ISSUES:
CLEANER STREETS and SIDEWALKS
LESS CRIME and VIOLENCE
LOWER PROPERTY TAXES
BETTER PAYING JOBS
POLICY STATEMENTS:
CLEANER STREETS and SIDEWALKS
Cleaner streets and sidewalks must be a priority. While I see this as a potential health issue, there are other considerations such as the economy. The economy is intimately linked to the appearance of the city. Maintenance of the different communities makes Boston a more desirable place in which to live and work. It is my plan to work with residents throughout the city so that we can upkeep, even embellish, our neighborhoods. One of the ways that I will look to achieve this goal is through the encouragement of recycling efforts and other activities that aid in environmental preservation.
Additionally we must make sure that all neighborhoods that need a street sweeper are given one. Also, we must make sure that the streets are swept up all year round. In many areas of the city like South Boston, the streets are only kept clean from May to November under the premise that Boston receives lots of snow in the winter. When it’s not snowing and the streets are clear, it is City Hall’s duty to continue to ensure that the streets and sidewalks are cleaned nevertheless.
In other areas of the Boston where the streets are narrow like in the North End and Beacon Hill, instead of towing cars so the street sweepers can go down the roads, the DPW workers should be hand cleaning the streets. What I mean is that the DPW crews should be sent out with garbage cans on wheels and with brooms with the purpose of hand sweeping the streets. This will allow the city to get out of the practice of always towing cars on these narrow streets, thus saving the people money and unnecessary headaches.
It is important for the amount of money we pay in taxes that the city provides good services and as our next City Councilor At-Large, I will fight to ensure that this happens.
CRIME PREVENTION POLICY
It costs $42,000 per year to jail someone. Additionally, both the Boston Police and the District Attorney Dan Conley are under funded so it is difficult to provide more prosecutors and police officers. This is due to our current economic crisis. As we’ve read recently there has been a real spike in the number of shootings here in Boston since last year. In fact, there have been over 100 shootings since the beginning of 2009. Many of these shootings have been the result of high activity amongst many of Boston’s street gangs: 1. the Bailey Street Broncos, 2. the Crips, 3. the Brawley Gang, 4. the Orchard Park Gang, 4. the Charge Gang, 5. the Mt. Pleasant Gang, 6, the Heath Street Hood and their rivals 7. H-Block Gang, also there is the Norfolk Street Gang in Mattapan who have been fueding with young boys and male teenagers from the Almont Street area. These are just some of the few street gangs here in Boston. In fact, there are many more and most neighborhoods contain them. The biggest question is with the cutback in funding, how will we solve Boston’s current crime epidemic? Well, I suggest we develop a duel policy that focuses on 1. Apprehension; and 2. Prevention.
Apprehension of criminals is crucial, yet prevention is of primary importance. Insufficient progress is due to lack of a real strong witness protection program for crimes other than murder (i.e. - with exception for the current Federal program). Bostonians are afraid to either come forward to report criminal activity, and in many cases there is a culture in many communities where people just aren’t motivated to come forward because there are disenfranchised by both the local police and the government.
Regarding Apprehension, there are two levels of criminals that we must focus on:
We must identify and use any legal means necessary to remove habitual violent criminals off the streets for as long as possible because they are willfully and deliberately dangerous to their community and they prey on their community, and by this we mean major drug dealers, gang leaders, and armed violent career criminals.
We must identify those who fall into a second level of criminals:
These are primarily young males under the age of 30 who are not yet irredeemable, but who
are on the way, who think nothing of carrying a gun, and think it is an
appropriate way to resolving an insult or a dispute by shooting someone. And
those kids have to be targeted, because the point is once they get into the court
system, they are on the back end, and it is almost too late for them to turn their
lives around and become good upstanding persons. And the utterly essential
aspect of dealing with these young men is doing it in a way that is constructive
with them, but most importantly in the best interest of the community. In other
words, we, must find a way to jerk these kids out of these criminal patterns.
So far, we have a successful Gang Task Force in the DA’s office and there is ample Federal and State Cooperation. So as Councilor At-Large, how would I and the City Council go about solving the current crime epidemic with the lack of financial resources that currently exists? I would do so through a policy that focuses on Prevention. We must provide these second level criminals with the tools and resources to prevent them from getting in trouble because it is more valuable to us in Boston to get someone to work and produce for society, raise a family, and pay taxes than it is for Boston Taxpayers to have to pay $42,000 per year to jail each criminal.
The way that Boston develops a strong Crime Prevention Program is through a city wide organization which focuses on going door to door, block to block. Essentially, we create a gigantic big brother program through a partnership between the universities of Boston and the City Government through the Boston’s Department of Public Health.
Since there are thousands of University Students who are majoring in Criminal Science, the City would create an internship program that awards college credits to participating students who are then teamed up with these 2nd Level Criminal offenders. These college students who are signed up in this internship program would be tasked with providing not only mentorship and counsel, but brotherly and sisterly love with the hope that these offenders will be able to find jobs and begin adding to society in a positive manner, not hurt humanity. The main purpose of such a program is that we must somehow create a trusting relationship between the community, City Hall, and Boston’s Law Enforcement community. Such a program will foster this necessary communication and break down barriers and promote hope.
