Take a second and look at the District Councilors:
- Eddy
- Haller
- Clancy
- Palmieri
- Smith
It is really tough to beat a sitting district councilor and alot of people may not want to run since they really need to go after a sitting district councilor. Seriously how many times has a sitting district councilor ever been beaten? Other then Joff knocking off Tom White and didn't Steve Abraham beat one, but name me one other time a sitting district councilor that has lost. Bottom line these people are tough to beat.
Then you look city wide and you have 6 people
- Lukes
- Rosen
- Rushton
- Petty
- Toomey
- Germain
One it is pretty hard to run city wide if you have never run before so maybe in a best case you replace one. Since Gary has backed out we can guarantee one new councilor. Now consider this what if all 11 spots were simply at large.
Forget about any more pay raised to get more people, lets scrap this whole district councilor idea, which actually I think hurts more then helps. Anytime I ask anyone about an issue, they always defer to the district councilor since they do not want to offend him or her. If we just opened the council up to the top 11 vote getters, we would get more people running and the turn over that we need to make the city council work better for the people.
13 comments:
you think D4 has little representation now...see what happens under your idea Wild Will..
Paul:
From now on forward all your complaints about D4 to your district councilor and don't e-mail anyone else.
Bill
Paul:
I am half kiddin but I am amazed...
After Gary Rosen, an at large councilor, held his Committee meeting at the MLK center, did a walking tour of the area and got the press for the Chandler NRSA as we rightfully deserved--you say this??
Bill
hopefully I am allowed my opinion Wild Will...sure having Gary Rosen show interest is important..who said it wasn't?..I have made more than one comment about this on my blog and in person..this being said it is far from enough...if you notice in my post I stated "little representation" not no representation...
I have lived in the city a good chunk of my life (Somerville/Cambridge/Boston/Worcester) and a nice burb (Wakefield) like you do for a good chunk also...I know good urban representation Wild Will...if you think we have it in D4 from the at largers on the City Council that is okay I respect your opinion..but I do not!
I only have to look at the state of the WooTown urban landscape over 18 very long years to see the results of the great representation you suggest we have:>)
I stopped getting economic hard on's in this WooTown around Med City. I'll pass on giving A+'s Wild Will...they aren't deserving in my own humble opinion!
I may just stop filing complaints period and just move....difference of opinion in this city is not welcome and I am not much for bandwagons.
I do not see that MLK hearing as anything groundbreaking mate...Mayor Menino & the Boston City Council doesn't have theirs in Malden, MA like ours do in Shrewsbury...they have them in the belly of the city...if we had more of these in the great neighborhoods that our CC talks about all the time...perhaps we would not see over 1000+ problem properties in the urban core...the brain drain that has been non-stop for 30+ years....a population 25% of that is at the poverty level...crumbling schools...while most downtowns are on the resurgence ours is still at it's lowest level...should I go on abuot the great urban leadership?
When our leaders want to live in the urban core then I'll jump on the bandwagon...right now I just see a lot of folks who have a plan but do not have enough faith in it to actually live in the district:>)
I am off for a walk in the UC.....
Paul:
When have I never allowed you to express your opinion?? Unlike you I actually do see the meeting being held at the MLK Center as being ground breaking. Lets hope it leads to more meetings like this.
I could not agree with you more, however, that we need people living in the urban core. Three years ago Vanessa and I had to make a decision where to bring up our daughter. It would have been great, if we would have could lived right downtown, walked to work and had our daughter going to school downtown.. Talk about convenient.
Nor do I think we have the greatest representation from our at largers, although I have to give Gary another plug. All I am trying to say is that the current city council format creates stagnation. It is not the salary that makes people run but the possibility that they have a chance to win.
The current set-up, less someone backing out like Gary did, leads to at most 2 seats changing very two years. This is not good.
Bill
my point on the groundbreaking is that it should not be groundbreaking..we should be having these type of meetings in the urban core all the time..that it is groundbreaking is the f'n problem...
why are the other NRSA receipients not spendeing their money...Gary and the rest at that meeting have no idea why...this is strange to me..all this money is sitting their for stuff we have been doing and it is not being spent..Main South is a shite hole this year..they should have had the best youth employment program in the city..the Main South NRSA is sitting on all of that money and they have not spent it...you hear Kate asking why, Gary asking why, Rick asking why, Konnie asking why...anyone but us asking why???
If they are not going to use it then give it to the police department so that they can continue to fund the walking beat division...anyone can lead when the till is full...when the till is empty is when the cream rises...
