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Walsh: Boston works, Washington doesn't
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Comments
Second look at Payoso?
Boston doesn’t work. The middle class is being displaced. Big corporations and developers are getting subsidies. The homeless population is exploding, zombies and needles are everywhere. Gangs are killing people left and right in some neighborhoods with impunity. We still don’t have neighborhood schools or even a majority we can be proud of. Pedestrians are second class citizens and the potholes are bigger than Trump’s ego!
All Walsh did is pander and patronize groups he thinks he can buy off. Also slapped the LGBTQ community in the face with lip service that ignored the first trans City Councilor.
Boston Deserves Better!
???
The City is thriving - population on track to hit 700k by 2020 and continuing to grow at rapid rates. The City also just posted a surplus and are planning projects such as finally finishing the emerald necklace. Crime is still at all time lows (and dropping), too. Neighborhood schools won't work and can't so thats a non-issue. The BPS are, overall, much improved. At the high school level we always have BLS, BLA, and OB to be proud of, plus some of the newer charters/etc are very good.
A transient population. Most
A transient population. Most don’t stay here more than five years. Families are leaving the city in droves. That’s not a city. Blow-ins from out of town who don’t stay here and raise their families aren’t what makes a neighborhood. The trendy new bar isn’t what makes a neighborhood. It’s people who stay here and take interest in the neighborhood and the city is what makes it thrive.
So
What exactly is different than since 60s? Oh, wait, instead of people just leaving en masse, there are actually other people filling back in. People have been saying this exact same line in the 00s, 90s, etc.
3 years
Long time realtor here. I can attest that it’s more closer to 3 years before Muffie and Justin move out of the City. Biggest complaint (besides the school system if they have kids) is the lack of parking especially after they live here a couple of snowy winters without a shovel.
Does Not Compute
If that's true, we don't want Muffie and Justin. The answer to making a city a better place to live isn't abundant, publicly subsidized "free" parking at the expense of a more livable city.
Neighborhood schools won’t
Neighborhood schools won’t work? Maybe if you don’t have any kids it won’t. There is no reason to bus black kids from Hyde Park to Roxbury or to bus black kids from Dorchester to South Boston. The schools are 95% minority so busing isn’t needed. I was never needed. Social engineering has turned into a money grab. Bring back neighborhood schools and families will return and stay here.
No
They won't work until every school performs the same - otherwise they are just a court case away from going away. Until then, BPS legally has to attempt to equalize the system for all students, full stop. The current system isn't terrible, either - you get to stack rank and kids closure to the schools generally get preference. Also, this isn't about sending black kids anywhere. Its to ensure kids in poor neighborhoods don't get stuck in poor schools and have access to schools in richer neighborhoods.
They are the same
They all suck. Bring back the elected School Committee.
Actually a blended committee might be best
A mix of mayoral and city council appointees (possibly all with City Council Ratification), plus 2-3 elected members.
The most powerful word in the English Language is AND not OR.
Regarding neighborhood schools:
Neighborhood schools are not feasible unless neighborhoods themselves are well integrated racially, ethnically and socioeconomically Had the B-BURG Program not been administered so maliciously, that would've been possible.
Neighborhood Schools
We're already trending that way with the "Home Based Assignment System."
And look at what happens:
BPS Demographics: 14% white
Eliot (north end) Demographics
Lyndon (West Roxbury) Demographics
Blacktone Demographics
ONE of those schools is losing $500K out of their budget next year. Care to guess which one?
It’s time to invest in real
It’s time to invest in real city services like potholes and streetlights, police and fire protection, instead of poet lauriets and yet another agency to redundantly report discrimination to. I would like to have seen the mayor describe a way to keep working Boston families in Boston.
Perhaps you haven't heard
There is a service called 311 that is very good at reporting those kind of issues and the city is normally very responsive in fixing them. You should try it.
I know about 311. You’re
I know about 311. You’re correct, they do a pretty good job. Lots of other things are needed though, and some things, like a poet laureate, are totally unneeded.
The Magoo
Likes 311. It’s fun. Magoo in. Magoo our.
311
Why do the citizens of the City have to tell someone to do their jobs? Public Works need to be told to pick up trash? BWSC needs to be told about a blocked catch basin? Then the whole issue of people eating out each other.
