WERS You Are Here, April 22, 2012
On Sunday, April 22 Councilor Connolly was interviewed on You Are Here’s Earth Day episode. Listen here: WERS You Are Here, April 22, 2012
Councilor holds school assignment meetings
By Peter Shanley
At-Large City Councilor John Connolly feels that there is a middle road that can be reached on the attempt to modify the Boston Public Schools’ (BPS) school-assignment plan, he said in a recent Gazette interview. He has been holding meetings with parents throughout the city on the matter.
“I’m more convinced than ever that there is a way to build a consensus policy that works for all kids,” he said.
Connolly, who is the chair of the Council’s Committee on Education, has held 20 meetings so far, several of which have been in Jamaica Plain, and plans to hold another 20 in May. According to Connolly, each meeting consists of five to 20 parents discussing their thoughts on the school-assignment plan. The meetings are arranged by the parents contacting Connolly.
The councilor said he will gather what he has learned from the meetings and offer his findings in June to the external advisory committee. Mayor Thomas Menino and Superintendent Carol Johnson formed that committee to help design a new school-assignment plan, which BPS plans to submit to the School Committee in December.
The first time the advisory committee met was March 19 at English High School, where members were unclear on the mission statement. Comments about the vagueness of the process were also reported by the Gazette during a community meeting held March 31 at English High School by BPS on the school-assignment plan. Some parents there expressed disbelief that BPS didn’t already know what was wrong with the current plan and what improvements they wanted.
For his part, Connolly commended the mayor on forming the advisory committee and said he wants a transparent process that will succeed.
During his meetings, Connolly said he tries to keep his personal comments brief, instead opting to spend the majority of time listening. The councilor likes the meetings to cover three main subjects: the parents experience with the school lottery; general beliefs about what makes a quality school; and the parents overall experience with BPS, such as what’s working and what’s not working.
“There’s really no monolithic opinion anywhere,” said Connolly. “I have heard varied opinions across the groups I have met with.”
The councilor, who called the meetings fascinating and informative, noted he is covering every neighborhood and cross-section of the city, including meeting with Chinese, Somalian and Cape Verdian parents. He’s also not limiting himself to just BPS parents, as he is meeting with parents of private and Catholic school children, too.
“We’ll go to listen anywhere in the city where someone will have us,” said Connolly.
To contact the councilor, call 617-635-3115 or email John.R.Connolly@cityofboston.gov.
Councilor Connolly honors five Innovative School Partner Organizations
Thursday Apr 26, 2012
South End organizations recognized
On Wednesday, April 25, Boston City Councilor At-Large John Connolly and the Council’s Education Committee honored five Boston Public School Partner Organizations at the start of the City Council’s weekly meeting.
These organizations are notable for their innovative programs to bring environmental and music education, playtime and outdoor learning and tutoring programs to Boston Public Schools.
The organizations to be honored are:
Thompson Island Outward Bound Education Center provides outdoor adventure and experiential learning programs for young people designed to inspire leadership and teamwork in the youth they serve.
Boston Youth Environmental Network (BYEN) engages kids in outdoor learning, academic achievement and career exploration providing hands-on environmental education and employment opportunities for children and youth.
Community Music Center of Boston believes that music is – and should be – a formative part of every child’s education. They serve more than 4,000 students in nearly 25 preschools, elementary and middle schools each week.
MATCH Corps Tutors is a residential fellowship program that pairs Corps members with middle and high school students to help students achieve success in college and fluency in math, English, science, and history.
Playworks improves the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play in low-income schools at recess and throughout the entire school day. A national non-profit, Playworks provides services at 30 Boston Public Schools throughout the city.
The Boston City Council meets Wednesdays at noon in Boston City Hall.
Boston City Councilor at Large John Connolly, head of the Council’s Committee on Education, talks with host Chris Lovett about the continuing failure to reach agreement on a new contract with the Boston Teachers Union. Interview on BNN News. Aired April 3, 2012.
Big City Radio’s Good Life Morning Show w/ DJ Val Beatz & DJ Ill Neil.
On April 3rd City Councilor John Connolly spoke with DJ Val Beatz and callers about Boston Public Schools, what makes a quality school, student assignment, charter schools, the drop out age and much more. Listen here: Big City Radio Good Life Morning Show April 3rd.
Interested in hosting or joining a parent meeting with Councilor Connolly? Learn more here.
BYEN award recipients were honored at West on Centre
On March 7, Councilor John Connolly welcomed Boston Public School teachers and Boston Youth Environmental Network awardees to West Roxbury for an awards dinner at West on Centre. West on Centre owner Joe Greene spoke about their environmental initiatives at the restaurant, and teachers and partner organizations shared their award-winning initiatives. Councilor Connolly, the Chair of the Council Committee on Education and Vice Chair of the Committee on Environment and Health, presented each awardee with a Boston City Council resolution recognizing their achievement.
The awardees are:
Green Teacher Award – Lower Elementary School (grades K-2): Kathy D’Andrea, Mission Hill School – Grades Kindergarten and 1st
Green Teacher Award – Upper Elementary School (grades 3-5): KathyAnn Moody, John F. Kennedy Elementary School – K2-5th Grade
Green Teacher Award – Middle School (grades 6-8): Fiona Bennie, The Horace Mann School for Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Green Teacher Award – High School (grades 9-12): Marcy Ostberg, Boston Day and Evening Academy
Get Out and Learn Award for School-Community Partnership: The Mary M.B. Wakefield Charitable Trust & Conley Elementary School
Exemplary Environmental Education Program Partner: “e” inc.
Green After School Program: University of Massachusetts Boston Upward Bound, Get Fresh Crew
Exemplary Youth Environmental Employment Program: Branching Out, National Park Service – The Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation
The Boston Youth Environmental Network (www.environetwork.org) is a comprehensive system of organizations providing hands-on environmental education and employment opportunities for children and youth. Their mission is to align existing programs and create new models of partnership to form a pathway from kindergarten through high school of formal and informal environmental education experiences and relevant, hands-on employment opportunities.
