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Mike Ross runs for mayor; is anybody left?
By adamg on Thu, 04/11/2013 - 11:34am
City Councilor Mike Ross, who almost fled to Newton, today jumped into the race for mayor of Boston:
This week, our Red Sox returned for their home opener, providing Bostonians with a surge of hope, optimism and renewal. Every year on Opening Day, I think back to 13 years ago, during my earliest days as a city councilor, when a small group of us stood together against powerful forces to save Fenway Park. All of Boston won that fight and look at the neighborhood today.
Today, in that same spirit of community activism and determination to continue building a better Boston, I am announcing that I will be getting into the race for mayor.
I love this city. I believe in its people and our limitless potential. It's why, when I formally kick off my campaign in May, you are all invited to hear me share a progressive vision for Boston that is built on the values and diversity of our neighborhoods, and rooted in my upbringing and work on the city council.
I learned from my father, a survivor of the Holocaust, that we all have a duty to ensure the society we live in is just, equal and fair. Through him I understood the immigrant experience and,
as a first generation American, I want to help new generations achieve their dreams as well.
My mother, a 71 year-old proud and openly gay woman, taught me that we don't judge people by how they look or who they love, but rather what they do and how they treat others.
And it was Tom Menino who taught me long ago that the business of public service is, at its heart, about helping people. For many Bostonians, he is the only mayor they've ever known. My service as city council president was a partnership with Mayor Menino that I will always be proud of.
I believe that leadership is about standing up for what you believe in, especially when it's hard. I also know that the best ideas come from outside the walls of City Hall.
Thank you for your support and I look forward to the many conversations we will have in the months ahead.
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Comments
calling it now: if Ross were
calling it now: if Ross were to win, it would be at least 2x worse than Menino when it comes to "his way or the highway".
I wonder
Will this bring contributions to his rivals from University and Alumni funds?
Or can you continuously antagonize some of the largest employers in your communities without a backlash if they are institutions?
??
Swirlatron-
Antagonize more please- if it means saving what is left of a neighborhood under constant pressure from these "the largest employers". Councilor Ross has fought hard to keep them honest and transparent with their plans.
Just remember
PILOT agreements are a voluntary program.
Ross' habit of "running against the universities" gets him city council votes and may make some sense when it comes to being a neighborhood level representative.
As Mayor, it could get all of Boston in trouble.
Can Universities donate to political camapaigns?
I don't know the answer. Seems they would risk their favored tax status if they delved in politics.
As a university employee, I
As a university employee, I would never give money to Ross or vote for him. If it came down to Ross as a serious contender, I would likely donate to his opponent to prevent him from gaining even more power in this city.
Cleaning out the City
Cleaning out the City Council! When's Murph getting in the pool? And Yancey?
Mike Ross will run on
Mike Ross will run on transparency and innovation - something the current administration knows little about.
Mike Ross
I thought he'd be running on early bedtimes and earmuffs.
Breaking News
I am not running for Mayor.
To bad
they don't force you to resign before running for Mayor...
Seriously
It a group of HACKS who are trying to get i higher paying job using other peoples money to market themselves. However if they loss they still have their HACKS positions. Its a no-brainier that's why every dickweed at City Hall is running.
And that's why on not voting for anyone who's on the council or has no prior business experience.
This is dumb. Know your
This is dumb. Know your facts. Every councilor is putting their jobs on the line. You have to give up your seat to run for Mayor.
Technically no
Practically yes (unless they changed the law). You can gather signatures for both races and get your name on the ballot for both positions. Logistically it's very difficult to do both - just getting 3000 (I think) valid signatures for mayor - especially in a crowded race where only 40,000 people might vote and fewer than that actually sign a petition, is very difficult. A voter can sign 15 different petitions, but only the first one handed in will actually count. The later ones will be tossed as invalid. It was very hard in the Menino era - he had such a machine they went out and deliberately got thousands of extra signatures to make it more difficult for rivals to get theirs - plus a lot of people (especially city employees) wouldn't DARE sign a non-Menino petition for fear of their jobs. I had dozens of people tell me they were rooting against him, but wouldn't put their name on anyone else's petition for fear of retribution. Real or imagined, that's what they told me.
Dozens? The real or imagined
Dozens? The real or imagined line does little to hide your bias. Keep it up, paid commenter.
El Prez
David Portnoy!
Viva la Stool baby!
Wouldn't he have to move to Boston?
Or is he no longer in Milton?
Boston side of Lower Mills
A friend whose employment has a City of Boston residency requirement lives in the same building as him. So yeah, this could get entertaining.
his
office is in Milton, not sure about his home! But hey, that isn't going to stop the far left on UHub from voting EggHead Markey!