No, that's not it at all
If the city really had enough people to spend all day looking for potholes and clogged catchbasins, you'd be complaining about how high your tax bill is because of all those people roaming around (or you'd be complaining about the Surveillance State, or both).
So since the city can't be everywhere all at once, 311 is a way for residents to call in problems they see - and hopefully get them fixed before they become even bigger problems. It's also a way to track whether the workers the city does have for fixing things are, in fact, fixing those things.
Dropping a dime on your neighbors is just a side benefit (note: that's a joke).
W/R/T
Catch basin clearing and similar maintenance activities, and I don't pretend to know the procedures and programs at BPW, BWSC, etc., should ideally be implemented and delivered in a preventative maintenance program. Sure, there will be times where catch basins will clog off of schedule, but overall it would be preferable for that work to be on a routine basis and not a corrective one (i.e. preventive vs. corrective).
And how do you know this isn
And how do you know this isn't already being done?
Learn to read.
Potholes - 311. Walsh has had
Potholes - 311. Walsh has had a pretty aggressive repaving program, too. As for street lights - well, they have been doing a massive retrofit to LED lights that has had great effect in lowering greenhouse gases, electricity usage, increases light output, and decreases light pollution, all while last 4x as long as traditional bulbs.
https://www.cityofboston.gov/oldnews/Default.aspx?id=14839
Police and Fire seem like funded and are working well - not sure what more could be done, or why it would be at the expense of a poet lauriet. Its almost as if the City can do multiple things at once! Shocking, I know.
You forgot a couple of things
The schools suck
Property taxes are sky high
Streets are filthy, except in the Back Bay, Seaport and Fort Point
All the good restaurants are going out of business
Boston still does not know how to remove snow
Focus on Boston
Rather than hear about hatred for President Trump, I would’ve liked to hear the mayor tell us that we were going to get our fire Chief that was cut returned and maybe some more fire trucks in West Roxbury, seeing that they ran a major gas line through our neighborhood. I guess they’ll wait until we have a Lawrence type of situation and react to it rather than take preventive measures. Let’s focus a little more on Boston and stop trying to impeach someone because you don’t like him. Whether we like him or not, he was elected by the people. Vote against him next time if you want but let’s do a little more worrying about the City of Boston and a little less worrying about an unfixable Washington which is 1000 miles away.
PREACH
That is all.
Mother of all fire trucks
I am pro-LNG and live on the edge of the vaporization zone and the dead-in-one-week zone, so it is objectively I state that..... you're gonna need a bigger fire truck.
Does anyone actually know what President Donald Trump is doing while everyone is focused on what CNN wants people focused on? While time and news cycles are dominated by impeachment and how many of Trumps burgers equal a mile of burgers (yes they are fact checking that).
He may just be fixing Washington.
** Update... hamburders. Talk about that for a while and keep busy.
He might be fixing Washington!
He might also be writing a series of vampire novels, or painting the ceilings, or getting ready to try out for the Padres at spring training this year. Or for all we know, he's watching 18 hours of TV every day waiting for them to say his name. Maybe someday we'll find out.
As long as he’s not spending
As long as he’s not spending his days kissing the asses of the special interests, the media, and nations that are seeking to eradicate us, I’m pretty good with what he’s doing.
Russia wants to eradicate us
And Putin has lip prints all over his rumpus.
And I’m not buying the Boston
And I’m not buying the Boston Globe’s line of crap that he’s in with the Russians. Funny that it was ok for Hillary to give Russia our uranium stockpiles, seeing that they want to eradicate us.
Funny that it was ok for
The only people that believe this actually happened have been infected with brain worms by Fox News and Breitbart.
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/hillary-clinton-uranium-russia-deal/
So we shouldn’t believe
So we shouldn’t believe things about HRC’s illegal activities but we should believe them about Trump?
You should believe them if
You shouldn't believe them if they have been completely discredited. The Clintons have done plenty of sketchy things. Uranium One isn't one of them.
Let me guess - you also believe she's running a pedophile ring out of the basement of Comet Ping Pong and follow QAnon?
Stand Back, folks
We have a live one!
Unless you are selling multilevel marketing opportunities or want some contributions to the "veteran's special welfare fund" aka your bank account. If so, move right on in!