Roslindale Transcript – Posted March 7 – By Todd Feathers
Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren campaigns on Centre Street in West Roxbury with Boston City Councilor Matt O'Malley, left and Councilor At-Large John Connolly on Tuesday afternoon, March 6, 2012. Wicked Local staff photo by David Gordon.
Roslindale/West Roxbury — West Roxbury residents and business owners got their first chance to meet U.S. Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren, Tuesday, March 6, as she spent election-day afternoon touring local businesses on Centre Street.
City Councilor At-Large John Connolly and City Councilor Matt O’Malley joined Warren to show their support for her campaign and introduce her to business owners at Boomerangs, Imagine Hair Studio, iScream Works, Real Deal and Roche Bros.
Warren and her entourage took many business owners and residents by surprise, but her casual manner quickly dispelled the shock as she listened to stories and jokingly trying to recruit children to her campaign. The conversations with locals didn’t stray far from politics, and Warren used the opportunity to hone her message on the need for economic equality with the middle class voters she will need to win.
“It’s partly about jobs, but it’s also about our long-term investments,” said Warren, speaking to reporters outside Roche Bros. “Right now this country subsidizes big oil companies, and hedge funds and multi-national companies while there’s no money left over to invest in education, in infrastructure and research.”
Warren praised small businesses owners like Steve Palladino of iScream Works, for giving back to the community despite hard economic times.
“You help invest in the future for everybody, you’re not one of those guys that pays zero taxes,” said Warren.
Palladino told Warren how he was able to maintain his business, which opened in 2008, during the recession thanks to the support of the West Roxbury community, where he has lived all his life.
He said he now feels the need to repay the community, so he supports the local Little League, and donates to toy drives and public scholarships.
“A small business is almost the equivalent of a middle class family; all the taxes fall on them,” said Palladino. “But we’re the ones that give back, the small businesses.”
Warren’s first stop of the day was Boomerangs, a nonprofit thrift store chain that donates all proceeds to the AIDS Action Committee.
The store was especially important to her, she said, because it provides funding for AIDS treatment and support, an area she believes has been overlooked in health care funding, and one that she and her husband have been donating to for over 10 years.
But in addition to the social services Boomerangs provides, she also praised them for supporting the community economically.
Jasmine Crafts, manager of retail operations for all four Boomerangs locations, said the store recently opened in a location that had sat vacant for over five years.
“I think Boomerangs is a good example of something community based,” said Crafts. “Having us come in here and take over a space this large and make it viable is huge.”
Warren’s reception was warm, in general, and as she walked through the Roche Bros. parking lot shoppers honked their horns and shouted their support out car windows.
And a group of about 20 supporters, including retired Roslindale resident Mark Katz, gathered outside the store with Warren signs and clipboards to gather signatures, despite the fact that the Warren campaign has already gathered more than enough signatures to be on the ballot.
“We absolutely need somebody with Elizabeth’s perspective on the campaign,” said Katz, who has been a Warren supporter ever since she worked to establish the Consumer Protection Agency, long before she decided to run for office.
Like many Warren supporters, Katz sees her as different from other politicians, and he thinks her progressive policies will resonate in the Parkway as well as Washington.
“What’s missing from Washington now is any kind of compromise,” said Katz. But he added that “Her positions are so strong that her type of compromise won’t be the type of giving (Republicans) everything they want.”
But such appeals for bipartisanship came on a day when it was learned that a Political Action Committee supporting Warren’s Republican opponent U.S. Sen. Scott Brown was running online adds on his behalf.
Warren and Brown had signed a “People’s Pledge” to not accept support from outside interest groups and PACs. Brown has said he will donate an equivalent amount of the money spent on the ads to charity, but Warren had harsh words for Brown and compromise didn’t seem to be her priority.
“This election is about which side you stand on,” said Warren, as she took a break from greeting supporters outside Roche Bros. to answer questions. “One side believes that oil companies, hedge funds, multi-national corporations need to preserve every tax break and every subsidy that they currently have. I believe that they should all play on a level playing field.”
Elizabeth Warren visits West Roxbury residents – Roslindale, MA – West Roxbury Transcript
Boston At-Large Councilors Ayanna Pressley and John Connolly talk to John Flynn, Jr. outside his Cerdan Avenue home before speaking to his mother. Credit: David Ertischek
Before hitting hilly Cerdan Avenue, At-Large Boston City Councilor Ayanna Pressley pulled on some sneakers for some door knocking and coincidental exercise. Fellow sitting At-Large City Councilor John Connolly decided to keep his dress shoes on as the duo hit the West Roxbury neighborhood he grew up in. more »
Boston City Councilor At-Large Roundtable
The Boston City Council election cycle is upon us with the general election around the corner on November 8. We continue our candidate roundtables focusing on the City Councilor At-Large race, offering you the chance to decide who to vote for come election day. There’s a total of seven candidates on the ballot, and the roster is as diverse as the city itself–from seasoned politicos, to school teachers, to community activists. The race is heated, with four incumbents fighting to save their seats from three outside opponents. The stakes are high, and not just for the candidates, but for the future of the Boston City Council. This race could reshape the diversity and dynamics among these lawmakers from the number of women on the council, to those representing communities of color.
Today, we meet three of the seven vying to win, or keep a seat on the city council. We’ll be joined by City Councilor At-Large John Connolly, City Councilor At-Large Aynna Pressley, and candidate Sean Ryan.
Two city councilors, one white, one black, are fusing their campaigns, a move driven by idealism — and politics more »
When you’re 16, you can’t drink, you can’t vote and you can’t buy tobacco. You can drop out of high school, though.
