Candidates Talk Art In The South End
Would you like to see more public art in the city? What about an increased emphasis on arts education, more affordable housing dedicated to artists, or the appointment of an arts commissioner? Those were just some of the ideas presented by candidat South End Patch News
Categories: Arrests Tags: Candidates, South, Talk
The Week Ahead in the South End: Candidates Forum
Find out what's happening in the South End this week. Don't see your special event? Add it to the calendar! South End Patch News
Should the BRA Separate? City Council Candidates Weigh In
By: Becca Manning How would you change the Boston Redevelopment Authority? Candidates for Boston City Council were asked that question at last week's
Mayoral Candidates Dish on Environment & Transportation
Article and photos by David Ertischek Nine Boston mayoral candidates opined on carbon emissions, public transportation and how to make the city as environmentally friendly as possible during a Boston Green Mayor forum held at Suffolk South End Patch News
Categories: Arrests Tags: Candidates, Dish, Environment, Mayoral, Transportation
PHOTOS: Mayoral, City Council Candidates Parade in Boston
With Boston’s mayoral and City Council races heating up, many of the candidates turned out Sunday for Charlestown’s Bunker Hill Day Parade, taking advantage of an opportunity to get their faces and names out in the community. SOUTH END PATCH: Facebook | Twitter | E-mail Updates South End Patch
Mayoral Candidates: Who Has the Most Money?
There will be at least 12 candidates on the Sept. 24 ballot for mayor, as Boston’s Elections Department continues to certify signatures. One candidate not yet to be certified is barstoolsports.com owner David Portnoy. While Portnoy may be more entertainment than a serious candidate to run City Hall, many of the candidates who are expected to garner the most votes have been certified well ahead of the June 25 deadline. Follow the MoneyDistrict Attorney Dan Conley has the most money in his campaign with more than $ 1.1 million, according to the Office of Campaign and Political Finance’s website. At-Large City Councilor John Connolly has $ 564,000 for his campaign, followed by fellow city councilor District 8’s Mike Ross with $ 453,000. State Rep. Marty Walsh, D-Dorchester, is next with $ 378,000, and then there is a financial drop off to District 5 City Councilor Rob Consalvo with $ 135,000, At-Large City Councilor Felix Arroyo with $ 128,000 and Bill Walczak with $ 127,000, in their campaign war chests. District 4 City Councilor Charles Yancey has been certified to run for Boston mayor, as well as his district position, and has around $ 41,000 in his mayoral campaign account. He will have to decide whether he wants to run for his district seat or for mayor by July 2. City Council RaceThe city’s registrar and Elections Department are also working on certifying Boston City Council candidates. Already every district, except for District 3 with incumbent Frank Baker, has multiple candidates, with more likely to be on the ballot. There are 18 at-large candidates certified for the ballot, including incumbents Stephen Murphy and Ayanna Pressley. For a full list of certified candidates so far, check out the PDF in the image gallery above. The municipal election primary will be held on Sept. 24. The two mayoral candidates with the most votes in the primary will face off in the final election on Nov. 5. The eight at-large Boston City Council candidates also will be voted on Nov. 5. SOUTH END PATCH: Facebook | Twitter | E-mail Updates South End Patch
Categories: Arrests Tags: Candidates, Mayoral, Money, Most
17 Boston Mayoral Candidates Submit Signatures
Seventeen possible Boston mayoral candidates submitted papers Tuesday before the 5 p.m. deadline at City Hall. But that doesn’t mean all 17 will be on the ballot in the Sept. 24 election, as 3,000 individual signatures must be certified by June 25. Twenty-four people signed out nomination papers by the May 13 deadline, which leaves seven potential candidates by the wayside following this week’s cut-off. With 17 possible candidates vying for signatures across Boston, it is possible that some voters signed for multiple candidates, and signatures can only count once. First come, first served is the rule, so some signatures may be thrown out. But for now there are some heavyweights in the biggest Boston election in decades. City Councilors John Connolly, Felix Arroyo, Rob Consalvo and Mike Ross have all thrown their hats in the ring, saying goodbye to their council seats, and are amassing growing campaign war chests. Suffolk County District Attorney Dan Conley’s campaign has more than $ 1 million, according to the Office of Campaign and Political Finance, dwarfing the next highest total, Connolly’s $ 489,000. State Rep. Martin Walsh, D-Dorchester, as well as former state Rep. Charlotte Golar Richie, have all been working hard to expand their profile citywide in recent weeks, showing up at events across the city. Dorchester’s Bill Walczak has been able to raise his profile outside of his neighborhood since announcing his candidacy, and he has a little more than $ 90,000. Candidate John Barros left his position at the Boston School Commmittee to run for mayor. One candidates who will surely entertain is bostonbarstoolsports.com founder David Portnoy, who also submitted signatures. As expected the at-large and district council races saw a large amount of possible candidates submit signatures. In total, 21 candidates submitted signatures for the at-large race. Candidates need to have 1,500 individual signatures certified for the at-large race. District council candidates need 200 signatures or fewer to make it onto the ballot. Incumbents Ayanna Pressley and Stephen Murphy have submitted signatures, as have early noted first-time candidates Michelle Wu and Catherine O’Neill. Former City Council president Michael Flaherty is also running for an at-large seat again, after losing two years ago. With the aforementioned district councilors leaving their seats to seek higher office, that has created some wide open races with lots of candidates. In District 5, there are 10 candidates who submitted signatures, the most candidates in any district race. District 8, with Ross leaving, has nine candidates who submitted signatures. And District 4, with incumbent Charles Yancey, who submitted signatures for both the district seat and the mayoral race, would face seven other candidates, if he stayed in the […]
