense that since the Mayor hadn’t made his final decision yet to just ask the committee to hold the process in accordance with the State Law.
The next morning, Friday, I called Dot Joyce again and let her know that I was now convinced that the Open Meeting Law had been violated, probably for at least a decade, but that I’d like to work with the administration to rectify the situation without wasting valuable time and resources. I asked her if she knew the person in charge of this: Nancy Lo. She said she had heard of her, but didn’t think she had met her. I told her that I hadn’t been able to get in touch with her, but perhaps she or the Mayor could get in touch with her, and let her know that the State Law had not been followed. I let her know I’d been working with the District Attorney on this matter as well.
I spoke with the District Attorney’s office again and they agreed that a “do over” that followed the law was probably a reasonable thing to do since no final decision had been taken. They said they would confer and get in touch with the City.
Although the Mayor doesn’t believe in using computers, and City Hall doesn’t believe in voicemail, one thing the City does believe in, like any totalitarian regime, is Caller ID because that way they know who is calling and whether they should take the call or not.
I decided one last time to try and call Nancy Lo, but first to block my number so she wouldn’t know that it was me who was calling. At 11:00 a.m. I called and amazingly enough I got her. She confirmed that I had not made the cut to make the interview process. She said she had received my FOIA request and was already working with the City Law Department to get a response to me within 10 days.
I asked her if she had read the State Law and she said she had “reviewed it from time to time”. I asked if she had ever held a public process with public comment and she said she would “refrain from comment.” I asked if she had been elected as chairperson and when, and she said she had been “elected in private amongst ourselves” about a month ago. I asked if she had ever met with Dot Joyce and she said she had. I read the part of the State Law to her about holding a public meeting and asked if she had held an Open Meeting. I asked her to please hold the process in accordance with the State Law which she said she had looked at from time to time.
When I got back to my office after 5 pm on Friday there was a message from the District Attorney’s office that next Tuesday there would be a public meeting of the Boston School Committee Nominating Panel at City Hall and that it was posted on the City’s website.
Here is hoping that the City understands that the entity that makes the laws should obey the laws; and, that asking tough questions of people in an open, public forum is more than appropriate when said people will control an $800 million dollar budget and how our children will be taught. It is an important process that the public deserves to participate in. My hope is that we may end up with people on the Boston School Committee who are not only qualified and passionate about our schools, but are also not afraid to ask questions to make sure the schools are the best they can be.
It is too bad that I had to go through of all this just because the chairperson of the committee wouldn’t answer a simple email asking what the decision making process was for over two weeks. But in the end, it will have been a worth-while endeavor if in the future, the process is transparent and in accordance with the law.
Party a Big Success!
Thanks to everyone who came to our holiday party. We were hoping to raise $500 for the Travis Roy Foundation but we nearly raised $1000. It was great to see old friends, meet new ones, and everyone seemed to enjoy the holiday spirit.
A nice eclectic crowd, from Clover Club members, to people from the projects, millionaires to artists, people from the Yoon campaign, the Flaherty campaign, and from the BRA! All are welcome at the big house where we all "can just get along!".
Hope you have a wonderful holiday as well!
A nice eclectic crowd, from Clover Club members, to people from the projects, millionaires to artists, people from the Yoon campaign, the Flaherty campaign, and from the BRA! All are welcome at the big house where we all "can just get along!".
Hope you have a wonderful holiday as well!
Saturday, December 19, 2009
The Boston School Committee Nominating Panel will have a public meeting for the first time in anyone's memory
The Boston School Committee Nominating Panel will hold a public meeting on Tuesday at City Hall at 4 pm.
They will meet to discuss applicants for the two open positions, as is required by State Law.
If you are interested in the future of the Boston Public Schools, public testimony should be allowed.
I will have much more later on about how the State Law and Open Meeting Law has been violated for as long as anyone can remember, and how I was able to work with City and the District Attorney's office to make this process transparent.
They will meet to discuss applicants for the two open positions, as is required by State Law.
If you are interested in the future of the Boston Public Schools, public testimony should be allowed.
I will have much more later on about how the State Law and Open Meeting Law has been violated for as long as anyone can remember, and how I was able to work with City and the District Attorney's office to make this process transparent.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Getting good water at Boston City Hall
The Phoenix today has a story about bottled water at the city and statehouse. An idea I've had for years would be to train the plumbing apprentices at Madison Park trade school to fix water fountains, such as the many non working ones at city hall.
