From the Source; Ray Flynn

Welcome to from the source. I'm your host Robert C. Johnson Jr. as you know for the past two months we've been talking about the political process the importance of voting. And we start to interview all of the mayoral candidates and this evening my guess is Mr. Ray Flynn who is a candidate for mayor. Welcome Ray to from the source. Nice to be here Bob. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself where you were born and where you grew up. Well I'm from a very short distance from here I've lived in South Boston all my life. As a matter of fact when I came on the campus today I met a number of people that I know across the city of Boston whether they be in duchess to Roxbury a South Boston athlete say. So familiar with this particular campus a workout here played basketball here practically every weekend with my children so this area of the city is the area that I'm right at home in. I graduated from the public school system from a public school system I received a basketball scholarship to Providence College. Was chosen for the

1963 all-American basketball team drafted in in the NBA by then Philadelphia 76 is served in the military brief period of time. Coach did Stonehill College head baseball coach basketball coach. In Wilmington Delaware and the Eastern professional basketball league came back to Boston and worked as a probation officer in the Dorchester matter P.A. for the city for about six and a half years. And then in 1970 I was elected to the Massachusetts legislature from South Boston and Rochester reelected four times to the legislature and. Became very active in affairs of housing while in the legislature in job opportunities and home care and daycare programs particularly then from the state legislature representing South Boston in Dorchester in the legislature I'd been me and citywide to the Boston City Council. And served have been serving in the city council three terms six years

and I'm completing my 60 around the Boston City Council and a candidate for mayor of the city I have. Last time I ran for mayor of Boston I received one of the highest votes in city Boston in many many years. Top vote getter in the city council race top vote getter in the city. In addition to that received strong support in virtually every neighborhood of Boston which was just quite diverse as you well know and since I've been on the city council I guess you'd say that the issues that I've been particularly concerned about taking a particular interest in the issue of issues of of housing were by most of the legislation that has been introduced in the city the city council has been introduced by me in any legislation that is passed in Boston which would provide protection for our elderly. Well not only income people or handicapped people has in fact been introduced by me so I guess I should say that of the issues that I'm most recognized as having a commitment toward.

You probably say that the issue of housing since both the member of the state legislature and the City Council. Two years ago I decided to go back to school after having graduated from graduated from Providence College and I would back to Harvard. I got my Master's Degree in Education from Harvard. And I have a particular interest and interest in education I think that the school system in the city of Boston is one of the most significant challenges that the city faces the next mayor faces in providing. Quality education in Boston is absolutely crucial in the next several years. Now going back to the whole question of neighborhoods as you know the Boston many Boston neighborhoods are undergoing considerable change particularly in South and some sections of Dorchester and matter have also undergone change particularly change in the racial composition of neighborhoods. Your neighborhood of South Boston has it undergone any

change whatsoever both in terms of racial change and economic change. There's no question about it there are a number of changes going on all across the city of Boston I think there are a number of more affluent people moving into the city of Boston you originally mentioned South and when you think about the changes that are developing shot and the south in the last several years I remember when I was a youngster point basketball of the South in Boy Scout It's a lot different than what it was today it was then it was a lot of traditional families that live there for the longest period of time. Now you see development projects going on like the Copley Place. And think about what the Copley Place is done to the south in many respects the Copley Place is very good for the city. But it's significantly enhanced the value of property contiguous to the Copley Place project. So what it really means is instead of families that would be paying $200 a month rent now a speculator or a developer can commission and purchase a building next to the Copley Place which of

course the value of that property has skyrocketed because of the desirability of living in the Copley Place area. So people who have been raising families in paying $200 a month maybe roughly one quarter of their income on rent. Now all of a sudden the unit is the building is being sold it's being converted into condominiums and the same families now being urged to purchase this unit for 80 90 100 thousand dollars for a condominium the average family in the city of Boston cannot afford that. So as a result of that a lot of families are being displaced in not only the south then but I think across the city and it's the same the same phenomenon is going to develop in the south Boston community because it is in fact close to the downtown area. People want to live there you look at it look look it's happening with the Southwest corridor project Highland Park area of Roxbury. That's going to be so accessible to the downtown area that the property contiguous to the southwest cover the project the largest transportation project in the history of the city. A lot of people are going to want to

live there but that's fine but when they want to live there it means that it's going to put the squeeze on lifelong residents particularly well income people. And it's going to force them out of their communities so the city is undergoing significant changes in the area of housing. And that's the reason why I think housing is such an important issue in this mayor's election in the in the city of Boston for the next four years because what is going to what has to happen we have to develop a comprehensive housing policy in the city of Boston so that our people can have an opportunity for safe decent and affordable housing. Let's assume that this this development development that we talk about has an impact. Still focusing upon primarily the south Boston neighborhood. Let's assume that you have this large economic development which has an impact on the south Boston community. And let's say it brought about displacement the way it just occurred in the in the south then