But City Councilors Tito Jackson and John Connolly are looking to change that and continued their fight yesterday to raise the eligibility age for school-ditchers from 16 to 18. more »
Roslindale/West Roxbury — Boston City Councilor At-Large John Connolly and District Councilor Matt O’Malley will participate in the 2011 Boston GreenFest “Conversation’s with the City: Green Politics for a Greener Boston” on Saturday, Aug. 20, from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. under the Best Buy EcoTent on City Hall Plaza. more »
Councilor At-Large John Connolly with Cate Arnold, a resident of West Roxbury and faculty advisor to the Boston Latin School Youth Climate Action Network, and the Co-President of BLS Youth CAN, Eshe Sherley at a Youth Green Jobs program organized by Dorchester Bay Youth Force and BLS Youth CAN.
Boston City Councilor At-Large John Connolly was with Cate Arnold, a resident of West Roxbury and faculty advisor to the Boston Latin School Youth Climate Action Network, and the Co-President of BLS Youth CAN, Eshe Sherley at a Youth Green Jobs program organized by Dorchester Bay Youth Force and BLS Youth CAN, on Aug. 11. more »
City Councilor At-Large John Connolly gets ready to set off on the first day of the Hubway program.
City Councilor At-Large John Connolly participated in the inaugural ride of Boston’s bike share program – Hubway. more »
Ward 5 Democrats on Tuesday night endorsed three of the four City Council At-Large incumbents for reelection: Felix Arroyo, John Connolly and Ayanna Pressley. more »
Two Boston city councilors, frustrated that hundreds of city teenagers quit school each year, launched an effort yesterday to persuade the Legislature to raise the legal dropout age in Boston from 16 to 18.
Councilors John Connolly and Tito Jackson said that they believe that 16-year-olds are too young to understand the dire consequences of quitting school and that a roughly century-old state law that allows them to do so is outdated. more »
Under new measure, students would have to be 18 before legally dropping out of school.
A motion filed by City Councilors John Connolly and Tito Jackson to raise the high school dropout age from 16 to 18 was met with enthusiasm by their colleagues who said the city needs to send a message to local students and their families about the importance of staying in school.
“A college degree is the key to economic and social mobility in our society,” Connolly said at Wednesday’s Council meeting. “Raising the age to 18 sends a signal to our young people that we’re not just talking about college, we think it should be a reality.” more »
CAPTION: The Boston-based organization Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC) held a press conference on March 31 to kick off a nationwide push to turn off TV and other screens the week of April 18-24. Pictured (from l to r): Kevin Hepner, president and CEO of United South End Settlements and a CCFC Steering Committee member; Susan Linn, CCFC co-founder and director; John Connolly, Boston city councilor-at-large. Hepner and Linn are holding proclamations from Gov. Deval Patrick and Mayor Thomas Menino declaring April 18-24 Screen-Free Week in Massachusetts. (Sandra Larson photo)
The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC), a Boston-based organization known for its efforts to fight child-targeted marketing, is kicking off a nationwide call to families to turn off screens — TVs, DVDs, computers, iPhones — for the week of April 18-24.
At a March 31 press conference sponsored by United South End Settlements (USES), CCFC Co-founder and Director Susan Linn enumerated some of the negative effects of too much “screen time” on developing minds and bodies. more »
BOSTON (Reuters) – Out-of-date food has been found lingering in public school cafeterias across Massachusetts, sent from warehouses up to six weeks past “use by” dates, the state department of education said on Friday.
Expired school cafeteria food first surfaced in Boston last month. The problem has since been detected statewide.
Boston city councilor John Connolly noted that most Boston students have an income level low enough to qualify for free or discounted breakfasts and lunches at school, and said he worried that past-date cafeteria food puts them at risk of receiving meals with no real nutritional value. more »
City Councilor John Connolly wants Boston Public Schools to hire a nutrition expert.
When At-Large Boston City Councilor John Connolly received several tips that Boston Public Schools were serving expired food to students he investigated. He went into four schools and found expired frozen food sitting in cafeterias. Those schools included the Curley School and English High School in Jamaica Plain.
BPS quickly performed a full inventory of food in schools. more »
Many concerned with nutritional value and quality
Parents and students got their chance to speak out last night on the recent revelations about expired food appearing in Boston public schools.
About 50 people attended Councilor at Large John R. Connolly’s second hearing on the subject of outdated food in the schools, held at The Roxbury Center for Arts at Hibernian Hall. The groups were nearly unanimous in voicing their concerns over the quality and nutritional value of food being served. They were also upset about the possibility of food being past its “best by’’ dates. more »
City Councillor At-Large John Connolly clashed with Boston Public School officials on Tuesday at a council hearing over expired frozen food that he found during unannounced visits to four schools last month. more »
City Councilor John R. Connolly issued a scathing critique of the management of food service in the Boston public schools, as he kicked off his hearing today into allegations that school cafeterias routinely served students expired food.
Facing Superintendent Carol R. Johnson and other top school officials, Connolly accused the department of having “little or no inventory control,” forcing taxpayers to pay to store old food, ordering excess ingredients, and planning menus without adequately looking at its inventory. more »
Boston City Councilor John R. Connolly this morning inspected food in four school cafeterias and found frozen beef, taco meat, and cheese that had been kept well past expiration dates printed on the packages. more »
Two Boston city councilors have joined in the chorus of support for construction of a statue of Celtics legend Bill Russell in the city.
Councilors John R. Connolly and Ayanna Pressley have filed a nonbinding resolution calling for their fellow members to support “the raising of a statue commemorating Bill Russell and all of his accomplishments, both on and off the court.” more »
There’s a recipe change for the controversial alcoholic energy drink Four Loko.
The drink’s manufacturer now says it will cut the caffeine and two other energy-boosting ingredients from its products. This comes hours after one U.S. senator promised a nationwide crackdown on Four Loko. more »
BOSTON (FOX 25 / MyFoxBoston.com) – The Massachusetts Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission is restricting sales of popular stimulant-packed alcoholic drinks, including Four Loko that has been banned in four states. more »
Hub council also eyes drink ban
The state will restrict sales of the popular and potent alcoholic beverage Four Loko, as Boston city councilors consider their own ban of the controversial drink. more »
Four Loko might be the hottest drink to hit college campuses since Red Bull but the country’s premiere college town is taking steps to ban it.
