Boston mayoral election

I'll agree that no one wakes up one day and says "I think I'll become an alcoholic... yeah that's what I'll do." That said, no one else but that individual is ultimately responsible for then becoming an alchie. If they do not have the self control to not grab the bottle as a way of (not) dealing with their issues, it is on them.

On an unrelated note, I just ran into Marty Walsh speaking at the common. He kinda gave me a dirty look lol
 
For sure - the UMass poll looks pretty good in retrospect.

Walsh leads among most voter demographics

Walsh is doing particularly well among younger voters (61-24), renters (57-34), parents with children in Boston schools (60-34), and people who have lived in Boston for 10 years or longer (50-38). He also maintains substantial leads among registered Democrats (49-37) and independents (52-38), and voters who label themselves as ideological conservatives (61-34) or liberals (48-37).

The only demographic groups indicating clear support for Connolly are voters with education beyond a college degree (43-37) and with incomes over $100,000 (45-34), registered Republicans (80-16) and voters who have lived in Boston for less than 10 years (46-42). Voters who label themselves as ideologically moderate split evenly.

Walsh leads on most issues

When voters were asked which candidate they trusted more to handle several different issues facing the city, Connolly was seen as more trusted only on the issue of education, while Walsh was favored when it came to crime, mass transit, affordable housing and the economy.

La Raja: “Connolly has made education his signature issue and people like him here, but it may have cost him votes. On other key urban issues—crime, jobs, mass transit and affordable housing—he faces big gaps with Walsh.”

Dorchester Ave. vs. State Street

When voters were asked which candidate would do a better job of representing various groups of people, Walsh was seen as the better candidate for the poor, the middle class, unions, Latinos and African Americans. Connolly was seen as better at representing the wealthy and business owners. Reflecting this sentiment, Walsh is favored among voters earning less than $50,000 per year (62-31) and those making $50,000-$100,000 (53-43), while those earning over $100,000 per year break for Connolly, 45-34.
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http://www.dotnews.com/columns/2013/once-dorchester-was-united

It’s been a long time coming. Many skeptics thought it would never happen. And, yes, it could prove fleeting. But for one day in November 2013, residents of the city’s largest neighborhood put aside long-standing differences to elect one of their own to the most powerful job in Boston and, arguably, the state.

Marty Walsh didn’t win white Dorchester. He didn’t win black Dorchester. He won Dorchester. Period. And he did it in convincing fashion, carrying more than 60 percent of the vote in his home neighborhood.

Yes, he did better in “white” neighborhoods than he did in “majority-minority” precincts. His seaside House district was always going to be his Fort Knox. But who would have guessed that Marty Walsh – who until six weeks ago had never appeared on a ballot west of Washington Street – would score decisive wins in Four Corners, Grove Hall, Lower Mills, and Mattapan Square.

...Walsh won every precinct in the city’s communities of color.

...Hyde Park – which forms the bulk of Super-Ward 18 – was the biggest prize of the day. Stunningly, Walsh ran the table there, a clean sweep of all 23 precincts.
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He got 87% in some of the districts he represents in the house.
 
garandman said:
For sure - the UMass poll looks pretty good in retrospect.
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Walsh leads among most voter demographics

Walsh is doing particularly well among younger voters (61-24), renters (57-34), parents with children in Boston schools (60-34), and people who have lived in Boston for 10 years or longer (50-38). He also maintains substantial leads among registered Democrats (49-37) and independents (52-38), and voters who label themselves as ideological conservatives (61-34) or liberals (48-37).

The only demographic groups indicating clear support for Connolly are voters with education beyond a college degree (43-37) and with incomes over $100,000 (45-34), registered Republicans (80-16) and voters who have lived in Boston for less than 10 years (46-42). Voters who label themselves as ideologically moderate split evenly.

Walsh leads on most issues

When voters were asked which candidate they trusted more to handle several different issues facing the city, Connolly was seen as more trusted only on the issue of education, while Walsh was favored when it came to crime, mass transit, affordable housing and the economy.

La Raja: “Connolly has made education his signature issue and people like him here, but it may have cost him votes. On other key urban issues—crime, jobs, mass transit and affordable housing—he faces big gaps with Walsh.”