people can't afford the rents they have to go elsewhere. Where would people in South Boston go the first question would be and to how would they view this development would they view it positively or as something that's going to stabilize and has a value of a neighborhood or would they'd be like other individuals in other areas have been displaced. I see that I think people are basically the same no matter where you go I think the people in the south then responded to it rather than negatively because while they're not against progress they are very much in favor of maintaining keeping their own homes and keeping their neighborhood identity people in South Boston like any community in the city of Boston would be threatened with this type of development that. Those of us who oppose that kind of major development are often criticized by the media as being in a business that's not the case at all what we really are is we're trying to protect the residential character of the of the neighborhood of the city. And you walk around Bob what has happened in the city of Boston the west stand. And I probably too young to remember that but it was in a neighborhood made up of

all ethnic demographic type of people living in the area and they got on very very well. And what happened was that somebody came in with this design point to say that this neighborhood was not desirable from their professional planning point of view. They leveled the whole west in the area which was made up of Jewish talian Greek. Look the women in minority some Asian Irish I mean just the perfect kind of community. The West End House everybody used to play ball down they are just a great place. They came in and they dismantled they leveled the whole place and they put up these luxury high rise office in apartment buildings which prohibited the people who live there from living there further because of the high cost of rents and the high cost of living in that particular community. Now I think in the neighborhood of the city of Boston would feel challenged and what we have to do is we really have to

balance economic development so we don't just have luxury office tower buildings and hotels in restaurants and the Quincy Market type of atmosphere. We have to maintain the residential character neighborhoods because Boston is first a place where people live and raise families it's not a good Boston and it just cannot be a great place to visit it's got to be a great place in which to live. And that's the first obligation. So when a city government has to make sure that people have a decent place in which to live and that includes housing and in being able to be safe in their neighborhoods in education decent job opportunities for their children. OK you're welcome back to the neighborhood development a little later on the program. But what I'd like to do at this point is to shift to fiscal matters that I think are going to face the city with any mayor new mayor. One thing is it's likely that the next mayor will inherit a substantial deficit when he's elected when he or she is elected. What will you do to tackle this problem.

Well one of the opportunities that I have already not as a candidate but as a member present member of the city council is to actually vote on the budgets of the city of Boston we just recently voted on the fiscal year 1994 budget the fiscal year as you well know begins on July 1st and ends on June 30th. And the Boston municipal Research Bureau identified a perhaps a 50 million dollar budget. And that's brought about because of overspending in the various departments and also brought about because of the revenue shortfalls for example. We anticipated that there'd be an additional 12 to 8 to 12 million dollars in New York minted fire service fees which then the court ruled that they were unconstitutional. That the city had in intercepted that there'd be about 30 million dollars in parking tickets brought into the city of Boston in reality it was about twenty one million dollars so that's what I'm talking about in revenue shortfalls. And the other point is the budget deficit that the city administration has historically over exceeded their appropriation. They have run up

significant overcharges and various departments what it basically amounts to is the city is spending more money than it's taking in. And as a result of that you know in years previous You could Robles deficit's over for a tax increase and you raised taxes another 20 30 dollars whatever the case may be the property taxes in the city would be raised by the mayor. However you can only do that because of the financial limitations of Proposition 2 and a half. So whatever deficit that you have for example in fiscal year 1983 must be picked up in the fiscal year 1984 budget. What that basically means is that the next mayor of the city is going to win herit a significant budget which he cannot pick a significant deficit which he is not going to be able to pick up by increasing property taxes because of Proposition 2 and have fights they just describe. So what probably will mean unless the city council and the mayor were prepared to make significant cuts in this year's operating budget which I recommended something in the neighborhood of 28

million dollars and the city council however agreed to cut between 14 and 15 million dollars it would mean that probably by January February or March out costs that maybe towards the end of the fiscal year it would mean that they would have to be severe cutbacks in many essential departments of the city of Boston. Now I've just heard that the mayor has administratively decided to cut an additional five to seven million dollars out of. This year's budget which we can do without approval of the city council that would also significantly decrease the operating deficit of the city of Boston but I think you phrased the question very very very very clearly that the next mayor of the city of Boston is going to inherit a very severe deficit which in fact could jeopardize the delivery of essential services in Boston such as police and fire in neighborhood branch libraries and community schools. Unless unless the City Council is prepared the mayor and

the City Council be prepared to cut the non-essential departments of the city. You know what are some of these departments were is the fattened city government the number of departments in my opinion that really are unnecessary that that in could in fact could be consolidated let me just give you a couple of examples you have the Boston we did Redevelopment Authority which is statutorily approved by the Massachusetts legislature to be the official planning agency for the city. Yet you have about several you have two or three other departments of the city of Boston that basically are pointing agencies for the city you know Neighborhood Development Agency. Office of housing those type of agencies basically are overlapping and what I'm saying is they shouldn't be appointing agency for the downtown area such as the rec. And then a neighborhood planning agency such as the neighborhood planning agency. There should be one department of the city that would send one message that Boston is a city comprised of the downtown in the neighborhoods not just not a two

cities one. The downtown and the other the neighborhoods the Office of Policy Management for example. They are their job is a job that is probably good for business what they do not bringing business in but but from a demographic point of view probably would be a good department for Coca-Cola because what they do is they find out what is on the minds of the people what they perceive to be the most important issues and they do that by having a battery of phones making phone calls asking people in the neighborhoods what their feelings are about certain issues responding doing a lot of media or in PR type of marketing marketing stuff. And again I just don't think that the city can afford that kind of service if you have the. For example. The assessing the puppet is way overboard in terms of administrative costs you have completed 100 percent valuation in the city of Boston so you have an office of property equalization you have an office of assessing. I think those two departments could be consolidated so I think what

