The Third Decade

What can we do with four more years?

Some people who did not support another four years of Menino have already begun gazing into their navels in despair about him being in office for another four year term. While it's not what was hoped for, let's face it, the man knows how to get things done. That said, perhaps it's time to look at another four years of Menino as a blessing in disguise. As I said, he knows how to get things done. So, instead of wallowing in self-pity, maybe it's an opportunity to gather in significant numbers to make sure your ideas are heard by the one man with all the cards in his hands. My shortlist for Roxbury is below:

BIOLAB: Can it. For years B.U. has shown that it hasn't been very good at managing labs with less deadly viruses. Why are we supposed to trust them with a Level 4 lab that will hold some of the deadliest pathogens on earth? Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz and other elected officials have gone on record as saying that they don't support the lab. Many residents don't support it either. We know you're for it, but do you really trust the designated operators to manage it well?

NCAAA at P-3: Support it. At a BRA meeting earlier this year, Roxbury residents expressed overwhelming support to have an arts center - as envisioned by Barry Gaither of the NCAAA - built at P-3. That part of Columbus Ave/Tremont St lacks a neighborhood cultural institution that can be draw and anchor. Rumors have floated for years that Menino wants to build a soccer stadium there for the Revolution, but that's the last thing a congested yet culturally-desolate area needs. Support the arts, Mr. Mayor. If you want a soccer stadium, build it on the waterfront or in place of the Biolab.

DUDLEY SQUARE: Build it. Before the election there was a design contest regarding the future of the Ferdinand Building. Your office announced that the winner of the contest would be designated after the election was over. Well, here we are. Show your commitment to the future of Dudley Square by designating a team before Thanksgiving to begin building out the Ferdinand site. Dudley Square has been languishing for years and needs a boost. The site of the new police station has been cleared, now it's time to get Ferdinand on the move. And while you're at it, can you get Jackson Square moving along, too?

Any chance I'll be surprised?

Unfortunately I was so busy during the second half of October that I feel like Rip Van Winkle regarding some of the latest news. But I'll do what I can to get back in the game, especially with the election coming up on Tuesday. Personally, I would be excited to see a change in the mayor's office, but I don't expect that to happen. I don't know what's motivating the majority of the city to keep our current mayor, but maybe I'll see for myself after the election. Yoon has been everywhere I've been lately and it seems like Flaherty has been everywhere else. I thought I'd see Menino once or twice during the past month, but I guess he's been laying low.

In the meantime, can we just lock the doors on the B.U. Biolab and throw the keys into the harbor already? How many times will we read articles about accidents happening at their current labs before we realize that having a new one with the world's deadliest diseases in the middle of the city is a bad idea?

Is he or isn't he? Will the real Ego Ezedi please stand up.

This morning I woke up to find a link in my inbox to an article in Boston University's Daily Free Press titled

Former BU biolab proponent runs for city council, campaigns against biolab

Long-time readers of this blog know that I'm anti-biolab, so of course I was curious to see who the person is. I was a little surprised to read that it's Ego Ezedi. As the article mentions, Ego was featured in a student-produced video strongly supporting the biolab. Actually, strongly is an understatement. My initial reaction to watching the video years ago was that Mr. Ezedi had the interests of Boston University, not the community, in mind. As an employee of B.U. that comes as no surprise. What I found off-putting was the arrogance and vehemence of his statements.

Flash forward to the present day and now there's an article stating that he's opposed to the biolab...or at least its Level 4 designation. Other than saying that now he understands that 100% safety cannot be guaranteed, he says that his change of mind is based on "personal convictions."

What the hell?!

Mr. Ezedi, you can do better than that. Given how strongly you spoke out in favor of the biolab 4 years ago, why can't you be just as vocal and emphatic? When I met you at a meet-and-greet earlier this summer and asked about your ideas concerning transit and environmental justice issues, I did so without remembering that you were in this video. You didn't have a response to those questions, which is unfortunate given your previous stance and apparent change of mind concerning the biolab.

It's changes of position (and tepid acknowledgment of those changes) like this that make me skeptical of politics and politicians in general. OK, so now you're opposed to the biolab...kind of. What's next? What do you propose as a solution for the community which you would like to elect you to office? If elected, how do we know that you won't change position again?

At the very least, watching this video made me realize that change is happening in the Dudley area. One of the Superfund sites (the Modern Electroplating Factory) is in the process of being cleaned and redeveloped. I don't know where the other one is/was, but I'm hoping that remediation plans are in the works for that one, too.

Marine One?

A noisier-than-usual helicopter just flew over Roxbury. When I looked up, I think I saw Marine One.

It's on and poppin' this Saturday

On Saturday, all eyes will be on Roxbury. In addition to the annual Boston Carnival on Warren Street, Senator Kennedy's funeral takes place (at a time to be announced) on Mission Hill. I guess we can expect traffic to be out of control that day. Take the T if you can.

And keep your fingers crossed that the hurricane doesn't head this way too!

The Evisceration of Roxbury

Without any concrete evidence, I will stop short of claiming intimidation or conspiracy. But, how is it possible that nearly every major politician representing Roxbury (some of the few relevant local politicians of color, by the way) has been caught up in some kind of alleged scandal recently?! Wilkerson, Turner, and now Fox? The politicians representing Roxbury can't be any more corrupt than the pols in any other city or district around Massachusetts. So what's the deal? Are they being careless? Are they being targeted? Or is the community itself the battleground?

