Hey, there! Log in / Register
Election roundup: Candidates, acting mayor meet to plan transition; mystery White guy pushes Janey write-ins on Blue Hill Avenue
By adamg on Fri, 09/24/2021 - 11:48am
Photo via mayor's office.
Acting Mayor Kim Janey met with Annissa Essaibi George and Michelle Wu yesterday to begin planning the transition for when one of the candidates takes over at City Hall in November.
At a meeting at the city-owned Parkman House, the three agreed to set Nov. 16 as the official start of the next administration - it should give the elections department enough time to certify the results of the Nov. 2 final election.
The mayor's office says it will forward details on the organization and operation of city departments by mid-October, followed by briefings for the winning candidate between election day and Nov. 16.
Jamarhl Crawford posts video of the guy trying to convince people in Grove Hall to write in Janey's name. And seems somebody, maybe the same guy, was doing the same in West Roxbury last Saturday.
Janey is not behind the man, who seems reluctant to say who he is.
Meanwhile, perpetual candidate Roy Owens, who will not get elected District 7 (Roxbury) city councilor in November, has already started to lose a race for Congress in 2022. You can support him via "Venmor," if, that is, "you are not ashamed of your God."
In the meantime, Owens, pending a recount, is still on the ballot against Tania Fernandes Anderson in District 7. Incumbent at-large Councilor Julia Mejia this week endorsed Anderson:
Through her work on human services to playwriting, fashion design to parent advocacy, foster parenting to small business ownership, I know Tania Fernandes Anderson is ready to dialogue with the people & advocate for the solutions to make Boston a better place for AllMeansAll!
The Dorchester Reporter reports Black and Latinx leaders are planning to meet tomorrow to consider what to do about the November election. The Bay State Banner has more.
One Black leader, state Rep. Liz Miranda of Roxbury, endorsed Wu this week:
This moment will shape the future of Boston for years to come and calls on all of us to elect a Mayor who will lead for and with all of our neighborhoods in Boston, someone who is accountable to the people of Roxbury, Dorchester, Mattapan, Hyde Park and communities of color from across the diaspora who call Boston home. I love our City of Boston, but this is our city too, our communities deserve and demand more. We cannot wait another year for a comprehensive solution to the Mass & Cass crisis now, for improvements to Madison Park High and all of our public schools, good paying jobs or resources to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. I want us to stop just surviving, it’s time for us to thrive. As the Mayor who will be brave and bold, empowering us to dream bigger, expanding what is politically possible for the city we love, I know that Michelle Wu is the candidate we can trust on November 2nd
Essaibi George, meanwhile, got the nod from Iron Workers Local 7:
Throughout her career she has fought for the issues our membership cares about most, from affordable housing to good jobs to high quality education. As our next Mayor, she’ll build on that fight with bold ideas and action to make Boston a better place to live and work for all.
JP Progressives, who deadlocked before the primary between Wu and Janey, will try again now that the field is down to just two candidates, although the group's board e-mailed members this week to "enthusiastically recommend" that they back Wu.
Michelle has shown herself to be a brilliant thinker, both in policy and politics. Voters can always count on her to do her homework and be thoroughly informed on the issues that matter to our city. As a city councilor, Michelle led on equity issues such as paid parental leave for city employees, prohibiting health insurance discrimination based on gender identity, increasing language access for city services, and pushing for food justice and greater racial equity in city procurement contracts. We love her consistent, outspoken leadership on city transit issues, putting forward a vision for free public transit that is now being piloted on bus routes here and in other MA cities, as well as her commitment to support the reestablishment of rent control and to prioritize housing justice.
The group had already backed Dave Halbert, Ruthzee Louijeune and Julia Mejia in the at-large council race, but adds:
We would now like to recommend that our members add Carla Monteiro to our slate of endorsed candidates for City Council At-Large.
Topics:
Free tagging:
Ad:
Support Universal Hub
Help keep Universal Hub going. If you like what we're up to and want to help out, please consider a (completely non-deductible) contribution.
Comments
Mystery white guy?
Ok . Be on the lookout.
Mystery white guy- (posted a few minutes ago to the wrong story)
I am not on facebook and the link to the video requires me to log in. Can someone provide a video or image that doesn't require a log in?
At a meeting at the city
The City Council could simply vote in either Wu or AEG as its Council President once the uncertified election results are known the day after the election. Why keep the old acting mayor for 13 days instead of handing off right away to the new mayor? The winner will be acting mayor during those 13 days, but nobody will contest their authority.