Categories: Arrests Tags: boston, Candidates, Mayoral, Signatures, Submit
Mayor Menino: Don’t Let Candidates ‘Tear This School System Down’
Mayor Tom Menino cautioned Boston residents not to focus on negative portrayals of the Boston Public School system as the city’s mayoral race heats up. Speaking at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new playground at Harvard-Kent Elementary School in Charlestown on May 10, Menino touted the progress public schools have made in recent years and asked residents not to allow anyone to “tear this school system down” in the coming months. “We’ve made a lot of progress in the Boston Public Schools in the last several years. It’s because of a lot of reasons—teachers, principals, the superintendent, the community—and I tell you, the graduation rate is up, dropout rates are down, more kids are going on to college,” Menino said. He spoke of how the schools work to educate every child, from every background and learning level. “Don’t let anybody over the next several months, as this campaign heats up, tear this school system down. This is a great school system. We’re not perfect, but with the new assignment plan we can make that happen,” Menino said. “To all of you out there: Stay positive about what’s happening in the schools. The most important thing we can do in our society today is to educate our children, and I think over the last few years we’ve done an incredible job. We have some ways to go. Don’t have this become an issue of tearing down the schools, because these kids out here are the future of our city.” Menino also spoke highly of Boston Public Schools Superintendent Carol Johnson, a Charlestown resident, who recently announced she will be retiring at the end of the school year. “She has done a remarkable job for the young people of our city over the last several years—driving up test scores and graduation rates, improving access to the arts and making projects like [the Harvard-Kent schoolyard] an important part of learning,” Menino said. SOUTH END PATCH: Facebook | Twitter | E-mail Updates South End Patch
24 Possible Mayoral Candidates for Boston’s Sept. Preliminary Election
The deadline to sign-up for election nomination papers for Boston’s mayoral and city council elections has passed — with 24 possible candidates for mayor. To put that in perspective, there were five total candidates in 2009’s preliminary election for Boston mayor. The deadline to sign up for papers was Monday at 5 p.m., and there were no big surprises at the deadline — like Mayor Thomas Menino suddenly deciding to seek reelection. “The 24 candidates who signed up by Monday’s deadline must now gather 3,000 signatures by May 21 in order to appear on the September 24th election ballot,” said city spokesperson Emilee Ellison. Some possible candidates have already started to announce they’re not running for office, like Frank John Addivinola Jr. and Gene Gorman. Or some haven’t committed to which race, like District 4 City Councilor Charles Yancey, who requested papers for the district and mayoral races. With At-Large City Councilors Felix Arroyo and John Connolly running for mayor, that created a wide open at-large race. In total, 27 individuals requested nominaton papers for at-large races, including two incumbents, City Council President Stephen Murphy, and Ayanna Pressley, who was the top vote getter in 2011’s at-large election. In 2011’s at-large race, there were 10 total candidates. At-large candidates must get 1,500 signatures certified compared to mayoral candidates’ 3000 needed. A signature can only count once, and that goes to whoever submits the name first. The amount of signatures for district races is either 200 or fewer. Signatures must be submitted by May 21 to Boston’s Registrar. And all signatures will be certified by June 25. All of the district races, but one, District 3 with incumbent Frank Baker, had multiple candidates requesting nomination papers. Districts 5 and 8 will definitely have new councilors due to current councilors Rob Consalvo and Mike Ross running for Boston mayor. Please see the attached PDF for a list of all potentional candidates. SOUTH END PATCH: Facebook | Twitter | E-mail Updates South End Patch
Categories: Arrests Tags: Boston's, Candidates, Election, Mayoral, Possible, Preliminary, Sept.
Two Candidates in Race for South End’s City Council District
As of Monday, May 13, which was the last day to pull nomination papers, two candidates were in the race for the South End’s District 2 city council race. Those candidates are South Boston’s Bill Linehan and Chinatown’s Suzanne Lee. If those names sound like deja vu, that’s because they are. The 2013 race is an exact copy of the 2011 race, which Linehan won over Lee by less than 100 votes. “I am confident that my first six years in office will stand up in comparison to anyone who has held office both as a State or City elected official from the neighborhoods of South Boston, South End, Chinatown, Bay Village, Downtown and look forward to continuing my efforts and improve on my ability to deliver for the people of District 2,” said Linehan in a statement. “As I’ve continued to talk to residents throughout the district, I still hear concerns about jobs and liveable wages, about ensuring that every child has a quality education and about making Boston a place where families can find affordable housing options,” Lee said. “As City Councilor, I will build on my years of service to our communities and work hard to deliver the results that our families deserve.” The two candidates have until May 21 to file their nomination papers at the Boston Election Department. Each needed 200 certified signatures to be elligible to run for office. SOUTH END PATCH: Facebook | Twitter | E-mail Updates South End Patch