City Council District 2 candidate forum

In sharp contrast with the vitriol and accusations that marked last year's national election, the July 26 District 2 City Council Candidate Forum at the Calderwood Pavilion, 527 Tremont Street was cordial and respectful, with candidates agreeing frequently while offering distinct approaches to South End and District 2 concerns. The participants were former aide to Mayor Menino Michael Kelley, until last year a longtime South End resident; South Boston residents, web designer Corey Dinopoulos, probation officer Ed Flynn, retired mental health worker and Vietnam veteran Joseph Kebartas and attorney Erica Tritta; and entrepreneur Peter Lin-Marcus of Chinatown.

The forum's moderator was Sue O'Connell, editor of the South End News and Bay Windows and host of New England Cable News's (NECN) "The Take" newsmagazine program. The South End News was a sponsor of the forum.

A question submitted from the audience asked the candidates what they do for a living, how many hours do they work and what are their primary responsibilities, which O'Connell hailed as the best question ever submitted in the forums she has moderated. Kebartas quipped, "I'm retired, but I don't have any time," then spoke of his volunteer work with the Friends of the South Boston Branch Library, serving in food pantries and soup kitchens with Senior Actions, and promoting exercise and healthy eating, mentioning several times throughout the forum his concern with childhood obesity and over-consumption of soda and sugary drinks.

Kebartas also told of his activism since 2004 with the Roxbury Safety Net coalition, which opposes level 4 biosafety research at the National Emerging Infectious Disease Laboratory (NEIDL), or Biolab on Albany Street. Flynn explained that as a probation officer, he focuses on helping ex-offenders find job opportunities, and outside of work he is involved in sports, school and family activities with his wife, Kristen and their children, Caroline, 14 and Stephen, 10. "I love the work and I love helping people," Flynn said.

A veteran community organizer in Chinatown, Lin-Marcus said that as partner in a startup, he often works 60 hours per week. "If I become city councilor, it wouldn't be a job, it would be a passion. I'd be doing what I love, helping people and making a difference," he concluded. Dinopoulos described his hectic schedule working by day as a web developer at John Hancock, campaigning after hours and trying to fit in trips to the gym. Tritta, an attorney and a licensed social worker, talked about her role in running a business, her practice specializing in estate planning and probate, marital and family mediation and juvenile court representation. As the mother of a seven-month old baby, she currently works about 30 to 40 hours per week as she and her husband seek child-care arrangements, an issue with which many families struggle. She stressed her commitment to hard work that would carry over to her role as city councilor.

Kelley proudly recounted his 10 years as a member of the International Association of Machinists, working at Northwest Airlines, his stint as the owner of an ice-cream store with other family members and his work as neighborhood services coordinator under Mayor Thomas M. Menino. "That's some of the proudest work I've ever done, fighting to make sure residents had a voice," he said.

O'Connell extended the time limit from one minute to two on the complex question of expanding affordable housing without reducing homeowners' property values, taking into account income disparity among residents and enabling middle-income families to remain in the city. Lin-Marcus led by recalling his volunteer work with Habitat for Humanity and the importance of providing a pathway to homeownership. He would like to see changes to the zoning and permitting processes to ease the way for affordable housing for families and retirees and improved access to homeownership for peoplw with steady incomes but less-than-perfect credit.

Kebartas would strengthen the Payment In Lieu of Taxes, or PILOT program, through which universities and other non-profit institutions contribute to the city's coffers, and enforcing the city's employment quotas of 50 per cent city residents, 40 per cent minorities and 12 per cent women to ensure good jobs for more residents. He also advocated a $15 dollar per hour minimum wage, taxing the endowments of wealthy, land-owning institutions like Harvard University and limiting Air BnB to ease pressure on the housing inventory.

As O'Connell requested, Tritta gave broad parameters for middle income ranging from $50,000 to $180,000 annually per family, with low income being below $50,000 per year. Tritta claimed there are investors who want to build lower and middle- income housing in the South End and in Boston and that such development can be profitable. Tritta called upon the city to approve more of an economic mix of development and to take inventory of apartment and housing stock to ascertain what levels of housing exist and how much affordable or "workforce" housing Is still needed.

Dinopoulos recommended working with developers to encourage development of affordable housing and to increase the percentage of affordable housing to be included in new development to 20 per cent. He also supports state representative Aaron Michlewitz's proposal to regulate and limit Air BnB. "We need workforce housing for the people who make our city run." He also cited a glut of one and two-bedroom units and a need for larger units for families. Flynn lamented the many people who have been priced out of his South Boston neighborhood in recent years and said that Mayor Walsh has done a good job of building more affordable units while the Menino administration approved too many luxury developments.

"We neglected the working class of the city for a long time," he said. He called for more public housing and construction of affordable units on vacant city land. Flynn noted that while large developers do not support him, the Chinese Progressive Association and 30 labor unions support him. Flynn said he participated in a signature drive to petition the federal government to restore funding for senior housing.

The candidates addressed traffic safety, a hot topic in the South End in light of recent, tragic accidents on Tremont Street as well as numerous close calls experienced by pedestrians crossing that street. Kebartas called for greater enforcement as a deterrent and works with community groups to heighten vigilance among pedestrians as they cross the street. He advocates a 25-mph speed limit across the city, not only in the South End.

