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Another Arroyo to join the city council, Breadon wins in Allston/Brighton; women to make up majority of council
By adamg on Tue, 11/05/2019 - 9:00pm
Arroyo celebrates win at Guira & Tambora in Roslindale. Photo by Robert Orthman.
Ricardo Arroyo, son of one former city councilor and brother of another, is looking like he'll be replacing Tim McCarthy in Hyde Park, Roslindale and Mattapan, while Liz Breadon is defeating Craig Cashman in Allston/Brighton in the race to replace Mark Ciommo.
Although the results of the four at-large seats are not yet set, it looks like 8 of the council's 13 seats will soon be held by women, the first time women have made up a majority on the council and a far cry from just seven years ago, when then at-large Councilor Ayanna Pressley was the only woman member. Tonight's results also mean that 7 of the councilors will be people of color, in a city that is now majority minority.
Incumbent at-large councilors Michael Flaherty, Michelle Wu and Annissa Essaibi-George look to maintain their seats - with Wu in a solid first place, so the Wu-for-mayor bandwagon picks up some speed. The fourth seat, which perennial candidate Althea Garrison took over when Pressley went to Washington, looks to be a close one between challengers Julia Mejia and Alejandra St. Guillen - the city says just 10 votes separate them.
St. Guillen called for a recount.
Sorry, Althea, it's back to yearly campaigns for you (and she's looking like she'll come in seventh, so no more moving up should another at-large councilor depart).
A non-binding citywide referendum on changing the name of Dudley Square to Nubian Square lost citywide but won in Roxbury.
Arroyo's win breaks Readville's stranglehold on the district. Arroyo, making his first bid for elective office, promised a more progressive platform for the seat. His father, Felix, and brother, also named Felix, had previously served as at-large councilors.
Breadon, a longtime Oak Square activist and physical therapist, was making her first bid for office. She announced her campaign even before Ciommo had announced his retirement, saying the district needed a councilor who would be more active in ensuring the neighborhood and its current residents needed protection in the onslaught of development that is sweeping across the district.
In District 4 (Dorchester), incumbent Andrea Campbell defeated challenger Jeff Durham.
In District 7 (Roxbury), incumbent Kim Janey defeated perennial homophobe Roy Owens.
In District 8 (Fenway, Back Bay, Mission Hill, Beacon Hill), Kenzie Bok will take over for the retiring Josh Zakim, defeating challenger Jennifer Nassour. Bok had won more than 50% of the vote in the September primary.
The remaining district races were uncontested, meaning councilors Lydia Edwards (District 1), Ed Flynn (District 2), Frank Baker (District 3) and Matt O'Malley (District 6) were re-elected.
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Comments
Magoo sez
Nuthin’. Magoo.
Dudley
I have a colleague who lives in Brighton and voted against the Dudley question because he didn't think it was a suitable question (with him voting in Brighton) and thought a non-binding question was dumb anyway. That sort of attitude might explain the results.
A name that didn't make any sense
anyway. What would have happened to Dudley Street? Change that too?
I did not vote on it for the
I did not vote on it for the same reason.
Monuments
When a monument, a square, a park, etc., is named for someone, it’s supposed to mean that the person did something in his life that made him worthy of remembering. I don’t know who Mr. Dudley was, but someone proposed and an elected body voted to eternal use his memory by naming a square for him. When we change the name of these things, we are showing contempt and disrespect not to the politicians who propose naming these areas for people, and not really even to the person it’s named for. We’re disrespecting the will of those who came before us and their voice in government. They voted for these politicians who made the proposal to name these things for people. When we change these names based on these whims, we’re essentially stealing their votes. I drove by Columbus Park in Southie one day and saw it was renamed Moakley Park, I assume to honor Joe Maokley. Mr. Moakley may certainly be worthy of being honored, but that park was already named for another guy. I say leave things as they are.
OK then..
You must refer to this land as Shawmut and not Boston...
There is no reason to honor Columbus in Boston
He (unlike either Moakley or Dudley) had no connection to our city.
Years ago, someone saw fit to
Years ago, someone saw fit to honor him. Those wishes should be upheld.
No. Just no.
Years ago, someone saw fit to make slavery legal. Those wishes should not be upheld.
What connection is Nubian to Boston
I thought most African Americans are descended from West African countries?
Nothing wrong with changing our minds
I know nothing about Dudley so this is about your general point and not about him specifically:
There is nothing inherently wrong with showing contempt and disrespect for past politicians and the voters who chose them. If I were, say, German in 1949 I would be fine with pulling down statues of Nazi leaders, for example.
Well
Does it make sense to name the square after a murderous slave-trading tribe? I get it, maybe Dudley wasn’t a saint and perhaps he owned slaves, but that’s like wanting to rename a square named after some minor nazi schmuck to The Third Reich Square.