City Councilors John Connolly and Mark Ciommo will introduce a resolution tomorrow that calls for a hearing on the caffeine-laced malt beverage. more »
A Boston city councilor is calling for a hearing on Four Loko, the potent brew of caffeine and alcohol that has raised concerns on college campuses, where some students have dubbed it “blackout in a can.” more »
If you’d rather pedal to work than take the T, the city announced today that bike share is on its way. more »
On Tuesday, September 28, Boston City Councilor At-Large John Connolly convened a public hearing to solicit parent, student, and community input regarding priorities for the next contract between Boston Public Schools and the Boston Teachers Union. more »
BOSTON WENT on trial Tuesday, charged with failure to provide sufficient effort in the two most pressing areas of city government: public education and public safety. more »
Greater accountability, longer school days and a stronger evaluation system for teachers were the main suggestions from parents, students and community leaders who attended the day-long Boston City Council hearing focusing on the next contract between Boston Public Schools (BPS) and the Boston Teachers Union (BTU). more »
Throw the teachers’ contract out the window
For everyone who wants to make Boston’s public schools better, Tuesday, September 28, was a banner day.
The Boston City Council’s education committee, chaired by member-at-large John Connolly of West Roxbury, conducted a wide-ranging and highly informative public hearing to focus attention on the issues that are at stake in the teachers’ union contract, now under negotiation.
Public voices ideas to City Council
Dozens of students, business leaders, and parents turned out for a City Council hearing yesterday to demand a teachers’ union contract that focuses more on improving instruction for students rather than on protecting the workplace conditions of teachers. more »
Boston city councilors are hoping to head off a high-stakes stalemate with the teachers union – like one that lingered for years with firefighters – and are calling in a “cavalcade” of parents and students next week to speak their minds on the schools. more »
The Chinatown Coalition met on Sep 9th at the Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center to speak with Boston City Councilor John Connolly and follow up with Parcel 24 and Bilingual Ballots Projects. Connolly reiterated his focus of work on education. more »
Boston City Councilor At-Large John Connolly, chairman of the City Council’s Committee on Education, formally moved for a public hearing to solicit parent, student and community input regarding priorities for the next contract between Boston Public Schools and the Boston Teachers Union. The current Boston Teachers Union contract expired on Aug. 31. Bargaining for the next contract has begun between officials at Boston Public Schools and the Boston Teachers Union. more »
When West Roxbury’s City Councilor John Tobin resigned his seat last month to take a job at Northeastern University, District 6 lost its primary elected official and neighborhood advocate. The district did not; however, lose its voice in City Hall, with officials from the Council and Mayor Thomas Menino’s office picking up the constituent services slack created by the vacancy.
City Councillor At-Large John Connolly lives in West Roxbury and has taken on many of the neighborhood’s concerns. more »
LONG-TIME observers of the Boston City Council know that members of that august body are usually happiest when pursuing pothole repairs or extending salutations to possible inhabitants of Mars’ second moon.
But Councilor John Connolly has a novel idea: The council could actually play an important role in city affairs by helping make Boston’s schools more responsive to family needs.
West Roxbury — You might not think of a car wash as a business that would readily set a good example as a water conservator, but the fact is that getting your car cleaned at Waves takes 80 percent less water than washing your car in your driveway. more »
Michelle Novelli of Roslindale has long been an advocate for individuals with autism and the families that support them as both a parent of a child on the autism spectrum and as a member as a member of the Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SPED PAC).
THE LEGISLATURE is considering a bill entitled An Act Relative to Insurance Coverage for Autism. This will require insurers to provide the coverage necessary for individuals to be screened and treated for Autism Spectrum Disorders. As chair of the Boston City Council’s Committee on Education, a former teacher, and a parent, I care deeply about the education of all of our students and I make no exception for the 11,520 Boston Public School students with special needs, of which more than 500 are diagnosed with ASDs.
By City Councilor John Connolly
Every year, thousands of people participate in the annual Corrib Classic 5k Race, and even more join for the post-run celebration. more »
At-large City Councilor John Connolly sets his sights on creating multi-million-dollar environmental academy
Little girls and boys frolic on swing sets whittled from recycled beech wood. Teenagers harvest organic rutabagas and stew them with locally farmed carrots in Earth-friendly kitchens. Classmates teach one another about conscious living. Folks develop new technologies to help make the landscape lovelier. Solar panels abound. more »
Connolly, Murphy are top vote-getters; Arroyo, Pressley best rest of the pack
Boston voters yesterday elected two new city councilors at large and returned two incumbents to power in a race crowded with candidates seeking to define themselves as future leaders of the city.
Councilors at Large John R. Connolly and Stephen J. Murphy topped the ticket, with newcomers Felix G. Arroyo and Ayanna S. Pressley leading the rest of the field.
Connolly claimed 51,308 votes, finishing 346 ahead of Murphy, as both received votes from nearly half of the 111,067 voters who went to the polls. Arroyo scored votes from nearly 41 percent of the electorate, and Pressley received votes from about 38 percent.
THE BOSTON City Council emerged from the shadows in 2009 with two at-large councilors mounting strong mayoral campaigns in the September preliminary and one – Michael Flaherty – rising to challenge Mayor Menino on Nov. 3. Often dismissed as statutorily week, the council appears to be gaining respect and clout, attracting a mostly impressive group of eight candidates vying for four at-large spots, including two open seats.
The two incumbents make strong claims to retain their seats. After 12 years in office, Stephen Murphy has acquired wide knowledge of the city budget and social issues affecting the quality of life in Boston. “I could teach a course to the other seven on municipal finance,’’ says Murphy. Modesty may not be a strong point of the hard-working councilor, but he has backed up his words with strong efforts to weed out abuse in the city’s disability pension system, rein in dangerous dogs, give ex-offenders better chances to find work, and pressure tax-exempt institutions – especially universities – to contribute more to city coffers.
