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The Dorchester Reporter
Here are a few recommendations for your consideration, Mayor Wu
By Bill Walczak, Reporter Columnist
Following a tumultuous year during which we have had three mayors, this month has given us Mayor Michelle Wu. Riding a 28-point landslide victory, Wu, who ran on a platform of substantial change in how Boston is governed, has the support necessary to make change happen. But, as President Biden knows, that level of support doesn’t necessarily last long, so moving quickly is the new mayor’s best bet to accomplish her goals for the city.
Here are some recommendations (with links to background story sources) for our new mayor to consider:
1. Take strong action to ensure that Boston can withstand climate change. We are a very small city geographically, and availability of large tracts of land that can help curtail heat domes is extremely rare. Two immediate actions can help the city deal with current and future heat domes: 1) Tell the state that it needs to both restore the 13 acres taken from Franklin Park in 1949 to build Shattuck Hospital when the hospital is demolished in 2024, and to use the Arborway Yard as the location for the human services and housing that is needed for the homeless (https://www.dotnews.com/2021/commentary-city-should-reclaim-historic-open-space-franklin-park). 2) Purchase, through eminent domain if necessary, the 24 acres of forest at Crane Ledge Woods in Hyde Park. In addition, it’s time to start spending money implementing projects that will take decades to complete, such as protecting our coastline and subway lines, as one bad hurricane could cost billions of dollars to repair.
2. Make the tough decisions on how our children are educated. There is no reason why Boston can’t have an exceptional school system, except that we haven’t cared enough to build it despite spending more than $24,000 per pupil, a number among the highest expenditures per pupil in Massachusetts.
Here are a few ideas to help create that exceptional system: (a) Create seats for K-0 to help prepare children for reading at grade level, and to relieve low-income residents of day care expenses. (b) Make Madison Park Vocational Technical School a regional school with separate governance and funding sources. (c) Create early college programs at all high schools in collaboration with community colleges. (d) School buildings matter – fix them.
3. Transportation: Work with the state to re-establish Morrissey Boulevard and Storrow Drive as parkways that can be used by pedestrians and bicycle riders, as they were originally intended
(https://www.dotnews.com/2020/opinion-let-s-think-more-about-parkways-and-bikes-and-less-about). Create safe bike lanes on major roads to encourage bike commuting. Work with the state to have trees planted along all state highways and parkways to curtail pollution. Re-work roadways and traffic lights so that public transit is actually faster than driving your car.
4. Boston Planning and Development Agency: Although candidate Wu called for abolishing the BPDA, I do not believe it is necessary to abolish it entirely. What we need is to separate the BPDA’s planning function from its development function, and appoint leadership that will balance the desires of developers and the needs of Bostonians. A new Planning Department can take on re-zoning the city so that zoning reflects the needs of the 21st Century rather than what Boston looked like in 1965, the last time the municipality was re-zoned. A revamp would allow developers to know what is possible to develop and what will not be allowed in every part of the city.
In our current system, most proposed projects are initially rejected, which results in projects going before the Zoning Board of Appeal, which typically grants variances that allow developments to go forward, despite being forbidden by zoning. Thoughtful re-zoning will allow the city and its neighborhoods to plan their own futures, and be thoughtful about how much infrastructure, open space, schools, and services are needed as communities develop (https://www.dotnews.com/2021/commentary-questions-mayoral-hopefuls-development).
Mayor Wu should place people who care about urban design rather than urban wealth in charge of planning and development. And we need to change permitting so that it includes preserving trees on private as well as public property. Current allowances are a major reason for the loss of tree canopy.
5. Take Boston out of police civil service for the purpose of hiring police officers. Currently, police are hired based on veteran status (90 percent of whom are white and 95 percent of whom are male) instead of whether or not the candidate will match up with our desire for a diverse police force and a safe and peaceful city (https://www.dotnews.com/2020/reimagining-citys-police-force-begin-hiring)
6. Follow the money. Boston’s budget is close to $4 billion per year, and, while we have an annual audit, we do not have one that measures what we spend vs. what we need to spend to get desired results. A mayoral transition is a great time to evaluate what we’re spending money on, and if it’s being spent well. We should look at best practices around the country and determine how we can have all our departments working at an optimal level. Build budgets based on what goals the city hopes to accomplish, rather than last year’s number plus inflation (https://www.dotnews.com/2021/commentary-candidates-direct-answers-queries-can-carry-day).