With Boston running out of large lots of land for new building projects, Roxbury is one of the few areas close to downtown with enough space left for major construction projects (Allston and the South Boston waterfront are two of the others). Mayor Menino's recent attempt to seize control of P3, the redevelopment plans for Dudley Square, resistance to institutional creep (such as Northeastern's campus expansion and Boston University's Bio Lab), and the community's demands for improved transportation are just a few examples of how competition for space in and control over the neighborhood are heating up.

With the community's senior and most vocal politicians knocked off their pedistals, it would be easy to pick apart the neighborhood bit by bit. That, of course, doesn't excuse our politicians of wrongdoing, if they've done something wrong. But, let's put everything on the table. If they've done wrong, let's see more than a few clips and allegations in the media. In the meantime, the community would be wise to keep its eyes on real estate trends and development patterns in the area. If Harvard was able to secretly purchase half of Allston, there's no reason to suspect that it wouldn't happen in Roxbury, too.

Moving forward on the Southwest Corridor

After multiple false starts and controversy, there's good news about development on the Southwest Corridor again. Today's Globe reports that Mayor Menino has changed his mind and now supports Ruggles Place on Parcel 3. I would've liked to be privy to that conversation when he decided to publicly express his support for the project.

Further down the line, it looks like the first piece of the Jackson Square project may break ground at the end of this year. After hearing about this development for four years, I won't believe that it's happening until a building begins rising. Two years ago, the project was said to be postponed until 2008 and plans released to the media contained changes to the initial plans released in 2005. Who knows what's really going on with this project and how can the rest of us find out about it?

With all this development in the pipeline, I sincerely hope that the MBTA doesn't follow through with its threat to cut back transit service. Columbus Ave is already a traffic nightmare during rush hour, even with the combination of subway, commuter rail, and bus service running parallel to it. If everything projected is built within the next 3-5 years, there's no way this part of town could function with fewer transportation options than it currently has.

Legacy vs Legacy: Tom Menino vs Elma Lewis

It was only a matter of time before a large enough voice in Boston's Black community spoke out against Mayor Menino. There have been grumblings about his support for BU's Biolab for a while and his reputation for being vindictive against people who contradict his wishes is well known. I left Boston before he became mayor and returned 6 years ago. Upon returning, I heard that he enjoyed high ratings, but I could never understand why. Besides literally not being able to understand what he said, I didn't see what the big deal was about him. Yes he made appearances everywhere, but what was he really doing? Did I miss his golden years?

Anyway, the Bay State Banner's editorial opposing Menino is interesting. Has Menino finally bumped up against someone with a legacy bigger than his own? Elma Lewis isn't well-known by many Bostonians under 40. Further, her accomplishments and legacy aren't well known by many Bostonians under 30. Given the large number of young voters, I wonder how important the Parcel 3 project will be to young voters and new Bostonians. Using the Parcel 3 development is an interesting way to portray into the idea that Menino is out of touch with the community. But in order for that to take root on a wider scale, I feel that more examples and connections need to be identified.

Overall, this should be an interesting mayoral cycle. Many communities of color and liberal white communities were envigorated and galvanized by President Obama's election. I'm curious to see whether any fractions will appear if/when Menino formally announces his candidacy. If an anti-Menino movement takes hold in Boston, it'll also be interesting to see how the voting breaks down by neighborhood. Dorchester and Roxbury are two of the most populous neighborhoods, but I don't think they have the highest voter turnouts in any election. Will Menino bother courting voters of color and liberal white voters in those districts if more of these editorials appear? Or, will he pursue a George Bush-style divide and conquer campaign and just go for the safe districts? Unfortunately, none of the current candidates looks strong enough at the moment to portend an interesting campaign cycle. Hopefully that will change soon.

Biolab delayed again

I can't remember the last time I thought about or heard anything about the BU Biolab. This afternoon, however, the Globe is reporting that the lab is facing more delays due to another - hopefully more complete - safety review by the National Institutes of Health. Can't say I'm sad about that, though. I had my doubts about the lab in the first place, as did many people in neighborhoods surrounding the lab. I'm sure all eyes will be on the NIH, its methods of analysis, and the final report from now until 2010.

Boston could've been the 6th largest city in the world.

The world was a lot smaller in 1912.

Yesterday I came across a 1912 NY Times article (28KB pdf) about a bill filed by Representative Daniel Kiley which would have added 339 square miles to the City of Boston by annexing every city and town within 10 miles of the Statehouse (basically everything within Route 128 plus a little more). For comparison, that would have made the new Boston slightly bigger in area than New York City. Interestingly, the population of Boston was larger in 1912 than what it is now (670,000 vs. 590,000), and the larger Boston would have had a population of 1.5 million. New York City was already approaching 5 million residents in 1910, in roughly the same land area.

Unfortunately, the article doesn't explain why Rep. Kiley wanted to expand the size of Boston. I also haven't come across any follow up articles explaining why the bill didn't become law, although I suspect that old school machine politics scared off the other communities. Still, imagine how different Boston would be now if it had become a much larger city back then. Issues related to busing, school desegregation, housing patterns, and transportation would probably have been decided in completely different ways. Or, if it happened today, would people be fighting over relatively small parcels of land in Allston or tunnels through downtown when the overall city would be much, much bigger? Would Kiley's bill have increased efficiencies by eliminating duplication of services or would there just be a big blob of bureaucracy spread across eastern Masasachusetts?