First-term incumbent John Connolly has been a consistent voice for making the city more livable, with strong emphasis on preparing Boston’s schools and workplaces for a green economy. A former teacher, Connolly brims with good ideas about how to reduce truancy and improve the city’s schools. A rookie with a veteran’s eye for politics, Connolly has quickly become a significant citywide asset.
A balance of experience and fresh perspective is certainly healthy for democracy, and that’s what we’re looking for in the race for Boston City Council.
Councilor Stephen J. Murphy deserves another term at City Hall. Yes, the six-term incumbent has a penchant for such frippery as banning Styrofoam cups from the face of the earth (or at least the Hub of the Universe). But Murphy’s grasp of city finances, his focus on public safety and his interest in making Boston the best it can be is a continuing asset to the Council.
Councilor John Connolly deserves a second term to continue what he’s started. Among other things this ex-teacher sees the wisdom in lifting the cap on charter schools and in reforming the outdated student assignment system that drives up transportation costs, and the Council could use more people who share those views.
When Boston City Councilors Michael Flaherty and Sam Yoon declared their candidacies for mayor many months ago, the duo opened up what is normally a very narrow field for at-large Council candidates.
Despite the challenging state of municipal finances in this painful recession — which means that political expansionism will take a back seat to municipal triage — an exceedingly strong field of candidates entered the race.
more »
South End campaign stops highlight challenges facing the remaining eight candidates
As the Nov. 3 municipal election nears, the frantic pace of the at-large City Council race continues to pick up. Each of the eight remaining candidates is giving up sleep and any notion of free time in order to win one of the four at-large seats. Case in point: incumbent John Connolly, who finished first on Sept. 22, almost 5,000 votes ahead of his colleague, second-place finisher Stephen Murphy, and 22,529 votes ahead of Andrew Kenneally, who took fifth. The frontrunner, like his opponents, is taking nothing for granted and putting down any rumors about a 2013 mayoral bid.
more »
When Rose Lennett moved into her Belgrade Avenue home two weeks ago, she had no idea the front porch would prove a perfect vantage point for yesterday’s annual Roslindale Day Parade. As well as a perfect target for the pack of stumping politicians who paraded and pamphleteered among the fire engines, floats, and old-time cars.
“John Connolly,’’ said City Council candidate John Connolly, extending his hand toward Lennett, 83. “Hope you’ll consider me in November.’’ more »
MASSACHUSETTS IS stuck in the 1980s when it comes to recycling (“Expand the bottle bill,’’ Sept. 28). In the more than 20 years since its enactment, the bottle bill has expanded recycling and has provided an important revenue stream for the state. But as people consume more drinks that aren’t covered by the original bill – bottled water, energy and sports drinks, and fruit juices – it is clear that the bottle bill needs to be updated to keep pace with changing consumer trends.
more »
Councilor aced preliminary, and many see him primed for higher office
If any candidate could be excused for easing back on the accelerator before Election Day, it would be Boston Councilor at Large John R. Connolly.
Connolly won more votes in the September preliminary than anyone else in the City Council race. He has raised – and spent – three times more money than his closest rival in the eight-way race for four at-large seats.
more »
CAPTION: Councilor John Connolly, his wife, Meg, and baby Teddy
Boston City Councilor John R. Connolly skipped his usual election-day routine to cuddle up to a special “early return” – a baby boy.
Connolly, 36, and his wife, Meg Kassakian Connolly, 34, welcomed little Edward “Teddy” Ronan Connolly into the world yesterday at 9:14 p.m. at Newton-Wellesley Hospital. “Win or lose, I’m happy with baby boy Teddy coming on the scene,” said the proud papa. “We were calling him our best early return ever.”
more »
On Monday night, City Councilor John R. Connolly welcomed his first son into the world. Yesterday the proud dad slipped out of the hospital briefly to vote for himself and celebrate a first-place finish in a deep, diverse, and experienced field of 15 candidates vying for at-large seats.
“This is a two-day whirlwind for me,’’ Connolly said late last night in a phone interview from a campaign party in Roslindale, after leading the field with 35,115 votes. “The early returns were my son Teddy, which was all I needed to make my day. . . . Then to have this happen is the cherry on top.’’
First-time incumbent City Councilor At-Large John Connolly came in first in the Parkway for the at-large race, just as he did throughout the entire city.
Fellow sitting At-Large City Councilor Stephen Murphy came in second; then came Felix G. Arroyo, Andrew Kenneally and Ayanna Pressley. Those five finished in the top eight, as did Tito Jackson, Doug Bennett and Tomas Gonzalez. The octet will battle for four spots in the November election.
CITY COUNCIL campaigns in Boston are often a parade of familiar faces. This year is different, at least in the contest for the panel’s at-large spots. Two open seats have generated an outpouring of interest. Several of the 15 candidates have long connections to local government – either through family ties or in their own right – but virtually all are running on their ability to broaden the public dialogue. So much for the view that young Bostonians and minority communities are alienated from city politics; this talented field looks like a mosaic of Boston today.
On Tuesday, voters in the city will narrow the field down. Voters pick up to four candidates, and the top eight will appear on November’s ballot. Especially for political newcomers, making the final round in one election cycle is often a prelude to getting onto the council the next time around. These candidates, we believe, have the most to offer:
At 35, first-term incumbent John Connolly is the youngest current member of the council, but he brings a mature approach to the job. He takes a keen interest in increasing parental responsibility for chronic truants, who drive Boston’s dropout problem. He works diligently on energy efficiency in both public and private buildings. And he takes a grounded approach to improving transparency at City Hall, including fines for councilors who fail to disclose conflicts of interest. Connolly, who lives in West Roxbury, wears better with each month in office.
Isn’t competition grand?
The mayoral aspirations of Michael Flaherty and Sam Yoon have removed them from the race for at-large seats on the Boston City Council, but inspired more than a dozen others to jump into the fray. The city is better for that level of competition, and the talent pool contains several candidates who deserve a spot in the field of eight moving on after the Sept. 22 preliminary election, competing for four at-large seats.