Boston’s voters have given our 56th mayor a strong mandate for change. This is Michelle Wu’s moment to deliver on the promises she has made.
Bill Walczak is a Dorchester resident.
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Bill Walczak articles and other related media offerings
“Why are we allocating tens of millions to horse racing as our T stations decay? November 4, 2021. https://conta.cc/3CS0pMe or https://www.dotnews.com/2021/why-are-we-allocating-tens-millions-horse-racing-our-t-stations-decay
“Vaccinations defeated smallpox, polio; together, we can make Covid next to go” Dorchester Reporter October 20, 2021 https://www.dotnews.com/2021/vaccinations-defeated-smallpox-polio-together-we-can-make-covid-next or https://conta.cc/3C6yzva
“What we can do about Boston’s election problem” Dorchester Reporter September 29, 2021 https://conta.cc/3B01Abq
“Charter reforms needed to boost turnout” Dorchester Reporter, September 23, 2021
https://conta.cc/3kxr8qz or https://www.dotnews.com/2021/commentary-if-our-city-changed-few-things-more-us-might-turn-out-polls
“Election is close. Get out and vote!” Dorchester Reporter September 9, 2021 https://conta.cc/3l7a6P5
“The more voters there are, the better for all of us” August 26, 2021 https://conta.cc/3ymdSsE or https://www.dotnews.com/2021/more-voters-there-are-better-all-us
“Questions for mayoral hopefuls on development” July 15, 2021 https://conta.cc/2UDSvoJ
“City should reclaim historic open space at Franklin Park” July 1, 2021
https://conta.cc/2TrZCjD or https://www.dotnews.com/2021/commentary-city-should-reclaim-historic-open-space-franklin-park
“Commentary: Candidates' direct answers to queries can carry the day” June 10, 2021
Dorchester Reporter https://www.dotnews.com/2021/commentary-candidates-direct-answers-queries-can-carry-day or https://conta.cc/3ghjtuk
“The Codman Square Story: Where ‘nonprofit innovation’ wins the day” June 3, 2021 Dorchester Reporter https://www.dotnews.com/2021/codman-square-story-where-nonprofit-innovation-wins-day or https://conta.cc/3fUcM16
“Commentary: How reading a book brings me back to my work on the Irish peace process” May 13, 2021 Dorchester Reporter https://www.dotnews.com/2021/commentary-how-reading-book-brings-me-back-my-work-irish-peace-process or https://conta.cc/3wgaSNO
“Let’s think trees as part of cleanup of the X-Way mess” April 22, 2021.
Dorchester Reporter https://conta.cc/3xkNQqr
“Insult to injury: State property in Dorchester littered with trash” April 15, 2021. Dorchester Reporter https://www.dotnews.com/2021/insult-injury-state-property-dorchester-littered-trash or https://conta.cc/3aiVWWv
“Commentary: It's a race to the finish line--don't let Covid catch you” March 31, 2021 https://conta.cc/31y6e0ror https://www.dotnews.com/2021/commentary-its-race-finish-line-dont-let-covid-catch-you
“Walczak: use federal funds to make Boston a hub of equity” March 24, 2021 https://conta.cc/3fbB3Qk
“A year later, what have we learned?” March 11, 2021 https://conta.cc/30CcJyx
“Derek Chauvin proves America is still hiring the exact wrong people to be cops” by Frank Figliuzzi, MSNBC Columnist, extensive quotes of “Reimagining the city’s police force: Begin with the hiring” column from June 18, 2020 https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/derek-chauvin-proves-america-still-hiring-exact-wrong-people-be-n1259960
“With Boston flush with new US money, how about setting up universal Pre-K?”
