Starting the BIG subject early, give Kevin Rothstein the credit...
More on this later, when I have time, to comment on some of the players.
Growing clout from minority voters and the possibility of an open seat in four years is prompting speculation that Boston might see a minority mayor in 2009.
“In four years from now, whether (Mayor Thomas M. Menino) runs or not, you will probably see a black candidate running for mayor,” said political and media consultant Joyce Ferriabough.
Tuesday’s election was not the triumph that progressives and minorities had sought, with at-large Councilor Felix Arroyo falling well behind Council President Michael Flaherty in votes.
But even so, many believe increasing turnout in minority wards coupled with an open-minded Boston electorate make a multiracial race more likely in ’09.
City Hall observers say minority leaders either eyeing or being eyed to run include: Menino development head Charlotte Golar Ritchie, state Rep. Marie St. Fleur, Arroyo, former Suffolk District Attorney Ralph Martin, state Sen. Dianne Wilkerson, Ambassador Charles Stith and former City Councilor Bruce Bolling.
About the prospect of a minority mayor in 2009, Arroyo said, “Hopefully we have broken that barrier of color and voters will back someone not because of whether or not they have an accent or because of their ethnicity or color but because of what they bring to the plate.”
The biggest hurdle for a minority candidate is building a mayoral profile under the shadow of Menino, who hasn’t ruled out another term, said Darnell Williams, president and CEO of the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts.
“There is a knowledge base and positioning that has to transpire well before that, and I think the real issue is credible leadership, that seems to be the thing that has to come out of this process,” he said.
Boston Municipal Government Documents Department
ReplyDeletehttp://bpl.org/research/govdocs/local.htm
Boston Public Library Statewide Reference and Referral Center
http://bpl.org/electronic/government.htm
Massachusetts
Thank you for the information about the
2003-2005 annual reports for only
six Boston City Departments available
at Boston Public Library.
Question
If you would, please let me know
whether or not that information is
copied completely and correctly...
1. 2005 City Clerk
2. 2004 Water and Sewer Department
3. 2003 Boston Redevelopment Authority
4. 2003 Main Streets Program
Office of Business Development
5. 2003 Office of New Bostonians
6. 2003 Police Department
Suggestion
Request from the Mayor's Office transmittal
of the Memoranda formatted
Departmental Annual Reports to our
public library government documents
department as these are
the more current updates.
Waiting for the transmittal from the
City Printer delays sometimes for years the
availability of the informational content
that as a resource city annual reports in
their city Memoranda format provide.
If copies of any other
Boston City Departments' Annual Reports
happen my way for these years and you would
like them, it would be a pleasure
forwarding them along to our public library
government documents collections.
Before most of these particular
municipal documents are printed by the
city printer they are available in
Memoranda format from the respective
Department Heads or from the Mayors Office.
Although provided by ordinance that
annual reports go to the City Council,
for more than three Mayoral administrations
department heads circumvent the ordinance
by covering departmental annual reports
with a Memorandum page making it necessary
to identify the particular Memorandum in
order to request the public document,
namely that particular Memorandum with
content that is the Departmental Annual
Report without title page.
So the formality of the city printer
issuing the annual report is subsequent to
the availability of the content in the
Memoranda Department Heads file promptly
at the Mayor's Office !
Cc:
GODORT State and Local Documents Task Force
http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/GODORT/sldtf/index.htm