State Representatives Candidates Forum
Mass Bay Credit Union
147 W4thSt. @ A St. South Boston
Thursday September 9th, 2010 6:30 P.M.
This Forum Sponsored by:
Andrew Square Civic Association
City Point Neighborhood Association
City Side Neighborhood Association
Dorchester Heights Neighborhood Association
Fort Point Neighborhood Association
Lower End Political Action Committee
McCormack Civic Association
West Broadway Neighborhood Association
Each group gets to ask 2 questions so please send in your question suggestions
Showing posts with label politics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label politics. Show all posts
Monday, September 06, 2010
Thursday, March 04, 2010
Rep. Wallace to step down
Southie state Rep. Brian Wallace to step aside
By Dave Wedge
http://www.bostonherald.com/news/politics/view.bg?articleid=1236811
Veteran South Boston state Rep. Brian Wallace is stepping away from the Golden Dome to focus on his family and pursue a writing career.
“On December 31, 2010, I will walk out of my office . . . just down the corridor from where I walked in 40 years ago, for the final time. It has been a great experience,” said Wallace, who worked at the State House before becoming a lawmaker in 2003.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Meet Kevin McCrea, 8/10
From Dan Osterman:
--
Kevin McCrea is running for the office of the Mayor of Boston! You may have met him several years ago when the Fort Point Neighborhood Group (FPNA) Working Group hosted a "meet the candidates" night, when he ran for an open At-Large City Council seat.
If you haven't already met Kevin, help me welcome him to our Fort Point neighborhood Monday night, August 10th at 7pm - at Bebe's and my place at #52, 249 A Street. He will speak about his candidacy and be available for discussion.
Read about some of Kevin's positions on his site and on his blog:
http://www.kevinmccrea.com/platform.php
http://electkevin.blogspot.com/2009_04_01_archive.html
Many of Kevin's ideas are driving campaign issues in this race.
Refreshments will be supplied by Sagarino's. By all means pass this along to friends who you
think might be interested. Thanks.
--
Kevin McCrea is running for the office of the Mayor of Boston! You may have met him several years ago when the Fort Point Neighborhood Group (FPNA) Working Group hosted a "meet the candidates" night, when he ran for an open At-Large City Council seat.
If you haven't already met Kevin, help me welcome him to our Fort Point neighborhood Monday night, August 10th at 7pm - at Bebe's and my place at #52, 249 A Street. He will speak about his candidacy and be available for discussion.
Read about some of Kevin's positions on his site and on his blog:
http://www.kevinmccrea.com/platform.php
http://electkevin.blogspot.com/2009_04_01_archive.html
Many of Kevin's ideas are driving campaign issues in this race.
Refreshments will be supplied by Sagarino's. By all means pass this along to friends who you
think might be interested. Thanks.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Landmarking Letters
The guidelines for making Fort Point an Historic Landmark District are going to be voted on by the Landmarks Commission. The committee has worked hard to draft guidelines that will protect the historic character of the neighborhood and make sure that new buildings and development projects are able to go forward in a way that respects this.
At the public meeting, there was some pressure by the large landowners to have more control over the committee and process, and you can bet they will make their opinions heard. I encourage all Foint Pointers to write a letter to the Landmarks Commission. They can be mailed or faxed:
Katie McLaughlin
Boston Landmarks Commission
Boston City Hall, Room 895
Boston. MA 02201
Fax: 617-635-3435
The letter should state how you're connected to the neighborhood (resident, owner, business owner, etc.). Some talking points to consider:
1. The Appointment and makeup of the Commission.
-Long-term stakeholders need representation. The Landmarking process was initiated by the advocacy of such existing community organizations (FPAC,
SAND, FPNA, FPCC, etc.) and represents years of work and effort on their part. Each of the Community organizations should have an ex-officio representation on the commission, to ensure long-term neighborhood representation.
-The representation of commercial owners and developers on the district commission needs to be BALANCED to restrict CONFLICT OF INTEREST and to ensure due community process.
-There are recent owners and developers who have allowed buildings to go vacant and deteriorate, while waiting to resell them. This short-term interest has caused blight in the district with numerous vacant buildings that will most likely remain empty during the current economic downturn.
-The City has a precedent where residents are given greater deference on a
commission because they are most impacted, and represent long-term interest.
-The ability or interest of the "OWNER/ Developers" regulating themselves if
made the sole composition of the board, is limited, especially in the
current climate. Many of these individuals/owners already belong to other
organizations with overlapping interests and during the public comment
process have used these organizations as a tool for pushing development
interests and agendas within the landmark process.
2. REGULATIONS VERSUS GUIDELINES.
- Developers are arguing for a watering down of the proposed Standards and Criteria that were modeled after similar Landmark Districts in the City.
- During the public comment process, much of the language was already revised in response to property owner/ developer concerns for special circumstances and potential economic hardships. For example, in many instances the word 'shall' was replaced with the word 'should,' to address concerns voiced. The Standards and Criteria as written represent a document reached through public process that is comparable to those in place in other districts throughout the City and should be approved as such.
