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Mayor Flynn redux?

City Councilor Ed Flynn (South Boston, South End, Chinatown, Downtown) used to rule out running for mayor, but now? He's not so sure, Jon Keller reports.

Back in 2021, Flynn seemed to be all aboard the Wu train, to the point of having his South Boston house screamed at by some of the anti-vax bucket bangers who took a break one day from their performances in Roslindale.

But over the past year, and with the next mayoral election coming up in 2025, Flynn has opposed the mayor and her more progressive allies on the city council, on everything from council redistricting - he helped fund a lawsuit against the council's initial proposal - and reorganizing the BPDA to curbside EV chargers and the way the council votes on some matters.

Flynn's father, Ray, served as mayor between 1984 and 1993.


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Comments

Boston will be Wu's town for as long as she wants it. Far left progressives might not love her but she's not going to lose a primary to one. And in the general election she wouldn't lose to someone more moderate (Flynn).

But beyond that, she's generally well liked in the city and has stayed out of the recent City Council drama.

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Flynn's proven himself to be a pusillanimous idiot. Would make his father look like Kevin White, Bloomberg, or LaGuardia.

Wu all the way.

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The blank is usually filled with someone regarded to be good, not a soda-banning (expletive) like Bloomberg.

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Anyone who's been around has seen how the SMALLEST soda choices available have grown over the years. Used to be, you could buy a six or ten ounce cup in a theater or sporting event.

Lately the minimum volumes have gone up to 20 oz and more.

Bloomberg wanted to put an end to that shit.

I'm old enough to remember when the six ounce Coke was the standard. Americans weren't grotesquely fat then

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The key question here is, “should businesses be allowed to sell as food, stuff that makes people sick?”
I believe the official libertarian answer is, “why yes, of course!”

I acknowledge that there is a slippery slope argument here, that banning the sale of heroin leads straight to banning the sale of meat, but that’s why it’s so important to have a robust representative government that is capable of dealing with a world that doesn’t present every issue in black-and-white terms

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The rule of the Board of Health proposed that sugary drinks for sale in restaurants, movie theaters etc be limited to 16 ounces.

Calling it a "ban" was propaganda from the American Beverage Association and the companies.

WTF, 16 ounces isn't enough? Heck, you could have bought another pint.

In the end, the regulation was struck down by an appeals court because the Board of Health had limited regulatory authority as an unelected body.

The episode demonstrated the right-libertarian shilling for fweedom - large corporations being free to pillage the populace.

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"Pepsi-Cola hits the spot;
Twelve full ounces, that's a lot;
Twice as much for a nickel, too;
Pepsi-Cola is the drink for you!"

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I'm old enough to remember when the six ounce Coke was the standard. Americans weren't grotesquely fat then

I am old enough to remember this time as well. And let me just tell you, I'm fat and its not because of sugary sodas and drinks as a kid. We never got them as kids. I didn't start drinking soda until an adult.

What it was... over priced groceries, prepacked foods that are cheaper, lack of exercise, too much TV.. and High Fructose Corn syrup.

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There are farmers' markets around and you can stop eating ultra processed food.

No more sugar, no more high-fructose CS

Kill your TV take a walk

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Bloomberg was far from perfect as a mayor, but "soda banning [expletive deleted]" is the worst you can think of?

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I realize that an incumbent mayor is quite difficult to vote out of office. Ed Flynn would have a formidable task ahead of him should he decide to run against her.
I know this is contrary to the opinion oligarchy here on UHub, but there are many residents of the city who are not supporters of Mayor Wu and her progressive agenda.
I guess we'll just have to wait and see what comes next.
Have a nice day everyone!

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With a very similar political split, It didn't work out for Annisa Essaibi-George. I don't think much has changed since then, but I guess you never know.

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And that is going to be residential taxes next year, just in time for the election.

Not sure that helps Flynn, though, since he's on the Council.

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lol

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What word they actually meant to use instead of "oligarchy."

Majority? Plurality?

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There are people who don’t like Michelle. Some of them aren’t even racist and/of scared of women in power.

Remember that she got 20,000 more votes than Marty or Menino ever did. And that the city is doing better than a lot of its peers, violence is way down, and most of us realize that a lot of the problems are outside of her control.

But yes run for mayor of Southie, Ed. You’ll probably win Florian Hall too. Westie, if you’re lucky.

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I’ve worked with Flynn on a few issues over the years.

I’ve found him surprisingly thoughtful and attentive, and honestly surprisingly liberal as well.

I know he looks frumpy and occasionally sounds it, but heck, have you heard the crazy that can emanate from that body?

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Flynn is no threat to Wu. Josh Kraft could be though. He's got the money, name, and a long history of philanthropy especially in Black Boston.

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LOL that you think a name identifying him as the nepobaby of a billionaire will be helpful with the Boston electorate.

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Quick - get a Kennedy in here.

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RFK Jr will be available.

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duplicate

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“The nepo baby isn’t a threat, so let’s get that other nepo baby.”

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I think it's good for democracy and for the city to have a legitimate challenger. I'm glad someone serious will be running against Wu. Flynn offers enough contrast and support to be a real contender.

I disagree with him on his anti-transit, anti-bike, anti-housing stances. Vehemently. I hope he loses big.

But I'm glad he's running.

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All of those translate to more cars. The last thing Boston needs, it seems to me.

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Maybe not anyone, but Ed would certainly be a welcomed change.

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Simple question, anon:

Why?

[ducks preparing for word salad]

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There should always be a choice on the ballot.

That said, I don't think Flynn would have a chance. Then again, neither did Floon.

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"The original nepo baby?"

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He’s not as far right as Murphy, Baker, or Flaherty. He generally has a good idea what goes on in city government. I’ve always found him to be somewhat reasonable, albeit a little old school on some issues.

However, I think he has quite the uphill battle against Wu.

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a Veteran running for Mayor of this City. Really great since we haven’t had a Mayor who served their country in a looooong time.

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...is it fair to say a District Councilor is the *only* thing South Boston, South End, Chinatown, and Downtown have in common? Seems like a pretty absurd map.

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rule out running for mayor

Always a sign they'll run.

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