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At-Large City Council candidate Sean RyanTuesday Aug 25, 2009 Like so many of this year’s crop of candidates, Sean Ryan is a lifelong Bostonian, having grown up in Jamaica Plain and attended the Trotter, Hennigan, King, and Latin schools. A self-described "free market economist," Ryan brings some bold ideas to the table about the current structure of the public education system. He attended the Community Music School of Boston in the South End, and received his masters from the Cleveland Institute of Music and his undergraduate degree from Harvard University. Ryan has held various professional positions, including working as a mailman, water meter installer, church organist, pedicab driver, and orchestra manager, and currently works at Fenway Park as an Aramark hot dog vendor. Ryan is a member of the "End the Fed" movement, a nationwide effort to raise awareness about the Federal Reserve System, on which he levies some blame for the current recession. Ryan also unsuccessfully ran for office in Ohio last fall.
-Brandon Simes
What separates you from the pack?
I am the only candidate in this race with a thorough knowledge of economics and an understanding of how we got into this recession/depression. I am one of the few candidates who will point out some of the ways in which government is harming our quality of life, by doing things that would be better left to the free market and voluntary charity. I am young and free from the influence of the local political establishment. I tell the truth about my principles and I outline detailed positions on issues, instead of making vague and flimsy calls for "improved" this or "better" that. I represent "New Boston" at least as well as any other candidate: I grew up in Jamaica Plain; I attended incredibly diverse public schools for 14 years; and I know that I must treat people as individuals rather than as members of particular ethnic or racial groups. I do not believe in the use of force to solve social problems. My platform addresses the issues that Bostonians care about most: schools, services, and safety. I appreciate the opportunity to run an honest campaign, and I am trying to bring thoughtfulness and substance to the table. I ask you, the reader, to trust me with your vote on September the 22nd.
Why do you want the job?
I want to be your city councilor because, like you, I am tired of watching the poor performances of politicians who seem to cater to every special interest, except that of the individual. In trying to do too much, local politicians have failed to fulfill their most basic and important responsibilities: schools, services, and safety. I want to be a voice of reason in City Hall-someone who is not afraid to take a stand against the culture of corruption and mediocrity. In the coming years, most Americans will have to get by with less money (and those that won’t will probably get their money through bailouts and other shenanigans)-and it is only fair that government should do the same. I will vote against any proposed tax or fee increases-the American economy is in bad enough shape already and we need to help local businesses and entrepreneurs. At the same time I will fight for improvements in the schools, for the preservation of the most vital services that government now provides, and for more efficient and peaceful ways of keeping our neighborhoods safe and free from violence.
How long would you like to stay in this position if you’re elected?
As an advocate of mandatory term limits for Boston’s elected officials, I will abide by my own suggestion and serve no more than three two-year terms as an at-large councilor.
What is your agenda in office?
My highest priority, and one that I believe can be achieved quickly if we set ourselves to the task, is to raise the level of dialogue about the schools and begin the process of reform. The public schools fail not because they lack resources, but because of the way the system is designed. The BPS (Boston Public Schools) functions as a monopoly service-provider and the teachers’ union has an additional monopoly over the skills and labor of educators. This centralized system stifles innovation, fails to reward exemplary performance, and punishes taxpayers who wish to take their money elsewhere.
To understand why education costs are high and quality is low, one could compare education in Boston to hot dogs at Fenway Park (where I work in the evenings). At Fenway, one corporation makes all of the food, and one large union represents all of the workers who serve it. These two monopolies remove the element of competition from food provision in the park-and with the free market’s pricing mechanism suspended, consumers pay through the nose. Since the buyers lack choice, they cannot redirect their money elsewhere if they are not satisfied with the quality of the wares available, and so there is little incentive for increased quality and service.
I want to restore competition and consumer choice to education in Boston. This can be done by encouraging a greater number and variety of charter schools, which give parents the option of taking their money elsewhere, if they are unsatisfied with the educational options currently provided by the city. As the system stands today, most sufficiently unsatisfied parents either leave Boston entirely, or stay and are financially penalized as they continue to pay (taxes) for a service they do not use. This is analogous to the Red Sox forcing thrifty fans to pay for hot dogs they don’t eat, because they decided to dine out before the game. Do we want young families (who are on even tighter budgets with unemployment at almost nine percent) to leave our city? I don’t. By giving parents control over how their money is spent, we will reintroduce accountability into the system. As in all competitive markets, prices will fall and quality will rise-across the board.
What can you do specifically for the South End?
I do not see public service as a way of helping certain groups, and my positions are designed to help all individuals concerned, regardless of the neighborhood in which they live. I want to reduce government regulation so that it is easier to start a small business in Boston. This will ensure that the storefronts of Columbus Ave., Washington, and Tremont Streets remain occupied, vibrant and clean. I want to encourage dense development in blighted areas of the South End/Roxbury border, so that the cost of residential units comes down. This will make city living more affordable for young families, and help renters in a time when buying may not be an option. I want to begin the process of reforming Boston schools, which will make all of Boston’s neighborhoods more attractive, and will allow us to lower taxes on all homeowners. I want to abolish the BRA (Boston Redevelopment Authority), create new zoning regulations, and de-politicize the development process-so that both residents and developers have a clearly-defined and simple set of rules within which they can protect their own property and allow others to improve upon theirs.
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