WGBH Radio; The Callie Crossley Show

I'm Kelly Crossley and this is the Cali Crossley Show. The Boston City Council is losing another bright like five term city counselor John Tobin is bidding good bye to his career on Beacon Hill and saying hello to the private sector. Tobin is the latest among a handful of young city councillors to hang up his head. In this exit interview. We'll ask him what his departure says about pursuing a political career in this town. What does his absence mean for city leadership and what's in store for the next wave of city councilors. But first we kick things off with those fighting to stay in the race. In our latest installment of 2010 masque decision we continue our Ask a Manager series with Adam Meldrum the brains and brawn behind the Tim Cahill campaign. We top it off with local made good. We need a Boston based barber who works his wizardry on celebrities whiskers. Up next dropping out staying in and shaving off. First the news. From NPR News in Washington I'm Lakshmi saying.

The World Cup champions return home to Espana hundreds of thousands of fans lining the streets of Madrid as Spain's soccer team arrives from its one nothing defeat over the Netherlands. The victory was a welcome distraction to many in Spain which is facing growing economic troubles these days. World Cup celebrations are marred though in Uganda where authorities are investigating attacks on soccer fans who were watching the Spain Netherlands game on bar TVs yesterday. At least 74 people were killed in the capital Kampala. And Islamist militant group tied to al Qaeda is claiming responsibility. We have more details from NPR's Gwen Thompkins. The blasts happened during the last minutes of the World Cup final. The most heavily watched and popular sporting competition in all of Africa. Authorities say apparent suicide bombers triggered the explosion simultaneously targeting football fans at a rugby club and an Ethiopian restaurant. An American aid worker is said to have died as well as several in the utopians.

Just days ago the Somali insurgent group al-Shabab threatened Uganda and neighboring Burundi. Peacekeepers from both nations are protecting Somalia's transitional government. Uganda also supports U.S. efforts to train Somali soldiers who are fighting the insurgents. When Thompkins NPR News out of Sabah. In the U.S. Senate Democrats have won more GOP vote to get to the financial regulatory bill moving toward final passage. Details from NPR's Audie Cornish. Senator Scott Brown of Massachusetts is the latest Republican to offer support for the bill. Brown says he made the decision after the House and Senate conference committee working on the final legislation changed it to drop a 19 billion dollar tax on the banking industry. Instead lawmakers are covering the budget cost of the legislation by ending the financial industry bailout program known as TARP and increasing the premiums on banks for federal deposit insurance. Senator Brown says the changes result in a better bill and that he will support it. Democrats need only a simple majority to

approve the conference report and send the bill to the president's desk. But they are still officially short the 60 votes they need to overcome the threat of any GOP filibuster in bringing it to the floor. Audie Cornish NPR News the Capitol. BP seems to be getting closer to finding out whether a new cap on a blowout well will be enough to stop the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Crews are attaching a set of valves to the well. Then BP will try to close the valves to see if they can stop the unprecedented flow. Last check on Wall Street Dow Jones Industrial Average down 15 points to ten thousand one hundred eighty three Nasdaq composite index down 6 at twenty one 91 S&P 500 down 3 at ten seventy five. You're listening to NPR News. Four years after British intelligence foiled a plot designed to bring down transatlantic flights the final defendants have been sentenced to life in prison.

Larry Miller has details from London. The plan was to blow up seven passenger jets bound for U.S. and Canadian cities after takeoff from London's Heathrow Airport. The terrorists were going to mix explosive liquids brought on board and juice bottles. Prosecutors said thousands of people could have been killed this plot led to liquids being banned from cabin baggage. The three Muslims from East London were described by the judge as terrorist foot soldiers. Their so-called martyrdom videos denouncing the West were played in court. The trio was cleared in earlier trials that saw their accomplices convicted for this trial prosecutors modified the charges to gain a conviction. The investigation and trials cost more than a hundred and fifty million dollars. For NPR News I'm Larry Miller in London. The international criminal court has charged Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir with three counts of genocide. Or crimes tribunals says there were quote reasonable grounds to believe that since 2003 Sudanese forces attempted genocide against three tribal groups in Darfur. Al-Bashir who earlier this year was reelected to

another five year term says he does not recognize the court's authority. It's been six months since the earthquake in Haiti and it appears recovery is moving far more slowly than many had hoped. The capital Port au Prince is still almost entirely in shambles about 300 trucks reportedly are working daily to remove the rubble from which corpses are still being recovered. Most of the three billion dollars Haiti received in humanitarian aid so far has gone to medical and relief work. This is NPR News. Support for NPR comes from the George Lucas Educational Foundation creator of Ed utopia a source for what works in education. More and more ad ed utopia dot org. Good afternoon I'm Cally Crossley and this is the Calla Crossley Show. Today we're continuing our election coverage as part of GBH is 2010 mass decision with another installment of ask the manager. Throughout this summer we'll checking in with managers who are running the

candidates campaign for the governor's race. Today we're joined by Adam Meldrum. He's managing Tim calles campaign. Adam Meldrum thank you so much for joining us. Thank you for having me here it's nice to be here. Good listeners Now's your chance to ask the manager if you have questions about Jim Kales campaign his policies on the economy jobs health care or running as an independent. Give us a call at 8 7 7 3 0 1 89 70. That's 8 7 7 3 0 1. Eighty nine 70 So Adam I want to start this way as I have with the other managers who've been in that chair. Why this job. Well I don't know sometimes. Campaigns are a lot of work. There are a lot of fun. And I relate a lot to being part of a sports team. You know you develop real close relationships a lot of people you work with you go through you go through some things that maybe people on the outside looking in could never really relate to. You maintain friendships with them around the you know for for years and years and years. And I love politics. OK so you're a junkie your political junkie I am a political junkie. Yes I've been a political junkie probably since I first started college actually.

