Yancey Running for Boston Mayor, City Council
District 4 Boston City Councilor Charles Yancey has pulled nomination papers for both the mayoral and district races. Yancey was first elected to the Boston City Council in 1983 and is the longest sitting councilor. His decision to run for both positions is not unheard of, as past candidates have done the same. Along with Yancey, some of the more noted mayoral candidates who have pulled nomination papers, according to Boston’s Election Department, include Boston District 8 City Councilor Mike Ross, Charles Clemons Jr., Will Dorcena, former state representative Althea Garrison, Barstool Sports website owner DavidPortnoy and former city councilor Gareth Saunders. If Yancey chooses to run for his current council seat, the field could be tougher than what the incumbent has experienced in past years. Already several residents have pulled nomination papers for District 4 including Roslindale’sSteven Godfrey, Mattapan’s Jerina Harris and J.R. Rucker and Terrance J. Williams, both of Dorchester. Mayoral candidates have until May 21 to submit nomination papers and need at least 3,000 certified signatures by June 25 to get on the ballot for the Sept. 24 preliminary election. A November election will feature the two candidates with the highest vote totals from the preliminary. Boston city elections are nonpartisan, meaning two Democrats, two Republicans or two Green party candidates could be finalists. South End Patch
Boylston Crime Scene Still Closed, MBTA Running Normally
A 12-block downtown triangle continues to be closed to the public following the Marathon Monday bombings. Boylston Street from Massachusetts Avenue to Clarendon Street and Huntington Avenue to Newbury Street are closed to pedestrian and vehicle traffic. Copley Station is closed. Trains are running passed this station. MassPike exit 22 on the eastbound side toward Copley Square remains closed. MBTA Police are randomly searching riders’ bags. Passengers on a commuter rail train early Wednesday morning in Framingham were evacuated and searched. The train was cleared to continue. A Wednesday morning accident has caused the MBTA to terminate the E branch of Green Line service at Brigham Circle. Riders must use the 39 bus route for service between Brigham Circle and Heath Street. South End Patch
Mourners Headed to Running Shops Following Blasts
Following the afternoon explosions at the finish line of the Boston Marathon, people sought answers at running shops in the the area. The Huffington Post reports that running shops social media accounts became sites on which the running community and others poured in support following the bombings which left at least two dead and at least 140 injured. The first blast went off in front of Marathon Sports on Boylston St., blowing out the store’s windows. The store announced on its Facebook page that the staff were all OK. Visitors also went to the Greater Boston Running Company in Lexington to discuss the tragedy. South End Patch
Witness: ‘All of a Sudden Everyone Turned Around and Was Running in the Opposite Direction’
UMass Boston student Mary Bickford, 21, from Abington describes the scene on Boylston Street just after the explosions rocked the end of the Boston Marathon course. South End Patch
City Councilor Mike Ross Running for Mayor
District 8 City Councilor Mike Ross announced his candidacy for Boston mayor on Thursday. “This week, our Red Sox returned for their home opener, providing Bostonians with a surge of hope, optimism and renewal. Every year on Opening Day, I think back to 13 years ago, during my earliest days as a city councilor, when a small group of us stood together against powerful forces to save Fenway Park. All of Boston won that fight and look at the neighborhood today,” Ross wrote via a new website for his mayoral candidacy. “Today, in that same spirit of community activism and determination to continue building a better Boston, I am announcing that I will be getting into the race for mayor,” added Ross. First elected in 1999, he has represented Back Bay, Beacon Hill, West End, Fenway, Kenmore Square, Audubon Circle, and Mission Hill. Ross, whose father is a Holocaust survivor, and mother is a 71-year-old openly gay woman, tipped his hat to Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, “And it was Tom Menino who taught me long ago that the business of public service is, at its heart, about helping people. For many Bostonians, he is the only mayor they’ve ever known. My service as city council president was a partnership with Mayor Menino that I will always be proud of.” Ross joins fellow city councilors John Connolly, Felix Arroyo and Rob Consalvo, as announced candidates for mayor. SOUTH END PATCH: Facebook | Twitter | E-mail Updates South End Patch
Marathon Spotlight: South End’s Pflug Running for Perkins School
http://southend.patch.com/articles/running-the-boston-marathon-share-your-story-19528c99#photo-13889503 South End Patch
Who’s Running for Mayor?
