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Dear Neighbors,
I hope everyone is enjoying the warm and sunny weather. As we are now in June, I would like to provide you with an update on the work that I have been doing over the last few weeks.
At the City Council, we are in the final stretch of the Budget process. Last week, I submitted my FY25 budget amendment recommendations to Councilor Worrell, Chair of the Ways and Means, in which I asked for a $1 million increase in funding for staffing and updating equipment for the Boston Police Crime Lab to address delays in testing sexual assault kits within the state mandated 30 days, and a $200,000 increase in funding for the Inspectional Services Department (ISD) for pest control inspections on the weekends. The combined $1.2 million increase will come from a decrease in the budget for Office of Participatory Budgeting, specifically from their Special Appropriation line item.
In recent weeks, I filed hearing orders on a number of important issues. On transportation planning, I filed a hearing to discuss pedestrian safety, traffic-calming, and expanding the Safety Surge program in the City of Boston. I will be hosting a listening session tonight with Back Bay residents and businesses to hear their comments and feedback on the Boston Transportation Department (BTD)'s planned changes on Boylston Street Bike and Bus Lanes. On pedestrian safety and quality of life, I filed a hearing to discuss plans to address drag racing, dirt bikes, ATVs, and other off-road vehicles on neighborhood streets, as well as a hearing to discuss expanding the urban tree canopy in District 2. On zoning, I also called for a hearing to discuss the significant community opposition to the proposed amendment to remove the half-mile buffer zone between cannabis establishments.
In addition to the hearings, I also filed a resolution declaring speeding cars and reckless driving a public health emergency, and a resolution supporting the extension of the Affordable Connectivity Program and advancing digital equity.
In the community, we celebrated AAPI Heritage Month and Jewish American Heritage Month. On Memorial Day, we honored and remembered those that made the supreme sacrifice for our nation and our Gold Star Families.
Lastly, I would like to wish our LGBTQ+ community a Happy Pride Month in June. There are many upcoming events for the Pride community - let’s show up, celebrate, and support our neighbors. I would also like to recognize our LGBTQ+ veterans, service members, and their families for their contributions and sacrifices for our country.
Thank you,
Ed
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City and District Updates | |
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Councilor Flynn's Zoom Listening Session re: Boylston Street Bus and Bike Lane Changes
Boston Transportation Department's planned changes on Boylston Street adds both a bus and a bike lane on Boylston Street and reduces vehicle travel lanes to two. I have heard comments particularly from the business community about how the removal of vehicle travel lanes would impact truck deliveries, Uber and Lyft pick-up and drop-off, as well as the loss of 95 street parking spots.
Residents have also called attention to public safety challenges with mopeds and e-bikes from third party deliveries, often running red lights, stop signs, and going the wrong way on one-way streets.
I am hosting a listening session tonight at 6:30 pm to gather your feedback on this matter.
Tonight, Wednesday, June 5, 6:30 PM
Register here for Zoom link
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Community Preservation Act (CPA) Meetings:
Virtual CPA Information Session (Citywide)
Tuesday, June 11 at 6 - 7:30 PM
Register here for Zoom link.
In-person CPA Information Session (Citywide)
Wednesday, June 12 at 6 - 7:30 PM
McKim Building, Boston Public Library at Copley
Open Space and Recreation Workshop
Wednesday, June 26, 12 - 1:30 PM
Register here for Zoom link.
FY25 Community Preservation Eligibility Determination now open
CPA Boston's Eligibility Determination Form for FY 2025 is now open. To apply for the FY25 funding round, you can review CPA's Eligibility Determination and all related information here: https://boston.gov/community-preservation
Submit your eligibility form by Friday, August 30th at 5pm.
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Events in the City:
Boston Pride for the People Parade
Saturday, June 8, 11 AM
Start at Copley Square Park
https://www.bostonprideforthepeople.org/
Moakley Park Clean Up
There are upcoming volunteer opportunities to help clean-up Moakley Park on Saturday, June 15, July 20, August 17, and September 21 at 9am.