In case of an emergency I can
In case of an emergency I can see why they would do that but 13 days is not a huge amount of time. Even when a result is obvious it's important to let the democratic process run its course. If you mess with the rules too much you get people who use it as setting a precedent. I know what sounds silly but these things have a way of building up and manifesting themselves years later when you least expect it.
Overall I think it's good to see them all talking now about transition plans.
To the contrary, it would be
To the contrary, it would be highly undemocratic to keep Janey in the mayor's office from November 3 through November 16. After election day, the unofficial mayor-elect will have a far stronger mandate to run the city than the acting mayor has.
The results need to be
The results need to be certified, that does not happen the night of. There is a process and there is no reason to short circuit that process.
If 2020 taught us anything it's that the process exists for a reason and instead of coming up with wacky run arounds people should read into how things actually work and follow them. There's zero reason to turn over the keys before the paperwork is finalized.
It's not a short circuit at
It's not a short circuit at all. The City Council President (who holds the role of Acting Mayor) serves at the pleasure of the City Council. The Council can reassign the role at will. They asserted that authority by a 10-2 vote this summer.
The new Mayor won't be official until around the 16th after the results are certified. But if on November 3rd you had to choose an Acting Mayor to run Boston for the next two weeks, who would you choose: the person who got 4th place in the preliminary, or the person you just witnessed getting the most votes in the general election?
You are negating the fact
You are negating the fact that it's not official until it's certified. I personally think it's important to go through the motions of Democracy so it's harder for someone to side step them when it's not as clear cut.
There is no open election
for "acting mayor"
13 days is a problem?
Usually, the new mayor doesn't take office until Jan. 1.
But fortunately, this isn't Washington, where we don't have to worry about any mischief by the old officer holder until the time the new president is sworn in ...
Usually, the new Mayor takes
Usually, the new Mayor takes office Jan 1 because the old Mayor was elected to a term that runs through Dec 31. There is no gap in leadership, unlike now, when the city has been Mayorless since March.
Careful, Roy
I'm pretty sure it's illegal for candidates to request/ receive money via Venmo(r). OCPF requires campaigns to have the donor's name and address at the time of the donation (and occupation/employer if they are giving more than $200). Venmo(r) doesn't provide this information and thus doesn't comply to campaign finance law. This is also why cash donation baskets at political events are a big no-no.
OCPF doesn't apply to US Congress
FEC is US Congress. OCPF is state-level and (some) municipal level elections.
Jamarhl Crawford
Absolutely despises white people. I have tried to connect with him many times over issues we both feel are important and it is clear he wants nothing to do with me solely because of the color of my skin. He is a racist prick acting like he is doing work for the community.
Right, cause you come across
Right, cause you come across as a lovely person here
Awww
Your poor, fragile, white ego get bruised by the local activist of color?? You want some warm milk, shmoopie?
I've not found that to be the case at all
White person here, who has interacted with him many times in the context of supporting Black-led initiatives. I've never gotten any sense that he hates white people (and what if he did? Maybe brush up on history and current events and learn about how Black folks have plenty of reason to not want anything to do with us). He might, like everyone, have certain things that he focuses on, and perhaps couldn't help you with whatever you were looking for. You realize he doesn't owe you anything, right?
I'm confused
Wouldn't the new mayor's term start in January? I realize that the situation might be different when the transitioning is from an acting mayor than from an elected one, but is there an actual statute or ordinance that allows that transition date to picked arbitrarily?
Not that I'm complaining. It will be good for Michelle Wu to get an early start on her term.
https://wbznewsradio.iheart
https://wbznewsradio.iheart.com/content/2021-09-13-boston-will-swear-in-...
It's in the city charter
It's in the city charter (which is a compilation of Mass laws). If there's a vacancy in office, then the position gets filled before inauguration:
"A person elected mayor under either of the foregoing provisions shall take and subscribe the oaths required by section eleven A as soon as conveniently may be after the issuance to him of his certificate of election."
The bottom of Roy Owen's website is pretty hilarious
Fascinating, Roy! Any other SEO tips for us?
We need to elect a candidate
that has templates and meta tags on his website.
One’s a Smith Grad and one’s
One’s a Smith Grad and one’s a Harvard Grad two well respected higher learning institutions.
And, one's...
a BU/UMB grad. Also well respected institutes of higher learning.
Not his tips
They're too normally capitalized and punctuated. Gotta be templates.
Awkward body language.
Awkward body language.
Is there a write in space on
Is there a write in space on the ballot for mayor? I don't remember if there is. But isn't the point of a top-2 preliminary election to narrow it down to only two candidates?
Apparently, yes. There is.
Apparently, yes. There is.