Presently, I have a task force developing the mechanics of such a crime prevention program. A program like this would not cost a lot of money, but instead tremendous organization. However, a program such as this is doable because of the resources and goodwill amongst us. We, Bostonians, have an interest in expanding the strength of our community. As Councilor At-Large, I will commit myself to continuing going door to door across Boston and build this program block by block even if it is only me at first promoting this program. I believe that a program such as this will eventually build upon itself organically and eventually spread due to grassroots tenacity and continue to grow bigger until it becomes a true City-Wide Grassroots Crime Fighting Organization.
Please, as we know crime and violence is an epidemic here in Boston. We can no longer deny that are streets are safe. Just ask poor Marcia Ward of King Street in Dorchester. Her son was murdered last year by a gun shot on the corner of Victory Road and Adams Street. If interested, click on the following YouTube link to here what Roberta has to say:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqmlyUnjqnc
As we all know, Roberta Wells is not alone. Many Bostonians like Roberta suffer as a result of tragedy due to crime and violence every day. This why I say it is time to change this, take action, and peacefully take charge of our Streets here in Boston. This is why I believe my crime prevention policy can bring success and peace to the streets of Boston and as your next Councilor At-Large, I intend to do so.
LOWERING PROPERTY TAXES
The issue of property taxes must be readdressed so that it is fair for all. Their continual increase has forced us from 2001 to 2006 to make some tough, unfortunate choices. Some of us are left with no alternative but to leave Boston behind because the cost of living is unmanageable. But, then we all suffer as we lose pieces of our history and culture and are left with an increasingly homogeneous population. I will work tirelessly to reverse this trend. At the same time, I will endeavor to integrate new residents to Boston, thereby guaranteeing the city’s growth.
Although Boston’s property tax rate has remained steady in fiscal year 2007 and 2008, our job in City Hall is to ensure that we, the City Council begin pressuring the Massachusetts State Legislature to abolish a law that was established in 1919 which allows telecommunication and electric companies to use public land tax free here in the city. What’s happening is that Bostonians are purchasing the products of these companies whether it’s through using our phones or receiving power for our homes and these companies aren’t paying taxes.
Also, the Universities and Hospital are getting away without paying taxes by paying a one time fee in lieu of taxes so they can do business on City land. This is wrong and as the next City Councilor At-Large, I will fight for real local tax reform so we can remove much tax burden off the shoulders of us, the people, and make sure these entities like the hospital, the universities, and the telecommunication companies are paying their fair share. This will create a significant amount of tax revenue that I will then fight to have returned to people.
Additionally and most importantly, if we are to have true property tax reduction in Boston, then property values need to be assessed at their proper value. With the real state property bubble burst that took place over the past two years, property values in Boston are no longer valued at the same rate that they were before the bubble burst. So while property values have diminished, the amount in property taxes paid by Bostonians has remained the same. This has put incredible pressure on Bostonians who own property to continue to reside in the City. Currently, property values are believed to be worth what they were worth back in the year 2000. What we must do is pressure the City’s Board of Assessors to value property in Boston at actual value. Once this has been done, property tax rates must be adjusted so that it coincides with what property values were worth back in 2000. By doing this we can achieve true property tax reduction for Bostonians.
JOB CREATION POLICY
Boston has the potential of being the Silicone Valley
of the Northeastern United States.
For Boston’s economy to rebound amidst the current global economic crisis, our own local economy must evolve. While many believe that to do this we would need to focus on the development of alternative fuel sources like the creation of solar and wind energy which would take many years to accomplish, the fastest way we can create many Construction and Engineering Jobs is by focusing on what is called “retrofitting.”
According to Energy Expert and Doug Foy, the former Secretary of Commonwealth Development which oversaw transportation, housing and the environment , said “Boston should focus on making the buildings throughout Boston “green.’” Basically there are over 200,000 buildings in the city. Experts like Foy say that 45% of all energy used on the planet is used by buildings.
Here’s where the problem lies.
Buildings, because they have been built energy inefficient, waste ½ of all this energy. That means that about 25% of the world’s energy consumption is wasted because buildings are energy inefficient. For example, energy wasting can occur due to the type of lights, heaters, windows, and air conditioners among other things used in these buildings and if the proper construction maintenance was done, we could fix these problems saving money through better energy maintanence and people would be back to work in the construction industry. Unemployment is at 10% and Bostonians are losing their jobs. Many construction workers are out of jobs in the city, yet this “green” approach of retrofitting the buildings of Boston could put many back to work and create at least 20,000 new jobs in the areas of construction in the City according to Mr. Foy.
The question is where do we get the money to pay for the retrofitting of buildings?
What we need to do is tap into a plan that was recently created by President Obama which allocates $16 billion to focus on the retrofitting of buildings throughout the nation. Additionally, other monies exist within the Commonwealth as well that Boston should take advantage of in the pursuit of job creation thorough retrofitting: the Green Jobs Act which was signed into law this past August 2008 by Governor Patrick which is intended to provide grant money for companies and universities that encourage the training of workers for environmentally-friendly jobs and also encourage startups to focus on green development. Over the next five years, the bill will provide $68 million dollars to the green jobs initiative.
There is no reason why a major global city like Boston could not take this idea to the next level. As your next City Councilor At-Large, I will provide such vision to help make Boston into the Silicone Valley of the Northeast.
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