At-large city council candidates respond to Banner questions
1. Are you in favor of a return to neighborhood schools?
2. Would you support a civilian review board for the Boston Police
Department with the power to subpoena witnesses?
3. What do you think can be done to make the Boston Redevelopment
Authority more responsive to the needs of the city’s residents?
Felix Arroyo
1. While we can begin to reform the school assignment process
immediately, much work needs to be done before we can seriously
consider neighborhood schools. First, Boston needs to plan, to improve,
to reform, to carefully weigh options and to create new schools
to relieve a sizeable classroom seat shortage in some neighborhoods.
The city should not adopt a neighborhood schools model without retaining
a significant element of parental school choice, which fosters community,
diversity, competition and reform.
2. Yes. As the proud son of a police detective, I greatly appreciate
the sacrifices that our public safety personnel make on a daily
basis to maintain our quality of life. Still, I believe that being
“smart on crime” is as important as being “tough
on crime,” and that many reforms are needed to truly ensure
public safety. A civilian review board with the power of subpoena
is needed to hold our law enforcement officials accountable while
allowing police officers who have committed no wrongdoing to re-establish
their good name.
3. I have advocated for significant reforms of the Boston Redevelopment
Authority, as lead sponsor of a Home Rule Petition to create a City
Planning Department. The planning and development structure in Boston
hasn’t been revisited in more than 40 years, and the city
has changed. Now is the time for Boston to create a city planning
department, structured to foster an open, inclusive process that
educates the public, engages citizens in informed decision-making
and returns planning to the people of Boston.
Patricia White
1. We must work to close the inequity gap that exists in the Boston
Public School system. The return of neighborhood schools should
be a goal of our public school system. However, this is clearly
not something that can happen overnight. We need to build more high
schools and repair the infrastructure of our existing schools. Until
we have equal schools in every neighborhood, we can not deny our
children the opportunity to go to the best schools, regardless of
neighborhood.
1. I would be open to supporting a civilian review board, but would
have to review the decision to give it subpoena powers.
3. The BRA clearly needs reform. The BRA can do more in its role
as the authority responsible for overseeing city planning. I believe
there is a real possibility for successful city planning to happen
within the BRA, but planning must occur with full community involvement
from the earliest stages of decision-making and the City Council
should work to facilitate communication between the BRA and the
community in making the BRA more transparent.
Stephen J. Murphy
1. I am in favor of neighborhood schools. We spend $67 million on
transportation to and from schools all over the city and some of
those buses are not filled to capacity. That money could be better
used to give direct services in the classroom to our children.
2. The Boston City Council is a Civilian Review Board for the Boston
Police Department. I think one of the most important roles of the
city council is to be the checks and balances for the police, and
all other city departments.
3. I believe that more can be done to make the BRA more responsive
to the community. I propose that each of the nine city council districts
should have a community representative appointed to the BRA board
to give that board better direction in dealing with the individual
neighborhoods. This proposal is not the only step the BRA must do
to be more responsive, but it certainly would be a good start.
Michael F. Flaherty
1. Test scores for African American and Latino students continue
to lag behind many of their classmates. To help eliminate this achievement
gap, we should invest the millions of dollars that we waste on transportation
costs in new schools and in classrooms. When families have good
schools that they can walk to, parents can stay involved in their
children’s education, and students can participate in rewarding
extended-day programs.
2. I’ve known former Boston police officer Kenny Connolly
my entire life. I firmly believe that the gross injustice that he
suffered and other injustices in our city would have been prevented
if we had greater civilian input in Boston Police investigations
and operations.
3. As a public body, the BRA must always work in the best interests
of our residents. When I first joined the city council, I called
for a stand-alone committee focused on city planning as a way to
increase public oversight and accountability of the BRA. Making
the BRA work for the people of Boston will continue to be a priority
of mine.
Ed Flynn
1. I am the only Boston Public School teacher running for the Boston
City Council, so I understand the positive things that are taking
place in our schools. But I also know the things that are going
wrong. All of Boston’s parents and children should have access
to good neighborhood schools so they can participate in and monitor
their children’s educational progress in the local school
and speak personally with teachers and administrators.
2. Boston must actively recruit more black police officers and then
educate and train them to be more accountable and sensitive to the
concerns of the overwhelming majority of good and decent law abiding
African American citizens. I am confident that professionally trained
police officers of integrity can review any allegations of misconduct
coming from the public. With an open public process and more professionally
trained black police officers of integrity serving on the review
board, I see no need for a civilian review board.
3. The BRA is only accountable to the mayor, the business community
and wealthy downtown developers. It must be abolished and the power
redistributed to the people in the neighborhoods. Well-connected
political campaign contributors giving money to the mayor and city
councilors now determines who receives approval of development projects
in our city.
Matt O’Malley
1. Not right now. As the product of the Boston Public Schools, I
received a great education in large part because of the diversity
of the student body. I do support neighborhood schools and the benefits
associated with them, however, neighborhood schools are not an option
until there are excellent educational opportunities and true parity
in every school; right now that does not exist. I share the position
of state Representative Marie St. Fleur, a leader on education matters,
who has endorsed my candidacy.
2. No. While we need to have greater accountability and closure
in determining internal BPD charges, I do not support further politicizing
the process with a civilian review board. If elected, I will use
the full authority of the council to act as your civilian review
board; working with the BPD, internal affairs and community groups
in maintaining and preserving the integrity of the police department.
Further, I support measures like the Safe Neighborhood Initiative
which seeks to build bridges among the Police, DA’s office,
Sheriff’s department and community groups.
3. I have been a long, vocal, and consistent voice in calling for
major reform of the Boston Redevelopment Authority. I fully support
the creation of a separate planning department that would work with
the BRA to provide independent and autonomous smart-growth planning.
Through this, we can ensure that neighborhoods are given greater
control and leverage in determining development; it is good policy
and the right thing to do.
Sam Yoon
1. I am not in favor of increasing the walk zone percentage from
50 to 75 percent because I believe it would have an adverse impact
upon neighborhoods lacking quality schools.
2. At this time, I would not support a civilian review board with
subpoena powers, but I am interested in learning more about the
issue, the history behind a civilian board, and relations between
the community and the police that have created this issue. Councilor
Chuck Turner and Former State Representative Mel King have both
urged me to rethink my position on this issue, and therefore I am
carefully deliberating my position. My deep concern is eroding an
already fragile trust between police and the community, but by no
means am I immobile on this issue. The rights of our residents must
be protected and enforced.
3. Community residents should play the greatest role in determining
their neighborhood’s future, much more so than developers,
community non-profits, city agencies, or even elected officials.
When major development projects are being proposed, or when neighborhood
planning initiatives are being conceived, we need to make sure that
the process be inclusive, genuine, and well-run. A separate city
planning agency as discussed by Councilor Arroyo has tremendous
merit and I support such a plan.
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