Also, once again, for the people in the back
THERE WERE MORE THAN TWO CANDIDATES ON THE BALLOT
what is a special interest?
what is a special interest?
ahh special interests
Like his own pockets, Putin's agenda, and the wants of Saudi Arabia.
And the media? Like Fox News? Part of the 4th largest Media company in the world?
And nations that are seeing to eradicate us? You mean like Russia.
Trust Fund Trump's favorite
Trust Fund Trump's favorite hobby is kissing the ass of Putin and other vile dictators. He looks up to them because he wishes he could also kill his critics.
He may just be fixing
LOL
I like Trump and will
I like Trump and will probably vote for him again. My point is, Walsh should focus on city issues. I hope Trump is fixing Washington, but it’s a seemingly insurmountable task. Also, do you agree we need an increase in our fire (and Police) protection, especially considering the amount of taxes we pay?
Do you think it's OK for Trump to lie to everyone?
I can understand many reasons that people would like Trump, but to me, the fact that he openly lies, pretty much every time he speaks, is unforgivable from a President. Can you explain to me how you find that tolerable?
Not many people really think that
You might not really think that either.
If anyone actually thought that in any significant numbers, Obama would not have won a second term. I'm assuming you voted for him. If you did, then you didn't consequential think lies were intolerable. Perhaps because you agreed with the purpose of telling those lies.
Lol
The claim is that Obama and Trump lie(d) at similar rates? Go on. Prove it.
Numbers and facts have a
Numbers and facts have a liberal bias!!1!
Yes. Numbers cherry-picked by liberals have a liberal bias.
Numbers cherry-picked by conservatives can have a conservative bias.
What's your point?
Ok, here's four examples. Of consequences, not instances.
Trump fibs all the time about everything. Obama took his time, but boy were they whoppers:
1. "If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor."
That how many fake websites and how many hundreds of billions of dollars later, how'd that work out?
2. "Benghazi was about a youtube video"
Tried to sweep a scandal under the rug so that anointed successor would have one less albatross around her neck.
3. "Hillary's emails are a non-issue"
Ditto. Also the fact that he knew about it the whole time and stepped on the DOJ to scuttle it.
4. "We did not give hundreds of billions of dollars to Iran"
Yeah. He did. And guess what they spent it on. I'll make it an easy multiple choice: a: Assad. b: ISIS. c: Hezollah.
What's Trump lied about that's anywhere near as consequential? Nothing, that's what. There's more truth in Trump's bullshit than there is in Obama's perfectly focus-grouped and fact-checked slime.
Anecdata is not statistics
Put up or shut up.
I'd say most of those are pretty inconsequential
Considering how Clinton was investigated for points 2 and 3, and no real wrongdoing could be proven, they seem like, um, "nothing-berders" to me.
You might need to link me to a source for #4, because that sounds like some Hannity level conspiracy.
#1 you might have a point on, but years after implementation, the ACA is still really popular despite Republicans trying to gut it.
I'll give you one big lie from Trump right now: We need a border wall. It's so consequential that some 700,000 or more federal workers are not getting paid, and has been the longest shutdown in American history. Pretty consequential, and that's just one example!
Cue the deep state conspiracy
I'm sure the ones who investigated Clinton were all part of the "deep state conspiracy"
Or something
All I can tell you
is that people have gone to jail for less than what Hillary did with her emails.
https://thepoliticalinsider.com/hillary-clinton-email-10-punished-less/
And if you ever get a job that requires a security clearance, "But Hillary did it" is not a defense I'd recommend.
Surely you're not talking about Mike Flynn
Because a Judge seems to be of the opinion that he sold out the USA while serving it. The FBI did not come to the same conclusion about Clinton.
So that's neat
You mean Flynn can't just claim the Hillary defense and walk? Of course not. He's got an 'R' next to his name and was on McCabe's shit list whereas Hillary had a 'D' next to her name and was in Comey/McCabe's little white book and not their little black book.
Do the following thought experiment for me: pretend that was 2008 and it was W's FBI that let McCain or Palin off the hook on something scandalous while conspicuously squirrling away "evidence" that Obama a secret commie-muslim-atheist-nazi and was acting on behalf of Kenya or Saudi or Indonesia or whatever. Would that have been cool or not cool?
