WGBH Radio; The Callie Crossley Show

I'm Cally Crossley This is the Catholic Boston show. The city election cycle is upon us with the general election around the corner. Today we continue our candidates round tables offering you the chance to decide who to vote for when you take your souls to the polls. We're focusing on the city councilor at large race. There are seven on the ballot and the roster is as diverse as the city itself from seasoned politicos to schoolteachers to community activists. The race is a heated one with four incumbents fighting to save their seats from three outside opponents. And the stakes are high not just for the candidates but for the future of the city council. This race could reshape the diversity and dynamics among these lawmakers from the number of women on the council to those representing communities of color. Up next this is what democracy sounds like. The Boston City Council candidates rounded. First the news. From NPR News in Washington I'm Lakshmi saying hundreds of

Palestinian prisoners are out of jail released today as part of the swap that freed Israeli soldier. NPR's Peter Kenyon was in the West Bank city of Ramallah when the prisoners arrived. Palestinian officials go there to be heard above the joyous shouts of families reuniting after years in some cases decades apart. Barghouti released after 34 years in jail was carried on relative shoulders with children and friends running alongside trying to shake his hand. Although Ramallah is controlled by the Fatah movement the flags of the Islamist Hamas were on rare display today. The scene in Hamas controlled Gaza was equally jubilant. Notable by his absence was Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas celebrated just weeks ago at the United Nations. Abbas says at least temporarily been eclipsed by the Hamas driven prisoner swap. Peter Kenyon NPR News. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is in the Libyan capital where she says the U.S. hopes deposed dictator Moammar Gadhafi can be quickly captured or killed.

Clinton's visit to Tripoli was not previously announced due to security. But she made the trip to meet with the country's interim leaders and to pledge millions of dollars in new way. The work ahead is quite challenging but the Libyan people. Have demonstrated the resolve and resilience necessary to achieve. Their goals. Officials say Clinton was also expected to raise concerns about holding people accountable for the 988 bombing of Pan Am flight over Lockerbie Scotland 270 people were killed in that attack and most were American. North Carolina's Guilford Technical Community College was the backdrop of President Obama's latest offensive a jobs bill that's running into stiff Republican resistance. We don't need a Republican jobs act or a Democratic jobs that we need jobs that. We did put people back to work right now. But Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell accuses President Obama of failing to acknowledge that his economic policies have failed to

put a dent in the high unemployment rate and as the president's latest jobs bill as it is it won't work either. Shares of Taiwan's smartphone maker HTC fell sharply after the International Trade Commission sided with Apple in a patent infringement case. The ITC has ruled that Apple did not violate HTC patents for mobile technology. A suicide car bombing near Somalia's foreign ministry today is responsible for at least four deaths. The militant group al-Shabaab took credit for the first attack and have threatened more of the same in a bid to push back Somali and Kenyan forces who've been fighting to end a rash of kidnappings believed to be linked to Somali rebels. At last check on Wall Street the Dow is up 88 points at eleven thousand four eighty five. This is NPR. Goldman Sachs is reporting a loss for the third quarter. NPR's Jim Zarroli reports it was more than analysts expected.

It was only the second time since Goldman went public a dozen years ago that it reported a quarterly loss. Goldman said revenue from underwriting stocks and bonds fell sharply as a result the company lost four hundred twenty eight million dollars. That compares to a profit of nearly two billion dollars during the same quarter of 2010. Goldman also said it would eliminate a thousand jobs it employs more than 34000 people. Jim Zarroli NPR News New York. Britain's treasury is ordering an asset freeze against five men linked to an alleged Iranian backed plot to assassinate Saudi Arabia's envoy to the U.S. and the U.S. has taken similar action against the suspects an influential politician emerging as the kingmaker in Liberia's presidential election says he's backing the incumbent Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf who shares this year's Nobel Peace Prize. NPR has a favorite quiz start in in Monrovia reports Prince Johnson who plays third in the first round of voting is best known as an a Tory a former warlord. The decision by the US while rebel leader turned Senator Johnson to support