Dorchester Ave. vs. State Street

When voters were asked which candidate would do a better job of representing various groups of people, Walsh was seen as the better candidate for the poor, the middle class, unions, Latinos and African Americans. Connolly was seen as better at representing the wealthy and business owners. Reflecting this sentiment, Walsh is favored among voters earning less than $50,000 per year (62-31) and those making $50,000-$100,000 (53-43), while those earning over $100,000 per year break for Connolly, 45-34.
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From the poll parents with children in Boston schools (60-34) When you campaign as the "education mayor" and you lose people with kids? Not a sign of success.

I mentioned the other day that connolly should run on 2 or 3 issues. I don't think he made enough of a push for better jobs, etc. That is what probably would have sold better in the working class areas.

When you look at the map with results, there was a definite split. There were very few areas that were even, most of the areas were won by either connolly or walsh by near 60-40.
 
I know lots of Bostonians without kids who supported Connolly. Education is the basis for long term economic strength. Being able to offer a good education without busing kids all over the place attracts middle and working class families who are the backbone of a neighborhood. The number one reason why young families leave Boston is due to the inability to be guaranteed a seat in a local school instead of being bused across town. Walsh won because he was more popular. He's been a state rep for years.
Best regards.
 
Riverside said:
The number one reason why young families leave Boston is due to the inability to be guaranteed a seat in a local school instead of being bused across town.
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I'm about to become one of those statistics. Daughter is a month young and I don't want to have to put her on a bus that goes to Dorchester or JP.

Connolly's rhetoric had me hopeful that this wasn't going to have to be my reality. As much as I enjoy the city, my personal desires are no longer #1 in the household.
 
flintoid said:
I'm about to become one of those statistics. Daughter is a month young and I don't want to have to put her on a bus that goes to Dorchester or JP..
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We live in Dorchester and two of my kids go to Boston Collegiate Charter - which is in Dorchester. You will look long and hard to find a better school anywhere. My oldest is at BLS - ditto.

By contrast, I have friends and relatives who live in a wealthy suburb with excellent schools. School is a fashion show where the popular kids wear expensive name brands and teachers complain the kids cars are nicer than theirs. It's common for a teacher to get a phone call from power mom or power dad if little Johnny didn't get the grade they expected. They are almost universally sick and tired of dealing with entitled kids who expect everything to be given to them.

In smaller or less affluent towns, they don't have the resources and have to teach to the common denominator. If your kid is average, that's fine. But if your kids is extra smart or extra dumb, you've got challenges.

If you pay attention, you can get an outstanding education in Boston and an unmatched educational experience. And that's the rub - in a small town there's one school and it may well be a pretty good one. But our kids are going to have to compete with every other kid in the world - so they might as well learn to do so now.

I'm on the board of a youth hockey program and coach youth lacrosse. We set out a clear goal: we want to have our programs so good that no parent will want to leave. Menino didn't do enough for families. Hopefully that's about to change for the better: but it's unlikely to be worse.

One of my daughter's friends had the chance to sing the national anthem at a Celtics game - At age 12. Where else can you get that kind of experience for a child? The hunting is non-existent (fishing isn't bad, sailing is great) and the traffic can be a PITA, but living in Boston is a blast.
 
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garandman said:
By contrast, I have friends and relatives who live in a wealthy suburb with excellent schools. School is a fashion show where the popular kids wear expensive name brands and teachers complain the kids cars are nicer than theirs. It's common for a teacher to get a phone call from power mom or power dad if little Johnny didn't get the grade they expected. They are almost universally sick and tired of dealing with entitled kids who expect everything to be given to them.
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A friend of a friend is a teacher in one of these school systems. You forgot to add that when the teacher tries to discipline the kid, power dad and/or power mom calls the principal or superintendent and the teacher is overruled.
 
M1911 said:
A friend of a friend is a teacher in one of these school systems. You forgot to add that when the teacher tries to discipline the kid, power dad and/or power mom calls the principal or superintendent and the teacher is overruled.
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Same with some of the prep schools. You can bet the biggest f'ups are legacies, or big contributors, or both.

