In addition to a full agenda of customary topics such as trash disposal, traffic logistics and neighborhood maintenance, the South End Forum in its April 8 meeting welcomed new Mayor Martin J. Walsh. A full house greeted the Mayor in a meeting room at the United South End Settlements on Columbus Avenue, including State Representative Byron Rushing and City Councilors Michelle Wu, Tito Jackson, and Ayanna Pressley. Board members of the Old Dover, Ellis, Blackstone/Franklin Squares, Rutland Square and Worcester Square Area neighborhood associations also listened to the Mayor's goals and stated their own. Stephen Fox, chairman of the Rutland Square Neighborhood Association and a longtime member of the South End Forum, moderated the meeting.

Greeting the Councilors in attendance, Walsh singled Michelle Wu, whom he said, "Has hit the ground running. We are already working on a number of issues together." Walsh thanked the residents of the South End for their "hard work in the transformation of the South End." Walsh observed that the South End has "changed, but stayed the same. You see a lot of people who have been here for a long time as well as people who are new to the neighborhood, and they all are invested in the neighborhood."

Walsh reflected on his whirlwind first weeks in office. "This is my 93rd day, and we have had an awful lot happen. On the first day, my corporation counsel came in and said I had to make a decision on casinos in Boston. We are making the case why Boston should be the host city. Whether you agree with casinos or not, we are not deciding that yet, but we are deciding what's best for Charlestown and East Boston." Also within the early weeks of his term, Walsh has had to deal with the grim occasions of the shooting of a child when 9 year old Jan Marcos Pena was killed by his older brother in an apparent gun accident and the deaths of firefighters two weeks ago in the 9-alarm Back Bay fire. "In response to (the Pena shooting), we instituted a gun buy-back program. I am proud to say that our police have collected over 200 guns in the first two weeks," Walsh announced to applause. Walsh acknowledged that there has been criticism of the buy-back program, but added that police officers have collected an additional 130 guns through stops and arrests, guns that will no longer be used in crimes on Boston streets. Walsh also announced that there will be a gun summit in late April to address the influx of guns to Boston from neighboring Maine and New Hampshire, with the purpose of working with those states to stem the flow of weapons into Boston.

Reflecting on his 16 years in the State House, Walsh said that while most legislators spend 90 per cent of their time making laws, Boston-area legislators spent a significant amount of time dealing with city affairs as well. He said, "As mayor of Boston, I consider it very important to deliver the very best constituent services to you." As an example, Walsh said that his administration has instituted some new technology in snow-plowing and have received very few complaints, but many compliments around that service. Walsh pledged to make similar improvements to other city agencies and services such as transportation, public health and the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA). Walsh addressed street cleaning, recalling that as a boy, he was sent outside by his father on Saturday to clean up the street in front of his home and around neighbors' homes, and he wants to foster resident and business involvement in cleanliness. I honestly don't think it's the city's responsibility to clean the streets, I think it's all of our responsibility to keep the neighborhoods clean, and we are going to put that message out."

Walsh moved on to the subject of the BRA. "I know there are some issues in this room with the BRA, as there are in many civic associations around the city. We are doing an audit of the BRA. We are going to make changes to make such development is good and smart, and so that it's transparent to the community." Walsh asserted that if a project meets with early and vocal opposition from a community "at the end of the line, if the community says no, then we don't move forward with it." He used the example of a building proposal in South Boston that faces opposition because of its density, and the city is working to lower the density of the project. Walsh expressed awareness that residents of the South End, South Boston, Fenway and some other communities feel their area is being overdeveloped and his administration will be responsive to those sentiments.

Walsh spoke of his efforts to streamline permitting for businesses and residents, having assigned two staffers to the task so far. Walsh singled out some cumbersome permit processes, such as the requirement for a special permit for a restaurant to have a television, and outlined plans to smooth out permitting functions by putting many of them, including dog licenses and liquor-licenes renewals, on-line. "Your neighborhood has a lot of small, great restaurants. We have to make it easier for them to oepn up, not harder." Walsh observed with frustration that New York City opens 5,000 restaurants per year, but Boston's permitting procedures make opening difficult to open small restaurants and businesses. Walsh also informed the packed room that he is working with the City Council to usher the home-rule petition to bring liquor-license authority to the city government passed. "Based on population, Boston is the economic engine of this region, and we need to make beer and wine licenses and in other cases liquor licenses more accessible. We want people who are investing in restaurants that serve nice food to be able to serve beer and wine with that." On a somewhat related issue, Walsh said that he has convened a task force on late-night operation of bars and restaurants "so that we are able to attract business and other good things to the city." He cited the need to be sensitive to community concerns and that 2:00 AM or 3:00 AM bar and restaurant closings are not appropriate for every neighborhood. "We're not saying in every neighborhood, it won't work to have people coming out of bars and restaurants at 3:00 in the morning."

Walsh echoed a concern discussed before he arrived, the authority to lower the speed limit in Boston. Walsh said he is working on a home-rule petition to transfer to Boston the power to lower the vehicular speed limit in the city, which now stands at 30 mph on residential as well as arterial streets. "This is an issue that is not just here, it's throughout the city of Boston," the mayor said. "Our response has been to put up signs saying Slow Down, soft signs, and that works for a little while, but the enforcement isn't there."

On the topic of schools, Walsh said his administration is working to regain control of two underperforming schools that are under state control, and said parental involvement is necessary in order to turn schools around. His final topic was affordable housing, which he sees as essential to retain young people and families in the city. Walsh wants to encourage development of moderate-income housing throughout the city.

The question and answer period opened with Fox thanking the mayor for supporting the forum in three initiatives: the pilot program to end space savers, the new trash disposal program and moving the Code Enforcement police to the Public Works Department. James Alan Fox, a writer for Boston.com and neighborhood activist, inquired about Walsh's position on the level 4 Biolab in view of the upcoming City Council hearing on an ordinance to ban level 4 research in Boston. Walsh said he has not changed his position as on the Biolab as stated in his campaign, but that he will assess the specifics ordinance on the basis of the hearing. Prior to his election, Walsh expressed opposition to level 4 work at the Biolab built by Boston University on Albany Street.

Neighbors voiced concerns surrounding the number of homeless people spending the day in South End parks, sometimes drinking and urinating there. Walsh responded, "Homelessness is a problem I wish I didn't have to deal with," but expressed the futility of trying to shift the homeless population around the city and the need to provide appropriate services for them.

Other Forum business included the identification of four priorities for the Forum to work on this year, namely sidewalk repair; District 1 trash collection; reducing vehicular speed limits from 30 mph to 25 mph, particularly on the South End's cross streets; and a pilot project for year-round street cleaning in the South End. Currently, the legislature sets speed limits in Boston, and Councilor Murphy's repeated home rule petitions have not advanced. Fox cited potential advantages of year-round street cleaning such as facilitating snow removal and discouraging space-savers. There was also a discussion on side-by-side trash and recycling receptacles, which were deemed "very successful". One challenge cited is the placement of advertising, which defrays the cost of the receptacles but may not conform to historic district guidelines. Hollie Baker of the Claremont Neighborhood Association said she was in contact with the South End Landmarks District Commission to resolve the issue.