I have no idea what you're talking about.
The fact is that both Flynn and Clinton were investigated. Only one of them was found done wrongdoing. That was Flynn. Case closed.
What about Colin Powell?
What about Colin Powell? Should he be in jail as well? Ivana? Trump with his unsecured phone?
My mistake, tens of billions, not hundreds
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2016/05/11/kerrys-cl...
So it was related to the Iran Deal
First off, John Kerry said $3bn. Why personally attribute that to Obama? Second, it's not like that money was just handed over. It was the effect, as I understand it, for lifting sanctions in return for the Iran Deal. I'm in the camp that thinks that the benefits of the Iran Deal were better than taking it away. So I'm not going to agree flat out that that's as consequential lie as you may believe.
Not even a lie
CBP says something like 50k people per month are apprehended crossing the border. Whether you think it's a crisis or not isn't a matter of absolute truth, it's a matter of priorities and judgement. I can see how you can look at that number and conclude that a wall isn't worth it. Can you see how anyone else can look at that number and conclude that a wall is not only worth it, but it's criminal to not have built one yet?
And I'll also point out that Re: #1: "popular in its current form" and "works as originally advertised" are two very different things.
Sure
There's border security money that Trump has had on hand for a while yet but hasn't been able to build. There is no excuse for that.
Also, from this: https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/stats/sw-border-migration
So going through that, roughly 1 in 5 people were inadmissible. Sounds like there may be many who are going through the completely legal process of requesting asylum at the border.
Regardless, this doesn't need a 25+ day government shutdown.
Boourns almost gets it
This doesn't. Some things do.
Umwut?
50k apprehended while crossing illegally has exactly nothing to do with 10k presenting themselves legally and being turned away.
Is it not
10,000/50,000 being turned away?
#4 is true in a sense -- but
#4 is true in a sense -- but its not like we gifted them that money, it was money the shah gave us in a weapons deal that we never delivered the goods for after the revolution and hostage crisis, for obvious reasons. so it was a refund in the name of diplomacy.
Inconsequential?
Inconsequential?
An American Citizen was detained for a number of days for a fucking video!
That is inconsequential? Imagine if anyone else detained someone for a video!
My God.
...
So, four cherry picked comments completely out of context to prove that Obama and Trump lie at the same rate. Right. Keep moving them goal posts as usual.
Trump's consequential lie
He admitted in the first debate to not paying workers for services rendered. That's a consequential lie if you're in the building trades. What's your recourse, going back and destroying the work?
What does Trump, whether you
What does Trump, whether you like or dislike him, have to do with the mayor of Boston giving a speech on what should have been about BOSTON?
When facts get in the way, change the subject
Me: How do you stand Trumps lies?
Them: Benghazi!
Read the first post on this
Read the first post on this article. It said I would like to see Mayor Walsh talking a little more about Boston issues and less about his hatred for Trump. Who changed the subject?
ICYMI
The headline of this very article/blog entry for this website is a Marty Walsh quote, "Boston works, Washington doesn't."
Guess who's in charge of Washington right now? The Trump administration. Marty brought it up, Carmella.
I commented that I’d rather
I commented that I’d rather hear him talk about Boston issues than his hatred for Trump. We hear him whine about Trump all the time. Tell us about the city you’re in charge of, Marty.
it's agreed that Marty Walsh should talk about Boston, but
he also has every right to opine about Trump. Whether people realize it or not, what goes on in Washington has an affect of what happens to Boston and other places here in the United States.
The fact that Donald Trump constantly lies is disgusting, but
other presidents have also lied to the electorate, also. The fact that lying always has been so prevalent on the part of our government is one of the main reasons that Donald Trump was elected POTUS in the first place.
lol
Boston's taxes are pretty reasonable, particularly viewed against those of the surrounding suburbs.
Forget the affection for Trump.
What struck me about this comment was the implication that Boston taxes are high.
Perhaps higher than they could be because of all the totally unnecessary commercial tax breaks, but I just can't not chuckle at the notion that they're high.
Have a look at what people pay for property taxes in the NYC metro area if you want to see high property taxes.
Fact Check
Trump is completely screwing up our country and our world.
Funny how the Trumplovers hate facts so much.
