With the Nov. 3 general election less than two weeks way, city council candidates should be cautious with health care investments and make sure constituents are aware of key issues, Boston University students said.
Current City Councilor-at-Large Stephen Murphy wants to invest $10 million of the $70 million budget with health care officials who will determine how the money should be used, according to civil group Jamaica Plain Progressives, while candidate Ayanna Pressley, Sen. John Kerry’s political director wants to take a slower approach by consulting with heads of agencies at the Public Health Commission before diving into any decisions.
Students said they disagree with Murphy’s proposition, which involves less prior collaboration than Pressley’s.
‘ ‘I think consulting first is probably better so that in the end there are no shocks,’ College of Communication sophomore Danielle Tolkin said. ‘I think that if you invest in something without having full knowledge about it, you’re setting yourself up for misrepresentation.’
Lack of consultation could put the candidate in danger of having to take the blame for things that can go wrong with the spending, she said.
School of Management sophomore Rishi Melwani said he fears health officials would not have the competence to handle the money without prior consultation.
‘I think you should definitely talk to them first because [otherwise] you’d only be giving money to people that are going to waste it,’ he said.
Students said representatives need to know what they are getting into before granting anyone money.
‘I think consulting should be done first,’ SMG sophomore Tina Yip said. ‘You don’t want to give your choices to other people, or place power in their hands. You want to approve it first.’
Incumbent John Connolly wishes to take preventative measures, focusing on diseases that affect lower-class groups such as HIV, Lyme and tuberculosis, rather than funneling money into research for issues like anthrax, according to JPP. Meanwhile, Felix Arroyo’s platform centers on early prevention and testing, by which he believes costs, both human and fiscal, can be cut later on.
Although most students admitted to not having much knowledge on how such diseases affect the general population, they agreed that measures should be taken to aid the sick.
‘I think [TB] is something that should not be ignored, even though it doesn’t affect most Americans massively,’ Tolkin said.
Melwani, on the other hand, disagreed. He said money should be invested in more pressing issues.
‘I’m wondering if there’s a big scope for [such diseases] over here,’ he said. ‘I don’t think there are enough people suffering from these diseases to base a lot of money in that.’
Many students said on the whole, they felt they were too uninformed on policy and necessary reforms to have a solid opinion. College of Arts and Sciences freshman Zepha Sullivan said education should be emphasized so students can make more informed decisions.’ ‘
‘I feel like a lot of people unsure about what the issues are with our health care system and why it needs to be changed,’ she said.
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