It wouldn't cost anything other than parts, it is a real world job fix for the students, and clearly there is a career here for at least some graduates as there are many, many water fountains and water dispensers around the city which don't work.
Almost seems too easy.
It wouldn't cost anything other than parts, it is a real world job fix for the students, and clearly there is a career here for at least some graduates as there are many, many water fountains and water dispensers around the city which don't work.
Almost seems too easy.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
How to divide up who is for and who is against term limits
There are many different ways to look at who is for and who is against term limits on the city council. There is some information to be gathered from their bio's.
One is by age, as a Blue Mass Group blogger has written. With the exception that Turner is for them, and Consalvo is against them.
One might want to argue that intelligence, as measured by advanced degrees is another dividing line. Only Yancey (Masters in Public Administration) of the opposed against term limits has a degree past the college level. However, Flaherty, Ross, Yoon, and Connolly all have graduate degrees. Of course, I don't have an advanced degree either, and I'm for term limits.
Another obvious dividing line is a sort of combination of "time since being in the private sector/possible employment" in the private sector. Flaherty and Connolly actively pursue law outside the council, Ross has a degree in law and (I think) one in business, Tobin is currently running a comedy club. No one doubts that Sam Yoon has many marketable skills. They clearly don't need public jobs to keep their families afloat.
If you look at those opposed, Yancey, Consalvo, Lamattina and Linehan have no record at all in the private sector. It has been 16 years since Feeney worked in the insurance business. Ciommo has always worked in the public sector except for a mention as a non descript small business owner. Murphy worked for a bus company until 1984, 25 years ago. Doesn't seem like the private sector is very appealing for those opposing term limits.
The other dividing line is that those closest to Menino are against term limits, with the exception on either side of Ross and Yancey. Of this whole group, I must say I am very impressed that Mike Ross is coming out in favor of term limits. Three cheers for Mike!
I wish that Charles Yancey would recognize how term limits have hurt his constituents in one of the two poorest districts in the city. All these years of Charles complaining that the Mayor won't help the people in Mattapan, won't build a school there, well he can look himself in the mirror after this and say that he is part of keeping machine politics in Boston. Any future complaints he has about Menino will be falling on more deaf ears.
One is by age, as a Blue Mass Group blogger has written. With the exception that Turner is for them, and Consalvo is against them.
One might want to argue that intelligence, as measured by advanced degrees is another dividing line. Only Yancey (Masters in Public Administration) of the opposed against term limits has a degree past the college level. However, Flaherty, Ross, Yoon, and Connolly all have graduate degrees. Of course, I don't have an advanced degree either, and I'm for term limits.
Another obvious dividing line is a sort of combination of "time since being in the private sector/possible employment" in the private sector. Flaherty and Connolly actively pursue law outside the council, Ross has a degree in law and (I think) one in business, Tobin is currently running a comedy club. No one doubts that Sam Yoon has many marketable skills. They clearly don't need public jobs to keep their families afloat.
If you look at those opposed, Yancey, Consalvo, Lamattina and Linehan have no record at all in the private sector. It has been 16 years since Feeney worked in the insurance business. Ciommo has always worked in the public sector except for a mention as a non descript small business owner. Murphy worked for a bus company until 1984, 25 years ago. Doesn't seem like the private sector is very appealing for those opposing term limits.
The other dividing line is that those closest to Menino are against term limits, with the exception on either side of Ross and Yancey. Of this whole group, I must say I am very impressed that Mike Ross is coming out in favor of term limits. Three cheers for Mike!
I wish that Charles Yancey would recognize how term limits have hurt his constituents in one of the two poorest districts in the city. All these years of Charles complaining that the Mayor won't help the people in Mattapan, won't build a school there, well he can look himself in the mirror after this and say that he is part of keeping machine politics in Boston. Any future complaints he has about Menino will be falling on more deaf ears.