Start with the two remaining incumbents, Stephen Murphy and John Connolly.
The Massachusetts Sierra Club presented a certificate of endorsement for re-election to Boston At-Large City Councilor John R. Connolly.
“I am committed to making Boston the greenest, most environmentally friendly city in the world,” said Connolly. “I am honored to receive the support of the Sierra Club, and I will continue to make environmental protection one of my top priorities, including working for a greener economy and sustainable transportation options for Boston.”
Boston City Councilor At-Large John R. Connolly announced that the Greater Boston Labor Council has endorsed him for re-election. Connolly also touted a host of individual endorsements and said that he anticipates more in the coming weeks.
“I am honored that these unions have endorsed my candidacy,” said Connolly. “I have made it a priority over the past two years to support and advance those issues that are important to Boston’s working families. In my second term, I will continue to be a strong and loyal advocate for the concerns and priorities of working men and women.”
This year’s City Council At-Large race finds 15 candidates running for four seats. The preliminary election on Sept. 22 will narrow the field to eight. To better flesh out those in the running, the Allston-Brighton TAB is giving candidates a chance to speak directly to our readers.
Candidates were asked to answer these questions:
1: What do you consider the greatest challenge facing the city of Boston? As Councilor-At-Large, how do you plan to address this problem?
2: What past experiences or positions do you feel have prepared you for a position as Councilor-At-Large? What skills do you bring to the Council?
Responses from the candidates will be spread out over the next three weeks.
The Sierra Club endorsed the two at-large incumbents today; apparently, none of the other 13 people running in the race were green enough for the group. Also winning endorsements: incumbent district councilors Michael Ross and Mark Ciommo.
The clubs says the four “will further the work of protecting the environment, support better transportation options, reduce global warming emissions, increase recycling and help push Massachusetts forward into the new ‘Green’ economy.”
The club also made endorsements in Cambridge, Somerville and Watertown – also almost entirely incumbents.
City Councilor Charles C. Yancey (left) and City Councilor-at-Large John R. Connolly (right) co-hosted the first annual Boston Caribbean Carnival Breakfast at City Hall on Friday, Aug. 28, 2009, to kick off the carnival weekend. They were joined by Henry Antoine (second from left), president of the North American Carnival Association, and Shirley Shillingford, president of the Caribbean American Carnival Association of Boston.
Wicked Local staff photo by David Gordon CAPTION: Daniel Monaghan, 9, of West Roxbury, boots the ball during the Tobin-Connolly Summer Games on Tuesday morning, August 11, 2009 at Catholic Memorial High School.
Boston City Councilor John Tobin says he gets all his best ideas while jogging on the track of his alma mater, Catholic Memorial High School. In June, Tobin had another idea; he called fellow City Councilor John Connolly and told him, “I have a great idea. We should have the Parkway Olympics.”
“The moral of the story is,” said Connolly, “always listen to Tobin’s ideas if he has walked around the track.”
From then, the two Johns created the Tobin-Connolly games, a free daily event for the Parkway youth between the ages six and 13 at Catholic Memorial High School that happened on August 11.
This year’s field of candidates for at-large Boston City Council seats could make a strong case to be the deepest ever. Certainly the most diverse, it is unusually large and experienced.
The 15 hopefuls bring resumes bearing more than a century of combined service in government, politics, education, and community organizing and leadership positions with a host of nonprofit agencies. The Sept. 22 preliminary election will narrow the field to eight finalists, who will compete on the Nov. 3 general-election ballot to win the four at-large seats that represent all of Boston.
Compare that to 2007, when just nine candidates ran, prompting the city to cancel the preliminary election.
The promise of two open seats – two councilors at large, Michael F. Flaherty and Sam Yoon, are running for mayor – contributed to the flood of newcomers joining the two incumbents in the race, Stephen J. Murphy and John R. Connolly.
Confronting parochialism stood out as a hot button topic at the inaugural public hearing of Boston City Council’s Special Committee on a Livable Boston, at Curtis Hall June 22.
Defining the mission of the committee in broad terms, Committee Chair City Councilor John Connolly said in a press release that, “We’re looking at the reasons people either stay or leave Boston. We’re looking at why so many people struggle with staying in a city they want to make home. Hopefully, by the end of this process, we’ll generate some real ideas to help people build lives in Boston for the long term,”
Speaking in more practical terms at the hearing, he said the committee would run a round of neighborhood hearings, collect ideas through a soon-to-be-running web site, and pick a few ideas to try to act on.
Cleveland, which is in competition with Boston and Washington D.C. to host the 2014 Gay Games, is the only city to have not formally backed the effort.
Site selection officials from the Federation of Gay Games have concluded their whirlwind tour of all three cities and are expected to make their decision next month.
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Handicapping the 15-headed horse race that is Boston’s at-large City Council election
Even knowledgeable City Hall insiders know they’re better off scratching lotto tickets than wagering on Boston politics. But if you must gamble in the 15-way horse race that is the September 22 councilor-at-large preliminary election, then it would be wise to bet that current Democratic officeholders Stephen Murphy and John Connolly will win two of the eight positions determined on that day (as well as half of the final four spots yielded by the November 3 election).
CAPTION: At-Large City Councilor John Connolly listens to a group of Boston residents during a hearing at the Copley BPL on July 28.
On Tuesday, July 28, At-Large City Councilor John R. Connolly joined more than 60 people from the Back Bay, Bay Village, Beacon Hill, Dorchester, the Fenway, Mission Hill and the South End at the Copley Branch of Boston Public Library for the third City Council hearing of the Special Committee on a Livable Boston.
Connolly, who chairs the committee and is a first-term city councilor, divided residents into six discussion groups, where facilitators fostered discussion about the definition of livability in Boston and residents’ major concerns. A brainstorming session for solutions followed.
Responses from the candidates will be posted online and in the print version of South End News over the next several weeks.
