The City Council approved a measure by at-large Councilor Steve Murphy to hold a hearing on a proposed state law that would let Boston police officers respond to calls in what has become one of Boston's fastest growing neighborhoods. H.2107, sponsored by state Rep. Nick Collins (D-South Boston), would give Boston Police joint jurisdiction in the area. Read more.
They better not come crawling to him for jobs, because he only hires his friends - even if they've been fired by the state's highest court for conduct unbecoming a court official.
City Councilor Steve Murphy said today he has postponed a planned hearing Monday on the Boston Public Library's handling of valuable prints and other items, not because two of those items, worth an estimated $630,000, turned up misfiled rather than stolen, but because he does not want to "compromise the integrity" of federal and city investigations into "the whereabouts of library valuables." Read More
At-large City Councilor Steve Murphy predicts the items we know about that are missing from the BPL are only "the mere tip of the iceberg" and is calling on all of the library's trustees to follow President Amy Ryan and submit their resignations immediately. Read more.
City officials joined with residents, new store owners and Historic Boston on Fairmount Avenue today to re-dedicate the Vertullo Building.
The building, which dates to 1868 - the year Hyde Park became a town - has space for five stores on the first floor and four apartments above. Historic Boston bought the building in 2011 and spent $1.3 million renovating it. Read more.
The City Council today unanimously called on the Boston Public Health Commission to study the possible ramifications of a proposed gas pipeline down Grove Street in West Roxbury and a proposed "metering and regulating station" for the pipeline right across the street from the West Roxbury Crushed Stone quarry, which still uses dynamite to dislodge the boulders it crushes.
Massport's Flavio Leo discusses runways and planes.
A City Council hearing today on resident complaints about low-flying jets from Roxbury to Hyde Park and Milton was sort of moot, because the Massport officials who did attend stressed they have nothing to do with deciding which planes fly where or how.
At-large City Councilor Steve Murphy, who lives on Fairmount Hill in Hyde Park had a simple answer: "From this point forward think of us as plaintiffs," he told the Massport officials.
City Councilors Tito Jackson (Roxbury) and Steve Murphy (at large) both want to look at alternatives to rebuilding what is now the rapidly disappearing bridge to the shelters and workshops on Long Island.
At-large City Councilor Steve Murphy says Boston could solve a key gap in its recycling program by partnering with companies that say they can now recycle the polystyrene coffee cups that Dunkin' Donuts and their ilk still use.
The Zoning Board of Appeals this morning unanimously approved a proposed 27-unit apartment building next to the Fairmount commuter-rail station.
The Southwest Boston Community Development Corp and the Codman Square Neighborhood Development Corp. plan to spend $7 million to build 24 units for people making up to 60% of the area's median income and 3 apartments for people making between 60% and 80% of that amount. It will be built on a derelict piece of former industrial land.
At-large City Councilors Michelle Wu and Steve Murphy are proposing a change in city ordinances to let smaller restaurants offer BYOB service.
In a proposal to go before the council tomorrow - assuming the council meets - the councilors will propose ending the city's current BYOB ban for restaurants that cannot afford one of the city's pricey liquor licenses or which are not located in the areas for which the state legislature gave the city new licenses. State law prohibits BYOB for restaurants with liquor licenses, but leaves the issue up to local authorities for restaurants without them.
City Councilors Bill Linehan (South Boston, South End, Chinatown) and Steve Murphy (at large) will try once again to persuade the state legislature to let Boston residents over 55 who meet certain income requirements defer parts of their property tax until they sell their homes.
Linehan says the matter is even more urgent now that the city has come out with revised property assessments, which he said are really hitting long-time residents of his district hard - he said he himself has seen his quarterly tax bill rise $200 due to the latest assessments.
A City Council committee on Friday considers setting up another committee to let councilors examine the implications of the 2024 Olympics bid.
New special committees need the consideration of Councilor Steve Murphy's Rules Committee before creation. Council President Bill Linehan proposed creation of the Olympics special committee.
The City Council today approved a hearing on BPL finances to rein in what at-large City Councilor Steve Murphy called an apparent "shadow government" overseeing Boston libraries
Murphy side-eyes the press in council salary discussion.
The City Council voted 9-4 today to increase councilors' wages from $87,500 to $107,500 a year, starting in 2016.
The delay in raises means councilors won't have to face potential fines and jail time for possible violations of state ethics laws because the raises will only apply to councilors elected in the 2015 city elections.
City councilors said today they're not going to stand for being disrespected by the Zoning Board of Appeals. So they're calling a hearing.
Councilors Steve Murphy (at large) and Councilor Josh Zakim (Fenway, Mission Hill, Back Bay, Beacon Hill) say they were infuriated and aghast at a Sept. 23 zoning hearing on a project on Hereford Street. The two councilors and Mayor Walsh asked the board to defer any action on the proposal, in part because not all nearby residents had been notified of the hearing. Murphy said the board acknowledged the requests and yet still voted 5-2 to approve the work.
The City Council agreed today to hold a hearing on how to regulate Uber, Lyft and other ride-sharing services.
Councilors Bill Linehan - who proposed the hearing - and Steve Murphy said it was time for regulation to protect public safety and out of fairness to existing medallion owners, who are subject to scrutiny by the police hackney division.
City Councilor Steve Murphy wants the Garden, the House of Blues and other concert venues to explain what they're doing to prevent a recurrence of incidents involving young concert goers collapsing from drug use.
At-large Councilor Steve Murphy, who wants to bring back horses to the police department, was more than annoyed when Police Commissioner Bill Evans didn't show up at a hearing today and began threatening to use his subpoena power to force him to appear. After a bat signal went out, the Globe reports, Evans did show up, said he was busy planning a summer program to keep kids from shooting each other.
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