President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf should be music to her is. But the man who admits he's responsible for the death of former Liberian Rudolf Samuel Doe is known to be unpredictable. For now he says the president. Best bet Prince Johnson still harbors presidential ambitions but his changeable positions about backing the opposition or the president could send conflicting signals to his supporters. Stockton NPR News Monrovia. This is NPR. Support for NPR comes from IBM working to help mid-sized businesses become the engines of a Smarter Planet. Learn more at IBM dot com slash engines. Good afternoon I'm Kalee Crossley. On September the 27 the candidates in contests for the city's district council seats went head to head. The top vote getters will now compete in the general election in November the 8th. And joining them

on the ballot city councilors running for at large seats unlike the district councilors they must be elected by every voter in the city not just those in a certain geographical district. Today we kick off our series of candidate round tables with some of the city councilor at large candidates. There are seven on the ballot a mix of incumbent newcomers and those who have been in and out of politics. Here today are three of the seven candidates. Counselor John Connelly councilor Ayanna Presley and Sean Ryan. Next week we'll hear from the other four candidates. Thank you all for joining us today. Thank you for having us Kelly. Now when I've had these district conversations you know I start by talking about the district in describing the particular geographic area but as we've said you guys have to appeal across all of Boston's very individual communities and inside those communities are quite individual needs. So I'm asking this to begin with.

What is your central message that will cut across the entire city. An appeal in a way that would make you the top vote getter in the city councilor at large race I'll start with you counselor John Conley. Thanks. Well you know I ran on a message of working for one Boston and I think it within that context we take all of our individual neighborhoods and their you know individual needs and priorities but look for the common ground across and for me for four years on the city council that's going to work every day focused on improving our Boston public schools. Taking my experience as a former teacher who's taught children from across the city and really pushing to be the voice of the educators the Education Council and what I find is across the city while the particulars may differ everybody wants to see a quality public school system a world class public school system and that goes beyond just parents of children. In the city because the quality of our schools is directly indexed to the quality of life

in our city so if we have great schools we're going to have great quality of life in our neighborhoods and that's really the way I focus my work and I work across all of the issues but that's my main priority and I find it to be a uniting issue and challenge across the city in the great part of being an at large council is when we work on any issue we have to work in a way we're going to be focused on building consensus across neighborhoods. Councillor Yana Presley same question. Well in broad strokes my gender is about combating poverty and violent cycles and I believe that that is an agenda that is neighborhood transcendent and strengthens the entire city. Even if you're not personally impacted we're all affected. You know the cornerstone of that work for me is about the stabilization of our families and I mean every family I think sometimes we can tend to define family in a very dated and antiquated

terminologies. And I believe it's incumbent upon us and government to make sure that this city works for every family model whether you are a family of one whether you're a grandparent raising a grandchild two mommies two daddies or a single parent household like the one I was reared in. It's incumbent upon us to make sure that this city work for every family in our families are hurting all of them. They've been destabilized by unemployment under-employment incarceration addiction violence mental health hunger. And so my work is really about a holistic approach to all those issues to stabilize our families because that's what makes our communities healthy and in turn our city strong. Shawn Ryan. Well I actually have a three Es platform school services and safety. I'm a school teacher as well and I attended public school starting at the age of 4 here in Boston. So I bring a new perspective to the issue I believe because I attended public schools but I don't agree with all

the policies that are that are being offered to parents these days especially the bussing is something that we really should be talking about because in a time when we have less money services as my my second s we need to be more thrifty and we need to do more with less. And some of the ways that our government is spending money is not giving us effective results. And the third test is safety. And that's yet another way where I think we could be handling a social problem in a better way. I don't think that we should criminalize drug addiction. And I don't think that government policy should encourage black market activity and the violence that's associated with that. So my three S's are addressing problems that affect everybody in Boston. But I think schools and safety affect people of color and poor people disproportionately which is why I hope that I can gain a lot of votes from people who understand what I'm saying and who appreciate the honesty that I bring to these issues. Now Shawn you're one of the quote unquote outsiders. You're not an incumbent. So what do you see that's missing I mean are you just articulate your central message

but where you feel like that'll be your knee. If you were to be elected to the city council. Well my name is I do feel like I'm in a position to be honest and I do bring a bit of a different political philosophy to these issues than you'll hear from most people in Boston. I do think that the government has to begin admitting that many of the promises it made it's not going to be able to keep and therefore we have to deal with this problem rather than just kicking the can down the road. I don't think that it's you know it's a time for more Band-Aids on problems that have lasted for decades. I think we have to get to the root of these problems and diagnose them correctly so that we have the right solution. So you know I I approach things from a philosophical standpoint primarily but I'm also trying to be practical and to give people in Boston the chance to vote for someone who is honestly trying to address these problems not just trying to get elected. One of the problems that you say well I mean we have violence problems in Boston this is the same in every major city. And a lot of it has to do with with the black market in illegal