John Connolly is a first-term At-Large City Councilor from West Roxbury, elected in 2007. The 35-year-old former teacher is the youngest member of the City Council. He has served as Chair of the City Council’s Committee on Environment and Health, Acting Chair of the Education Committee, Chair of the Special Committee on a Livable Boston, and as a member of the Ways & Means Committee. More information on Connolly can be found at his website, www.connollyforcouncil.com.
-Brandon Simes
CAPTION: Councilor Connolly at Boston’s 2009 Pride Parade. 
The Boston City Council unanimously passed a resolution on July 29 in support of Boston’s bid as host city for the 2014 Gay Games.
“The goals of the Games are to promote the spirit of inclusion and participation and the pursuit of personal growth through a sporting event,” At-Large City Councilor John Connolly, author of the resolution, said in a statement today.
“Boston would be proud to host the games, we are a city rich in diversity and athletics – and I believe that we will be the perfect place for such a great event.”
Grassroots organization Boston 2014 will be hosting a kick-off rally celebrating the city’s bid to host the 2014 Gay Games. The rally will take place on August 6 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at The Estate nightclub, and it will give Bostonians a chance to meet with representatives from the Federation of Gay Games and make the case for Beantown as the Games’ 2014 host city.
Marc Davino, chair of Boston 2014’s sports committee, remains upbeat and positive about Boston’s chances of successfully completing the bid, touting “the backing of civic leaders,” including Gov. Deval Patrick, Lt. Gov. Tim Murray, Mayor Thomas Menino, and at-large City Councilor John Connolly. Menino will be meeting with Gay Games representatives during their upcoming site visit. Boston 2014 hopes the city’s strong commitment to Gay Games’ core values – participation, inclusion, and personal best – won’t hurt their chances either, organizers say.
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CAPTION: City Councilors Maureen Feeney, John Connolly, and Chuck Turner led the June 1 truancy hearing held in the Christopher A. Iannella Chamber.
For Harley Allen, school and classrooms meant something “meaningless.” The 15-year-old always skipped school and hung out with friends at the Boys & Girls Club. However, after he enrolled in the Alternative Middle School program at the Little House at Federated Dorchester Neighborhood Houses, school has been his second home.
“I used to skip school and made my parents ashamed of me,” said Allen, an eighth grader at Little House. “Now I’m excited about coming to school. I do my homework. I have a 3.5 GPA and [I’m] on my way to my first year in high school in North Carolina. Little House has given me a community where I talk to my parents and my teacher. And that makes me want to go to school.”
Allen was one of two students who testified at a June 1 hearing held by the Boston City Council’s Committee on Education to implement a chronic truancy intervention program focusing on parental accountability and family engagement. The hearing, which was held in the Christopher A. Iannella Chamber, aimed to push Boston Public Schools (BPS) to adopt a parental accountability model for truant students.
Boston has long had a reputation for being among the nation’s most livable cities. The big question, faced by officials and residents is how to keep it that way.
On Monday night, at a meeting held at Curtis Hall in Jamaica Plain, City Councilor John Connolly held a public meeting to address how to best improve upon the quality of life in neighborhoods and keep residents from deciding to live elsewhere. The work stems from a newly formed council committee tasked with delving into those issues.
Thirteen out of the fifteen candidates running for the four City Council At-Large spots faced off in a forum in the Back Bay on Tuesday night, staking out their positions on the city budget, the Boston Redevelopment Authority and busing.
The Ward 5 Democratic Committee, which co-hosted the forum with the Ward 4 Democratic Committee, afterwards immediately voted to endorse two of the candidates: John Connolly, currently serving his first term as a Councillor At-Large, and Ayanna Pressley, a former aide to U.S. Sen. John Kerry.
The iconic Citgo sign’s distinctive red neon triangle near Fenway will go dark for one hour later this month, along with the cables of the Zakim Bridge, normally illuminated at night.
The two landmarks, along with dozens of other marquee Boston properties, such as the Prudential Center, Hancock Buildings and the Custom House Tower, will turn off all their nonessential lights from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on March 28, as Boston joins nearly 400 other cities worldwide in observing Earth Hour, Mayor Thomas M. Menino will announce today.
Despite a heavy March snow, a good number of West Roxbury residents, including city councilors John Tobin and John Connolly came out to West on Centre to hear just what a Low-Carbon Diet Group is.
The Smart Energy Party was held Monday night by the community based non-profit organization West Roxbury Saves Energy.
Several West Roxbury households are undertaking a belated New Year’s resolution, vowing to reduce their ecological waistlines in the coming year through an environmentally friendly, low-carbon diet.
Dozens of community members met for a “Smart Energy Party” at West on Centre restaurant last Monday night to learn how to reduce personal energy consumption. West Roxbury Saves Energy, a community group dedicated to helping the residents make informed choices about energy use, organized the event.
Academy would capitalize on Earth-friendly economy
Under a plan envisioned by one city councilor, Boston would build a state-of-the-art environmental studies academy with solar panels and wind turbines that would prepare students for green sector jobs through a curriculum devoted to promoting sustainability.
At-Large City Councilor John Connolly admits that dream is several years away. But he said investing in such an institution as soon as possible is necessary to spur economic growth through green building and also to give Hub students an early opportunity to be part of a booming industry. His hope is that students K to 12 would learn everything from the causes of global warming to how to weatherize their homes.
The green academy proposal is one of several initiatives Councilor John Connolly recently announced as part of a new environmental agenda he hopes to move forward this year.
Connolly wants to organize neighborhood summits for April around Earth Day that would promote ways individuals can reduce their carbon footprints.
As chairman of the City Council’s Committee on Environment and Health, At-Large City Councilor John Connolly last week unveiled what he called an “Aggressive Green Agenda,” for the 2009 legislative session. Included among the proposals are calls for an Environmental Science Academy (ESA) within the Boston Public School system and programs promoting local strategies to combat global climate change.
City Councilor John R. Connolly unveiled an aggressive green agenda Wednesday, Jan. 28, including a proposed Environmental Science Academy (ESA) within Boston Public Schools, a program to teach individuals how to reduce their carbon footprint, a carbon-neutral neighborhood pilot program, and a shared bike program.