Register here to volunteer.
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Summer Youth Jobs (For youth ages 14 to 24)
The City of Boston’s FutureBos Youth Summer Jobs program connects Boston youth ages 14-24 to various job opportunities at nonprofits, community-based organizations, and City agencies. Applications are open now: https://www.boston.gov/departments/youth-employment-and-opportunity/summer-youth-jobs
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ABCD’s YEA! Program! For Youth
Action for Boston Community Development (ABCD) is now accepting applications for their summer's YEA! (Youth Engaged in Action) program! YEA! is a two-week course designed for income-eligible middle school 13-year olds. It builds on their ability to become young leaders through awareness, advocacy and the opportunity to take action. The program runs from July 22-August 2. For more information: https://bostonabcd.org/service/youth-engaged-in-action-yea/
Apply by June 28, 2024.
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Community Overdose Response Grants
The Boston Public Health Commissions recently launched a one-time fund of $1 million in Community Overdose Respond Grants to support community-based organizations to prevent overdose deaths, provide substance use treatment and connect people to substance use treatment and other services. Organizations can request up to $200,000 and spend the funds over three years. The Request for Proposals (RFP) recently opened and you can apply here: https://www.boston.gov/bid-listings/16158966
Apply by June 21, 2024 at 5pm.
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Metrolist
Affordable housing is one of the biggest issues we face in the City of Boston, and a top concern for many of our working families, low income neighbors, communities of color, and immigrants. The City of Boston provides a resource called Metrolist that helps you find housing based on your income and provides the most recent affordable housing listings. Please take a look and consider filling out an application for an opportunity to access affordable home ownership. For more information, please go to:
https://www.boston.gov/metrolist
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Council Hearings and Resolutions | |
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Order for a hearing to discuss pedestrian safety, traffic calming, and expanding the Safety Surge program in the City of Boston.
In 2023, the City of Boston announced the Safety Surge program, where the City installs zones of speed humps on eligible neighborhood streets to make our streets safer for our pedestrians. However, speed humps are currently only being installed on smaller side streets, but not on wider and busier streets where cars are consistently speeding and serious crashes also occur. It is critical that we look to scale up the city’s Safety Surge program and expand it with raised crosswalks on main streets, commercial roads, high traffic roads, and bus routes - where the majority of cars and pedestrians come into conflict, and serious crashes occur. This hearing was referred to the Committee on Planning, Development, and Transportation.
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Order for a hearing to discuss plans to address drag racing, dirt bikes, ATVs, and other off-road vehicles on neighborhood streets.
This is a hearing to discuss how we can address cars, dirt bikes, ATVs, and other off-road vehicles on our neighborhood streets that engage in drag racing, speeding, doing stunts, and other dangerous gatherings. In late April, there was a drag racing incident just after 2am in the Back Bay. Aside from the very real threats to physical injury or harm to other people, these acts could have caused damage to public property or personal property and other people’s cars and homes. Our city streets across Boston, and even highways, have also seen drag racing, as well as dirt bikes and ATV traveling in groups at dangerous speeds and blocking traffic, especially during summertime. I believe the city should be proactive in addressing these issues, and that we can have a discussion about strategies to address these issues. This hearing was referred to the Committee on Public Safety & Criminal Justice.
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Order for a hearing to discuss expanding the urban tree canopy in District 2.
In September 2022, the City released its Urban Forest Plan and found that neighborhoods in the south and west parts of the city have more trees, while neighborhoods in the north and east have the least. District 2 includes some of the areas with the least tree coverage. As of 2019, South Boston had 8% tree coverage, and Chinatown only had 7%, compared to the city average of 27%. Having a healthy urban tree canopy is important to our environment, as trees not only provide beautification, but act as filters for pollutants, absorb excess storm water runoff, provide shade during hot summers, and other environmental and public health benefits. This hearing will discuss strategies for expanding the urban tree canopy in District 2, so that our residents can enjoy the same level of tree coverage as the rest of the city. This hearing was referred to the Committee on Environmental Justice, Resiliency, and Parks.