Kelley highlighted his work with the Union Park Neighborhood Association on a pilot program to increase traffic safety. Kelley said, "I will not let the Transportation Department give 10 reasons why we can't do something. I am going to be a city councilor who asks what we can do and what we can implement right away." He suggested LED lighting and other crosswalk improvements, better street lighting, Tritta would reprogram traffic lights to allow more crossing time and more traffic enforcement.

An avid bicyclist, Dinopoulos said he is afraid to ride in the city currently and wants to see the current 3 miles of protected bike lanes in Boston expanded to 20 miles in a connected network. Flynn noted that his parents, former mayor Raymond Flynn and his wife, Cathy, were almost struck by cars twice while walking to the forum with their disabled grandchild. He called for more signs warning against distracted driving, vowing to work with the Boston Transportation Department on ideas for greater pedestrian safety. "It's very unfair to the elderly and the disabled that they take their lives into their hands while crossing the street." Lin-Marcus, who lives near Kneeland Street where traffic exits the Mass. Pike, advocates speed bumps, narrower lanes and other "traffic calming" techniques.

Recent, highly-publicized racist incidents involving a Boston police officer and fans at Fenway Park prompted the question of whether Boston is a racist city. Kebartas, who taught school during the Boston busing crisis of the 1970s, feels that racism persists in Boston today. I think it's been much improved over the years because people have gotten together to talk about it."

Flynn said that while racism persists in Boston, much progress has been made since the 1950s and 1960s, proudly hailing the efforts of former mayors including his father in combating the problem. "I was with my father when he integrated public housing in South Boston and Charlestown without incident," he recalled. Citing his service in the United States military, which he called the "most diverse organization in the world", he understands Boston's diversity. "I'm a good listener and I treat people with respect and dignity," he said.

Kelley said that while Boston has made great strides, racism, sexism, homophobia and xenophobia persist. "This is something I have staked the foundation of my campaign on; making sure every person feels welcome and respected." He condemned President Trump's ban of transgender persons in the military earlier that day, as did naval veteran Flynn in his closing remarks. Lin-Marcus, who is half Chinese, said that there have been great improvements in recent decades, but there is much work to be done on the problem of institutional racism. Tritta said that she witnesses institutional racism in the experiences of many of her clients in pursuing housing, education and health care. "We have come a long way, but we still have work to do." Dinopoulos recalled his youth in Dracut, where there were no students of color in his high school, and moving to much more diverse Boston. "The city council has to reflect the diversity of our city. We have three women of color on the city council and awe need more women. We have two openly gay men running, which is unprecedented in the history of this city council seat." Referring to his competitors, he said, "The group that we have sitting here is incredible and I think any of us will work hard to improve the problem of racism in our city."

The candidates were asked to critique the Boston Public Schools (BPS) and to comment on district schools, universal K through 5 and solutions to the problems in the schools. Kelley stated that 70 per cent of BPS students come from economically distressed homes. "It's important to fight so that every school is a good school and every kid has access to a good education." He also expressed support for pre-K to improve children's performance throughout their school years. Lin-Marcus said that while there have been great improvements to BPS in recent years, 28 per cent of students are not finishing school. Pointing to the vast number of technology jobs and the disappearance of manufacturing jobs, he said that education is key to employment. He wants the city to guarantee that all students graduate and to offer trauma services, English Language Learner support and other supports to help students complete their education.

Tritta, the wife of a public schoolteacher, likes the idea of neighborhood schools, but said, "We can't go to neighborhood schools until we elevate all of the schools. We need all of the schools raised up so that they are all good schools." She also supports universal K through 5 and an earlier school starting time. Kebartas would discontinue the MCAS test, as he feels that students are being taught to pass the test rather than getting a well-rounded education, and wants civics and nutritional education to become required subjects.

Flynn described his involvement with the Josiah Quincy Elementary School, where he drops his son off, talks with his teachers and volunteers. He too supports K through 5 as well as before- and after-school programs. Dinopoulos, whose parents are longtime teachers, supports universal pre-K and collaboration rather than rivalry between public and charter schools. He wants the City Council to be more assertive in collecting PILOT payments as a means of funding improvements to public schools.

O'Connell asked candidates about crime in Boston, which is down from previous years and relatively low compared to other similar cities, while there remains a flood of guns on the street and a fear among crime victims to give information to the police. Flynn stressed the need for mutual trust between police and residents and the importance of community policing. "As a probation officer, you never give up on anybody. I want to work hard to see that everybody in the community is safe and that everyone is treated fairly and with respect." Kebartas said, "Crime is a symptom of poverty," adding that Boston is third only to Atlanta and San Francisco in income inequity. He again referred to the hiring requirement formula to be inclusive of city residents, minorities and women to promote better income equality.

Lin-Marcus recalled the "Boston Miracle" of the 1990s when crime dropped significantly and called for youth job programs and on-demand addiction and trauma treatment. Dinopoulos was skeptical of gun buyback programs, preferring the presence of police on bicycles and walking the beat, getting to know neighbors as well as jobs and other programs to keep youth occupied. Tritta called for police community engagement to establish trust with the public from a young age. Kelley agreed with his rivals' ideas, adding that the city should connect youth with tech, construction and other well-paying jobs.

Dinopoulos reflected the grassroots spirit of the District 2 candidate forum, a collaboration by the Ward 4 Democratic committee, South End Forum, Ellis South End Neighborhood Association and the South End News when he said in his closing statement, "We have more impact on your daily lives than Trump ever will."

Boston's primary election will take place on September 26, and the registration deadline to vote in the primary is September 6. The general election will be held on November 7 and the deadline for voter registration is October 18.