Bob don't be an IDIOT
So you are comparing Dudley with Hitler? Makes sense because it works right. A lot has been made about JFK and MLK running around with multiple women. Why hasn't the ME TOO movement made any changes about them. God forbid (can i say God). But if it's Trump he is a womanizer etc. Can't have it both ways
Reading is fundamental
Did you skip the part where I said that my comments were not about Dudley? But instead about the idea that past government or voter acts automatically have to be honored?
Columbus Park
also, the name Columbus Park was moved to the North End waterfront (though I don't think it belongs there, either).
Disrespecting the votes of
Disrespecting the votes of voters past? You're entitled to your opinion, of course, but that is an absurd opinion to have. A vote is a moment in time. Other than any entities that are legally obligated to abide by the aggregate results of an election (which in this case, there are none, since it was a non-binding ballot question), a vote is just a personal answer to a question. Voting does not entitle one to an eternal stake in the things being voted on. Nobody in the future has any obligation to "respect", or even be aware of, a past vote. Disrespect has nothing to do this this, and even if it did, who cares? Current votes are more important than past ones anyway.
If current voters value the opinions of past voters, they can cast their current votes accordingly. You sound like you just don't like the way people vote these days... and doesn't that mean you're disrespecting current voters? That seems worse than what you're complaining about.
I don't think Dudley Square was consciously named
Long ago, the town of Roxbury laid out and named Dudley Street.
Much later, the Boston Elevated Railway built an electric train line above Washington Street, and named most of the stations for the cross streets they were located at, such as Dover, Northampton, and ... Dudley. The roll signs on the #1 bus said "DUDLEY STA", not "SQ".
Still later, the MBTA torn down the El and moved the Orange Line to a different alignment. There was no longer a Dudley rapid transit station, though there was still a busy bus station. Without the Orange Line El looming above it, people started saying "Dudley Square" instead of "Station".
Renaming the area may make sense, but I think we can do better than "Nubian".
(by the way, this also happened elsewhere. When the MTA extended the subway west of Mass. Ave., they added a new station called "Kenmore", named after the small street that crossed Comm. Ave. at that point. Once the station opened, people began calling the surrounding area "Kenmore Square".)
Wu for Mayor!
Wu for Mayor!
The fact that Flaherty was re-elected
yesterday gives me very little hope of anyone un-seating Marty. Voter turnout is simply too low and the voters who do show up too ill-informed.
The voters who show up are ill informed
Meaning what? The lazy you no who stay home. Because they are informed but why vote? I get my free whatever no matter who gets in. Your right Marty will get in again and again. Just like Tom M
There are those who are ill informed
But in this case, not you.
The last incumbent mayor to lose office in Boston lost in 1949. I don't see Walsh becoming as out of touch as the guy who lost in '49 was. Same thing with Menino. And Flynn. White probably got out when it was time, but that was 16 years in- the guy survived busing.
In the end, the 13 elected yesterday were the best of the bunch, and I am writing that having voted for people who did not make the cut. That's democracy.
Was that supposed to be
a coherent response?
I wonder...
...how many voters think they have to vote for four at-large candidates, even though the ballot does say "...up to four..." I rarely use up all four choices. This year it was only two. But I bet a lot of people use all four even tbough they know nothing about some of the candidates other than their address
I wonder...
...how many voters think they have to vote for four at-large candidates, even though the ballot does say "...up to four..." I rarely use up all four choices. This year it was only two. But I bet a lot of people use all four even tbough they know nothing about some of the candidates other than their address
Now what candidate
graduated from Mt Ida?
Davis Mullin, Hennigan, Tierney
and so on and so on.
But all won't be lost
In the long term, things worked out okay for Michael Flaherty after he was the guy to take on an incumbent mayor.
not saying it didnt end up this way....
but i saw way more maria esdale signs around HP than arroyo. from my persepective it seemed she was the front runner and makes me wonder how dug in his family really is....
Oh, and did you drive around Roslindale and Mattapan?
Because they're part of the district as well (I mean, I saw a fair number of her signs in Roslindale, but a lot of his as well).
Arroyo engaged in a pretty
Arroyo engaged in a pretty strong canvassing game, personally knocking on doors for months. Tons of his signs in my part of Roslindale, too, but yard signs don’t win elections anyhow.
That’s what wins elections.
That’s what wins elections.
Signs don’t vote. Winning
Signs don’t vote. Winning campaigns knock doors.
Maria knocked on OUR Roslindale door...
... and we had a nice chat with her.
Dudley -> Nubian Square question
How is it doing in the Dudley Square neighborhood and in Roxbury generally? The city has said they will pay more attention to those results than to the citywide results for that question.
I live in Roxbury and I voted
I live in Roxbury and I voted against it. Anecdotal evidence, I know, but I just don't like the name. I know many of my neighbors felt the same way.