happened happens here in the city or in the city. There ought to be zero based budgeting. So each year at least each administration would come into city hall and not look at the budget and say OK this particular budget is six million dollars how are we able to cut that budget or how are we able to keep that budget at its present level. What the intent ought to be is you go in a city hall and you look at the various department and the first question you say is is this department necessary. Does it need five or six million dollars not start out with the premise that we're going to give them five five or six million dollars and then decide whether or not they're going to get more. So I think each administration a lot of community because there are different priorities for each administration. Certainly my focus and everybody's aware of this inner city. My focus is designed to providing safety center affordable housing for elderly and many other people in the city because I think it's really knowing that the social fabric of this city I think it's tearing apart neighborhoods.

I maintain that there are more things that unite the city of Boston than divide them. And if you don't start bringing people together in this city on issues that they agree on I think you're going to see a real rather poor rice city such as we've seen in the city of Boston too long a period of time. OK all right let me remind our listening audience steps you are listening to WSB FM Boston ninety one point nine on your FM dial. You're listening to from the source. And I'm your host Robert C. Johnson Jr. My guest this evening is Mr. Ray Flynn who is currently on the Boston City Council and who is a candidate for the mayor for the city of Boston. We hope that you will tune in every week throughout the month of July and the month of August where you'll be able to hear. And in some cases call in and talk with the candidate for for mayor. Mr Friend. Recently we've heard a lot about city hall fixing parking and parking tickets for select politicians. What is your position on the

state of affairs and what would you do to prevent prevent this under your administration. Well the part that it's just the strobing about it was that the parking ticket collection has been taken out of city hall and it was it was taken over by the banks on a computerized basis although the they were actually collect them at city hall. It was instructed to was that it was a full proof type of operation that it would not allow for that kind of abuse. That's the part that's troubling to me because when we approved the operation to walk the banks to send out the tickets the it's our own computer in the banks to send out the we have a contract with the bank to send out the tickets in for the collection to come into city hall. However they would all of those tickets would have to be accounted for. Without that there was a much better system than what it is now but apparently from what we have received read recently even that system is not foolproof and it's been abused by political people. And I think that it really is unfair

in unfortunate because you know number of people say I'm not a great fan of these this type of ticketing that has been going on in the city. Let me give you just one example brought up both For weeks ago on a Saturday. I took my wife and children down to the McDonalds down by the Children's Museum down here at the waterfront and it was a Saturday and there weren't very many cars at all in the neighborhood because all the businesses were called for the weekend and I parked my car across the street from from McDonald's and we went into the. We walked across the street we went over to McDonald's and we had all the kids had hamburgers and my wife and I did as well. We came out and we found a parking ticket on the cars for $15. And I said I looked around and there were no identifiable parking spots in this particular neighborhood none whatsoever. As a matter of fact there's not even a parking lot. Everything is restricted. I went over nice. I said to my I thought to myself

How are these people supposed to continue to operate when our business is a cause down there open on Saturday and there's no place for people to park notwithstanding that there are no traffic so you're not blocking any lanes are blocking traffic. And I went over to the manager and I spoke to the manager and the manager told me that there is a meter maid that just goes back and forth back and forth ticketing all these people they're going to McDonald's and he has lost about 40 percent of his business since the They've initiated the six elevated ticketing program. I just think it's ridiculous I think the ticketing program should be not should not be a funding source a way to run the city a ticketing department or meter maids whatever they ought to be there to make sure that no one black box handicap Gramps. So no one brought the scene that no one parks fire hydrants or unknown blocks pedestrian crossing walks are ties up traffic but parking a car across the street from a virtually Billiken street on a Saturday afternoon. But there is no traffic to walk across

the street to get to go into McDonald's or to do a little bit of shopping or to do whatever you're doing in the in the neighborhoods of the city. I just think that is absolutely outrageous. I'm not saying however. That we should not be ticketing people in the city so that will not be confused. What I'm saying is you should be encouraging people to stay in Boston. Encouraging people to shop in Boston to go into the McDonald's not forcing them to go down to the south to a market because no one is going to come into the city of Boston if they think every time that they step out of their cab is going to be somebody waiting there to give them a $15 ticket I just think that the whole ticketing process has to be slowed down and we have to make Boston a place where people want to shop and where people want to live. What would you do to stimulate development in the blighted areas of the city. Well I'm one of the candidates who was proposed along with council of Boeing over in the city council that there is this linkage concept whereby for example there is significant development going on in the downtown area in Boston is

Kevin White says there's a booming economy. Well yes it is it's a booming economy in the downtown area you look for example. Many people go to get out of the Quincy Market and the Quincy Market area. It's recognized that more people visit Quincy Market the visit Disney World in our window farther and people spend considerable amounts of money down there but when you think of it where does the money go. They go to where they go and get a couple of drinks. All that money goes and look at tax it goes to the state. They don't want to call it do shopping. That all goes to the state. They go into the pizza store. That of course the state meals tax sales tax clothing tax practically everything that you can possibly think of. All goes back to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The only thing that we get is a minimal property tax that's how we get out of those out of those buildings there. And yet we provide a significant amount of services for the Quincy Market I mean as