OK now listeners should know you're not from around here you came to Tim Cahill's campaign from outside of the state. Tell us about that. That's right I'm from right outside of Detroit Michigan went to college at Michigan State University so I was Spartan at heart and actually kind of weird how I came to be with the campaign. I worked on the McCain campaign during the 2008 election cycle and I was in town helping Scott Brown with some friends of mine from that campaign during the tail end of his campaign here. And Paul is Coco's to his running mate. I knew from the McCain campaign he was one of the only state legislators to break from Mitt Romney and endorsed John McCain in the primary. So I knew him from that campaign ran into him when I was out here told me about what he was going to do in running for lieutenant governor it's actually meet him and I did and here we are. Do you think being an outsider gives you a little bit of an advantage of understanding the Bay State. I don't know if it's an advantage or not it's certainly a different dynamic the Bay State in terms of politics. It's a much more full contact sport here than I'm used to I think. Thank you.

It's funny I always joke in Michigan some of the other campaigns that I worked and you know you got to kind of throw stuff at people right in their face to get in the news or anything here they're asking us you know what what's his position on the SEC and the Red Sox second baseman. So I mean anything and everything is up for grabs and you know we're kind of always in the news and various things so it's a little different but but fun. OK so since you started with Tim's campaign it's been up and down you've been at the highest high a few months ago and now your poll numbers have you down and you've been under attack really by the Republican Governors Association says something I want to ask you on the other side of this I want to give people a sense of one of the attack ads that was against the K K help campaign which the Republican Governors Association rolled out earlier this year and I don't want what your emergency how would take if you were up at the State House would have been able to perpetrator 10 ok. Do you think the Treasurer. OK ma'am I can't help you much you calm down and tell me what happened to him. They all turned out to be just another Beacon Hill politician for you that we have an emergency at the State House

be on the lookout for Tim Cahill. Turns out he's just a better politician. You know report dot com to learn more. Paid for by the Republican Governors Association. Now listeners if you have some strong thoughts about that. That ad which we are calling an attack and give us a call at 8 7 7 3 0 1 89 70 that's 8 7 7 3 0 1 89 70. It was quite clever but who. That was a that was serious. Yeah I think it was a little bit over the top and I think the dramatic effect there was was a little bit overdone but you know this is politics. We're all big boys and you know we're running for very important positions and very important leadership positions around the state for the people Massachusetts so you know we leave it to everybody to to add their input. Were you surprised by the sort of the narrow vision at least. I mean most recently they have now focusing a little bit on Governor Patrick but it's just focused on Tim Cahill Were you surprised by that. Well I think that I think Jim Kale is a threat to to what they're used to in the state you know you've

had years and years 16 years of Republican governors in this state prior to Deval Patrick and four years of Paul Patrick in the Democratic Party leading the state from the corner office. And that's a status quo around here and Jim kale right is independent is really trying to shake things up and do things in a different way and I think that's a strong threat to the status quo so I think both sides are really taking taking aim at him. To keep their control the state. Now your background as you describe you work with Republican candidates I wonder do you have any insight based on the way they're the Republican governors are putting together this attack ad that will give you some leverage in trying to figure out how to come back at them. I think so yes. Tim Cale is the first not Republican candidate ever worked for which is kind of interested in having you know other things being I know a lot of these people on the Charlie Baker campaign I worked with before. And some people there are a couple Republican Governors Association. So it's a little bit of interest dynamic but the political playbook you know isn't anything groundbreaking. You know it's kind of the same from campaign a campaign as far as responding to attacks and getting their message out there

so I don't know if I have any inside info that helps but the basics are to say OK well speaking of getting your message out there and getting your candidate more known you guys launched an ad campaign of your own most recently and here's the latest ad from the cat Cail campaign. First commercial the governor's race. Washington insiders attack me while I was working. You just politics as usual. One of my opponents fights for big government health insurance for them. I'm for you as treasurer. Strengthen our pension fund. We did better than 90 percent of states and I found a fiscally responsible way to build schools for our children. I'm Tim Cahill the independent candidate. When they attack me they attack all of us. We're better than that. How is that being received. Well that is a much better add than the first one. Well I'm thinking you would like that one better. Yes it's been received really well. You know our our kind of direction that we were going with that ad was just to really introduce people to

