Developer's check briefly takes center stage at 10th Suffolk forum

A generally genial online forum for the three candidates running for the state representative's seat that Ed Coppinger quit briefly turned tense last night over the West Roxbury hot-button of the fenced off field of dirt at Centre and Park streets.

Robert Orthman of Roslindale was discussing his housing policy, in which he calls for making it easier to build apartment and condo buildings near transit lines and stations, when he said he had his limits - he wouldn't say yes to anything and certainly wouldn't take money from developers looking to do something "unscrupulous or questionable." Like, say, the developer who tore down two buildings at Centre and Park even before the city approved his plans to put up a proposed 21-unit condo building at the site.

"I haven't taken any donations from the developer in that building and Bill has," he said, referring to candidate William MacGregor of West Roxbury, who had said he also opposed the project.

"That's a lie!" MacGregor retorted.

"Gary Martell," Orthman replied.

MacGregor said the developer is CAD Builders, not Martell, and he had taken no money from CAD Builders.

After somebody wrote in the forum chat that Martell was the public front man for CAD Builders at hearings on the project - in fact, he is the owner - MacGregor acknowledged that, yes, Martell is the developer behind the Centre Street project, but that he still opposes the project and that he has told Martell that.

"It's nice of him to donate even though I opposed his project," he said, adding Martell must have done so because "he knows I'm fair."

The issue was particularly sensitive last night because the forum was organized by the Highland Neighborhood Civic Association, which residents of the area around Centre and Park re-started a couple years ago specifically to fight Martell's plans to replace a 19th-century house and a former bank branch with condos.

Later, the moderator followed up with a question on how MacGregor could take money from Martell when the neighborhood is solidly opposed to the project.

"Gary knows I've opposed this project," MacGregor said. "I think he knows I'm working in the best interests [of the neighborhood]. " He said that in his tenure as chief of staff for City Councilor Matt O'Malley, Martell and other developers came to "know that I am a hard worker and they've worked with me in the past and they know I'm fair." Martell still gave him money even though "I almost never support anything of Gary's."

Most of the forum was about other issues, including housing in general:

Housing

All three candidates - MacGregor, Orthman and Celia Segel of Jamaica Plain - said something needs to be done to increase the supply of affordable housing - and that they doubted their children could afford to live in the district if nothing is done.

MacGregor called for looking at ways of creating a new stock of "starter homes," including making it easier for builders to put single-family homes on the many small lots in the district that no longer meet the current 6,000-square-foot minimum zoning requirements. He would also look to increase state funds to help first-time homeowners pay their down payments.

Orthman said he would emphasize apartment and condo buildings, in particular near transit lines and stops - but said he would not favor apartment buildings on the district's smaller side streets. "Multi-family housing is something that is very crucial," because it costs less per unit and so is more affordable, he said, pointing to his lobbying work to convince Mayor Wu to replace zoning-board members who had opposed a proposed apartment building in Roslindale Square. Once that project went before the newly constituted board, it won approval.

Segel called for more incentives for developers to build homes that more people could afford, including housing for seniors. She also said she would take a look at the state's Chapter 40B law, which eases regulatory burdens for developers in exchange for affordable housing. The law doesn't apply in Boston, because the city has already met the state minimum for affordable units, but could be better used to build affordable housing elsewhere, she said.

Public transportation

All three say Boston needs a seat on the MBTA board of directors.

Segel said more accountability and transparency is a must. She pointed to "a long list" of urgently needed repairs at stations, for example, JFK/UMass and along the Southwest Corridor.

Orthman said fixing the T is one of the biggest reasons he decided to run for the seat. He said he was active in the effort to get dedicated rush-hour bus lanes along Washington Street in Roslindale. He called for reducing the commuter-rail fares from West Roxbury and Roslindale to that of a subway ride. And he said the state needs to remove Big Dig debt from the T's books. "The T is just absolutely drowning in debt service."

MacGregor said he worked with then councilors O'Malley, Wu and McCarthy to get fares lowered from local commuter-rail stops and supports an effort by state Sen. Lydia Edwards and state Rep. Adrian Madaro for reduced fares for low-income riders. He would also improve service on the Ride. He added that the Carmen's Union endorsed him shortly before the forum started.

Environment

MacGregor said he would continue O'Malley's work fighting for environmental causes, such as doing something about all the natural-gas leaks from mains that contribute to global warming and kill nearby trees. He said he would look at measures such as covering MBTA parking lots with solar-panel canopies and supports the T's switch from diesel to electric buses.

Segel said Massachusetts needs to move more aggressively towards power from renewable resources. She said her wife is from the Midwest and that on trips there, she always marvels at how many windmills there are now. There's nothing like that here, but we have a long coastline off which we should be building wind turbines, she said. She added that she would also push to make the state's utilities beef up their electrical grids to support the extra demand that will come as more and more buildings and vehicles are electrified.

Orthman called for electrification of commuter rail, to increase reliability, to reduce carbon emissions in general and the amount of diesel fumes and particulates locomotives now spew in the neighborhoods they pass through. He said he would make it easier for communities to require new buildings to be all electric from the start.

Centre Street in West Roxbury

MacGregor called for several steps to make the road safer, including more flashing pedestrian-crossing signs and other signage to get drivers to slow down. He also called for planting more trees, which he said would reduce the glare that can blind drivers to pedestrians.

Orthman called for a "road diet" to reduce the number of lanes along the road as a safety measure. He said the current four-lane set up is simply unsafe, and says he knows somebody who was almost killed while walking across the road in a crosswalk - the driver nearest him stopped, he began walking, then a driver in the other lane slammed into him, Orthman said.

Segel did not discuss Centre Street.

Education

All three have young children and support increasing access to early education - and to making childcare more affordable.

Segel said there's a particular need to address the "mental health crisis" among students, in particular among teen girls.

MacGregor said he hopes his children can attend public schools but that he is concerned that BPS enrollment keeps dropping even as BPS spending keeps increasing. Pointing to mass shootings at schools in other states, he said we need to do more to keep schools safe - and to provide adequate mental-health resources to students. He called for printing the number of a national suicide prevention line on all BPS student IDs.

Orthman said the state needs to rely less on standardized testing to gauge student progress, especially now, in the years after students suffered "pandemic learning losses." He said he would also work to figure out ways to provide college education that would let students graduate without having "sword of Damocles debt" hanging over them when they graduate.

Greater transparency and accountability in the legislature

All three candidates support it.

The three are competing in the May 2 Democratic primary to replace Coppinger. Whoever wins will likely become the next state rep because there are no Republican or independent candidates on the ballot.