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Order for a hearing to discuss the proposed zoning amendment to remove the half mile buffer zone between cannabis establishments.
Currently, the Boston Zoning Code requires a buffer zone between schools and dispensaries, as well as a half-mile buffer zone between cannabis establishments, which was a measure passed in the City Council in 2016. The buffer is intended to prevent cannabis establishments from opening in clusters so that no particular neighborhood would become the center for cannabis shops, and to ensure that dispensaries are spread out in the city, while allowing access to patients and customers. However, there is now a proposed zoning amendment that seeks to adjust the buffer requirements between cannabis dispensaries and school entrances to 500 feet that is in line with state requirements; and it would also remove the half-mile buffer zone between dispensaries. Over the years, residents in all neighborhoods have consistently advocated to enforce and abide by the half-mile buffer zone with cannabis proposals. Myself, and many civic groups have expressed opposition due to the impact on current and equity operators as well as exacerbating existing quality of life issues. This hearing will provide a forum for residents, businesses, and the city to discuss this amendment and its potential negative impacts. This hearing was referred to the Committee on Planning, Development, and Transportation.
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Order for a hearing to review the Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) program in the City of Boston
The PILOT program was established to encourage large, tax-exempt, nonprofit institutions in Boston to make annual, voluntary cash contributions or community benefits - due to basic city services provided by the city such as police, fire, and snow removal. Our city is heavily reliant on property taxes for revenue, and our large nonprofit institutions - which also receive essential services from the city - have a strong concentration of property that represents approximately half of Boston’s real estate. This hearing aims to review the PILOT program and discuss ways where we can work with our nonprofit institutions to strengthen the program. This hearing was referred to the Committee on PILOT Agreements, Institutional and Intergovernmental Relations.
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Order for a hearing to discuss Boston Public Schools transportation for student athletes
Many of our student athletes and BPS athletic teams practice and compete at facilities that are far away from their schools, and are reliant on school buses to transport athletes to their games and practices. However, there are instances where school buses do not show up at all for student athletes who are expecting transportation, leaving them stranded at their schools, or have to find transportation on their own to get to their games. Therefore, I filed this hearing to discuss this issue, and make sure that our student athletes can get to their games without last minute cancellations. This hearing was referred to the Committee on Education.
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Resolution declaring speeding cars and reckless driving as a public health emergency
Pedestrian fatalities and injuries have been a serious issue in the City of Boston, and in the last two years, there had been nineteen pedestrian fatalities. Pedestrian and road safety is a critical component of not only public safety and overall quality of life for our residents, but it is also a public health issue as unsafe traffic conditions can be a leading cause for injuries and deaths. Declaring speeding cars and unsafe roads as a Public Health Emergency will help to raise public awareness and elevate this issue to facilitate the attention and urgency required, and allow our dedicated city departments and the Boston Public Health Commission to work together to develop strategies to reduce car crashes and traffic fatalities and injuries. This resolution was co-sponsored by Councilor Pepen and Councilor Murphy and sent to the Committee on Public Health, Homelessness and Recovery.
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Resolution supporting the extension of the Affordable Connectivity
Program and advancing digital equity
The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) is a federal program that offers a $30 subsidy to eligible low-income residents, which is enough to cover services with less data, or can constitute a sizable portion of the internet bill that represent significant cost savings to residents. However, ACP funding has expired, and residents will only receive about half of their usual subsidies. We adopted this resolution unanimously at the City Council in April, and signaled support for the extension of the Affordable Connectivity Program and urged our federal representatives to work toward the continual funding of this critical program.