Tim Tim as a very likable guy. He's a very down to earth guy and he relates very well to people. That's one of the things we want to try to get across in the ad as well is talk about his record he has a tremendous record as treasurer of the state in terms of what he's done in managing you know the Treasury to fiscal responsible way. And you know that was kind of the reaction of his really want to go and people are more people actually have said they saw that I thought I run into more people running ads during the summer it's kind of hit or miss whether or not people are going to really tune in. And you got some criticism for rolling it out around the July 4th holiday. Though I've said on this show I heard it on the radio so right and it was because everybody who started the actual ad by the TV ad went up on the 1st of July and then went down to the third and the fourth and wasn't on TV. And then our relaunched our radio on the third in the fourth. We kind of figured people be traveling out of the Cape or wherever we're going for the holiday weekend so we focused our radio on that week and then went back up on TV after the Fourth of July weekend. So you know as you know some of the pundits said Bed time to launch nobody's listening. You know people know who he is. But I feel you in this trying to

say you know as he says plainly I'm one of you I'm just an ordinary guy and I'm the only guy in the campaign that's as others have mentioned not wealthy just came up you know sort of bootstrap my way up is that you know I think you know what in terms of what people are listening to I think that people might not be focused on so much of the policy. And everything right now is they're busy and the campaign is really focused as it will be after Labor Day. But getting to know a candidate and presenting his image and how relates to people I think is what people can relate to right now. So it's really what we try to do with these ads. A-listers this relating to you know give us a call at 8 7 7 3 0 1 8 9 7 8 7 7 3 0 1. Eighty nine seventy sometimes or should I get a man to talk to you. You know Mrs. Hughes is a history of electing the brainy guy. You know we like that. We like brainiacs in here how do you think your candidate holds up when you think about guys like Dukakis or weld across the spectrum we've gone for the brainy guy.

Well I think that's what you're seeing in this race too with the other two candidates with Deval Patrick and Charlie Baker and Tim Cale maybe as something a little bit different. I would like to say around the office that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different a different result so. Jim Cahill has a profound understanding of the financial systems as treasurer. He's taught me a lot just learning in talking about his record what he's done. So it's very sad and all those issues but doesn't approach things from like the walky perspective that you see some other candidates in the race do. He's more of a down to earth guy that relates to people and he gets as much as across that way rather than throwing facts and figures and numbers that you know at the end of day really don't mean anything to a lot of people. What are the specific lessons if any you're taking from your work from the from Scott Brown's campaign. I had Sidney Ashbury here who manages Governor Patrick and she said we're absolutely taking lessons from that. What about you. I think people all across the country should take lessons from that. It was a very well-run campaign it was a little different in the sense that you had the whole country really zeroed in on that race in terms of the national

media and stuff like that where this election cycle every you know there are so many races around the country that it's really hard to make that happen but in terms of the message and how that how Scott Brown came across in terms of how people around the country and in this state are feeling about their elected leaders I think the way that Scott Brown was able to relate to those people through his advertising. Through is you know campaign talking to people when I was on being out the street holding signs. I think people really want to interact and have a better relationship with our politicians and our elected leaders. I think that was the biggest message and that's what we're trying to do here with his campaign too. Well it's no secret that Senator Scott Brown represents a complete quite a different ideology that of the other elected officials here in Massachusetts. He's Trax right and since Tim Cahill started his campaign his independent campaign as governor he's been tracking right. Is that your influence because you came from. You know he had been on the ticket with a Democrat before and had very different views it seemed right. I don't think so I think him you know as treasurer he never really had a lot of his views you know on the

record about a lot of things you know other than Treasury issues. So I don't think it's more tracking right I think this is really who Tim Cahill is and he's a fiscal conservative. He's a problem solver and I think you know attack in one way or the other I think we're just kind of focused on who he is and he's able to get that out there now for the first time whereas in his other races those really weren't issues that were on the table for him and he was in somebody else's shadow. We got a call. Scott go ahead please. Scott from Brighton Go ahead please. OK I do like. Here we go right. But the one thing I do like the cable commercial I think it is simple. You know he's talkin to the voters. You know as somebody who has you know I you know up you know if I'm in college and you know and what you know the struggles you go through to pay I think you know I really connect with them and I tell you. But driving around seems as though Cahill's folks are everywhere. I get to notice that anytime I see a black T-shirt you know it's going to

be a kale supporter but my question for Adam is Can kale seems to have a great message and how do you plan on getting that you know to the folks in Massachusetts. I mean I think if if they need him you know they like him I saw him in a parade on the Fourth of July and I thought he was engaging he took the time to come over and say hi and you know that's what I think we're looking flaw in our elected officials is something that connects so I'm interested to hear what how Adam is going to continue to get that connection to the voters. Scott were you going to vote for somebody else before you changed to him. Well you know I am a Democrat. I went to a Democrat convention. I'm active and a Democrat but I'm voting for McCain Cato lection day because I think that I'm sort of disenfranchised with you know with the government with the job that he's done when I look at 150000 people. I don't employ you know I have relatives I have relatives that are not what I think. And because

you know I don't want to look at it you know made 1.8 million dollars couples last year at health care. I can't connect with them. And somebody that you know Cahill is connected OK. So I answer the question there. Adam how do you get the message out to people other than this. Then Scott who's been convinced. Well I think a lot of what Scott said you know we have teams of people we have a really robust field organization one of the things that I was worried about most worried about when I started this campaign coming from a background Republican politics or party politics in general was you know you have a lot of institutional. Knowledge and institutional activists around the state built in with their party systems that help you do things like have events in towns or have your standouts or you know get indorsement surround around the state so that was one of the things I was most worried about in a debate and in an independent candidacy. But what I found is that Tim has a great network of people all around the state. So our field organization is really tapped into those resources in terms of you know setting up events for us in various areas around the around the state town halls meet and greet sign