At-Large Councillor John Connolly is using the tripod of committees he chairs – Education, Environment and “A Livable Boston” – to support a four-pronged “Green Agenda.” He expects to order City Council hearings for the proposals on Wednesday.
The Boston City Council began its 2009 term on Monday, unanimously electing City Councilor Michael Ross as the new president of the legislative body as his father, a Holocaust survivor, looked on.
One of the first acts of the new legislative session under Ross, whose council district includes Back Bay, Beacon Hill, the Fenway and Mission Hill, was the establishment of a “special committee on a livable Boston,” according to City Councilor-at-Large John Connolly, who will chair the committee.
Councillor Michael Ross’s election to the Council president’s chair on Monday signals yet another yearly council ritual—the backroom battles over committee assignments.
The early winner of this traditionally underground skirmish seems to be at-Large Councillor John Connolly, whose special “Livable Boston” committee was among Ross’s first announcements. Connolly’s committee theme recalls ideas he drove home at backyard barbeques and house parties all over the city during his 2007 campaign.
Parents of truant students usually have to explain themselves to school officials like guidance counselors, principals or headmasters. But if a new law proposed by two Boston city councilors goes into effect, they may well find themselves explaining their child’s absences to someone else — a judge.
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When they call for giving court dates to parents who refuse to deal with their chronically truant children, City Council President Maureen Feeney and at-large councilor John Connolly aren’t just playing to the cheap seats. The consequences of erratic school attendance – high dropout, teen pregnancy, and incarceration rates – are simply too dire to ignore.
At-Large City Councilor, John Connolly was the guest speaker at the Oct. 14 West Roxbury Civic and Improvement Association Meeting.
Connolly gave the supportive crowd of an update on his first term as a city councilor and gave residents an idea what the city council has on its agenda for the coming year.
He started by way of explaining his position as one of four citywide city councilors, but he made it clear that although he represents the whole city, as a West Roxbury homeowner as resident, he was firmly on the side of West Roxbury and its residents. more »
A continued struggle to curtail truancy within Boston Public Schools has city councilors considering if schools should spend less time punishing students and more time looking at those responsible for these hooky-playing kids — their parents.
Legislation filed last week by Councilor At-Large John Connolly and Council President Maureen Feeney could send parents across the city off to court, as the council looks to create a stronger message of parent accountability in the case of excessively absent students. more »
Attacking the longstanding issue of truancy n the city’s schools, the Boston City Council is proposing a new initiative to keep kids in class and on track to graduate.
City Council President Maureen Feeney and At-Large Councilor John Connolly have proposed an ordinance requiring parents of chronically truant students to appear before a judge in court. To support that move, the two are calling for a public hearing to establish a model for reducing truancy in the Boston Public Schools by focusing on parental accountability and family intervention for children with excessive unexcused absences. more »
Frustrated by an epidemic rate of truancy, the City Council is considering whether to hold parents responsible for the school-skipping sins of their children.
At-Large Councilor John Connolly and council President Maureen Feeney are pushing a proposal to haul parents of chronically absent teens and other students into court to answer for their child’s empty desk.
“We need to address this problem, and I think we’ve tried everything else,” Feeney said yesterday. more »
A bill that would send parents of habitually absent students before a judge was floated in front of Boston City Council yesterday, the first step in what some see as a solution to the plague of high school dropouts.
The proposal filed by City Councilor John Connolly and Council President Maureen Feeney draws on a model used in Waterbury, Conn., public schools, which have seen a dramatic drop in absences since instituting the program in January. more »
Armed with folding chairs, Chinese food, strawberry Twizlers and blankets, Dorchester residents camped out in front of the Murphy Community Center last Saturday morning. Sitting around a heater and flat screen TV, they talked about the community, elections, the Patriots, and their kids.
These parents and guardians waited for more than nine hours to register their children in the one-on-one tutorial program of Project D.E.E.P- the Dorchester Educational Enrichment Program. From mid-October to mid-May, each student is assigned one tutor to work with, for 90 minutes each week. The program, which was launched back in 1995, has become one of the neighborhood’s most sought-after resources for extra academic help. more »
I don’t think any of us believes radio talk show host Michael Savage’s claim that he was being a watchdog for the many parents of autistic children when he went on his senseless rant last week. Blaming parents and labeling 99 percent of autistic children as “fatherless brats” is hateful.
Rent it. Ride it. Return it.
Boston officials will evaluate that process in the coming months when they discuss implementing a bike-sharing program that could help residents cope with high gas prices and congested city streets.
“We have to find a sustainable transportation option for people, and this can work because of the climate,” John Connolly, a Boston city councilor at large and chairman of the council’s Committee on Environment and Health, said in a recent interview. more »
Boston city councilor at-large John R. Connolly has a personal reason for holding a hearing today about the potential health risks of bisphenol A, the chemical found in many hard durable plastics such as baby bottles and hiking water containers: His seven-week-old daughter.
Connolly has been following recent studies showing potential harm to fetuses and infants from exposure to bisphenol A. And he chairs the Boston City Council’s Committee on Environment and Health. more »
City Councilor At-Large John Connolly shook a lot of hands on the campaign trail. The first-time city councilor was still looking to say hello to everyone he met this week, even at the City Council’s inauguration on Monday.
“It’s different to walk in a hall and get sworn in, and on the way out not to introduce myself and shake hands with everyone three times before they leave,” he said with a laugh after being sworn into office. more »
Handshakes, hugs and back slaps weren’t in short supply during the Boston City Council Inauguration at Faneuil Hall Monday morning. A pregnant Meg Connolly was smiling too, even though she isn’t sure how much she’ll see her husband John now that he is the newest at-large city councilor for Boston.
“I have no idea yet, I’m very curious myself,” she said between photographs. “I think they try to keep me in the dark on this stuff. It’s really scary, they work so hard.” more »