I went to a house party in Jamaica point one night one person actually said this. They said you know if we win we really need a police officer and to make a point would be better off getting in our automobile driving down to the Quincy Market and say that there's a robbery in progress here on Center Street and to make a point in the OP the the opportunity of getting a police officer would be much greater driving into downtown Boston than waiting for the response to the Nine one one a robbery in progress in progress. That's kind of an overexaggeration admittedly but that's basically what is happening. And what I'm saying is that there is a heavy concentration of the downtown area. There's a lot of activity going on in the downtown area there's a lot of money being spent there's a lot of services being provided. And yet the neighborhoods of the city are not benefiting from that. I've I've announced a proposal whereby the developers that say for example if you want to build say an office building in downtown Boston it's about one hundred twenty five dollars per square feet.

For a construction cost. There should be some formula designed whether it be 5 percent $5 or whatever the figure would be of that construction cost like they have in San Francisco and Los Angeles and Santa Monica. And that would be turned into this neighborhood Reinvestment Program for the neighborhoods of the city so one here's what here's here's what it could do it could do three things. It could. Rehabilitate abandoned buildings in the neighborhoods of the city of Boston to make them habitable. And there are virtually thousands of vacant buildings in the neighborhoods of the city. Number two it could go into this reinvestment fund so we could revitalize some of the commercial districts of the city of Boston so for example happens Connor Codman Square. Whatever And number three it could also provide expanding the housing stock in the city of Boston. Buying new housing construction as they have in San Francisco. So that's what I have recommended and I would implement that as mayor of the city. It's

unfortunate that not all the candidates for mayor support that concept and I maintain the reason why they don't support that concept and I think it's very important that people hear this. The reason why they don't support that concept is because the developers do not cheer and do not support that concept. The developers want to build in the downtown Boston make as much profit as they possibly can and which I don't blame them for doing that because that's what they're in business for is to make as much profit as they can. But that's not what government is an operation for government is there to make sure that they are able to make a reasonable rate of profit but also that they must share what that prosperity with the neighborhoods of the city because it does in fact have a debilitating impact on the neighborhoods when you think of it with our downtown development what it basically does is it has a lot more people move into the city. When people move into the city they usually have much more money in they they purchase property which. For us as people who have been living in a particular community for long periods South Boston for

example we have a number of new people that are moving into our community. That's fine. But what it's doing is converting rental housing for elderly and for families. It's converting it into condominiums and those folks can't afford that so they've been forced out. So I'm just saying that the linkage development is balanced economic development. And what is good for the downtown area of the city of Boston must be shared with the South Boston's the Dorchester is the Jamaica points the mad opinions and the rust on the else and terms of jobs what would you do to ensure that this that some of these jobs that are generated by development downtown development goes to City residents. Seventy five percent of all jobs of people who earn more than $15000 are not Boston residents. They do not live in the city of Boston and that is a tragedy. We have got for example in a community like South Boston community like Roxbury. The average family household income is seventy one seventy three hundred dollars. That's incredible. You know that's well below the national level

and not withstanding the fact that Boston the city of Boston has one of the highest cost of living of any city in the continental United States of America highest cost of energy highest cost of food highest cost of transportation. You know right across the line and yet we have we have one of we have one of the lowest household incomes of any use in any city in the United States. See what's happening. My father was a longshoreman. It was hard work. Affan unsteady but at least it provided a decent salary to support his family. There I was on the waterfront area. All that business has left the city there were four thousand longshoremen working in the port of Boston. Domino sugar whatever 4000 people out of left with that businesses have left the city that type of work. Now there are two hundred seventy five people taking their place with the computerized with the containerized cargo itself or the automation. And what are they talking about for their waterfront area that talk about

luxury Ocean View condominiums there talking about hotels. We've had nine new hotels coming into the city of Boston and find we're very much in support of it but we're becoming a very service based economy. What type of jobs are we talking about at the Marriott other Bostonian. Talk about people making beds. We're talking about people packing cabs but people's working as bartenders. Those jobs are fine. But they're not like manufacturing jobs that are paying good money to Boston residents in the good jobs that are in the city of Boston are being siphoned off to the suburbs the people in the suburbs are taking those jobs they're coming into the city not paying anything. Leaving a 5 o'clock population in the city of Boston is five hundred eighty four thousand people but nine o'clock in the morning it goes up over 1.5 million people that's because of all the people that come into the City boss and work here. I think that the jobs are Bostonians proposal whereby it mandates that 50 percent of all jobs must go to Boston residents is in fact something that is very very

necessary in the city of Boston. We also have to get more out of tax exempt property in the city of Boston. Sixty two percent of the property in the city of Boston is virtually tax exempt. So we have to get more from traditional untraditional sources of revenue to Boston so it's not just the homeowners and the renters of the city that are paying for all the services for people to come in visit in the city of Boston. They must pay their fair share as well the people visit Boston. Well let's move on to two areas that certainly have an impact on people moving into the city to live and coming into a city to work. And those two issues are crime and education. Let's start off with crime. What is your position on the one person police car. I think that the one person police car was designed politically to show a great deal of visibility throughout the neighborhoods of the city of Boston and I think at the time it was designed because they thought Kevin White was going to seek re-election as mayor. I'm not sure that there is an attic there is adequate appointment of