drugs. And one of the one of the things that I asked people on the trail sometimes is you know I asked them Is there somebody in your family that may have a problem with addiction you know in a lot of people have somebody in their family who has problems with alcohol. But the proper solution would not be to criminalize alcoholism and throw people in jail. The proper solution is to treat people who need help. OK I let you go a little longer because people really don't know your platform as well. Where is councillor Pressley and Councillor Connelly have sort of honed in on certain areas while they have during their tenure on the council. Back to you city councillor Connelly. You talked about the schools you became somewhat well-known for addressing dated food in the schools I want you to talk about that and what kind of response you got from the constituents across the city as you say you're appealing to everybody and I mean is that something that you'll be taking up again should you be re-elected.

Absolutely I will. You know I'm proud to say that acting on information from sources who didn't want to be revealed. I went into school cafeterias discovered that we were serving expired food conducted an investigation held hearings something that you would expect your city council to do but maybe something we don't actually do in practice but conduct that in investigation hearings and and discovered at that point that this was not just restricted to the four schools I visited but something that was happening in every school with a cafeteria 40 plus across the city that were serving food in some cases frozen. Up to and beyond two years before we gave it to our kids we were talking about salmonella in a cold what we were talking about was the children who go to the Boston public schools many of them have their only shot at getting a healthy meal that day when they go into our schools and we were failing to do that for them. We were giving them nutrition less tasteless you know freezer burned chicken nuggets and that's important because that was an example of the system failing our kids and beyond that we exposed

fiscal waste and mismanagement. And I'm proud to say that has now changed. And I will say that on that issue. Well I think I took a lot of flack on the inside. I heard from from you know parents and just plain residents who might not even have a child in the public schools from across every neighborhood saying thank you thank you for doing that. And I do it again and I will continue to focus because while we've made some great improvements we're not at the point yet where we can say every male served in the Boston Public Schools is a fresh and healthy meal. That's the next step I think we've got in the expired food taken care of. We've increased the number of healthy meals but we have to go farther and it's the sound mind in a sound body principle in a city and a nation where we have a childhood obesity epidemic particularly in our under-served communities. It's incumbent upon our schools to make that part of the whole education that we. You know give healthy meals to our children. Councillor Pressley as you said you focused on poverty and women's

particularly And during your tenure you've been out front really on some hot button issues sex education in schools let's just start there. You held some hearings with some young people who thought there ought to be some. That is their own work and and came to the council and said please support us in this and a lot of people pushed back on that but. But but yeah you held those hearings. Yes they did push back and that's OK. And I'll continue to push back too. I think it is imperative that we have a comprehensive sex and health education curriculum throughout the Boston Public School District access to that information right now is ad hoc and that is unacceptable. I know some people consider it a controversial agenda but I think the true controversy would be to do nothing at all. You know again this is not about teaching kids how to have sex they already know how to do that. We have the stats and the data too to

demonstrate that. But I believe it's about informing for them healthy behaviors and choices and perpetuating. That understanding and getting them on the best life's path as early as possible. You know what we know is that science says it works both to reduce teen pregnancy and s t ice. Parents want it and kids need it. It is fewer and fewer parents are having these conversations with their young people and given my advocacy on behalf of pregnant and parenting teens councilor Conley actually co-sponsored my teen pregnancy initiative to strengthen pathways to graduation for pregnant parenting teens this is one of the ways I'm looking to break cycles of poverty because if they don't graduate at best they may go on to make $14000 a year annually which is poverty. It cost this commonwealth three hundred thousand dollars annually for every child born to a teen mom and it's some three hundred thousand

dollars in lost revenue and tax space over their life. That child is four times more likely to become incarcerated and within two years because we do not have a comprehensive sex and health education curriculum within Boston public schools district wide most of them have their second child. And so that's why I think it's important that we do have that curriculum that will also include absent. But also healthy behaviors and sexuality. So I think it's very important. All right more issues and solutions from our candidates running for city councilor at large. I'm Kelly Crossley. We're opening up the lines tell us what you want to hear from your city council or call if you have a question. Call if there is an issue you want them to tackle. 8 7 7 3 0 1 8 9 7 8 7 7 3 0 1 8 9 7 8. You can also post a question or comment to our Facebook page. We'll be back after this break. Stay with us on. WGBH programs exist because of you. And Merrimack Repertory Theatre