holdings as well as you know supplemented by pay-TV in voter contact in those and those things so what we plan to do is really just what we've been doing parades have a town halls around the states and just get a face to face with voters one by one One by one. He's the kind of candidate the more people he meets the more people are going to vote for him so it's my job to get him out in front of as many people as I can. OK. Thank you very much Scott for calling. Let me follow that up with saying that it became clear after the Scott Brown campaign that the majority of voters in Massachusetts are actually independent. And I was just looking at a poll broken down by various areas of Massachusetts in the Boston Globe last week they were asking a question about you know do you think independent candidates can work 300 out of three hundred fifty one communities the voters are registered as independents more voters are registered as independents and others. More than 70 percent. That's an opportunity for you I would think. So you know even this guy who just called was a Democrat and moving

someplace else. How do you capture that. Well I think you know you a number different ways of getting the candidate out there to get him in front of people is the best way to do it. Like you said 52 percent of the voting population of Massachusetts is on a roll. So that means you know they're kind of outside the party structures in the Republican town committees or Democratic committees. So getting touch of them is a little bit harder because they're not necessarily in the right you know in the easy pipeline to tap into. But you know like I said get him out there. We do a lot of stops with him. Stuff like that just meeting greets where average people are nonpolitical events you know town fairs we have met farmers markets all the time. So how do you how did you I asked Jill Stein this to our agile Stein's manager this how do what do you say to people who say kind of like him but I don't think you can win and I don't want to waste my vote. Well I think I think what I say to someone like that is that they need to focus on you know what Tim will do for the state not wasting a vote. You know the vote in this in this election isn't one candidate or the other votes you know taking a

page from Scott Brown book it's the people's vote. So you know what we really what we really try to do is just talk about what Tim has done in the past what he will do moving forward and convince them and others that he's the best person in this day forward. What are you going to do now that you guys are down in the polls to change the way you do things. I don't think we're going to change much I think we have a strategy that we've put forth very early. You know different things happen different outside groups in Washington come in and run attack ads and you know things change on a day to day basis but one of the things that you want to do in a campaign is you want to try very hard not to veer from your strategy. You know you build a strategy around the candidate. What best fits him what best allows us to get our message out with the organization and the money you have in the bank. And we did that very early so we're going to stick to that. And we're confident that you know polls are polls and Scott Brown was down 130 points with you know 15 days ago or 20 days ago or some like that election and when people really start to zero in on this race after Labor Day we put a lot more stock in the poll than than what polls are saying right now.

Speaking of after Labor Day Governor Patrick has suggested eight debates. You know between that Labor Day period that's the time when people are really focusing. Charlie Baker says five where you guys are 20. OK I think will do I think debates are one of the best ways you know for candidates to people for people to compare and contrast the other candidates you know alongside each other you know TV ads or nice radio is nice mail is nice but having them up there with each other talking about their views back and forth is the best way for people to make a decision so we're hopeful that we'll have as many debates as possible. OK can't leave can't let you leave without asking about this lawsuit that was filed by the bingo innovative systems saying that because they didn't support campaign financially they didn't get a contract with the state. Jim Kales you know there's a lot of stories like this have come up. You know Tim Taylor has always maintained a clear separation between what he does at the Treasury Office and what his political activities are in terms of campaigns for treasurer or for governor. So there's not really much more to it than that.

OK. And finally was the question I'm asking everybody is there some something you can share about him personally or professionally that says something about him that we don't know but says something about him as a leader and as a person. I have never seen never worked with a candidate that was more engaged in terms of motivating and. And really connecting with his staff the way Tim Cale You know normally I would say was my job to motivate people and give speeches and all that kind of stuff. But Tim Cale walks in the office every day thanking people and telling people what's going on from every level of our staff from our you know paid staff to our volunteers to our interns. And he's just really personable with people and really connects and he's a great motivator and I think that's a good quality for a leader. And I think what is lacking in current leadership in the state and around the country is that people don't feel like they connect with what their elected officials. And they don't motivate them and inspire them to buy into you know their direction that they want to take the state in the country. And I think that'll be want to Kael strongest qualities of when he's elected. What does he say exactly. What does he say we talk a lot so sometimes I have to tell him a call

to cut a little bit short but he really just talks about his background where he come up where he's coming from and where he wants to take the state. And you know examples of what he's done as Treasurer that that help him get there. And he's just very inspiring. OK. Well you heard it here first we've been talking to Adam Meldrum. He's the campaign manager for the Tim Cahill campaign Adam Meldrum thank you so much for joining us. Thank you. And we hope to have you back in the chair during the summer. Definitely was fun. OK. Coming up we talk to someone dropping out of the political race city counselor John Tobin. We'll be back after this break stay with us. The boy. The boy. With the.

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I'm Calen Crossley and this is the Calla Crossley Show city counselor John Tobin is the latest among a handful of city councillors to leave public office. John Tobin has been representing District 6 since 2002. He joins us today to discuss what's next for him and what's next for the city. Gentlemen welcome great to be a Kelly thanks for the invitation. So why are you just such a great opportunity for me. Professionally but personally for my family as well. Just a wonderful opportunity to be part of the excitement and continue to move north east and forward. It is bittersweet. The city council that I hold now is helpful as you mention for nine years. I ran for it twice in the 90s and came in second both times so I feel like I've been running for the seat and while holding the seat for 15 years which is actually true. So I have made so many great connections and relationships and so many friendships with people throwing strikes in Jamaica Plain and I'm really grateful to the people of my district because what helped them in their support of the last nine years I'd never be