I kind of feel like this
I kind of feel like this question should have only been on the ballot for people (like you) who live in Roxbury (and the surrounding area). I didn't feel right in having a say in something like this, given that I live in a different part of the city and didn't really have a feel for how most people who would actually be impacted by this feel about it.
The Secretary of State's
The Secretary of State's office ruled the Dudley Square question had to be on the ballot in all of Boston by law, not just Roxbury. But the Walsh administration said it will focus on the results in Roxbury when deciding what to do here.
Though as a taxpayer in the
Though as a taxpayer in the city of Boston you'd have to pay for all the rebranding and other administrative costs associated with implementing the name change. So it is something you should have a say in.
Do you really think that 90% of the
residents in Roxbury really care about a name change??? come on they are worried about their jobs, rent, and putting food on the table. This is a community activist stiring up the racial pot backed by white liberals who want to change everything that isn't LBGTQZEVFG etc.
Nubian Square how foolish is that. Can't even come up with a proper name.
What they did to renaming Tom Yawkey Way
Was an absolute disgrace. Henry and Wlash should be ashamed of themselves. The Yawkey foundation has given anywhere from 500 million to 1 Billions dollars in grant money to inner city programs and foundations. And because he didn't sign Jackie Robinson to a contract etc. he is a racist. Plenty of other teams passed on him.
Of course that's your guy
Read anything about Yawkey and you'll see why he's widely recognized as a racist but then, reading... your bete noire, I know.
Not really
He wasn't a racist because he didn't sign Jackie Robinson to a contract. His racism was well documented; not signing Jackie Robinson was merely one way in which that racism manifested itself.
I don't know say for instance
Someone wants to change the name Copley Square, should only the Back Bay and South End residents vote on it? I have gone to Copley Library many times there use to be a BPS Copley High etc. Just can't keep changing names
Poor triggered little snowflake
You really can't handle any changes, can you?
God Help Us
This family touches everything including the third rail. What’s the Over / Under on this guy “taking a leave of absence for personal reasons and becoming “Embattled” ?
Not how that works
4. The over/under is 4
Now how do you get suspended from
Register of Probate? for doing nothing? What are you suppose to do?
Nice, we got what we deserve.
Nice, we got what we deserve. Bostonians cast 66,884 ballots — representing about 16 percent of registered voters.
Althea should just relocate to DC
Surely, Daddy Trump will be calling her any day now...
Nubian Square?
I can understand the desire to do an about-face from the slaving ways of Dudley, but naming a square after an ethnicity is ill thought out. Name it after a person--Crispus Attucks, who fell in the revolution, or MLK, who was educated here, or the late Mayor Menino, who did so much to beautify the city. Or do a stretch, Boston, and name it after a WOMAN for once. NOT Louise Day Hicks! How about MELNEA CASS (look her up)? Or ELMA LEWIS?
Frankly, when I think of "Nubian," I think of "A Nubian Notion" which was the go-to shop for all sorts of cool stuff for one's dorm room back in the day. And while the memories of African fabrics and incense burners are fond, they aren't the basis for a square name.
Let's honor a person, a female person, optimally, with a square name and a statue--give the kids someone to look up to!
About naming streets etc after MLK
I read where in Kansas City MO., the voters voted AGAINST naming a stretch of road called
"The Paseo' after MLK. The city council in January 2019 voted 8-4 in favor of changing name to MLK Drive. But voters overturned it yesterday by a vote of 70% to 30%.
Not a bad choice MLK, but they don't want change.
How was the naming proposal developed?
Isn't that (now defunct) business the root of the naming proposal? There's ample precedent in naming squares after businesses: Times Square comes to mind.
And what’s that tall building by Times Square?
I believe it is the New York Times Building.
Now, if they want to rename Columbus Square the Journal American Square, you’d have a point.
Elma Lewis Square would be my choice
More meaningful locally than 'Nubian', and there's nothing else named after her that I know of. (Melnea Cass already has a Boulevard.)
Why not name it after an
Why not name it after an economic entity that serviced the public, was used a locator to the area ?
Ferdinand's Blue Store : 2260 Washington Street, corner Warren, established 1869.
https://cdm.bostonathenaeum.org/digital/collection/p13110coll5/id/1291/
It’s frightening to see how
It’s frightening to see how low this city has sunk. We’ve elected a city council, the majority of which does not believe in any form of self-accountability. They only believe in the state. What’s horrifying is that even if these people lost, the also-rans were just as bad. Families and middle-class jobs driven from the city have left us with this. It’s really sad to see what has happened to Boston. I wonder what statue this council will choose as the first to be removed.
please explain further?
Can you provide some examples of this? I do not really understand what you are referring to here.
No Examples
I won’t be providing any examples.
Of course
And even if you never have any examples to point to, we can look forward to you complaining about it on every semi-related article for the next 18 months anyway.