-The Commision's role in interpreting the guidelines painstakingly crafted over a nearly two-year process must be clarified.
-The landmark district regulations must mirror similar successful regulatory practices in other districts in the City (South End, Back Bay, Aberdeen).
3. Specific Regulations being sought to be changed by developers: a. Retail storefronts, b. Additions to Buildings, c. Demolition by Neglect
-Each of these issues (retail storefronts, additions to buildings, and demolition by neglect) have been raised several times in the Study Committee over the course of several meetings each, and as drafted represent a balance between development and conservation interests.
- Last minute representations by paid counsel of a few developers should not override the hundreds of hours of testimony and letters provided by the community.
-The current guidelines are modeled after successful Landmark regulations in Boston and in other Cities, where such relations have resulted in the restoration of historic districts in the context of new mix of commercial, retail and residential redevelopment.
-Study Committee member Mr. Young Park, who is a developer in the district, himself noted in the final public meeting at the Children¹s Museum on October 29, 2008 that these Landmark Guidelines would ensure the preservation of long term value of real estate investments.
-Given the thoroughness of the Landmark study and Drafting process, it would be appropriate for the Commission to approve the Regulations as currently formulated, and revisited after a four year of time for their effectiveness.
-Arguments based upon short-term commercial or financial interests must not be allowed to override the long-term public goal of ensuring the preservation and restoration of this unique historic district.
-As evidenced through real estate values in other historic districts across Boston, guidelines for responsible restoration and adaptive re-use have not limited the financial viability of development, rather they have enhanced property values. As developer and study committee member, Young Park noted in his final presentation that real estate economics are impacted more by the residential market than by guidelines for restoration of historic assets.
4. DUE PROCESS
-Objective criteria of the Distinctive features of the neighborhood, listed after extensive publicly documented study, must not be allowed to bereplaced by subjective criteria developed by commercial development interests.
-The substance and intent of the guidelines as drafted have been endorsed by the Elected Officials (Councilor Linehan), the City-- (BRA), and the respected Boston Preservation Alliance.
- Owner interests in the district during the process have used their influence to get tenants to speak in their favor (in some cases misrepresenting the goals of the Study and Landmark process). If the owner/ developers are left to manage the District Commission, it would be difficult to ensure the community as a whole that there would be a fair review of projects.
-The objective of these Landmark regulations is to encourage good restoration and rehabilitation of this unique historic resource, and to prevent demolition by neglect and poor design and narrowly defined short-term commercial interests. Even during this process, buildings in the neighborhood sit vacant, and in some cases in deteriorating condition.
-The Landmark study and process has been exemplified by strong and fair Civic engagement, meetings have been open to the public and comment has been carefully considered by the Committee during the more than a year and a half of the process.
At the public meeting, there was some pressure by the large landowners to have more control over the committee and process, and you can bet they will make their opinions heard. I encourage all Foint Pointers to write a letter to the Landmarks Commission. They can be mailed or faxed:
Katie McLaughlin
Boston Landmarks Commission
Boston City Hall, Room 895
Boston. MA 02201
Fax: 617-635-3435
The letter should state how you're connected to the neighborhood (resident, owner, business owner, etc.). Some talking points to consider:
1. The Appointment and makeup of the Commission.
-Long-term stakeholders need representation. The Landmarking process was initiated by the advocacy of such existing community organizations (FPAC,
SAND, FPNA, FPCC, etc.) and represents years of work and effort on their part. Each of the Community organizations should have an ex-officio representation on the commission, to ensure long-term neighborhood representation.
-The representation of commercial owners and developers on the district commission needs to be BALANCED to restrict CONFLICT OF INTEREST and to ensure due community process.
-There are recent owners and developers who have allowed buildings to go vacant and deteriorate, while waiting to resell them. This short-term interest has caused blight in the district with numerous vacant buildings that will most likely remain empty during the current economic downturn.
-The City has a precedent where residents are given greater deference on a
commission because they are most impacted, and represent long-term interest.
-The ability or interest of the "OWNER/ Developers" regulating themselves if
made the sole composition of the board, is limited, especially in the
current climate. Many of these individuals/owners already belong to other
organizations with overlapping interests and during the public comment
process have used these organizations as a tool for pushing development
interests and agendas within the landmark process.
2. REGULATIONS VERSUS GUIDELINES.
- Developers are arguing for a watering down of the proposed Standards and Criteria that were modeled after similar Landmark Districts in the City.
- During the public comment process, much of the language was already revised in response to property owner/ developer concerns for special circumstances and potential economic hardships. For example, in many instances the word 'shall' was replaced with the word 'should,' to address concerns voiced. The Standards and Criteria as written represent a document reached through public process that is comparable to those in place in other districts throughout the City and should be approved as such.
-The Commision's role in interpreting the guidelines painstakingly crafted over a nearly two-year process must be clarified.
-The landmark district regulations must mirror similar successful regulatory practices in other districts in the City (South End, Back Bay, Aberdeen).