Living out of town
Hasn't stopped Ed Markey!
Well ...
I don't see Markey, who lives in Malden, running for Mayor of Boston.
Which is the topic of this post.
No
but you do see Markey, who lives in MD, running for office in MA.
No more anon Markey posts
Has nothing to do with a discussion about running for mayor of Boston.
WTF?
I see Ed more often in Meffuh square - where his local office is - than I see 2/3 of the members of Meffuh City Council!
Here's a Newsflash: US Reps are SENT to DC to WORK for US! If they are never in DC, they aren't working for us.
MIne's bigger
Funny. I've lived in Medford Square for 11 years. I've seen Ed once. You must never see the city council. Although they blow as well.
DOT
He says he's registered to vote in Dorchester.
Who is David Portnoy?
Who is David Portnoy?
Portnoy?
Quit complaining.
Oh, wrong Portnoy.
Dead former talk-show host? Wrong David.
Portnoy is the guy who is fascinated with the size of Tom Brady's son's schlong, right?
Someone is missing
Where is Althea Garrison? This city needs her? more than ever.
Althea
Al Garrison used to be a hell of a guy...
I'm holding out for
Roy Owens
as a first generation
Born in Newton is not 'first generation.' The inability to capitalize properly barely deserves note these days.
The phrase "first generation"
The phrase "first generation" is ambiguous. It can either refer to the first generation born in America or the first generation to live in America. This is annoying because the first generation in the first sense is the second generation in the second sense, but the English language is annoying. Various dictionaries give both these definitions.
Generation
The world "generation" in itself is ambiguous. What is a "generation"? People say "a whole generation went by..." Exactly how long is a generation? 20 years? Does it have a time frame? It's one of those words like "several". How many is "several"?
Generations
In the context of [#th] Generation statements, a generation is defined as one step on the family tree - in other words, all of your grandparents' siblings and cousins and whatnot are one generation, your parents and their siblings and cousins and what not are the next generation, you and all of your siblings and cousins and whatnot are a third generation, and any children you or they have will be a fourth generation.
Outside of this well-defined scope, a generation is "whatever the media needs it to be to talk about Baby Boomers or Generation X or whatever other buzzword is 'in.'" They tend to last about 12 years? Maybe? It's all smoke and no fire, anyway.
I should run for something
So far, I'm not really impressed at the field of candidates. I have met some of them and they are nice enough people, but honestly, I will look forward to seeing their advertisements and if anyone has a really interesting platform.
I would lay out a random and controversial platform along the following lines:
OK, so that's a bit off the cuff, but it's more substance than I've seen so far with mostly reports about how much money everyone has raised.
A few more ideas that won't get you elected
Not criticizing - just saying if you have ideas Boston may actually need - you're not getting elected:
eliminate the BRA and make it a planning AND development department - not an agency
Mandate 45 minute longer school days (sorry, we're out of money for teacher raises and if you don't like it, go live with a 1980's air traffic controller)
Reform retirement bennies - pension and health so that revenues for these equal expenses
Tell all city workers there is a freeze on salarie and benefit increases until further notice so that we can stabilize the property tax increases (about 6% planned for next year I think!)
Tell developers we will develop firm zoning and exceptions to zoning will be the exception - not the rule.
Tell ALL the neighborhoods you have to figure out how to grow housing 1% a year AT LEAST in your back yard
Eliminate the ridiculous 15% affordable housing unit rules that simply drive up prices in already expensive downtown neighborhoods for young professionals
You'll get more plus votes out here than you will actual votes - and Boston will be the poorer for it.
BRA
The Mayor cannot actually eliminate the BRA as it was established by the State Legislature. I think it would have to be a cabal of the Boston delegation and the mayor that would be able to accomplish this by passing some sort of legislation. Of course the non-Boston legislators would probably use the opportunity to put the screws to Boston just for shits and giggles and whatever they could extract. They're petty that way.
Eliminate affordable housing
Agree there, but it needs to be offset with a huge increase in development (which means steamrolling neighborhood NIMBYS, in the pocket developers, and shitty zoning alike)
More development and turnover of older "luxury" units as newer ones flood the city would go a long way to controlling the pressures on rent and housing in the city.
this is why inlike anondeuce
He's liberal I'm conservative and we have lots of polite disagreements and debates. But we also have lots of common ground where we agree. When you find people who cone at a problem from opposite sides of the spectrum and end up in the same place people should pay attention.
Who is going to announce next?
What about Ayanna Pressley, Steve Murphy, Charles Yancy, Darnell L. Williams, Rev. Will Dickerson, or Whitey Bulger?
Whitey's old office was in
Whitey's old office was in Somerville.