police presence in the city. I think that what what really has to be done we have to get the communities of the city. I want to wear a forum of some sort down at Franklin Park about two weeks ago and listened very carefully to what people were talking about. Neighborhood crime watch programs and deployment of police officers and it is a reoccurring issue concerns our people all across the city. We have this particular reorganization plan and one million police officers. You know the average age of a police officer in the city is almost 50 years. The crime the walking beat. It is an average of three in four miles. Yes we were able to respond the priority one calls aren't for fact working but in Usually the backup to those priority one calls our calls are coming from walking police offices. And I just don't think that that really works effectively. I'm in favor of some part of

the police reorganization plan but I don't think it's all what it's what it was originally publicized to be. I think we have to get police officers out into the neighborhoods of the city rocking the neighborhoods of the city police officers who understand the people in the neighborhoods who who work with them on an ongoing basis I can tell you with as a kid growing up. If I was 10 minutes 15 minutes late for school police officer in the community knew exactly how long I was late whether I was dilly dallying around with the kids hanging on the corner. He in fact would tell my mother at lunch time and my mother would get all upset with me for being late for school. You don't see that in the city of Boston you see a rapid response car going by. You don't know the police officer in the car. You never see police officers you don't know anybody the people in the city don't know who their police officers are. This city has changed I mean you've you've got to have people more sensitive for example of crimes against women

violence against women in the city. Police officers have to understand the sensitivity of that and I think that it requires a whole method of effective police deployment and it's going to require a new public police commissioner a come command staff that is in fact sensitive and reflective of the changes that are being made in the city of Boston. I mean there is a there is a Latino population growing Latino population I mean in the. The Puerto Rican marathon last Sunday. And I we reran right for our mission here. Parker Street Mass Avenue Columbus Avenue up and down all the streets where you know it's amazing with the changes that are that are occurring in the city and the police department must conform to those kind of changes so it's reflective of those changes changes in how people feel in the city and they are very acute sensitive feelings. Well.

Europe your program in terms of deployment of police officers throughout the city be dependent to a certain extent upon the kind of relationship you can establish with the Patrolmen's Association as mayor. Sure we're there what what kind of relationship do you envision developing with that association. Well I think that you have to be fair and you have to treat them equitably. I think one of the biggest problems we have with the police department and the city is morale. I think that people feel that no matter what they do know that police officers no matter how well they perform they're not going to get a promotion because of their ability is so many acting detectives acting side gins acting lieutenants acting captains deputy commanders whatever. And there are provisional people. I mean this city has virtually dismantled civil service there is no

there is no benefit. For performing to do a good job within the police department because it's not going to be rewarded people are not rewarded no matter what they work for in the city on the basis of their ability they're rewarded because of how many votes they were able to deliver or how much money they were able to raise in a political campaign. And that has almost been the sole criteria for involvement in working for the city of Boston there are a number of very conscientious city employees you see them down the Boston City Hospital. You see them all across the departments of the city parks and recreation public works department including the police department as well. But yet. They do not get promotions based on their ability it's our politics we've got the best fire department in the United States of America bearing none. It's a classic example of what happens when politics stays out of the fire department it's it's it's a well-run Department. When you start getting when you start getting politics

involved in various departments whereby people know that they're not going to get a promotion based on their ability. They lose incentive. Morale breaks down and they say hey what the hell's the sense in doing this I'm not going to get rewarded no matter what I do. So people lose their enthusiasm for doing a good job for the people of the city of Boston so I say. In summary that you have to reward people on the basis of their ability not on the basis of how many how much money they contribute to a political campaign. How many votes that they can get get you which has been the order of the day at City Hall for a long period of time. OK moving on into education. Certainly if young people do not have jobs and do not have education and prepare them to go into meaningful employment What is it going to encourage them to go on to higher education. The crime problems can be very hard to hard to lick. So the question is What

would you do to improve the quality of education in the Boston public schools. I think what has happened in education in the city of Boston is that the school system has lost its political constituency. A number of people who have taken the children out of the public school system and they don't know want to feel that there should be any further money at all expended to improve the level of public education in the city. In broad what I say is this you either pay now or you pay later. You pay for public education are you going to pay later on. When I say Pay Later on I mean that you are going to pay the cost and social problems in the city. What happens when we are graduating virtually all our kids are just walking out of schools thousands of thousands of kids. With no way of developing any skills. They have no educational background. They have their limited supply of competitive jobs to begin with out there. How are they going to survive in a society where education is such a heavy emphasis on

education. How are we going to what are we going to do with these with these kids that we're putting them on the streets with no education no skills no background no job training. That's something that people in this city and government officials better take a hard look at when I think that they have been callous and in overlooking that. And what I say is that you pay now you pay later. Public education whether or not you have children in the school system or you do not have children in the school system whether you have children or you don't have children. Brosnan or any city in the city cannot survive as a viable city unless it has a strong public school system and I think one thing that I've recommended I thought that I get a lot of criticism for it because I know it has not been a very popular thing in the past. I announced that I would like as mayor to serve out the mayor and serve on the school board as an ex-official member and the reason I say that is not because I want the mayor to be setting educational policy. In the city. What I say is that