considered for an opportunity like this at Northeastern and you know to be a vice president we should say we're going to be doing their community relations yes. The president of a city and community affairs right. OK now when you came in you were part of this group what the kids were called today your posse. Right and the call the Young Turks right and oh a lot of them have left before you. What what happened there. Yeah I never liked the young turks term that was sort of baptized on us so we didn't really like that I preferred the new kids on the new addition. But you know it's it's funny. I thought the Globe article covered some of the people that I've served with who've gone to pick you know who was was one of my best friends in the city council we sat next to each other as you know Vice President over Mintz Levon Michael Flaherty is a very successful attorney and had a great run for mayor. Jerry McDermott is now the chief of staff for the hottest U.S. senator in the history of the Senate. And people I think it's because of the training ground of the Boston City Council. I don't think any of us to be in these positions if not for that that great opportunity to serve and to in all the

different things that come your way and how you handle them. Well notwithstanding that you're going to a great opportunity as my last guest said. It's a full contact sport here politics. So is there a little bit of just I just got to get away from this you know a lot of this job that I'm going to involve politics. Northeastern is a global university. It touches three neighborhoods four neighborhoods assault then Fenway Roxbury Mission Hill. But it has a unique place right here in the city of Boston. And there's a lot of great things going on there there's a lot of relationships that still have to be created and move forward. It is going to be a great deal of interaction obviously with with city hall. And so Mike almost former colleagues and obviously the mayor in the state house and those who serve on a federal level so to me I'm not leaving politics I'm leaving the city council job but far from leaving politics. Indeed you're now describing yourself as a city councilor for northeastern Ohio. In a way I mean it's funny when I was going through the process and not the instance of well that could be

one of two night meetings a week and I say well that's four five less what I'm doing now. But I don't I never have professed to work in a coal mine nearly as hard as my dad did who was a construction worker for 30 years and my mother who still runs a family daycare should be doing that for 31 years. But it's the time element. It's out there you know at the picnics and the barbecues in the Little League games and the ribbon cuttings and it's it's the time and it's I think things change I know things change you know when you begin to family and their personal told you know. Yeah I mean it's when your four year old to stand there the door wonder why you go back out to work a coming you know. It becomes a little tough and before your old my wife and I have a 4 year old and a 2 and a half year old we're blessed. They're great and they're involved in everything. And that's only going to get become more as they get involved in organized sports in arts and music and so I want to I don't want to miss a minute of it. I want to be as involved as much as possible and the you know but I'll tell you this this job I learned a lot from Geoffrey Sanchez a state rep from Jamaica Plain he had his daughter. His wife had their daughter a couple months before my son Matthew and Jeffrey came to a community meeting with

his daughter one time and it was interesting so I brought my boys to so many different things and to have them interact over the past four years with people who don't look like them who don't talk like them. To have them in the first name basis with my colleagues and with the mayor and with the governor is really a something special something always cherish and I think it's provided a good foundation for them for later on in their lives later on. And something always going to really quick close to my heart. OK well now that's the good stuff for for you and your family and nobody wants to take that away from you on the downside for the city potentially. I mean you were touted as a candidate for mayor for for 2013 right this also comes on the heel. Let's say immunes leaving the city saying there's just not opportunity in the way that he thought it would be. And someone was Samuel's leaving kind of a canary in the mine for the changes that are happening and that inspired you to think a little bit differently about where you want to be. A lot of things a lot of things have gone through my mind over the past couple of months since this

process became reality only it's the only opportunity I've ever explored outside of the city council and I think you know I think people get into this business and they think that they start doing like a chess board and they are going to plan their moves and almost it never almost happens the way you want to be planned out. And and I've been writing Toben for Maira my books since I was six years old I grew up a mad upin and every other person in my neighborhood was an elected official the other half were always running against them so I've been holding signs and dropping leaflets since I was seven and we moved to a strike spree when I was 10 years old from out of pan and so politics has been part of my life but public service has been part of my life it's a neighborhood I grew up in. My mom and dad were foster parents for over 30 years and that was their form of public service one of my brothers is adopted. So I I do what I do because of the neighborhood I grew up in but be in the family I grew up in I was always given great examples that you give up the dream of possibly being mayor. It's never out of your bloodstream as I've told people but if this was 2012 and this opportunity came up in the mayor's race potentially next year then I would give it a

second thought it's three years away. There's no indication of what my friend the mayor is going to do and I said joke around I'm telling on having bumper stickers printed up to say Tobin 2029 on them. And he's actually I have and I've said this with all due respect to the American I joked around with him that he's actually ruin the president comes along because you may disagree with the mayor vehemently on an issue but you're likely to see him at a garage sale in your neighborhood on a Saturday at the local bakery and you do and he spreads it around evenly there's no one neighborhood he gives preference over. He's everywhere and I think but I think people ought to keep in mind that when the mayor became mayor his kids and he was a great dad. And he continues to be a great dad. He was involve them all the way but when he became mayor his kids were in high school. When I became a city council you know there were a little bit older so it's a different I think of it. It's how every individual approaches it in life and family is the most important thing of all not titles and not other other would be could be there. But we'll see what happens I mean it's like I said it's in your bloodstream you never quite walk away from it. But I have

no regrets this is going to be a wonderful opportunity. Yeah I didn't hear the No. And I just want to point out after all of that verbiage there was no no. No no no no no no no but that's what I want to be at Northeastern. As long as they'll have me and as long as I want to be there that's what I'm planning on doing. OK. When you came in. Young Turks whether or not you like that expression or not. That was one group of people now we're saying some wholesale change on the city council I'm looking at the youngest members and the newest members Ayanna Pressley and Felix Oreo right. They seem to represent New Boston in quotes if you will. What do you think as you are now the older guy. Well I think you know you look at them coming in and what that may mean. I've loved I have loved everything about Felix and I coming there I endorse both of them. I don't knocking doors with them and roadside Roach brothers and what strikes me with both them before they were elected. I've know Felix worked in the building. For many years before he left and has come back to the city council I've known Ayanna Pressley through work with with