March 4, 2021 https://conta.cc/38fVbwB
A teacher’s mural and drawings enrich Dorchester February 18, 2021
https://conta.cc/3uqh9GG https://www.dotnews.com/2021/teachers-murals-and-drawings-enrich-epiphany-schools-campus
“Reading the Globe then (1981) and now shows how democracy has been curbed” February 11, 2021 https://conta.cc/3d725r7 https://www.dotnews.com/2021/reading-globe-then-1981-and-now-shows-how-democracy-has-been-curbed
“We need a plan to speed up vaccinations; the following is one approach to consider”
February 4, 2021 https://www.dotnews.com/2021/we-need-plan-speed-vaccinations-following-one-approach-consider
Interview on BNN: What’s needed to close gap on vaccinations January 28, 2021 https://youtu.be/QqSXZDG9Vok
Interview on WGBH on Covid vaccine problems January 27, 2021
https://www.wgbh.org/news/local-news/2021/01/27/we-have-to-make-sure-that-we-dont-miss-any-opportunities-to-get-that-vaccine-into-the-arms-of-people-local-community-health-leader-says
“We need to lead, not follow, on doing mass vaccinations” January 21, 2021
https://www.dotnews.com/2021/commentary-we-need-lead-not-follow-doing-mass-vaccinations
“In the Wake of Trumpian seditionists, our region can lead the nation by example” January 14, 2021 https://conta.cc/35OqEVj
“Remembering a Friend who Died of Covid” December 31, 2020
https://www.dotnews.com/2021/remembering-friend-who-died-covid
“On the Allure of People Singing Together” December 16, 2020
https://www.dotnews.com/2020/allure-people-singing-together
“Strolling down Dot Ave. and shopping the world”
December 3, 2020 with Meg Campbell
https://www.dotnews.com/2020/strolling-down-dot-ave-and-shopping-world
“Opinion: Let’s think more about parkways and bikes, and less about the dreams of the auto-centric” December 2, 2020 https://www.dotnews.com/2020/opinion-let-s-think-more-about-parkways-and-bikes-and-less-about
“Good News on COVID but we’re still on a highway – don’t take your seatbelts off yet”
November 18, 2020 https://www.dotnews.com/2020/commentary-good-news-covid-scene-were-still-highway-dont-take-your
“Thoughts about a still-divided America” November 11, 2020
https://www.dotnews.com/2020/thoughts-about-still-divided-america
“This is the Man who wants a second term?” October 29, 2020
https://www.dotnews.com/2020/man-who-wants-second-term
“Put this on your Boston bucket list: Stepping into The Ether Dome at MGH”
October 22, 2020
https://www.dotnews.com/2020/put-your-boston-bucket-list-stepping-ether-dome-mgh
“Our polarized country needs changes in the way our elections are conducted”
October 14, 2020 https://www.dotnews.com/2020/commentary-our-polarized-country-needs-changes-way-our-elections-are
“Why Ranked-Choice Voting Makes Sense” October 8, 2020
https://www.dotnews.com/2020/why-ranked-choice-voting-makes-sense
"Massachusetts must fill funding gap for low-income students"
Dorchester Reporter September 24, 2020 https://www.dotnews.com/2020/massachusetts-must-fill-funding-gap-low-income-students
"Rev. "Doc" Conway sounds an alarm"
Dorchester Reporter September 9, 2020
https://www.dotnews.com/2020/rev-doc-conway-sounds-alarm
"Call it What you Will, but single-payer health care is what we need"
Dorchester Reporter September 3, 2020 https://www.dotnews.com/2020/call-it-what-you-will-single-payer-health-care-what-we-need
"How a 1976 Dorchester Court program has helped to keep our parklands clean"
Dorchester Reporter August 27, 2020
https://www.dotnews.com/2020/how-1976-dorchester-court-program-has-helped-keep-our-parklands-clean
"Timely test results are critical to curbing viral spread"
Dorchester Reporter August 20, 2020
https://www.dotnews.com/2020/commentary-timely-test-results-are-critical-curbing-viral-spread
"Science opens a door for getting students back into schools"
Dorchester Reporter July 22, 2020
http://www.dotnews.com/2020/science-opens-door-getting-students-back-schools
“How to increase turnout in Boston elections: Eliminate our odd-numbered year balloting”
Dorchester Reporter July 16, 2020
https://www.dotnews.com/2020/how-increase-turnout-boston-elections-eliminate-our-odd-numbered-year
“Inaction on fireworks prompts many questions”
Dorchester Reporter July 9, 2020
https://www.dotnews.com/2020/letter-editor-explosives-create-war-zone-feel-neighborhood
“The virology podcast TWIV has become an essential source for COVID-19 news”
Dorchester Reporter July 2, 2020
https://www.dotnews.com/2020/virology-podcast-twiv-has-become-essential-source-covid-19-news
“Commentary: Hold on! Reopening doesn’t mean that coronavirus is gone”
Dorchester Reporter June 25, 2020
https://www.dotnews.com/2020/commentary-hold-reopening-doesn-t-mean-coronavirus-gone
“Reimagining the city’s police force: Begin with the hiring”
Dorchester Reporter June 18, 2020
https://www.dotnews.com/2020/reimagining-citys-police-force-begin-hiring
“The making of the people’s health center. Getting things done in Codman Square”
Dorchester Reporter June 4, 2020
https://www.dotnews.com/2020/making-people-s-health-center
“Strong action needed now to avert more educational woes across state”
Dorchester Reporter May 28, 2020
https://www.dotnews.com/2020/opinion-strong-action-needed-now-avert-more-educational-woes-across
“Is keeping seniors locked in the best that society can do?”