The low rumble you hear off in the distance isn’t thunder, it’s the stampede of Boston politicos jockeying for a mayoral run. With Tom Menino officially out of the next election, the thought of replacing him has many of Boston’s biggest political players lining up for a shot at the big chair. So far, it’s all talk—Candidates can’t apply for nomination papers until April 17, and have until May 21 to file the official paperwork. But it’s hard to blame anyone for jumping early. The Boston mayorship has rarely changed hands in recent decades. Three men—Menino, Ray Flynn and Kevin White—have run the city for the last 45 years. By comparison, there have been five popes in the same time period. A non-incumbent election is a very rare opportunity. We’ve compiled the latest on the potential candidates to keep you abreast of the latest on who’s in, who’s out who’s playing coy when it comes to the upcoming mayoral election. Here’s how the field stands as of 11 a.m. Friday, April 5. Did we miss anyone? Is there anyone left to miss? Tell us in the comments with a link to their latest statement or quote and we’ll add it to the chart! Who’s in (meaning they have announced they will run) John Connolly, city councilor Dan Conley, Suffolk County district attorney Marty Walsh, state representative William Dorcena, community activist Charles Clemmons, TOUCH 106.1 FM co-founder Rob Consalvo, city councilor Who’s openly discussing a run Felix Arroyo, city councilor Mike Ross, city councilor Who’s undecided/Not saying anything just yet Ayanna Pressley, city councilor Stephen Murphy, city council president Charles Yancey, city councilor Maura Hennigan, Suffolk County criminal court clerk Jeffrey Sanchez, state representative Who’s out (meaning they have publicly said they will not run for mayor) Tito Jackson, city councilor Sonia Chang-Diaz, state senator Matt O’Malley, city councilor Bill Linehan, city councilor Russell Holmes, state representative Paul Grogan, Boston Foundation president Andrea Cabral, Massachusetts Public Safety Secretary James Rooney, Massachusetts Convention Center Authority executive director South End Patch
Boston Mayor Tom Menino Not Running for Re-Election
Speculation last night that Boston Mayor Tom Menino would announce Thursday he was not running for re-election was confirmed this morning. Menino, calling into the Fox 25 Morning News this morning, confirmed he will not be seeking a sixth term in office. He told Fox 25 he agonized over the decision. A prolonged illness late last year led to speculation the longest-serving mayor in city history would step down at the end of this term. Menino will make a formal announcement Thursday afternoon at 4 p.m. at Faneuil Hall. South End Patch
Running the Boston Marathon? Share Your Story
More than 50 South End residents have agreed – for one reason or other – to strap on their running shoes and go 26.2 miles on April 15th. We’ve already received information from a handful of runners, but if you haven’t been included yet, upload your photo to share your story and your cause for the 2013 Boston Marathon. Just click “Upload Photos/Videos,” select a photo, add your information into the caption, and voila! You’re done, and you help get the word out to your neighbors about your charity and your reasons for running Boston’s big race. We’ll be featuring South End runners and their charities later in April. Full list of residents from the 02118 entered into the Boston Marathon: Michael Abbene Tricia Azzarello Dianne Bacsik Troyen Brennan Jason M. Burke Kevin M. Clemens Timothy J. Cormier Paul Crockett Nicole E. DeFeo Sheila G. Devine Chalmer Jason Dillard Alexis M. Drzewiecki Maika Escandon Ben Fischer Randall L. Garnett Ellen W. Ginman Juan Carlos Gonzalez Caroline H. Gormley Michael L. Gosselin Kathryn L. Greenberg Holly Greenlimb Lauren Hayes Adam Heilemann Emily I. Kahn Albert J. Kilcline John B. Koss Ross A. Krajewski Brandon Latham Moonyoung Lee Kevin M. Long Edward J. Lundgren Michael Madden Joshn Mandel-Brehm Christopher M. Mario Arthur M. Mercurio David C. Montoya Marisa C. Nucci Katie O’Donnell Alyssa N. O’Toole Jo C. Pendergrass Jennifer A. Pflug Renee C. Pompei-Reynolds Scot M. Prieur Theodore Resinkoff Robert F. Riggs Jennifer Rikoski Ken N. Ross Joseph . Roxe Danielle Schneider Mike Slowik Congrats to all the runners! If you’re a runner or you know one of these people, send them this link or have them email sara.jacobi@patch.com to be included. SOUTH END PATCH: Facebook | Twitter | E-mail Updates South End Patch
Boston City Councilor Connolly Running for Mayor
Boston City Councilor John Connolly is announcing he is running for mayor today. “I’m running for Mayor because Boston should be the first city in America to transform urban public schools and offer every child a world-class education. We all need our Boston Public Schools to work because great schools lead to safe and healthy neighborhoods,” wrote Connolly on his campaign website. Connolly, from West Roxbury, is in his third term, and is announcing his mayoral candidacy at the corner of Warren and Cambridge streets, in Brighton at 11 a.m. today. A former teacher and father of two young children, Connolly said he will focus on bringing “change to Boston Public Schools and to bring new ideas and new energy to the challenges facing the City of Boston.” “If I’m elected mayor, I’ll work every day for Boston to be a city where anyone can make their home and say it was the best decision they ever made,” wrote Connolly on his website. South End Patch