Senator Kerry. So to me they're friends and they've become real good friends and confidants and to me it's if you feel really old when you have I honor Felix calling you up on the cell phone asking you advice on something and it doesn't seem that long ago when I was calling up all the members of the city council for their advice. So everything cyclical people come before you people come after you. It's how you treat people and it's been a real pleasure I sit next to Ariana she's all she says she's all bustle about me leaving but I think I try to make her laugh during the during the meetings and Felix has become a great friend he said dinner at my home and I think it's great for the city. I think it's great for the city and you know it. I've only been on nine years so I don't think it's been too long it has been too short. I'm already 16 seniority on the Boston City Council. The turnover seems in all we look in the legislature I believe the 31 state representatives that are leaving this year. Turnover in this business comes about a much more quickly and has to make it so she has to begin to turn over their three West Roxbury loan all the positions are open now

you've endorsed Matt O'Malley my friend very well-prepared for this position. He'll do a great job if he's a fortune of to be elected and he's already out there working hard with the district city council races up the State Rep race is up in the in the state Senate it's amazing. Is that not a sign of distress usually when there's that kind of turnover. Well I don't know if some of the Walsh has been the senator since 99 91 and she was a state rep for four years before that and I just got to I think a situation with her that she is. She's clearly done her time. Mike Rush is a state rep. He's been there for eight years and the natural ascension there is for that state rep from that. It's primarily it's a lot of suburbs in that district but almost always it's a city person who represents a district and so it's a natural move from Michael. In this race the district city council race I expect to be you know four or five candidates to line up for it is a it's a wonderful job I tell everybody. And I never try and talk anybody out of running even if I haven't endorsed them. Once it's in once you have it it has to be in your heart though in the gut. And people can tell if it's not you got while you're

campaigning. And more importantly they can tell if you don't like the job once you have it. So you better better know what you're getting into and you better like it. Now since you have been in the position whether to hand out the posters or actually sitting on the council. It's been a while. What do you see as the major changes in the city the major change the city and a lot of the neighborhoods are changing in terms of demographics I mean I look at what struck spree I look at West Roxbury and if if someone had told me seven years ago that my father who is a retired construction worker and loves to garden would be trading gardening tips with the two gay guys who live five doors up the street. I tell you to go take some medication and lay down for a long time. The influx of gay lesbian populations moved into a struck spring has been enormous. My parents live on the corner marathon and Shermer roads in West Roxbury they have to be 10 gay lesbian couples who live within seven or eight houses of the miniature action. That's been a big change in what struck spring and I think the gay community command has driven largely driven by

the influx of new and different restaurants in West Roxbury to illogically I think they deserve a lot of credit for that they haven't done it in a boisterous fashion but it's been I think that it is it's no coincidence in the downtown area in Jamaica Plain. There's been a little bit more gentrification. More of the you know the Latino population kind of moving away from white square inch and moving closer to Jackson Square. But there's more development happening down there that's going to be. Unbelievable amount of affordable housing down there next to Jackson next to Jackson station so just in my district alone I've seen enormous changes that have happened. But again it all a lot of times what the schools or people don't get the choice of schools. Then they you know they use the kindergarten so the preschools in the end they leave and I think somehow we've got to come to a way to kind of stem that all my friends that I grew up with in West Roxbury live in Walpole Now if I go to one more christening a birthday party a wall for me to jump off my roof. But I mean these are people who who loved the city and love the little leagues and the sports programs and want to be what they can

to be part of their fabric and I think there's been significant progress made in lower grades. It's now how. How does Dr. Johnson who I have a great deal of respect for. How does she continue to move that forward up into the upper grades families in the city. It's going to seem like a non-sequitur but a lot of people don't know you know not comedy. So I think it was a joke when you first. You know it's funny I grew up. To me I've been so fortunate because the very first my parents own the Steve Martin comedy album Wild And Crazy Guy was 1977 was a record on vinyl and I wasn't allowed to listen to it cause it had some not so nice words but to me I was taken as I was a sneak down to listen to and to me the power of somebody standing on stage and commanding and making people laugh and I was actually working in a radio station part time and they I always want to be on the radio and they told me with my accent I would get a job outside of his drug spree so pursue other dreams but there was a man who went to comedy club looking for door people. So I just started. I would've done it for free. I was making $6 an hour sitting people but then they had to go up a stage introducing the

comedians and I said I've been doing it for 18 years. So the men and women that I've got to meet. Part of the creative economy of a country 31 million people who make them and their graphic artists their poets the musicians the dancers the filmmakers and so I've through that experience of working the comedy clubs I was able to hopefully bring a voice to those artists out there in the city of Boston and how that has to begin at the earliest stage possible because I think the arts give kids a sense of confidence that they'll have for the rest of their lives an ability to make money and pay the bills as they get older. And there's nothing on the biggest sports fan on earth but there is nothing that brings more diversity and people different people together than in the arts. No question about it. So the comedy the comedy background it's speaking in front of you I go up and introduce the comedians and sometimes people on you know that they've had maybe a couple of cocktails are not the best of moods and nothing prepares you for a hostile audience at a community meeting better than at a comedy club at 9:30 at night in Boston. Any advice for the folks that are coming behind.