The one thing I've learned is no matter where you go, get together with a bunch of parents and they'll start bitching about the schools. Too big, too small, too authoritarian, too lax, too easy, too hard, too many poor kids, too many rich kids - you name it.

When we had the first meeting at Boston Latin School, the head of school mentioned in passing that they had just started working on their next 100 year plan - their 4th... And they have a joke: why was Harvard founded in Cambridge? So the BLS kids would have someplace to go to college.
 
flintoid said:
I'm about to become one of those statistics. Daughter is a month young and I don't want to have to put her on a bus that goes to Dorchester or JP.

Connolly's rhetoric had me hopeful that this wasn't going to have to be my reality. As much as I enjoy the city, my personal desires are no longer #1 in the household.
Click to expand...

Dad is no longer #1 in the household? Congratulations on the new addition. I wish I could say things will get better but I've been living in Boston for more than a half century and "only the lucky" get good public school assignments. Many parents are lobbying for schools to run K-8 and that's a good option if you have a good neighborhood school nearby. Garandman mentioned Charter Schools. Maybe you should take the time now to investigate that option. There are more and more good Charter Schools popping up offering some hope to parents and kids. I hate seeing young families leaving the city's neighborhoods. It's been going on for 40 years and there is a real push on now to reverse the trend. Best of luck to you and the family.
 
Hoover said:
If he personally helped them, sure. But that nitwits statement was idiotic. He's smarter than Menino but not by much. He's pretty slow, pretty damn slow. Also, I official hate him, he got on stage and joyously said he just talked to the washington dc thug in charge and...

He'll be under indictment within 5 years for corruption ala the other D felons.
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My dog is smarter than Menino, and she is a moron among dogs.

Sent from my chimney using smoke signals.
 
garandman said:
We live in Dorchester and two of my kids go to Boston Collegiate Charter - which is in Dorchester. You will look long and hard to find a better school anywhere. My oldest is at BLS - ditto.

By contrast, I have friends and relatives who live in a wealthy suburb with excellent schools. School is a fashion show where the popular kids wear expensive name brands and teachers complain the kids cars are nicer than theirs. It's common for a teacher to get a phone call from power mom or power dad if little Johnny didn't get the grade they expected. They are almost universally sick and tired of dealing with entitled kids who expect everything to be given to them.

In smaller or less affluent towns, they don't have the resources and have to teach to the common denominator. If your kid is average, that's fine. But if your kids is extra smart or extra dumb, you've got challenges.

If you pay attention, you can get an outstanding education in Boston and an unmatched educational experience. And that's the rub - in a small town there's one school and it may well be a pretty good one. But our kids are going to have to compete with every other kid in the world - so they might as well learn to do so now.

I'm on the board of a youth hockey program and coach youth lacrosse. We set out a clear goal: we want to have our programs so good that no parent will want to leave. Menino didn't do enough for families. Hopefully that's about to change for the better: but it's unlikely to be worse.

One of my daughter's friends had the chance to sing the national anthem at a Celtics game - At age 12. Where else can you get that kind of experience for a child? The hunting is non-existent (fishing isn't bad, sailing is great) and the traffic can be a PITA, but living in Boston is a blast.
Click to expand...

got any "starter" points for reading up on charter schools?

or any testing data on children who come from Boston public schools, etc?

I've just heard nightmare experiences from people's (who I know relatively well) kids who attend public schools in JP and Dorchester. Not saying that their kids are 1/2 to blame (ie: the parents). I'm not so much worried about that, but rather nurturing the brain of my kid: her parents are intelligent, and she's not appearing to be any different.... yet.

I'm not moving to a yuppie town, ftr. I'd be moving much further. And much more north. If it's a lottery to get into a charter, or a "good" BPS, I'm not going to risk it and start planning my exodus to a neighborhood where her school is predictable now. My personal fun / enjoyment of the city life I've been living for the last decade does not trump my daughter's future.
 