the mayor ought to take the responsibility for what is going wrong as well as what's what's positive about our school system. And by serving on it. Is that sufficient for example. So they took their reading scores. And in the press the Boston Globe or the Herald American come running to the superintendent of schools at the school committee John Hope Bryant or reader Walsh or whoever and said hey look at here are the reading scores. Why are the reading schools schools schools improving in Boston why are they declining. They would have a difficult time explaining that that's a very embarrassing question to ask an elected official. However. So the mayor is never asked that question because he basically doesn't have anything to do with it. Notwithstanding the fact that he's the chief executive of the city of Boston and one of the chief functions of the mayor is education. So what I'm saying is the mayor ought to take the responsibility for what is wrong as well as what is good. And I know myself and you probably feel the same way you're

sitting here and you're moderating this radio talk program you obviously want to leave fear and say Hey I just did a good job. And I think anybody whether they be a truck driver or whether they be a politician whether they be a bartender whether they be a seamstress I think they basically want to do a good job. And I think if you give people responsibility such as the mayor and you say hey you got to be held accountable to the people of the city of Boston in four years I'll guarantee you I'll come back to this radio program you may not be here you might be on some major television station but I'll tell you this I'll come back here in four more years and I'm going to try to convince the people. Then I said hey I was on this radio program for years and I saw that I was going to do something about public education and I did. And that's the kind of accountability that I think you have to give politicians if you don't give them that accountability and put their feet to the fire put their feet right to the fire. I don't think you're going to see public education improve so that's what I would like to see the mayor do to be held accountable and responsible for public education in the

city. Great good. Very very proud response because one of the problems that people encounter with the city especially new people moving into the city is deciding not to settle in the city but the solar suburbs because the schools I want for your board just coming for you I must admit I got here about 45 minutes early on the campus of University minutes to campus and I walk through and I was just I like to listen and talk to people and see when we're in the cafeteria have a cup a cup of coffee and a number of people came up to me you know the question they were asking me about Mr. Fine what are we going to do about education in the city Boston public school system. We've got to do something about it. And I had one person said I heard you want a radio program young woman came up to me black woman she's come up to me to say I heard you want a radio program talk program the other night. And she said I heard you talking about education she said boy she said you made an awful lot of sense. She said you know I'm going to try to help out in this campaign as much as I can so. Any university Massachusetts students out there that you

know obviously have a demonstrated concern about education I certainly could use their help in this campaign so that they can call my headquarters if they want to participate in a campaign so if I could give that number 4 to 3 4 3 4 3 and it said any Broad Street in Boston and I would welcome their involvement in this campaign for mayor of the city. OK what is your position on the new EPG report. As a matter of fact just yesterday afternoon I met with Dr. Mynah who is the person who coordinated that whole program that special committee of various individuals who are looking at the issue of education in the city of Boston. I think Dr. minor I don't know if you know him. He's he's kind of a remarkable man. I think he's he's he's one of the more intelligent one of the brightest people that I've ever heard discuss education. And in my experience goes back a long time and I met with him for a couple of hours yesterday afternoon and I attended a briefing with him the week before that. I think he's right on the mark. I think he's on target. What is what you have to do here

in the city is you have to give people options. You have to give families parents options of participating in their education. You cannot say well the best point that he made is for example somebody is. Thinking the same people you were talking about a minute ago people moving into the city of Boston thinking about whether they're going to stay here or whether they're going to come into the city. Biggest thing is if they're young people they think about education. Dopamine I was pointing out yesterday that there is no assurance. That people will know from one year to the next where their children are going to go to school. I mean they have no idea whether or not the school is going to be in Dorchester whether it's going to be in Roslindale next year whether it's going to be in Jamaica Plain the year after that whether it's going to be it can be a point the year after that there's no assurances and when people are given that kind of scenario they said hey wait a minute I'm going to put my kid in a kindergarten I know my kid is going to go to school in the neighborhood or in the area for kindergarten.

But apart from that I don't know where in God's name that kid is going to go to school each year. People aren't going to buy into that process no way. Black people white people Asian Oriental say no. Nobody is going to buy into that particular process. People want to know. On a consistent basis whether or not there's stability it's not just going to be every year a bunch of people down in city hall or down school department start shuffle papers and say OK we're going to send these kids here some of these kids there as a result of that we have to bring stability into the school system and the only way you're going to bring it stability into the school system is by giving people parents let their voice be heard giving them an opportunity to participate in the school assignment process. Give people an opportunity to talk about it rationalize it some sort of consistency. Then you will develop. An Outlook. People develop an outlook that their voices are actually being heard in public education. I think that there are some problems that Dr. minor is going to

have with the Boston teachers union. Obviously the teachers union are going to be opposed I would guess to the concept of giving higher pay to teachers who perform better than teachers that don't yesterday afternoon and I had a long conversation yesterday morning I want conversation with Felix Arroyo was a community for the Boston School Committee and Felix Arroyo expressed the concerns that hey listen. Instead of giving teachers that perform better than others more money. Why not get rid of the bad teachers that don't perform at all. I thought about what he said and I thought it made some sense. Because we shouldn't just have bad teachers in the school system. They shouldn't be around to begin with. But the problem is I think we've probably terminated four teachers. In 12 13 years in the city of Boston. I mean if you're running a business. And you have.

