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Election roundup: Mayoral candidates agree that the T sucks; Arroyos back Wu
By adamg on Tue, 09/28/2021 - 4:29pm
Both Michelle Wu and Annissa Essaibi George issued statements today that this morning's latest Red Line derailment, coming just days after an escalator tore the flesh off riders at Back Bay and a man fell to his death at JFK/UMass, is just the latest proof that the T needs more investments to make it safer and more reliable.
The fightin' Arroyos, both Felix and Ricardo, today endorsed Michelle Wu for mayor. The father and son had earlier backed Kim Janey. Arroyo the younger said:
Michelle Wu has a progressive vision that centers justice and addresses the underlying causes of inequity in Boston. Michelle is creating the necessary coalition’s required to ensure Boston is a city where everyone can thrive and have a voice. She has a history of bringing people to the table, not excluding them, and that is the leadership we need.
Also endorsing Wu: The Jamaica Plain Progressives. Unlike the Arroyos, they couldn't decide between Janey and Wu before the preliminary - leaders wanted Janey, rank and file wanted Wu - but that's no longer an issue.
The city Elections Department held a recount in the District 7 (Roxbury) city-council race and the basic results are the same: Roy Owens still advances to the November final, where he will lose to Tania Fernandes Anderson, which will clear his schedule to wage another unsuccessful campaign next year (so far, for Congress against Ayanna Pressley). Owens has been losing campaigns since at least 1991, when he ran for the District 7 seat on a platform of claiming his opponent supported sodomy.
State Rep. Nika Elugardo today backed City Councilor Lydia Edwards in her run for the state-senate seat Joe Boncore just gave up. Elugardo, of course, can't actually vote for Edwards because she doesn't live in the district Edwards wants to represent.
Neighborhoods:
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Comments
Wu.. The T needs more investment (money)
Also Wu... Lets strip the T of their main source of revenue, user payments.
Also Wu:
Also Wu:
Let's take all of the money that's currently spent on buying, servicing, and replacing fare collection systems, handling cash, staffing the "charlie card store", and the entire associated bureaucracy, the only purpose of which is to move money from the public's left ("T rider") pocket to the public's right ("Taxpayer") pocket, and instead spend it on, you know, operating trains and buses.
That's not true though...
https://sites.bu.edu/dome/2020/05/20/funding-the-mbta-getting-derailed-p...
If the T didn't charge for their service
Things would improve.
Vote Wu.
What about Bronson and
What about Bronson and Christian Arroyo? Are they endorsing Wu?
It makes more sense than you think
If the T could simply run as a public service without having to make a profit it would have more money to invest in repairs. The Funding does need to be guaranteed but takes already pay for most of the T budget why not make it all of it like city streets, the library, school, etc.
A free T also would not have to waste resources collecting fares, upgrading fare collection etc.
Nope.
Fares cover one-third of the T's budget. The dedicated revenue from the sales tax covers about half. The key reason why the T was planning to slash service post-Covid was the ginormous revenue hole resulting from people staying home.
If you want to make transit more affordable to the poor, then use programs like SNAP or housing assistance to determine access to discounted or free T passes. People don't avoid using the T because it's too expensive -- it's because it's not an effective use of time or an undesirable product.
UHub
has the region's best Roy Owens coverage, hands down.
Well, the most straightforward, anyway.
What if he wins
He's already running for office next year...
I am glad that unlike his Congressional opponents who support diseases, he opposes them.
But he lost me on his website with his non-sequitur about 7-Eleven. Unless he's accusing 7-Eleven of performing abortions, then that would make more sense, but still not so much.
(http://royowensboston.mysite.com/)
That's great. Politicians
That's great. Politicians agree MBTA sucks. What can they do?