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Resolution in support of H.R. 6452, “Veterans Scam and Fraud Evasion (VSAFE) Act"
This is a resolution in support of H.R. 6452, “Veterans Scam and Fraud Evasion (VSAFE) Act” up at Congress, which seeks to address the issue of scam and fraud against veterans. According to Disabled American Veterans (DAV), over 74,000 veterans and military retirees reported instances of fraud or identity theft in 2023. This bill would establish the position of Veterans Scam and Fraud Evasion Officer in the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (V.A.), who will be responsible for fraud and scam prevention, reporting, as well as incident response plans at the V.A. The Veterans Scam and Fraud Evasion Officer will also establish consistent guidance on how to identify, report, and avoid fraud and scam attempts to veterans, military families, caregivers, and survivors. This bill is being supported by Disabled American Veterans, and will help ensure that they are able to receive all the benefits that they are entitled to. This resolution was adopted unanimously in the City Council.
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I was proud to attend the Memorial Day ceremony at the Puerto Rican Veterans Memorial. We remember and honor the U.S. service members who made the supreme sacrifice to our nation, and we have a moral obligation to support and care for Gold Star Families. | |
Last Friday, I was honored to attend the City of Boston’s Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month celebration at City Hall Plaza. Thank you to the APIA Employee Resource Group for sponsoring the event and for recognizing the contributions of the AAPI community. | |
I was proud to join my colleagues for the announcement of $850k in federal funds for the Bill McGonagle Community Center at the Mary Ellen McCormack. Thank you to Congressman Stephen Lynch for securing this important funding for our public housing community. This is a great partnership with YMCA Boston and the Boston Housing Authority. | |
Recently, I visited Boston Ship Repair and learned about the important work they do to provide ship maintenance, repair, overhaul and other services. I also met two students from Madison Park High School doing their internship there, helping with repairs, inspections and welding. | |
I joined residents of Allston/Brighton and workers from St. Elizabeth’s Hospital for a community rally in support of the continued operation of the hospital and their exceptional, compassionate and professional care. | |
I had the opportunity to attend the grand opening of the AT&T Learning Lab for teens at the South Boston Boys & Girls Club last week. This state-of-the-art center is designed to foster career readiness and exploration with computer skills, mentorship and youth leadership. | |
It was great to attend the Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay’s May meeting. We discussed quality of life issues, public safety, and neighborhood challenges. I am honored to represent part of the Back Bay. | |
It was wonderful to join South End residents and colleagues in government for a reception to support South End Baseball. A special congratulations to the Foley Family for your induction to the South End Baseball Hall of Fame for your longtime support and commitment to this program! | |
Last month, I attended the United South End Settlements Neighborhood Gala at the Boston Center for the Arts. The USES aims to disrupt the cycle of poverty for families through quality education, opportunities, and resources for both children and adults. | |
I was proud to join Gold Star Families, fellow veterans, elected officials and South Boston neighbors for the Thomas J. Fitzgerald VFW Post 561 Memorial Day ceremony. We will always honor and respect our Gold Star Families and U.S. service members who made the supreme sacrifice for our nation. | | |
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My colleagues and I welcomed Molly Lomenzo of Women2Women to City Hall in May. W2W is a leadership program to give young women the skills needed to succeed in our global community. W2W provides these future leaders with an excellent start on their professional journeys!
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I had the pleasure of meeting Red Cross of Massachusetts CEO Holly Grant and community leader Paula Jacobson at City Hall last month. Red Cross serves almost 7 million residents in Massachusetts and provides disaster relief, first aid and CPR training, food for those in need, and collects blood donations. Thank you for your critical work!
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It was wonderful to attend the Polish Festival Boston in Dorchester this month. Thank you to the Polish American Citizens Club for hosting this annual celebration of the exceptional contributions and sacrifices of the Polish and Polish-American community to our city and country.
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It was wonderful to join South End/Roxbury residents and my colleagues in government for the opening day of South End Baseball. Thank you to the coaches, volunteers, sponsors and parents for supporting this exceptional youth sports program.
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Thank you to Asian Community Development Corporation, Josiah Quincy Elementary School, Boston Music Project and the Rose Kennedy Greenway for bringing families together for a wonderful celebration at Mary Soo Hoo Park in Chinatown.
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If I can be of any assistance, please do not hesitate to contact my office at 617-635-3203 or ed.flynn@boston.gov.
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