Columnists :: Political Notes
Passoni campaign changes staff
by Brandon Simes
Managing Editor
Wednesday Mar 25, 2009
3rd Suffolk state representative candidate Susan Passoni has already brought change with her campaign - at least to the campaign itself. Former campaign manager John Reidy has left Passoni’s crew for undisclosed reasons, and Lisa Dacey, the former media relations coordinator for Planned Parenthood has taken over.
"John Reidy had to leave the campaign and Susan asked me to take on some of these responsibilities, in particular dealing with press, given my experience as media relations coordinator at Planned Parenthood," said Dacey. "She also felt my experience together with David Kent’s, our political and field director, who worked at Mass Equality, was a strong combination."
Reidy did not respond to an inquiry from South End News about his departure.
Flaherty wants more youth summer jobs funding
Mayoral candidate and city councilor Michael Flaherty announced on March 24 that he would push to raise the age limit for summer jobs for Boston youth to 21.
The Boston Youth Fund summer jobs program provides opportunity for youth 15- to 18-years-old. The program does not expand job opportunities to Boston Public Schools (BPS) students who have passed the age limit. Flaherty said this is a problem, given the poor graduation rates of BPS students, which means many Boston youth pass the age threshold while still enrolled in BPS.
"I have long supported an investment in summer jobs for youth as a way to get them off the streets and into quality employment opportunities," said Flaherty. "But for us to really make a dent in the youth violence we see surge every summer, we need to make sure that those job opportunities are available to our older youth, who are often the ones that would benefit from a summer job the most."
Flaherty will propose extending the eligibility to 21-years-old for Boston youth who have not earned their high school diploma or GED, similar to programs in Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Worcester. Chicago’s program extends all the way to 24-years-old, and the Boston Private Industry Council’s youth program is open to students between 14- and 21-years-old.
Boston has not yet announced its budget for the Boston Youth Fund summer jobs program, but will receive an estimated $2 million from the federal stimulus package. Flaherty said that while he understands the challenge of funding, he believes the program could help quell a feared rise in summer youth violence.
"Our dropout crisis and persisting gang violence demands that the city expand hands-on learning opportunities for our youth, especially those who are at greatest risk," he said.
Tobin sets the record straight on his political ambitions
After giving mayoral and state Senate campaigns some thought, District 6 City Councilor John Tobin has decided to stay put - for now.
"I’m not going to run for the senate seat," he said. "It was a great opportunity last year, we were down this road before."
Tobin had actually pulled papers in 2008 when incumbent state Senator Marian Walsh applied to the Judicial Nominating Commission hoping to become a district court judge, but the West Roxbury Democrat’s plans fell through and she kept her job. This time, after Governor Deval Patrick appointed Walsh to the title of assistant director at a state bonding authority, a post that has been empty for more than 12 years, Walsh’s seat is up for the taking.
"It was a better opportunity last year," said Tobin. "Timing’s everything, the economy wasn’t the way it is today."
Tobin said that he would not feel comfortable running for two seats at once - the open Senate seat and his City Council post - so he’ll keep his focus on the city and his constituents in a time of need.
"People don’t want to see some guy out there running for two political jobs at once," he said. "We’re just in the midst of so much right now...and I’m in the thick of that with a lot of my colleagues, running for another position and sort of taking away from my constituents to spend more time out in the suburbs, I don’t think it’s the right thing to be doing right now.
"Timing is everything, you just can’t control the timing of when things break," he continued. "I’m very fortunate that I’m doing a job as a city councilor that I love to do, I still have the only political job I’ve ever run for."
Tobin didn’t rule out a run for mayor, however, he simply put the odds on the same level of W. being welcomed as a hero in France.
"I’m not a betting man but I would bet the right side of my house that Mayor Menino’s running for office," he said, adding that he’ll look into a mayoral run if Menino - who Tobin said is "everywhere"- doesn’t try to win a fifth term.
"Being mayor of Boston was all I ever wanted to do since I was seven-years-old," admitted Tobin. "We don’t change mayors in the city too often, we’ve only had four of them in 50 years...if [Menino] chose not to [run] I think I’d be in that race - I know I’d be in that race."
No matter what Menino chooses to do, Tobin has a red dot aimed at the position. If Menino wins this fall, Tobin said he’ll put himself in position to run in 2013.
Tobin had nothing but praise for the three announced candidates-City Councilors Sam Yoon and Michael Flaherty and South Ender Kevin McCrea-as well as the incumbent, saying that while he sometimes disagrees with Menino’s policies, the mayor had been very kind on a personal level to him, and that he respected the candidates for taking the big leap and declaring.
"Running for mayor of Boston is the big leagues," said Tobin. "Remember Sam and Michael are giving up their jobs to do this, and I applaud them because I think it’s a conversation the city needs to have every four years."
"I just don’t think right now is the right time for me," he said, citing his two young children as a daily reminder that a run can wait. "I don’t want to miss any of these days when they’re at this stage."
The ever-strategic Tobin said that he would also abstain from a potential run for an at-large council seat, choosing instead to focus on reelection to his District 6 post.
"I like the district I’m from, I’m from the highest voting city council district in the city," he said. "I think it gives me good preparation for moving forward for going for the mayor’s race perhaps in a few years."
For now Tobin said he’ll focus on the budget and finding ways to fund Boston Public Schools, which officially added $25 million from the city and $16 million in federal stimulus help to the fiscal year 2010 budget on Tuesday, March 24.
"We’re up to our eyeballs in trying to find a way to prevent cuts to teaching and learning within our schools," he said, adding that the stimulus money "is great," but "a one-time thing," and we’ll "be back here again next year and that stimulus money won’t be there."
"It’s not about more money," he postulated. "It’s about how we spend what we have-for dwindling enrollment."
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