I see your opinion as leaving those of us in D4 without any real representation..I want a leader who eats,sleeps,screws,crys,buys,drinks..loves in my hood 24 hours a day seven days a week...we have already seen what you propose and what comes from it..a leadership that dumps all the shite in one hood and promises to the rest that it will keep it safe from it!
I am happy for the meeting Bill..I was part of it....I'll rah rah when I see some actual effective resolve to the problem property issue in the neighborhood.....
Paul:
Now I am totally confused. You say the current leadership dumps all the s--- in one place, then you say you want to keep it the same?
paul you have to start somewhere and lets hope this meeting will be the first of many. You are right about wondering where the other NRSA's are spendiing their monies. As a result of our meeting, an order has been filed by Councilor Rosen asking for a full accounting from the other NRSA'S.
Bill
Paul
The way I read this is that most people will not run against someone one on one.. I agree you do need representation in all districts.. Bill is saying more would run if it was wide open.. small city too many people know too many people..Why would I run against Barbara if most feel she is doing a good job? What chances do I have..
Where if you want to run against a field of 11 it is not like you are going after one person.
Also on a another note... We ask Barbara for support.. she might not read it the way we do.. we ask an at large councilor for the same support their first question is either ... did you ask Barbara... how does Barbara feel... I will check with Barbara..They do not want to cross over into districts.. .. nothing personal to anyone on this email.. But I do have to ask don't you think that the council should give back their pay raises.. they gave them to get more people to run...
"You say the current leadership dumps all the s--- in one place, then you say you want to keep it the same?"
where do I state this?? WooTown went back to district representation because many neighborhoods because of the demographics were receiving no local representation at all..now you want all of the reps to be from the west side and what is with all of this shite about "my district councilor"..Barbara Haller represents D4..until she doesn't she represents D4....you are starting to sound like all the jerks who had bumpah stickers that stated "he isn't my president" about Bush..
to bad the vitriol against Barbara isn't spent more on the issues effecting this city..to morons on my blog the other day both blaming Barbara Haller for the ills of D4 and not connecting people together...give me a break...I remember what D4 looked like before Barbara Haller got into office and like Barbara is going to connect the Neighborhood Network Center/Stone Soupahs with anyone or thing that doesn't agree with it's position...other than Barbara Haller I had Lynne Simonds to vote for as a D4 rep..talk about a one issue empty suit option...this will be different in 2009..Barbara has an opponent who is not a one issue candidate nor an empty suit..doesn't mean I will vote for Grace but it will make the debates much more interesting and the issues will be discussed from hopefuly an intellectual aspect and respect for each others opinions....sorry if my acknowledging Barbara Hallers strenghths as I guess "my" city councilor in my opinion bother you or are offensive to others...
you have offered up a lazy idea to solving why more citizens are not getting into elected office...our minority community bemoans the lack of power at city hall yet offers up few if any candidates....Bill Coleman running for office every year no longer counts:>)
Boston has a young American-Chinese on the CC who has the balls to run against Menino...two young Latino-Americans on the CC one who ousted Wilkerson...this is one of WooTown's problems....few young successful minority professionals moving into the neighborhoods that need it most...the last thing the Homogonized WooTown City Council needs is one more west sidah on the City Council who used to have roots to the urban core...it needs young urban minded professionals/residents with something to say and a record of accommplishment at something.
It is safe to say that Gary left the CC because of a lack of power afforded to him from the City Manager even tho he was a very high vote getter and the non-stop interference in city business by our Congressman and others...my second guesses since Gary has been reluctant to speak about it publically and he is tight mouth in private which is his perogative.
Listen Bill..I am as happy as anyone about the meeting last week...I have unfortunately become numb to the "it's a start mentality out here"....I want to see a steady flow of change...and then I'll rah rah more...yet "another meeting" Friday about problem properties in my neighborhood..I'll try to smile and not embarrass anyone:>)
I agree with you on the pay raise issue Signman...I supported this raise and expected more from our City Councilors...we have gotten less in my opinion. They have not tackled the hard issues and unified behind them to get the City Manager to correct them....
Defering to a District Councilor is being respectful...there is nothing wrong with this..if our City Council had more professional respect for each other we may be further out of the "it's a start mentality"
Paul:
Where did I rip apart the D4 Councilor???
All I said is that the current configuration (5 district and 6 at large councilors) leads to very little turn-over and stagnation.
That is all I said.
Bill
ARRRRGH !!!!! 4+ inches of windswept rain on Saturday due to Hurricane Danny hitting New England !!!!!
Water, Water Every Hare !!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDdBWFdYkFg
Harry T
Worcester,MA
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