It was actually a good speech
Caught some while working on something else - but he had some good lines and his best part was about how he was going to work with (Republican - OMG!) Governor Baker to get some money for infrastructure, housing etc. Also some good points about progress in housing and other local issues. All in it was decent - and while he does seem a bit too attached at the hip to unions from time to time - he's not breaking anything and making progress on a few things that were ignored under Menino (including housing and school infrastrcture). He deserves at least a B for his job and a B+ for the speech - and that is after adjusting for today's grade inflation.
Let’s focus a little more on
People don't want to impeach him because they don't like him. They want to impeach him because he committed multiple crimes to get elected and continues to commit crimes to remain there.
These crimes have been
These crimes have been investigated for two years and they haven’t come up with anything against him. What they did come up with is Obama planting bugs and spying on American citizens. But, what does any of this have to do with the State of the City address?
So, about this:
You have no idea. I have no idea. There are sealed indictments, however. There's been plenty of evidence for obstruction of justice and witness tampering from Trump. Why it hasn't been acted upon yet? Not sure. I'm not the Special Prosecutor. Also, there are 37 indictments and 7 convictions in this probe. Those seven convictions include his former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, who gave Konstantin Kilimnik hacked DNC polling data (Trump campaign Conspiracy, right there..."collusion" if you will), Mike Flynn, who was compromised to Turkey, his own lawyer who, at Trump's (ahem, Individual 1's) direction, made illegal campaign contributions via hush money to at least two women...
Boohoo for useful idiot to the Russians Carter Page.
I'm not convinced you didn't know any of this already. But if you didn't, pay attention. If you did, quit trolling.
And, again, Marty brought Washington into the conversation when he invoked them in his speech.
yes....
the Republican controlled oversight committee in the House of Reps did nothing to oversee him or investigate him in the last 2 years. Well, the guard is changing. Hold on tight, the other side is ACTUALLY going to investigate him now. Not just rubber stamp whatever crimes and misdeeds he wants to commit with their seal of approval, or at least just turning a blind eye.
Why not spend your time tracking down die-hard Nixon supporters? It won't be easy. None of those cowards will admit 40-50 years on they supported that criminal. If you can find one take notes on how they went through life denying their hero was indeed, a crook. You'll need these notes for later.
lol
if you're going to bring charges against a sitting president, you spend your time and build a solid case that cannot be undermined.
see also: any long investigation into the mafia, cartels, or any other massively powerful group or institution.
Lol
You know except for the indictments, guilty verdicts, plea deals involving his personal lawyer/fixer, campaign manager, national security advisor, and foreign policy advisor. Oh, and 33 Russian nationals and multiple companies. Oh, and being an unnamed co-conspirator in redacted court filings. Given that the grand jury testimonies and other court filings aren't public (yet), seems reasonable to think there is more to come.
But, yeah, whole lot of nothing, though, right?
Wow
In an hour and a half long speech, that's your takeaway?
Transcript with annotations
Kind of cool; some fact-checking of a few things.
https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2019/01/15/transcript-walsh-state-city...
T
Well, he wasn't taking the Orange Line from Oak Grove around 9 this morning with a half hour delay and no communication from the T; I guess if you don't take the T, Boston works.
For Marty to take the T would
For Marty to take the T would mean not getting driven around town in a heated gas guzzling suv accompanied by armed security. I think he’s just fine in the back seat of a suburban.
I can answer this one with certainty
Martin J. Walsh, mayor of the City of Boston, was not at Oak Grove this morning waiting for a train because he, um, is the mayor of the City of Boston and therefore lives in Boston, and Oak Grove is in Malden close to Melrose.
Also, the MBTA is a state agency, so the mayor of Boston has very little to do with it.
I think the deeper question is where were mayors Christenson (Malden) and Infurna (Melrose) this morning. I swear I will not for either of them when they are up for reelection.
Mayor
Just talk Trump, it's an easy diversion from the actual problems in the city.
Hey Walsh
Please see our housing and school system. Sit down and shut up.
Is Walsh running in 2020?
Is Walsh running in 2020?
Yeah, it sounds like
somebody is planning to run for Congress soon.
I'll give him that some aspects of the city have gotten a bit better, but overall this is a mix of the same empty promises Marty has been making from the start, and self congratulatory pats on the back for the bit that has been done.
