E-Mail This Article to a Friend 2005 voters guide, continued

RACE FOR AT-LARGE CITY-COUNCIL SEATS

1) Give Mayor Menino an academic-style grade, and explain your answer.

2) Identify Boston’s biggest problem, and give a concrete way in which you would address it if elected.

MATT O’MALLEY, VIA TELEPHONE

Mayor’s grade: A-

Why: He’s done some great things; I especially support what he’s done in education and public safety. But I do disagree on the biolab, and the residency requirement, and the Boston Redevelopment Authority.

Boston’s biggest problem: Public education. We have a moral obligation to build the best public-education system in the country.

Solution: The way to do that is to hire 500 new teachers over the next five years.

STEVE MURPHY, VIA TELEPHONE

Mayor’s grade: B+

Why: In taking a macro view, the city is quite a bit better off than when Mayor Menino took over in July 1993. It’s safer — a city whose schools are slowly improving. The quality of life is better, neighborhood districts are thriving. It costs less money to borrow to finance capital projects because of the mayor’s sound fiscal management. But we do need to do a better job with infrastructure and getting streets repaired.

Boston’s biggest problem: Finances, because of a lack of will on the state government’s part to give us power over our own purse strings. There are three ways the city can raise revenue: property taxes, state aid, and fees and fines. Currently 47 percent of our property is taxable, and 53 percent is non-taxable. And that’s the segment that’s fastest-growing, eating up potential taxable property. As they become more rich, Boston has less places to go. Sixty percent of the city’s revenue comes from property taxes. That’s the oxygen that keeps us going. But we’re going to hit a wall here very soon.

Solution: There’s a program called payment-in-lieu-of-taxes in which Boston gets ... an average of $5.75 per student from colleges and universities. I would require a $100-per-student-per-semester fee from the school’s endowment — not from the student — as maintenance for the effort and cost to the city for providing essential services.

MICHAEL FLAHERTY, VIA E-MAIL

Mayor’s grade: A-

Why: Given the devastating cuts in funding the city has seen from the state and federal government, I think the mayor deserves high marks for keeping the city "working" and for reaching out to Boston’s residents to build partnerships since he understands better than most that the city cannot do it alone.

Boston’s biggest problem: When OxyContin and heroin use among Boston’s youth is at epidemic proportions, when in broad daylight grown men are shooting drugs in the Boston Common, when there [aren’t] enough detox beds nor transitional assistance for women seeking recovery, when a drug dealer mistakenly calls my cell phone to sell me a large shipment of pills — there is no bigger issue facing Boston than the need to provide for funding for drug treatment and recovery.

Solution: If we offer treatment on the front end, we will save lives and money on the back end; but right now, treatment and recovery is taking a back seat to the war on drugs. Apart from securing over a hundred-thousand dollars for drug prevention in this year’s budget, as well as continuing to call upon the archdiocese to give the city first right of refusal to purchase and evaluate their properties for treatment and recovery opportunities, I am co-sponsoring legislation with my colleague, Councilor Turner, to direct half the money seized from drug forfeitures to the public-health commission to use for treatment and recovery programs.

ED FLYNN, VIA E-MAIL

Mayor’s grade/why: I’m the only Boston Public School teacher and US military veteran running for public office in Boston, so I’ll take out my grading pen. I’ll give an "A" for the pride residents have in their city, and the courage families have for raising their children here. The Boston City Council receives an "F" for failing to stand up to the mayor and tell him when he is wrong. And Mayor Menino will receive a gentlemen’s "C."

Boston’s biggest problem: Boston’s city government is NOT prepared, and lacks the relevant competencies to effectively deal with any potential threat to the security and stability of our city. 

Solution: I am the only person running for the city council who is experienced and military-trained in homeland security, crisis management, and a participant in the Global War on Terrorism. Working with the police and fire departments, universities, hospitals, and community leaders, I will bring that knowledge, training, and experience to City Hall, to develop a professional and comprehensive plan to help protect the lives and property of Boston residents.

FELIX ARROYO, VIA E-MAIL

Mayor’s grade: C-

Why: I served eight years on the Boston School Committee, my five children either currently attend or have already graduated from the Boston public schools, and I remain deeply committed to serving the parents, teachers, and the children of Boston. It is very dismaying, then, to see so many problems still persist in our public-school system: the achievement gap — there continues to be a large gap between theperformance of privileged students and those who are low-income and/or children of color; parental involvement — the city has failed to truly engage parents by not providing "wraparound services" to each of our children; bilingual education — the imposition of the unfair new mandates of the Unz initiative must be counted as one of the city’s biggest failures; special education — too many special-needs children are misdiagnosed and/or fail to receive the individualized services that they so desperately need.Boston’s biggest problem: Aside from education, I believe that the biggest issue facing the city is the growing affordable-housing crisis.

Solution: Last year, I was the lead sponsor of the Community Stabilization Act. I will continue to pursue much-needed legislation to limit the rising cost of rental housing. I have also advocated for significant reforms of the Boston Redevelopment Authority, including the creation of a City Planning Department, to promote housing development. I have proposed and will continue to pursue a change to the city’s official affordability standard that would acknowledge the lower average income in the city relative to the surrounding communities. I will also continue to advocate with my state and federal colleagues to oppose the Bush administration’s efforts to dismantle the successful Section Eight program.

PATRICIA WHITE, VIA E-MAIL

Mayor’s grade: B+

Why: We have seen a lot of great improvements to the Boston public schools over the past 10 years, from boosting MCAS scores, to seeing more schools converted to the successful K–8 model, to adding more kindergarten classes throughout the city. The greatest challenge ahead lies in closing the achievement gap that persists in our public schools. We need to address the dropout rate, the $200 million deficit in school repairs, and the disparity in test scores.

Boston’s biggest problem: The biggest issue facing Boston is that families are struggling to make this city their home. Young families are leaving Boston because of a lack of confidence in our public schools. Recently, I managed a signature literacy program in our middle schools. Everyday I worked with principals, teachers, and students, and saw firsthand many success stories as well as the challenges they face.

Solution: We can and should improve this achievement gap by providing more individualized attention for students, increasing parental involvement, and finding resources for more and better facilities. All of our children need and deserve structured activities after the school day ends at 2:30 pm. When I am elected to the city council I will work to bring universal after-school programs to Boston by creating partnerships between our schools and local businesses, colleges, and universities.