Majestic
"Look at these candidates we chose! The city has self-evidently sunk into moral and spiritual depravity, and won't someone please think of the children?"
"Uh... can you give me an example of what you're talking about? Doesn't have to be a scholarly article or anything, we're just wondering what the hell you're on about this time."
"No."
Bookmarked for the next time you demand explanation of, well, anything.
I never receive explanations
I never receive explanations or examples, but I’m expected to explain each word I choose? Please.
OK Boomer
OK Boomer
Do you ever ask for citations?
Or do you just prefer to complain without giving a valid reason because it makes you feel better about yourself?
No accountability for this comment
Gone are the days people can anonymously comment gobbledygook in internet comment sections without accountability for their erroneous comments. You have been called out for providing no examples and complaining about nothing.
Exhibit A
Rent control.
Q
Q is the answer....deep state...pizza...Hillary....
Uh...
I'm not aware of any statue removal stances that were big this council election cycle. Or any evidence of anything you just typed. It's frightening to see how paranoid some voters have sunk.
Wasn’t there a question on
Wasn’t there a question on the ballot to change the name of Dudley Square?
What's that have to do with the city council candidates?
They're not the ones who put it on there. Heck, I don't even think any of them took a public stance on the question one way or another.
Give it some time. You’ll be
Give it some time. You’ll be hearing how we have to rid the city of all things that are “Old Boston”.
Oh I get it now. You are mad
Oh I get it now. You are mad many of the councilors aren’t old white men.
Yes, that’s it. I like
Yes, that’s it. I like nothing but old, white men.
I voted for Althea Garrison
I voted for Althea Garrison and Flaherty.
Five Car Flaherty and nutty
Five Car Flaherty and nutty Althea. Not surprising.
like you?
cant wait.
How dare you!
How dare you!
If people who are alive and
If people who are alive and live here now want things to change or evolve to suit their needs, how is that a bad thing? Why should we be stuck with the way things were?
what does that have to do with statues?
Is there a statue of Dudley in Dudley Square? (Serious question -- I have never really looked for one.)
I don’t think there is. I don
I don’t think there is. I don’t know who Dudley was, but many years ago, someone saw fit to immortalize his memory by naming this square after him. I assume it was either voted on by the people or the politicians who were voted in by these people. I think it would be disrespectful to those people to steal their vote from them, even if that vote was cast so many years ago.
Right?
Those statues of Stalin should still be standing in Russia. Those snowflakes tearing them down just didn't contextualize his dark humor in starving his own people.
Disrespect is sometimes appropriate
I have no problem with us having “stolen their vote” by reversing those who voted in the past to make legal slavery the law of the land, or to deny women the vote, or to criminalize the sale of beer, or to forbid dark skinned people from sitting in the front half of the bus, or to incarcerate innocent American citizens because they were of Japanese ancestry...
Then shut the fuck up
These dead people were robbed of their vote...
and to top it off, that commie Lincoln freed the slaves and ruined Dudley's business. Now I get why he was "immortalized in memory".
Wikipedia:
Wikipedia:
It is named after Thomas Dudley, a colonial magistrate who served several terms as governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
I live in District 5 but did
I live in District 5 but did not vote for Arroyo mainly because I don't like legacies like Bush, Clinton, Kennedy.
Based on the at-large voting, Wu would probably do well against Walsh, should she decide to run.
I think you’re correct.
I think you’re correct.
Maybe no Wu
Wu is 95 percent running I would say . However , the City Hall machine carries couple thousand votes towards Walsh aka if he looses people could be out of jobs plus spouses and kids votes add toward that if it’s low turn out in two years . What we have is a lot of rich well financed professionals in the City who could be bored of being successful in the private sector and Might decide to run for Mayor as well (NYC Bloomberg type) .
That’s a big downside for the Mayor is he is pushing his old neighbors out when he pushes big rich developments as well because the people moving into the Seaport don’t work at city hall , police , BPS. There’s no old loyalties these days , when big new money moves in. For record I grew up in City lived there whole life just moved to Norfolk , and I was surprised while having beer at local pub that the locals and surrounding are gettung yuppified with everything going on in the city ( took a jab at the guy saying his kids and buddies pushed me out lol). It’s a big regional problem going on.
Watch who becomes BSC President
If I was to bet There definitely will be some infighting going on I would say given How Leilling wants to take on City Hall and Walsh . This could put a damper in Wu ambitions especially if it’s a minority or another women claim the throne. If Mayor leaves in term. City councilor president becomes Mayor aka How we got 20 years of Menino
What crimes does this one
What crimes does this one specialize in?
City Council is a pointless exercise in democracy
In a town where the mayor does everything and has little accountability, what does the city council do or what can they do to impact our lives? In the past few years I can only think of rent control as an issue that has come up that they can actually do something about.