Deadwood in business. A radio program a television program that somebody is unable to produce you know keep them around. Why should we keep them around for our children's education if somebody is just not educating our children. Why should we give that person that protection because we cannot sacrifice a generation our sacrifice our children's education. So I think that there has to be some tough decisions that have to be made. It may or may not be acceptable to the teachers union. It may or may not accept be acceptable to the to the superintendent or the school committee. But I think finally there has to be some tough decisions that is going to really focus on how to improve. What is important to the kids rather than what is going to be in the best interest of special advantage groups in the city. OK quickly in education what is your position on the Boston compact. I think that the Boston compact in many respects has made significant contributions I think that they have. They've identified a very crucial issue in the city

of Boston. Let me just say Bob I think what is been a major problem is that there has been not been a lot of involvement. When I graduated from the public school system I never heard of any of the businesses participating with the schools at all. Now we're starting to see a lot of the businesses participating with the schools let me tell you the reason why they're doing that OK. And I'm not faulting them farts don't get me wrong. They're looking at the productivity of what's coming out of the school system and they're seeing a number of kids that aren't able to compete. With the Wellesley's to Dover's the Newtons and so forth they run able to compete with them and it's in it's in businesses who have all these big high rise buildings in downtown Boston. It's in their interest to make sure that they get a workforce that is going to commit to those buildings that is in fact going to be able to produce that they're going to be able to develop a product so that they can make their profits. So it's a two it's a two way street. It's good for Boston school

system because the business is being being helpful and they're participating in the process. And it's also good for businesses because they getting a better product coming into the businesses so that they can earn more money so I think it's a healthy climate. It's something that serves everybody's interests business and the people of the city of Boston. OK. I remind our audience that you are listening to from the source. I'm your host Robert C. Johnson Jr. and my guest this evening is Ray Flynn currently a member of the Boston City Council who was a candidate for mayor. We hope that you're enjoying this program. I'm certainly finding it informative and I hope that each of you out there are also finding it informative. We have a few more minutes Ray on housing housing is an area that you spent a good deal of time in the city council working on. What steps would you take to force private industry to build new housing for a neighbor people.

Well we're talking about the link development concept and that's one way of going about it but let me just say this Bob there's been millions of dollars that have come into the city of Boston safe from for example the Community Development Block Grants by the USDA grants and so forth and state money that has come in and we have this so-called housing improvement program for. Housing improvement program where you give a rebate or the homesteading program where you give the rebate to an individual to bring their Bring a vacant house house up to code up to standards. I think it's good for example like say you have an e-reader of the city that has two or three vacant houses on a street. What does that mean it's number one it's an eyesore for that particular street in that particular community. In all likelihood it will probably be a source of vandalism and then fire maybe arson for profit. And yet we know that there are virtually thousands of people out there waiting to get into a housing unit. Public housing because

they have no money they don't have enough money in order to pay for find adequate shelter. What I'm saying is that this should be this pool of money that comes from the federal government. That doesn't necessarily go into the downtown area either Friday 5 percent of it is not siphoned off for administrative costs which has happened in the city of Boston that that money would go to so Community Development Corporation say urban edge in Jamaica Plain quiet minutes quieten square community development items corner whatever the place is South Boston and they would rehabilitate that vacant building. Southward building to people who live in the community at a reasonable rate. That would be say for example be it for a family home. They would structured the rents for the other two apartments so that they would not be prohibitive. So what have you done. You have got this federal money instead of going for administrative costs. I instead of it going out of the downtown area has gone to a Community Development Corporation which is all neighborhood people working for

housing housing in the community and neighborhood revitalization revitalization in commercial revitalization. It then would take accommodate three families who are desperately in need of housing. It would give people a sense of ownership. It would be good for the neighborhood because it would stabilize the neighborhood you wouldn't have the fire of the end of it. The concern of vandalism of fire and I just think that those are the kind of progressive things that we can do as a government. NEARY of housing. To expand the housing market and city because we've lost you know you've had you had 10000 rental units that have been converted to condominiums in the city of Boston in the last four or five years. You've had a number of buildings that have been demolished. You've had a number of buildings that are vacant. You have a two and a half year waiting list for public housing before people can get in your boat for 5000 they can units of public housing. So you clearly have a housing crisis in the city of Boston. And we must expand the housing stock in the city of Boston and I think the program that I've outlined is a very progressive way of going about

expanding the housing stock in the city. OK. What's your position. Rock and Roll. I have always supported win control in the city of Boston always supported the bill being on displacement as a result of condominium conversion because virtually thousands and thousands of doubts already and Roland Martin here. He kept an elderly handicapped people are being displaced as a result of condominium conversion. I think you have to have something to stabilize the rents in the city so people aren't paying 60 70 percent of their income in rent. I was down at the Cape Cod Center last Monday afternoon and people elderly people were coming up to me in telling me that they are paying 60 to 70 percent of their total income on rent. That done the sketch ought to be 25 percent that a person ought to be paying for rent for housing. When you start paying 60 or 70 percent it generally means that you probably are not eating adequately or you're not even able to heat