Just love it just love it and enjoy every moment of it because it goes by very very quickly. And just be humbled by it. Be a listener be a listener because at the end of the day I think people I know people and it took a while for me to acquire the straight people want elected officials who speak well and articulate themselves and who want to know where they stand on the issues. But above all they want to relate to you and they want you want to trust you a lot of people don't trust politicians you know and they want to trust you and they want you to. They want you to listen and just understand that the door is open to all the people who make this city take on an everyday basis take advantage of it for most relationships and those relationships will help your constituents. All right well good luck to you. Thank you. I've been speaking with city councilor about to be former city councilor John Tobin. He's leaving Boston politics to be Northeastern University's vice president for city and community affairs. Thank you so much for joining us. Coming up it's our regular Monday feature local made good. We'll meet a master barber who's gamed national fame by way of Dr. Phil's cookie duster. We'll be back after this break. Stay tuned to eighty nine point seven.

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I'm callin Crossley and this is the Kelly Crossley Show it's time for our regular Monday feature local made good where we celebrate people whose creativity and individuality bring honor to New England. My guest Carl Schwab is the art of shavings national master barber when his work doesn't have him traveling the globe. He's stationed at the art of shaving store in South Boston at the Gillette headquarters. Master barber Carl welcome. Thank you so much for having me. Now of course our listeners need to know that you came. You were already famous but your became even more famous for appearing on The Oprah Winfrey Show to shave off Phil MacGraw mustache was a pretty amazing Dr. Phil Dr. Phil. So tell us about that. It was it was in a the experience of a lifetime at the Radio City Music Hall with a live audience of 5000 people.

It was something I never expected. Say but yet you've been a barber most of your life. I have attended a barber for 29 years. I've always been around the barbering industry started out with my father who had a barber supply company in the early 60s. So it's always been a family trade. In fact a lot of the members of the other members your family are in the hair business right for out of the five kids in my family. And by the way our listeners I want you know that master barber Carl has all of his hair I think is going to be some ball great guy. But not on its face though on top of his if you're so kind. Were you surprised that Dr. McGraw that's his famous mustache wanted to shave off his mustache. You know what I say when I heard about it you know my first thought was that he lost a bet. OK. You know probably had something with his wife you know. But then they want to go out to the show and I found out it was it was just about you know him taking his own advice and changing things up in his life. So it made perfect sense for me to have it for most of his life.

Yeah 30 years time. OK. I want to give our listeners a chance to hear a little bit of your moment. Here's Oprah Winfrey unveiling our guest masterwork before a live audience at Radio City Music Hall. Let's see the new Dr. Phil Dr. Dr. Phil. Do you look like your grandma. I think it looks weird I have to say he definitely looked different. It was definitely different look and I haven't seen him since and I don't even know if he's got a back yet or not. I'm not a regular fan so I can't I can't answer that but I thought he looked very odd and I just while we're in the moment here I just want to let people know that he himself had a moment of trying to figure out how to regard himself without it so here he is on Jimmy Kimmel. The good Jimmy Kimmel show describing what it's like to lose a part of oneself. I tell you I feel like I forgot something you didn't forget you know you do you when you

have something that long and then it's gone. You just have this feeling like you forgot to put something on it's like really. Yeah it was like a tooth is missing you keep your tongue in there as I'm saying that it's gone but it's gone but I mean it was shaved off it 10 20 Eastern Time. And it ten twenty one Robin said grow it back your wife brother like it's not like that at all. So there you have it there is a critic I agree with Robert by the way. I saw the look on her face. You knew it. Now you're a master barber So what is the technique in shaving off a 38 year old mustache. Well it would have been a little bit different had I had a little bit more time on the show. But you know being a live show I had about four and a half minutes to take it off. I would have liked to have done the hot the whole works for him but I didn't get that chance. So what do you do instead. I had to use a clipper to take the mustache down to a shorter level first and then some appreciative oil shaving cream and and whatever with the razor. Oprah

had taken a swipe first before I got to it right. It was played around a little bit. But if you were doing it normally what would you what would you have done. Normally I would have you know I'd lay a back up make it more of an experience because that's what we try to do with the art of shaving create more of an experience for the men when they come in. So I am back I'd put a hot towel on this face massage and appreciative oil put some warm lather on go through the shave and then to finish up with some aftershave ball for soothing and healing and moisturizing. OK. And for people who don't know what the art of shaving is now I happen to know it because my dad had a mustache. OK. All of his life which I love. Maybe that's why I like mustaches. And I but but i'm some of those products they're very fancy products you should tell us what they what that's about. Well it's a high end men's grooming line. They're all natural products we use pure essential oils in aroma therapy. It's all just great for the skin and when you use our system which is called the four elements of the perfect shave which is using depreciated oil for a protective barrier a warm shaving cream using a shaving brush and the glitter of a shaving cream and aftershave which is