I can't believe he actually made those statements about looking to Boston as an example of rebuilding the middle class, leaving no one behind, and building affordable housing with a straight face. Of course, when pressed for actual answers on how to address specifics, he's either just gonna hop in the car with Charlie and go ask Washington for some money and hope for the best (and network, of course) or straight up says he doesn't know.
Marty Walsh doesn't care about making a lasting impact on Boston. Marty Walsh cares about getting good enough results that can be twisted on paper to fool voters into electing him to congress when he's ready; the same way he fooled the 26% of Bostonians who actually showed up to the polls into reelecting him.
Thank you
I agree and couldn't have said it better.
I don't see that happening
One of his neighbors was recently sworn in as a new member of Congress, so a congressional bid is probably out.
Also, you do know that for 3 of the 4 times Walsh's name was on the ballot for mayor, he got a majority of the votes. That includes both times in 2017.
You do know
that while “Congressman/Congresswoman” are generally used to describe a member of the House, “Congress” actually refers to both the House and Senate, right? Apologies for not being specific enough. Warren is exploring a presidential bid, and I wouldn’t put it past Marty to go after Markey in the Primary. Anything can happen.
You do also know that a whole 14% of Boston voters came out for the Primary, and 27% for the actual election in 2017, right?
Well played with Congress
And I believe what that if we want to make assumptions based on turnout numbers, I'll go with 73% being okay with the job Walsh is doing. I mean, that's how it works. If people are upset, they will vote a bum out. If they don't care enough to vote, they are sending a message that they are okay with things. I mean, it's sad, since everyone who can vote should vote, but extrapolating either way is dangerous ground.
I wouldn't necessarily
equate apathy with approval. I'm sure there are some who fall into this bucket and will give you that; but I'm also sure there are many, whether for or against, who didn't show up because they assumed it wouldn't matter either way. I'll definitely agree that it's sad regardless, and will even go as far as calling it problematic.
Either way, my statements on Marty still stand: I do believe he's all talk, don't believe he actually does enough for the middle or poorer (I refuse to say lower) classes in this city while bending over backward for developers and big business, and do believe he'll try to spin the little he does do into something bigger and attempt to ride it into DC.
And again, when asked for specific actionable steps, the best answers we had were asking DC for help (while throwing developer and corporate tax breaks out like victory parade confetti) and a straight up "I dunno."
How does everyone feel about the statue??
I feel like the MLK statue is more of a vapid, empty gesture. I would rather see more implemented in the city to reflect MLK's message.
A major MLK sculpture "vapid and empty"??
Walk up the Comm Ave mall, through the Public Garden and the Common, and absorb all the 19th-c. white men--that tells a story to the world about our city. The Kings lived and met and got their educations here and most people don't even know it. A major memorial in the middle of the Common would make a huge statement.
Plus, the Walsh Administration is way more diverse and focused on racial equity than their predecessors. Menino angrily denied that Boston had a race issue throughout his entire tenure.
a statement is just that.
It's talking the talk. Where's the beef ?
Boston is an upbeat, successful, progressive city
Almost everyone I know, natives and transplants, are thrilled about Boston. You pay more of your income for housing than most cities and the T can be frustrating (I ride it every day and hardly ever have problems, fwiw). But overall it's one of the world's truly great cities.
It's really bizarre to me when I find these online discussions where everyone seems to be living in hell.
Snowmageddon Syndrome
Its mid-January.
We haven't had much snow.
The memory of the sky falling and falling and falling and falling some more and falling again is still too fresh.
Makes a person nervous.
Hear hear
Water recreation, education, medicine, people who do religion without being (expletives), and 11 championships in 17 years.
Someday, I'll be priced out of this nice place, and I'll miss it terribly. A good life here is yours to make or to not make if you play your social capital right.
Out of curiousity
do you people have a Google Alert set up for UHub + { a bunch of political buzzwords } ? Or is actually a bright light projected onto a cloud that brings you here, like moths to a flame, ready and eager to drop Republican talking points into an unrelated story, and drop +1's on Roman's coprophagic musings?
Not Much Fanfare
Also interesting is the fact that the first transgender person to become a Boston City Councilor isn’t being celebrated as I thought it would be. This is a historic first in Boston politics and it’s being given a pretty good leaving alone. Why?