Which councilors are for and which are against term limits, according to Sam Yoon
Undecided or Opposed
At Large. Stephen J. Murphy (617) 635-4376 Stephen.Murphy@cityofboston.gov
District 1. Salvatore LaMattina (617) 635-3200 Salvatore.LaMattina@cityofboston.gov East Boston, Charlestown, North End/Waterfront, City Hall/Beacon Hill
District 2. Bill Linehan (617) 635-3203 Bill.Linehan@cityofboston.gov Chinatown, South Boston, South End, Roxbury/South Bay, Dorchester
District 3. Maureen E. Feeney (617) 635-3455 Maureen.Feeney@cityofboston.gov Dorchester
District 4. Charles C. Yancey (617) 635-3131 Charles.Yancey@cityofboston.gov Dorchester, Mattapan
District 5. Rob Consalvo (617) 635-4210 Rob.Consalvo@cityofboston.gov Hyde Park, Roslindale, Mattapan
District 9: Mark S. Ciommo (617) 635-3113 Mark.Ciommo@cityofboston.gov Allston, Brighton
In Favor of Term limits
At Large. John R. Connolly (617) 635-3115 John.R.Connolly@cityofboston.gov
At Large. Michael F. Flaherty (617) 635-4205 Michael.F.Flaherty@cityofboston.gov
At Large. Sam Yoon (617) 635-4217 Sam.Yoon@cityofboston.gov
District 6. John M. Tobin, Jr. (617) 635-4220 John.Tobin@cityofboston.gov Jamaica Plain, West Roxbury
District 7: Chuck Turner (617) 635-3510 Chuck.Turner@cityofboston.gov Roxbury, Dorchester, South End, Fenway
District 8: Michael P. Ross (617) 635-4225 Michael.Ross@cityofboston.gov Back Bay/Beacon Hill, Fenway/Kenmore, Mission Hill, West End, Allston
At Large. Stephen J. Murphy (617) 635-4376 Stephen.Murphy@cityofboston.gov
District 1. Salvatore LaMattina (617) 635-3200 Salvatore.LaMattina@cityofboston.gov East Boston, Charlestown, North End/Waterfront, City Hall/Beacon Hill
District 2. Bill Linehan (617) 635-3203 Bill.Linehan@cityofboston.gov Chinatown, South Boston, South End, Roxbury/South Bay, Dorchester
District 3. Maureen E. Feeney (617) 635-3455 Maureen.Feeney@cityofboston.gov Dorchester
District 4. Charles C. Yancey (617) 635-3131 Charles.Yancey@cityofboston.gov Dorchester, Mattapan
District 5. Rob Consalvo (617) 635-4210 Rob.Consalvo@cityofboston.gov Hyde Park, Roslindale, Mattapan
District 9: Mark S. Ciommo (617) 635-3113 Mark.Ciommo@cityofboston.gov Allston, Brighton
In Favor of Term limits
At Large. John R. Connolly (617) 635-3115 John.R.Connolly@cityofboston.gov
At Large. Michael F. Flaherty (617) 635-4205 Michael.F.Flaherty@cityofboston.gov
At Large. Sam Yoon (617) 635-4217 Sam.Yoon@cityofboston.gov
District 6. John M. Tobin, Jr. (617) 635-4220 John.Tobin@cityofboston.gov Jamaica Plain, West Roxbury
District 7: Chuck Turner (617) 635-3510 Chuck.Turner@cityofboston.gov Roxbury, Dorchester, South End, Fenway
District 8: Michael P. Ross (617) 635-4225 Michael.Ross@cityofboston.gov Back Bay/Beacon Hill, Fenway/Kenmore, Mission Hill, West End, Allston
Monday, December 14, 2009
Testifying at City Council today for Term Limits
I testified at the City Council meeting today in favor of term limits. There were between 40 and 70 people there to testify in favor of term limits, one woman who was identified to me as a campaign worker for Maureen Feeney (but not verified by me) testified against term limits. The councilors seemed split between any of those who have aspirations for higher office being for term limits, and those who have worked for the city and/or wouldn't appear to have higher elective offices in their immediate future. Tobin, Connolly, Yoon and Flaherty are for term limits, Ciommo, Feeney, Linehan and Yancey are opposed to them. The Mayor told me he would sign the bill if it reached his desk.
Thank you Councilor Feeney for holding this hearing and allowing a vote on this issue.
As far as the proposal, as the saying goes, “you had me at Hello”. As Councilor Yoon has pointed out 9 of the ten largest cities in America have term limits. We know the phrase “power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely”, we have a situation here in Boston where it is virtually impossible to unseat a sitting Mayor, unless he is in jail.
Massachusetts was recently found to be the least competitive of all 50 states in terms of contested elections. I don’t believe that this is something to be proud of. I have questions: Why, and what can we do about it?
Term limits and better campaign finance laws would go a long way towards making our system more fair. Boston is the birthplace of the revolution that brought us a country that believes ‘we hold these truths to be self evident that all men are created equal’. Why not have an electoral system where all participants have equal footing, and the power of incumbency is not an insurmountable mountain to bringing positive change.
I sat down with Mayor Menino recently and he said that if this bill reaches his desk that he will sign it, and why not, it would insure his place as the longest serving Mayor in Boston’s history. I’m not trying to make history here, but I hope you will.