Dorchester Reporter May 21, 2020
https://www.dotnews.com/2020/keeping-seniors-locked-down-best-we-can-do
“Boomers being left out? Readers offer their views”
Dorchester Reporter May 14, 2020
https://www.dotnews.com/2020/commentary-boomers-being-left-out-readers-offer-their-views
“Commentary: ‘Boomers’ need to flex their electoral muscles”
Dorchester Reporter May 7, 2020
https://www.dotnews.com/2020/commentary-boomers-need-flex-their-electoral-muscles
“Some hopeful signs from the battlefield” Dorchester Reporter April 30, 2020
https://www.dotnews.com/2020/commentary-some-hopeful-signs-battlefield
“It’s time to mandate masks, face covering in public spaces” Dorchester Reporter
April 23, 2020 https://www.dotnews.com/2020/commentary-time-mandate-face-coverings-boston-and-across-state
“State begins to wrestle with serious budgetary matters”
Dorchester Reporter April 16, 2020
https://www.dotnews.com/2020/state-begins-wrestle-serious-budgetary-matters
“Fast-moving crisis, fast-moving changes, and a plate full of what we’re still facing”
Dorchester Reporter April 9, 2020
https://www.dotnews.com/2020/fast-moving-crisis-fast-moving-changes-and-plate-full-what-we-re-still
“Wearing Masks Must Be a National Policy”
New York Times April 2, 2020
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/02/opinion/coronavirus-masks.html?smid=em-share
“Observations about a catastrophic month”
Dorchester Reporter April 2, 2020
https://www.dotnews.com/2020/commentary-observations-catastrophic-month
“Health Centers make urgent request for state support”
Dorchester Reporter March 26, 2020
https://www.dotnews.com/2020/health-centers-make-urgent-request-state-support
“The next two weeks will tell if we’re ready: We’re gonna need a bigger boat”
Dorchester Reporter March 19, 2020
https://www.dotnews.com/files/REP%2012-20web.pdf
“Walczak: “Social distancing” is critical right now, not later on”
Dorchester Reporter March 15, 2020
https://www.dotnews.com/2020/walczak-social-distancing-critical-right-now-not-later
Interview on BNN by Chris Lovett “What’s missing in response to Covid 19” March 12, 2020
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VllymXoI4D4&authuser=0
“The goal for now: Slow down the infection rate” Dorchester Reporter March 12, 2020
https://www.dotnews.com/2020/goal-now-slow-down-infection-rate
“Charitable tax deductions will hurt the Commonwealth’s bottom line”
Dorchester Reporter March 5, 2020
https://www.dotnews.com/2020/comment-charitable-tax-deductions-will-hurt-commonwealths-bottom-line
Other
Bound by their Boston neighborhood. January 31, 2020
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/31/fashion/weddings/Bill-Walczak-Meg-Campbell-married-Boston-Dorchester.html?referringSource=articleShare
TED talk “Unlearning & Expanding our Definition of Health”
January, 2020
https://www.ted.com/talks/bill_walczak_unlearning_expanding_our_definition_of_health_may_2020?utm_campaign=tedspread&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare
TED talk “Codman Square” July, 2010
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBgMh0LBzj0
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