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.