In America, we believe in democracy, that many can and should serve, and that there are many capable and able leaders in our government of and by the people. We live in a cynical world, and people just say I want the truth, well I hope you will allow the citizens a chance to see where every councilor stands on this issue. Which councilors believe a “Mayor for life” is a good thing for public participation and which don’t.
George Washington believed that two terms were enough for him to accomplish his goals, I think he is a good model to go by.
I’m glad we had this talk, and thank you for holding this hearing and voting on this issue.
Thank you Councilor Feeney for holding this hearing and allowing a vote on this issue.
As far as the proposal, as the saying goes, “you had me at Hello”. As Councilor Yoon has pointed out 9 of the ten largest cities in America have term limits. We know the phrase “power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely”, we have a situation here in Boston where it is virtually impossible to unseat a sitting Mayor, unless he is in jail.
Massachusetts was recently found to be the least competitive of all 50 states in terms of contested elections. I don’t believe that this is something to be proud of. I have questions: Why, and what can we do about it?
Term limits and better campaign finance laws would go a long way towards making our system more fair. Boston is the birthplace of the revolution that brought us a country that believes ‘we hold these truths to be self evident that all men are created equal’. Why not have an electoral system where all participants have equal footing, and the power of incumbency is not an insurmountable mountain to bringing positive change.
I sat down with Mayor Menino recently and he said that if this bill reaches his desk that he will sign it, and why not, it would insure his place as the longest serving Mayor in Boston’s history. I’m not trying to make history here, but I hope you will.
In America, we believe in democracy, that many can and should serve, and that there are many capable and able leaders in our government of and by the people. We live in a cynical world, and people just say I want the truth, well I hope you will allow the citizens a chance to see where every councilor stands on this issue. Which councilors believe a “Mayor for life” is a good thing for public participation and which don’t.
George Washington believed that two terms were enough for him to accomplish his goals, I think he is a good model to go by.
I’m glad we had this talk, and thank you for holding this hearing and voting on this issue.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Tax rates go up 11% as I predicted almost a year ago....
The Globe reports. If people were paying attention, such as every Globe and Herald reporter I met and spoke to, then no one would be surprised by this. The numbers are pretty straightforward.
Don't say I didn't tell you so!
Don't say I didn't tell you so!
For my Atheist Friends, A Warm Fuzzy message from my mother:
WHEN YOU THOUGHT I WASN'T LOOKING
>>>
>>>A message every adult should read because children
>>>are watching you and doing as you do, not as you say.
>>>
>>>When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you hang my
>>>first painting on the refrigerator, and I immediately
>>>wanted to paint another one.
>>>
>>>When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you feed a
>>>stray cat, and I learned that it was good to be kind
>>>to animals.
>>>
>>>When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you make my
>>>favorite cake for me, and I learned that the little
>>>things can be the special things in life.
>>>
>>>When you thought I wasn't looking I heard you say a
>>>prayer, and I knew that there is a God I could always
>>>talk to, and I learned to trust in Him.
>>>
>>>When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you make a
>>>meal and take it to a friend who was sick, and I
>>>learned that we all have to help take care of each other.
>>>
>>>When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you take care
>>>of our house and everyone in it, and I learned we have
>>>to take care of what we are given.
>>>
>>>When you thought I wasn't looking I saw how you
>>>handled your responsibilities, even when you didn't
>>>feel good, and I learned that I would have to be
>>>responsible when I grow up.
>>>
>>>When you thought I wasn't looking I saw tears come
>>>from your eyes, and I learned that sometimes things
>>>hurt, but it's all right to cry.
>>>
>>>When you thought I wasn't looking I saw that you
>>>cared, and I wanted to be everything that I could be.
>>>
>>>When you thought I wasn't looking I learned most of
>>>life's lessons that I need to know to be a good and
>>>productive person when I grow up.
>>>
>>>When you thought I wasn't looking I looked at you and
>>>wanted to say,’ Thanks for all the things I saw when
>>>you thought I wasn't looking.'
>>>
>>>I AM SENDING THIS TO ALL OF THE PEOPLE I KNOW
>>>WHO DO SO MUCH FOR OTHERS,
>>>BUT THINK THAT NO ONE EVER SEES.
>>>LITTLE EYES SEE A LOT .
>>>
>>>Each of us (parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, teacher, friend)
>>>influences the life of a child.
>>>
>>>How will you touch the life of someone today? Just by
>>>sending this to someone else, you will probably make
>>>them at least think about their influence on others.
