An open and accountable City Government is essential not only to having a well run government, but also one that encourages broad civic participation. However, empowering our citizens and truly fostering civic engagement will require not just an open and accountable government, but also a government that is helpful and fair.
During my first term on the City Council, I have pushed hard to make our City’s government more open and accountable, and I have advanced several policies that have promoted transparent governance in Boston. The following are some of the steps I’ve already taken to encourage “good government,” as well as the initiatives that I hope to continue working on as one of your At-Large City Councillors:
Providing Full and Open Access to Public Information: It sounds so basic, but sometimes all we want from our government is easy access to the important information and services that we need for our daily lives—a copy of a birth certificate, a tree trimmed, or the status of a vacant lot on the street where we live. We need a better system to allow residents to obtain information and request services from the City on their own. A critical piece of this effort is the creation of a user-friendly city website where the public can access every City document and record online. The City has already begun working on this and I applaud the efforts, but there is more work to be done.
A more interactive website should provide not only access to all City records, but also real-time information about events, issues, and actions before our City government. This would include access to the meeting schedule and meeting agenda for any applications or reviews before the Boston Redevelopment Authority, the Zoning Board of Appeals, the Licensing Board, the Inspectional Services Department, and any other City commission, board, or department. In the same light, the results and decisions of any such applications or reviews should be made publicly available via the City website at the time of decision.
Improving Budget Transparency: Reviewing and approving the City budget on an annual basis is the most important function of the City Council. While the City Charter does not allow the Council to propose its own budget as is done by the legislative branch at the state level, the City Council is your first line of review when it comes to how your tax dollars are spent. The City and Boston Public Schools should adopt a line-item budget so that all of us can see exactly how our tax dollars are being spent. Currently, the budget process provides the City Council with limited insight into government spending and priorities. Items are coded under broad categories that provide minimal understanding of spending and allocations. A line-item budget would give detailed information about all major individual financial items for each agency or department of the City Government. Each budget item would include the last completed fiscal year, the current year, and the projections for the coming fiscal year. To have a meaningful discussion about how we are spending taxpayer money, all of us need access to the complete, detailed, and straightforward budget information that a line-item budget would provide. Without a transparent line-item budget, it’s impossible for residents to know how their money is being spent and whether that spending reflects their priorities.
Ensuring a Fair Development Process: Whether you are a business person who helps fuel Boston’s economic growth and job creation, or a resident concerned about the impact of a proposed development on the quality of life in your neighborhood, we all want a zoning, development, permitting, and licensing process that is clear and fair, and not an insider’s game. We need a system that advances thoughtful, complete development plans that contribute to the City’s economic growth, job creation, and aesthetic appeal, thereby preserving the highest quality of life in our neighborhoods and making Boston more livable. The key is a process that sets forth clear rules, requirements, and standards and takes an unbiased approach towards each applicant and project so that all parties know and understand the process. A transparent process that dictates the results for each proposal or application based on merits alone will be a process that works for everyone involved, from the civic leader or abutting neighbor to the business person or non-profit institution. I will continue working hard to level the playing field for our residents, businesses, and institutions so that we all have a full, fair, and expedient development process.
Fostering a Transparent and Open Government: I am proud to say that I played a leading role in the City Council’s efforts to make our legislative body and the entire City government more accountable and transparent. When the City Council debated ethics legislation this year requiring that City Councillors disclose their personal financial interests on a yearly basis, the initial proposed legislation fell short because it contained no penalties for non-compliance and it only applied to the City Council. In response, I authored a successful amendment to the ordinance requiring a penalty mechanism to ensure compliance. I also secured an Executive Order that effectively expanded the ordinance to require financial disclosure by all City officials with policy making power.
Opening Ballot Access: Few of our rights are as sacred as the right to vote, and I am proud to have cosponsored the Council’s proposed ordinance to require transliterated ballots for Asian American voters. Transliteration fosters ballot access and opens elections for American citizens who do not speak English as their first language, especially for our senior Chinese-American and Vietnamese-American voters who might not be familiar with the Western alphabet. Trial runs with transliterated ballots have demonstrated a real increase in voter participation within Boston’s Asian American communities. Ensuring that Bostonians understand who they are actually casting votes for should be a top priority for all of us. Voting is the backbone of democracy and I will continue to support this important proposal in any way that I can.
Taking Our Government to the People: Real change in our society only happens when residents trust their elected leaders to do what is right. That trust is not given lightly; it must be earned through an open, collaborative and transparent process. That is why, during my first term on the City Council, I’ve spearheaded an effort to connect people directly with our City’s government by taking the City Council out of City Hall and into our neighborhoods on numerous occasions. As Chair of the Council’s Committee on Environment and Health, I held hearings on multiple issues involving my Green Agenda. in Charlestown, Codman Square, and Allston so that we could collaborate with neighbors directly. As Acting Chair of the Council’s Education Committee, I held hearings at the Agassiz School in Jamaica Plain to hear firsthand from parents, teachers, and custodians about possible environmental health hazards related to the school’s physical plant. And, as Chair of the Special Committee on a Livable Boston, I’ve begun holding hearings all over Boston so that the City Council can hear directly from and work directly with residents on ideas to make the city more livable. By taking the City Council out of City Hall and to the neighborhoods, we’re able to directly engage people in local government. Fostering a dialogue among neighbors in an open and trusting environment in their own neighborhoods allows their City government to better understand the issues that most affect their daily lives.
Finally, as your City Councillor, I’ve taken an active role in keeping residents informed on the major issues and events that go on both in City Hall and in our neighborhoods through the use of e-mail and this website. For instance, throughout this past year’s budget process, I sent out regular budget update e-mails to keep parents informed about the status of the Boston Public Schools’ (BPS) budget and potential teacher layoffs. I will continue to do all that I can to engage residents in their local government and to take our City government to you by taking the City Council to our neighborhoods.
