Michael Flaherty, Kevin McCrea, current Mayor Thomas Menino and Sam Yoon have different backgrounds and platforms, but all hope to gain the highest public office in Boston next November. The candidates began to gather signatures for their mayoral runs in Boston Tuesday. Before students break for summer recess, four of the most prominent candidates in the race for mayor spoke about why they are the best choice for the student voice next November.
NEW IDEAS
All of the candidates said they would like to improve the city, but each said they had specific areas on which they plan to concentrate.
South End businessman McCrea said his main concern is government corruption and lack of focus on education, which he said affected the country’s economic status.
‘We need to refocus on education, for example, and I think that’s one of the reasons that we are in the economic place that we are in now,’ McCrea said. ‘It’s because we’ve gotten away from caring about the core educational values.’
City hall needs a more transparent government because there is too much waste, crime and corruption there, he said.
McCrea said he plans to increase the government’s accountability by getting rid of the Boston Redevelopment Authority, which, according to the BRA website, assumes the development powers previously held by the Boston Housing Authority as well as public housing powers.
City Councilor-At-Large Yoon said in an email he wants to improve the current outdated structure of city hall by improving its communication with the public.
‘Our City Hall doesn’t let you leave voicemail for city workers,’ Yoon said. ‘Other cities don’t work this way anymore. We’re stuck in another century.’
Yoon said he plans to fix this issue by creating a non-emergency number for city services called 311.
‘That’s a system that would not only help people receive city services, it would let [City Hall workers] track the city’s performance and see where we are successful and where we need work,’ Yoon said.
City Councilor-At-Large Flaherty wants to first enhance efforts to trim wasteful spending, according to his campaign website.
Flaherty said he wants to create a leaner budget by eliminating overpaid consultants in city departments and capitalizing on new technologies that make government run more efficiently.
Current Mayor Menino cites the educational system as a major focus of his platform, Brenna Malloy, intern and spokeswoman for Menino, said.
Menino also has a more ‘forward-looking’ campaign with regard to addressing global warming, Malloy said.
‘He wants to keep the city clean and move toward green energy and new technology to make the city greener,’ Malloy said.
THE DIFFERENCES
Even though all of the candidates said they have a forward-looking attitudes about change, each has a different background, ranging from a business owner to former schoolteacher, that would bring different qualities to the mayoral position.
McCrea said he thinks people are tired of business as usual and want a candidate that knows what it is like to budget.
‘These insiders all get big bonuses and big pensions, while at the same time cutting school budgets,’ McCrea said. ‘I own my own business, so after 20 years, I know what it’s like for me to budget, and I know what it’s like to prioritize what’s most important.’
Flaherty spokesman Jon Romano said Flaherty has lived in Boston his whole life, which will help him decide what changes the city needs.
‘I believe that Michael will move our city in a new direction, turn the page on the last 16 years and try and chart a new course for a city that he has proudly called home his entire life,’ Romano said.
Malloy said Menino’s experience in office demonstrates that he is the best person for the job.
Yoon said in an email that he brings a more modern approach than the other politicians in the race.
‘If you’re looking for a traditional Boston politician, there are two great choices in this race,’ Yoon said. ‘My experience comes from outside of government.’
Yoon spent two years teaching in urban public schools, two years studying government at the graduate level at Harvard University Kennedy School and 10 years as a community organizer advocating for more affordable housing throughout Boston’s neighborhoods.
STUDENT VOTE
College students make up a large majority of the Boston population, so candidates to actively reach out for the student vote, they said.
Yoon said he understands the importance of students, and in response, has made efforts to boost their participation, including a conference call among campus leaders, according to an April 24 press release.
‘Boston is home to the top colleges and universities in the world, and we often forget how important students are to our city,’ Yoon said in the release.
McCrea said he plans to organize a high school and college night for students who are interested.
Romano said Flaherty has gotten in touch with students via social networks such as Facebook and by visiting campus dormitories
‘College students come here and they fall in love with Boston, then they leave because they can’t afford to stay here,’ Romano said. ‘When they graduate, we’ll have a program to go work in the city for two years.’
This is an account occasionally used by the Daily Free Press editors to post archived posts from previous iterations of the site or otherwise for special circumstance publications. See authorship info on the byline at the top of the page.