>>>Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply.
>>>Speak kindly.
>>>Leave the rest to God.
>>>
>>>A message every adult should read because children
>>>are watching you and doing as you do, not as you say.
>>>
>>>When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you hang my
>>>first painting on the refrigerator, and I immediately
>>>wanted to paint another one.
>>>
>>>When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you feed a
>>>stray cat, and I learned that it was good to be kind
>>>to animals.
>>>
>>>When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you make my
>>>favorite cake for me, and I learned that the little
>>>things can be the special things in life.
>>>
>>>When you thought I wasn't looking I heard you say a
>>>prayer, and I knew that there is a God I could always
>>>talk to, and I learned to trust in Him.
>>>
>>>When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you make a
>>>meal and take it to a friend who was sick, and I
>>>learned that we all have to help take care of each other.
>>>
>>>When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you take care
>>>of our house and everyone in it, and I learned we have
>>>to take care of what we are given.
>>>
>>>When you thought I wasn't looking I saw how you
>>>handled your responsibilities, even when you didn't
>>>feel good, and I learned that I would have to be
>>>responsible when I grow up.
>>>
>>>When you thought I wasn't looking I saw tears come
>>>from your eyes, and I learned that sometimes things
>>>hurt, but it's all right to cry.
>>>
>>>When you thought I wasn't looking I saw that you
>>>cared, and I wanted to be everything that I could be.
>>>
>>>When you thought I wasn't looking I learned most of
>>>life's lessons that I need to know to be a good and
>>>productive person when I grow up.
>>>
>>>When you thought I wasn't looking I looked at you and
>>>wanted to say,’ Thanks for all the things I saw when
>>>you thought I wasn't looking.'
>>>
>>>I AM SENDING THIS TO ALL OF THE PEOPLE I KNOW
>>>WHO DO SO MUCH FOR OTHERS,
>>>BUT THINK THAT NO ONE EVER SEES.
>>>LITTLE EYES SEE A LOT .
>>>
>>>Each of us (parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, teacher, friend)
>>>influences the life of a child.
>>>
>>>How will you touch the life of someone today? Just by
>>>sending this to someone else, you will probably make
>>>them at least think about their influence on others.
>>>Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply.
>>>Speak kindly.
>>>Leave the rest to God.
Monday, December 07, 2009
Alternative XMAS/holiday gifts for activisits and citizens:
Friends,
Forgive me for a solicitation, but it's for an organization I have long loved: Resist, which has just a few days left in its Radical Holiday at www.resistinc.org/auction.
RESIST is a national progressive foundation that supports grassroots organizing for peace, economic, and social and environmental justice and provides political education for social change activism. For 40 years, RESIST has funded groups that challenge reactionary government policies, corporate arrogance, and right-wing fanaticism through organizing, education, and action.
As a non-profit organization itself, RESIST relies on contributors with a strong commitment to social, economic and environmental justice, and a firm belief in the need to build grassroots movements and capacity.
So please place your bids on 100 items, including:
* Incredible artwork by John Lennon
* Signed Joan Baez CD
* A chance to meet Noam Chomsky
* Vacations to Cape Cod and Utah, among others
* Autographed David Ortiz Baseball
* My sister’s art
* And much, much more!
Start bidding today at www.resistinc.org/auction
... where you can fund grassroots organizing and shop for gifts at the same time!
Thanks!
Marc
Forgive me for a solicitation, but it's for an organization I have long loved: Resist, which has just a few days left in its Radical Holiday at www.resistinc.org/auction.
RESIST is a national progressive foundation that supports grassroots organizing for peace, economic, and social and environmental justice and provides political education for social change activism. For 40 years, RESIST has funded groups that challenge reactionary government policies, corporate arrogance, and right-wing fanaticism through organizing, education, and action.
As a non-profit organization itself, RESIST relies on contributors with a strong commitment to social, economic and environmental justice, and a firm belief in the need to build grassroots movements and capacity.
So please place your bids on 100 items, including:
* Incredible artwork by John Lennon
* Signed Joan Baez CD
* A chance to meet Noam Chomsky
* Vacations to Cape Cod and Utah, among others
* Autographed David Ortiz Baseball
* My sister’s art
* And much, much more!
Start bidding today at www.resistinc.org/auction
... where you can fund grassroots organizing and shop for gifts at the same time!
Thanks!
Marc
What NY, SF, and DC are doing with public information, we could too if we'd release it....
The NY Times reports. We need to catch up!!!
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