vitamin C all of those together allow a guy to get a very close shave without irritation redness ingrown hairs you know all the problems that guys tend to get just from putting some cream on their face and when you're just whacking at it. Yeah exactly. Now this is not your first time with celebrities people might think that just because you did the Oprah show and you had a luxury barber shop in Boston I did and I did for a short period of time 9/11 kind of put a little damper on that for me. The rents will be too high for me to carry it for too long. Well who are your celebrities count coming out but we have had Tom Hanks have been in Anthony Quinn before he passed away. Dave Matthews had been in. So you had quite a few celebrities. It was fun it was fun. So is there a trend with facial hair like you need do you go through you know periods where now no facial hair is in vogue and in the you know 20 years ago it was or you know your Years ago there used to be more

concrete trends you know where people had long hair short hair sideburns no sideburns. Now a little bit of everything is is OK with anybody. A lot of guys are wearing the chinstrap the very thin you know beard lines I see some mustaches deftly coming back. I don't see a lot of full beards. But there's definitely go tease the Abe Lincoln beard kind of thing. I haven't seen a lot of that. OK. And who are the people who are really in favor of facial hair the guys or as we heard in Dr. Phil Robin like the hair. You know I think it tends to be more of the woman's choice. Yeah yeah. Robin MacGraw Dr. Phil's wife she wins out. Yes exactly. Well I've always been a facial hair person I love mustaches and beards you know neatly trimmed I'm not talking about you know Dr. Kris Mugsy top yeah. No no I'm not going there. Now let me ask you about Master barbering because how does one become a master barber and how would I find one I know you're not

available. I want to find one how would I find you could you could go to the Massachusetts Barbara Board website and you can do a search to become master barber in every state has different licensing requirements in this state. You have to go through schooling which is about a year. Then you have to take a state board exam and you become an apprentice barber and then you have to apprentice under a master for two and a half years and then you go back to the state board take another set of exams and then you become a master barber. So it's not like what's on the exam. You know how to shave off a man and you know what's best for you. There's a lot about sanitation sterilization being a clean environment making sure that you know spreading disease in your shops. But then also you you have to show your proficiency with the tools of the trade. The straight razor the scissors Clippers comb salt all of that. OK. Now you now don't have a shop and you don't you know take any customers you represent art of shaving all around the world. So when you're going around the world what are you doing you just saving various people.

Lot of times I'm presenting the product line and our our shaving techniques to retailers around the world I just got back from Rome last week. Boo hoo for you. I know. It was a tough job but we were introducing the line to our European retailers. So I go out and I'll do shaves and my show my shaving techniques so they can see the difference between just a typical barber shop shave and what we have to offer. And what do you think about today's prices for just a good shave. I mean if you're not a bastard barber but you're a good barber and somebody comes in to get a shaving Well what should be. Well what's good. You know I guess it depends on the environment and the location you're at. You know a lot of barber shops don't offer shaving anymore simply because to do a really good shave it's going to take you a good half hour. You know you need to spend that time a lot of barbershops can do three or four haircuts in that amount of time. Oh. You know I mean if they're wanting a real quick you know operation and you know with the short haircuts so a lot of it just kind of eliminate that from the service because it's too time

consuming for him. So the ones that do offer the shades can charge a premium price at our stores we get anywhere from 35 to 55. Oh OK. And again it's a luxury service. You know we make an experience not just to shave. Oh wow sounds great. Now who. Look at your barber Barkus over a Virgo hair colors in Burlington. OK he's been a friend of mine for many many years and she's saying more facial hair less facial hair any trend there. I think she's seeing less less. I think she's seeing less alright and that the younger people they don't they don't have a position on it it sounds like they're just sort of whatever. Yeah younger people you know if they can grow it I think they're trying to do some of those chin straps and some of those kind of design t you know facial hair. But a lot of younger people just can't grow it now. Do you look at people and say you know I wouldn't advise you shave that off or I think you should grow some hair is that your job to do it at the barber shop.

Yeah absolutely you know looking at facial features and trying to determine what's going to work best on their face. Absolutely. OK and what happens when you tell somebody this is not for you. Do you know where you are. Generally they take my advice. Yeah I try to be gentle about it. But usually there's something I can change about it that'll that will just make it work a little bit better for their facial features. What would say to you. You need a mustache. Don't don't you know don't go Bears. Mustache generally for awhile I'm thinking for a moustache a very large lip or very small up oh a very small lip the mustache will give you the appearance of a little larger lip and a very large lip take's mustache will take away from that. That type of size. Dr. Phil has a fairly large lip. That's why it looks weird I have to say. That's why the mustache actually works well on him it is as far as beard you know you can you can actually change the features of your face by having a beard. You know if you've got a very round face and you grow a little longer go t you can make your face seem a little bit longer as opposed to round.

Same thing with hair style you can work hairstyles out to do that too. All right was this it was this your face favorite barbering experience the doctor felt it was pretty amazing really because being just being on the stage of Radio City Music Hall is an experience of a lifetime. Change your life in a way you have in a kind of a good life I got to say I love in my life I've had a lot of it so it hasn't really changed in any way. It just keeps getting better. OK. I'm here OK. Just wondering if you're getting the calls from the celebrities begging arter shaving to let you come to them. I hope so I hope they're coming OK. Well we certainly enjoyed you. And in tribute to you. We're going out on the opera. Canned by Rossini Barber of Seville. Thank you so much Kelly. We've been speaking with Carl. He's the art of shavings national master Barber thank you so much for joining us. Pleasure thanks for having me. This is the Calla Crossley Show today's program was engineered by Allen madness and produced by Chelsea Mertz and a white knuckle be an abbey

Ruzicka are in turn is like Kesha Landrum. We are production of WGBH radio Boston's NPR station for news and culture.