Riverside said:
Dad is no longer #1 in the household? Congratulations on the new addition. I wish I could say things will get better but I've been living in Boston for more than a half century and "only the lucky" get good public school assignments. Many parents are lobbying for schools to run K-8 and that's a good option if you have a good neighborhood school nearby. Garandman mentioned Charter Schools. Maybe you should take the time now to investigate that option. There are more and more good Charter Schools popping up offering some hope to parents and kids. I hate seeing young families leaving the city's neighborhoods. It's been going on for 40 years and there is a real push on now to reverse the trend. Best of luck to you and the family.
Click to expand...

this is what I'm afraid of. Which is why I'll probably be moving.

if garandman's "paying attention" to boston schools means "luck the **** out" I won't be playing that game. Or is that code for "play the political game" by greasing the system?

and thank you for the congratulations.
 
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flintoid said:
got any "starter" points for reading up on charter schools?

or any testing data on children who come from Boston public schools, etc?

I've just heard nightmare experiences from people's (who I know relatively well) kids who attend public schools in JP and Dorchester. Not saying that their kids are 1/2 to blame (ie: the parents). I'm not so much worried about that, but rather nurturing the brain of my kid: her parents are intelligent, and she's not appearing to be any different.... yet..
Click to expand...
Boston is much different due to the bussing rules - which have changed and will continue to evolve as even the minority parents don't believe it's helped anything. You have to research the schools and pick the ones that are best for you: teachers and tutors are usually very good sources of info about what schools are doing a good job. There are some outstanding charter schools but they don't usually start until grades 4 or 5. And the physical plants vary a lot: some schools have gyms, pools, cafeteria, theater, others some or none of the above. Ditto parochialism.

Murphy elementary is considered by many to be an excellent school, and it's in Dot. In my experience it really depends on the Principal. We watched Perry Elementary go downhill fast, while at the same time two other schools in Southie had improved a lot. The last people you want to talk to are old-timers, as their info is usually out of date.

A lot of parents are not aware of the Advanced Work program. Most suburban schools have gotten rid of "honors" classes but Boston has not. The Advanced Work program is an accelerated program that your child has to test into for grades 4-6. Kids coming out of the program are sought after by prep schools and tend to score very well in testing for the three exam schools. Most importantly, there isn't anyone there who doesn't want to be there.

Most years, Boston Latin School, Boston Latin Academy, and Boston Collegiate Charter are in the top 10 in MCAS scores in the state. BLS and BLA are exam schools, while BCCS is a charter school with several tracks. If you talk to college admissions directors, high achieving kids from "inner city" high schools are appealing applicants: they have all the suburban white bread they need.

Every kid is different, there are great teachers at mediocre schools and mediocre teachers at great schools, etc. YMMV But your kids can get an outstanding education in BPS, even if the Groupthinkers here don't like it......
 
flintoid said:
this is what I'm afraid of. Which is why I'll probably be moving.

if garandman's "paying attention" to boston schools means "luck the **** out" I won't be playing that game. Or is that code for "play the political game" by greasing the system?

and thank you for the congratulations.
Click to expand...
No and no. It means talking to other parents and teachers to find out which schools are good and which are not. There are something like 22 elementary schools in Boston and even MCAS scores don't tell the full story. And a lot of parents rely on anecdotes - for example, you are relying on anecdotes about schools in Dorchester when Dorchester (which is nearly 1/4 of the city) has some very good schools as well as relatively poor ones. And that roster may be totally different in a few years.

Here's a "duh" example. BCCS had a waiting list of over 500 kids, so a lot of parents don't even apply for this free, excellent charter school. The school is grade 4-12 so 500/8 = call it 63 kids per grade on the waiting list. But the school will not "socially promote" kids so some will leave rather than be held back. My wife put in applications for all the best charters and my daughter wound up 15th on the waiting list - and got in no problem I believe they took almost 30. Then my son got in automatically due to sibling preference. No politics, no pull: our kids had two choices of good schools because we took the time to RTFM.
 
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garandman said:
No and no. It means talking to other parents and teachers to find out which schools are good and which are not. There are something like 22 elementary schools in Boston and even MCAS scores don't tell the full story. And a lot of parents rely on anecdotes - for example, you are relying on anecdotes about schools in Dorchester when Dorchester (which is nearly 1/4 of the city) has some very good schools as well as relatively poor ones. And that roster may be totally different in a few years.