your apartment so you do in fact need some sort of stabilization in rents particularly when it comes for elderly and handicapped and or and moderate income people. OK the Boston Housing Authority is currently under receivership. Do you envision a city at some point taking that back over from the court. Yes I do as a matter of fact I think you will see that happen given the right direction of the city and the new mayor coming up. I think that you know I think Mr. Spence in many respects has done a terrific job in providing for for the housing needs of residents of the city Boston public housing. But I think however it's a responsibility of the administration the city administration should know what happened. As you well know the housing authority was taken over by the courts because of mismanagement and neglect on the part of the housing authority. It became a political dumping ground behaving a haven for political

operatives. I think that public housing is one of the most important concerns in the city. It's an issue that I've been chairman of the committee of public housing in the city of Boston area that I have. A great deal of expertise I would assume that most of the public housing tenants in the city of Boston will in fact be supporting me. And the reason why they will is because with the next administration if I'm elected mayor they know that they will get the proper attention that they deserve. They shouldn't be fighting city hall to have their rubbish collected or whether or not police officers are going to patrol the projects very very clearly just as much a part of the city of Boston and should receive an equal dispersement of the services as any other community in the city of Boston they comprise over 10 percent of our city's population and deserve the dignity and the respect. And I don't think that they've been receiving it in the past. OK two final questions before we leave. We're listening to

Mr. Ray Flynn who is a pastor and city councilor who is running for the mayor seat in Boston. Boston has been plagued by racial violence. What would you do to combat racial violence. That's a good question when I announce my candidacy. You might have heard me here on the Chronicle program as well in my opening statement what I stated were the two words in the city of Boston and that are that are crucial I talked about economic justice. Again you've heard me discuss here on this program the very things that I'm trying to do bring people together on issues that they agree on rather than allow people to be to argue on issues that they disagree on. And you have for example I've been doing an awful lot of house parties. I don't have a lot of money and I'm not going to be able to compete with some of the other candidates from there by going on television or radio or full page ads in The Herald article. But what I can do is I can

certainly get out into the neighborhoods as I have been for the longest period of time for 13 years I've been working on neighborhood issues and working with neighborhood organizations and so forth. When I go into a house party in mad opinion and then I go into a house party in West Roxbury. You know the people are basically saying the same thing. I all last night I was in Charleston from Charleston I went to Dorchester the first four questions that the people asked me on both of those nights. On issues of concern to the neighborhood. They were the same questions. Now. We need to hear about those two communities should say well gee you know they're coming from different different perspectives but they're not. That concerned about housing. They're concerned about the level of the declining level of services in their community. One woman says you know I don't have the money to send my children to parochial school. My child is not getting proper education in the public schools. When is somebody in the city going to do something about that. I then left there and went to the other side of the city

and basic same concern. What I'm talking about is you can bring those people together on issues that they agree on. You know there's always going to be issues that we're going to disagree on whether it be bussing or whether whatever the issue is and people are always going to be fragmented and polarized on issues of disagreement. But if you keep on arguing with people on issues that you disagree then you'll never come together. This city will never come together you'll never bring the neighborhoods of this city together. But if you get people together on issues of common of commonality I think that's how you bring a city you never going to get people out of and say hey brother and you know walk around and say we're all in this together. But what you can do if you get people working civilly together on economic issues and that's why I say the theme of my campaign is economic justice. So what is going on the prosperity of what's going on in the downtown areas can be shared but the Rock Springs can be shared with the South Bostons can be shared with the child stands in the duchess's in the Jamaica point. Now that's what I'm talking about economic justice.

OK finally what is your position on affirmative action. I've seen for example we've been talking a lot here about housing. And so for example the rent control board 38 employees in the rent control board not one single person the rent control board nonwhite. Yet most of the calls that I get on housing come from elderly who are both black and white. Now that is really outrageous when you don't have that type of representation within the various departments of the City 55 departments I think of the city of Boston population minority population the city of Boston between 20 to 25 26 percent 55 department heads and you have three people who are nonwhite. I just think that there has to be some sort of program that encourages people coming into the city of Boston being demographically reflective of the city. So there's strong representations of minority women which is something that is really being overworked and Asian. You know people growing population in the city so I'm in favor

of that type of representation in meaningful positions administrative positions in city hall. OK thank you we've run out of time this evening. I'd like to thank. Great plan for being my guest Don from a source is there any final comments you'd like to make before we leave tonight. Rob I like to say that I appreciate this opportunity of being on this program. I know that there are a number of people listening out there who may have may have agreed with a lot of things that I've said. And I say to them this is going to be an open administration. This is an open campaign organization. I asked them to call my headquarters for 2 3 4 3 4 3 and their services are welcome and all the neighborhoods of the city and for going to make this a great city we're going to have to really come together. OK. Thank you very much Mary. And I thank you and a listening audience for tuning and we hope you'll tune in next week when my guest will be Mr. Dennis security. So this is Robert C. Johnson Jr. from from the source saying goodnight. I mean.