3. Specific Regulations being sought to be changed by developers: a. Retail storefronts, b. Additions to Buildings, c. Demolition by Neglect
-Each of these issues (retail storefronts, additions to buildings, and demolition by neglect) have been raised several times in the Study Committee over the course of several meetings each, and as drafted represent a balance between development and conservation interests.
- Last minute representations by paid counsel of a few developers should not override the hundreds of hours of testimony and letters provided by the community.
-The current guidelines are modeled after successful Landmark regulations in Boston and in other Cities, where such relations have resulted in the restoration of historic districts in the context of new mix of commercial, retail and residential redevelopment.
-Study Committee member Mr. Young Park, who is a developer in the district, himself noted in the final public meeting at the Children¹s Museum on October 29, 2008 that these Landmark Guidelines would ensure the preservation of long term value of real estate investments.
-Given the thoroughness of the Landmark study and Drafting process, it would be appropriate for the Commission to approve the Regulations as currently formulated, and revisited after a four year of time for their effectiveness.
-Arguments based upon short-term commercial or financial interests must not be allowed to override the long-term public goal of ensuring the preservation and restoration of this unique historic district.
-As evidenced through real estate values in other historic districts across Boston, guidelines for responsible restoration and adaptive re-use have not limited the financial viability of development, rather they have enhanced property values. As developer and study committee member, Young Park noted in his final presentation that real estate economics are impacted more by the residential market than by guidelines for restoration of historic assets.
4. DUE PROCESS
-Objective criteria of the Distinctive features of the neighborhood, listed after extensive publicly documented study, must not be allowed to bereplaced by subjective criteria developed by commercial development interests.
-The substance and intent of the guidelines as drafted have been endorsed by the Elected Officials (Councilor Linehan), the City-- (BRA), and the respected Boston Preservation Alliance.
- Owner interests in the district during the process have used their influence to get tenants to speak in their favor (in some cases misrepresenting the goals of the Study and Landmark process). If the owner/ developers are left to manage the District Commission, it would be difficult to ensure the community as a whole that there would be a fair review of projects.
-The objective of these Landmark regulations is to encourage good restoration and rehabilitation of this unique historic resource, and to prevent demolition by neglect and poor design and narrowly defined short-term commercial interests. Even during this process, buildings in the neighborhood sit vacant, and in some cases in deteriorating condition.
-The Landmark study and process has been exemplified by strong and fair Civic engagement, meetings have been open to the public and comment has been carefully considered by the Committee during the more than a year and a half of the process.
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
Vote Today!
Please remember to get out and vote today. Local politicians do look at the records of who votes from which neighborhoods, so it's important for all Fort Pointers to vote.
Our polling place is the Condon School, at 200 D St. Hope to see you there!
Our polling place is the Condon School, at 200 D St. Hope to see you there!
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Bill to give developers municipal powers
Shirley Kressel from the Alliance of Boston Neighborhoods writes about a bill currently in the state senate to allow cities to designate "Local Improvement Zone" and give real estate developers sweeping powers in those districts to act like a government
- Shirley's post: Developers will soon become city governments
- Full text of the bill: Senate, 146
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Meet the Candidates Night
The "Meet the Candidates" event last Sunday at the Fire Museum was well-attended and had a good, lively discussion among the candidates on issues such as artist displacement concerns, BRA processes, parking, and other important matters affecting the neighborhood.
Significantly, this was Fort Point's first-ever City Council forum. Volunteers from across the neighborhood made it work.
The City Council District 2 preliminary election is coming up on April 17th, with the final on May 15th. Make sure you get out and vote!
The City Council District 2 preliminary election is coming up on April 17th, with the final on May 15th. Make sure you get out and vote!
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Candidate's Night, March 25th, 4pm
Candidates for the City Council special election will be in Fort Point later this month to meet with residents and answer questions:
---
We are very pleased to announce that Fort Point will be having a Candidates Night for the Boston City Council special election slated for April 17th. The venue will be the Firehouse Museum at 344 Congress Street at 4pm on Sunday, March 25th. Matthew Thall, who works with the Fort Point Cultural Coalition, has graciously agreed to be our forum moderator.
Since first being contacted all of the candidates have worked to open their schedule for us to make this a great neighborhood event. Come and hear what these eight candidates running for the District Two open seat for the Boston City Council have to say about your concerns. Running to represent the area comprised of Bay Village, Chinatown, the Leather District, South Boston/Fort Point, the South End and parts of Downtown Boston and Northern Dorchester are (in alphabetical order):
Mary Cooney
Brian Curran
Robert Ferrara
William Linehan
Robert O'Shea
Edward Flynn
Brian R. Mahoney
Susan Passoni
There will be time formatted for the candidates to speak for themselves; for the candidates to take questions previously submitted to the moderator; and lastly to take questions from the audience.
Sincerely,
Bill Meister, Mike Tyrell, Dan Osterman and Cam Sawzin
Fort Point Candidates Night Committee
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