Here's a "duh" example. BCCS had a waiting list of over 500 kids, so a lot of parents don't even apply for this free, excellent charter school. The school is grade 4-12 so 500/8 = call it 63 kids per grade on the waiting list. But the school will not "socially promote" kids so some will leave rather than be held back. My wife put in applications for all the best charters and my daughter wound up 15th on the waiting list - and got in no problem I believe they took almost 30. Then my son got in automatically due to sibling preference. No politics, no pull: our kids had two choices of good schools because we took the time to RTFM.
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Interesting. So it's literally a matter of applying? I had no idea.

and thank you for elaborating with these two posts. Admittedly I have no idea how entry into the BPS even works.
 
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garandman said:
......It means talking to other parents and teachers to find out which schools are good and which are not. .....our kids had two choices of good schools because we took the time to RTFM.
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So, in other words you were parenting.

I'm always surprised (but not really) that so many parents are as clueless as they are about what I'd consider the basic role of being a parent. As my wife likes to say: "you need a license to have a dog....."

Full disclosure, we're childless, we know our limitations.....
 
Knuckle Dragger said:
//I'm always surprised (but not really) that so many parents are as clueless as they are about what I'd consider the basic role of being a parent. As my wife likes to say: "you need a license to have a dog....."//
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I've been to parties or have friends in Andover, Boston, Braintree, Bedford, NH, Georgetown, Hooksett NH, Marblehead, Milton, Newton, Portland ME, and Wellesley. Not to mention friends in Florida, Kentucky, Minnesota, Ohio, and waaay upstate NY.

No matter where you are or how good the schools are supposed to be, go to a party and mention the "S word" and you will spend the rest of the night bitching about schools.....
 
nes said:
A Mayoral Menino extension mayor, he didn't publicly endorse anyone, BUT YOU CAN BET YOUR BANK ACCOUNT HE DID UNDER THE TABLE FOR FUTURE .GOV JOBS/CONTRACTS ETC., for his select pals and their pals, friends, and friends of pals......BET YA!
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You been living in the Yukon Territory or something?

Menino's official position for a long time was "Anyone but John" because he had the audacity to announce his campaign before Menino had announced he was not running. And probably other reasons I'm not aware of.

That only changed when Walsh started to get traction. There is a long-standing feud between Menino's brother-in-law, Bill Fenton (Menino's daughter Susan is his wife) and Marty Walsh. So long-standing no one really knows when it started.

Mayor Thomas M. Menino’s cold shoulder to Martin J. Walsh — and his barely concealed support for John R. Connolly — stem in part from a little known but bitter feud dating back at least two decades between the mayor’s son-in-law and the Dorchester lawmaker, the Herald has learned.

“It’s like the Hatfields and the McCoys,” said a Boston politician, one of a dozen people interviewed for this story who are familiar with the deep-seated animosity between bank executive Bill Fenton and Walsh, childhood neighbors who became arch enemies. “There’s been some bad blood over there in Savin Hill for years. Bill Fenton and his wife, Susan, Menino’s daughter, have been at war with Walsh for a long time.”

Some date the feud to Menino’s first race for mayor in 1993, and say it only intensified when Walsh went to Beacon Hill. Others say it goes back to when Fenton and Walsh were kids in the same neighborhood. Whatever the case, observers say the bad blood runs deep, and has set Menino against the 46-year-old state rep and longtime labor leader. Menino, who insists he is neutral, has lobbed barbs at Walsh and his union supporters, while extolling Connolly and his stroller-pushing moms. His top fundraisers have helped Connolly rake in donations in recent weeks....

- See more at: http://bostonherald.com/news_opinio..._walsh_the_cold_shoulder#sthash.1bAae4II.dpuf
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Cliff Notes.
Menino is out.
The two candidates he disliked the most ran against each other.
The candidate he liked least, won.

So, how much did you want to bet?
 
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I have to agree. Marty Walsh isn't going to be giving Menino loyalists the time of day unless they've got something to offer him. Now Menino may try to help them get jobs in the dreaded private sector, but those private sector bigwigs understand that they no longer have to suck up to Menino and they have to make sure that they don't piss off Walsh. So I suspect that Menino may have a hard time time finding jobs for many of his loyalists.
 

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