presenting this verse business by A.M. Dolan's starring Gordon Clapp as Robert Frost running through November 13th. For more information you can visit online at Merrimack Rapp dot org. And the valley group builders of Ames Brook Farm in historic Marshfield Hills 14 shingle styled condominium homes surrounded by 200 acres of conservation land and designed for active adults. Details online at V A L L e-group dot com. And frontline with a penetrating look at the secretive world of immigrant detention and the Obama administration's enforcement strategies. Watch lost in detention on Frontline tonight at 9:00 on WGBH too. On the next FRESH AIR. Tracking viruses and the start of pandemics. Nathan Wolfe has traveled to the viral hotspots of the world where viruses first jump species from animal to human. His mission is to provide early alerts about Deadly Viruses. His new book is called The Viral Storm joining us. This afternoon at two on eighty nine point seven WGBH.

Hi. I'm Brian O'Donovan. We're always pleased and a bit humbled to hear that a Christmas Celtic sojourn has become a holiday tradition for families all over New England this year. We'd like to invite you once again to join the festivities we're bringing the show to see others all over the area from New Hampshire to Bedford and many points in between. With music dancing all manner of surprises. WGBH members get your tickets at a discount. For more information visit WGBH dot org slash Celtic the latest local news headlines are as close as your smartphone with the new WGBH app with a single tap you can dig deeper into the news of the day from business to arts and culture. Just a free download away at the App Store or at WGBH dot org. Welcome back to the Kelly Crossley Show. If you're just joining us you've turned in to our city council election series. Today we're talking about the councilor at large race.

There are seven names on the ballot here today are three of the seven candidates. Counselor John Connelly city councilor Ayanna Presley and Shawn Ryan. Next week we'll hear from the other four candidates. We're opening up the lines tell us if you're voting call us if you have a question for the candidates. Call if you want to voice an issue you're concerned about 8 7 7 3 0 1 89 70 8 7 7 3 0 1 89 70 and you can send us a tweet or write to our Facebook page. Now one of the things that evidenced itself at the preliminary election was low voter turnout. You know everybody's been complaining about the fact that if there are not major things on the ballot and you would think that you all would be major because you're representing the entire city but yet and still not as many people turned out to vote as they. Could have in the preliminary election. There are some predictions that the same thing will happen in November the 8th. So when you're out there knocking on doors and interacting with people I want to know what you're hearing that you didn't know before you hit the

campaign trail start with your shine. I learn things every day from people. I try and talk about the schools because that's my main issue. But often times I do more listening because once I even just bring up that particular issue people are you know they're more than happy to tell me all about their trials and tribulations in the Boston public school system or the reasons why they they opted out entirely. And a lot of middle class and working class people just opt out entirely and this includes people of all different races and ethnicities and it's across the neighborhoods now to where they go in charter schools. Yes. Some people are going to charter schools and I do hear from people who who would like to send their kid to a charter school but haven't had the opportunity because you know they they weren't assigned one. I mean there aren't enough to go around so the preference is that some parents have they aren't being met by the city. And that's what I that's what I want to see the schools do. I mean I grew up in Boston I attended public schools for my entire education before going to college. And I know the public schools can work. I know that there is lots of great teachers in the public schools and we shouldn't be demonizing the

teachers. But if you want to provide a product the people want you do have to listen. And many people want to neighborhood school. Many people want a charter school. There's different preferences. We have diverse needs in diverse communities and so the city can't just give a one size fits all. That's why I don't agree with things like citywide curriculum regarding sex ed because again you know what about the poor person or what about the person who can't opt out of the system but who prefers to teach their own kids their own values. You know one to one directly without giving that responsibility to the school system or to a teacher or to the government. What Sean is raising about the school assignment issue is something that I've heard you raise as well. Counselor Connelly What are your issues about it and do you agree with what Shawn has said and how would you look at that differently. I agree with the spirit of Sean's comments. Generally I think that we need to reform our student assignment system but I start with student assignment before we get to transportation transportation as a whole

separate issue I mean we have a we have a horrific transportation issue right now under the current assignment system where we can't get kids to school on time but the assignment itself we are theoretically trying to give parents choices. And my three and a half year old will go into the k 1 lottery this year and this will be the most important thing in my family's life as to what happens around that lottery. Well we put it on the premise of choice. We're really putting our kids in a lottery. And so by definition we're going to have winners and losers. And I don't think that's the right way to go about assigning kids to school. Beyond that I think we undermine community with this assignment process in all corners of the city because. Kids don't know each other who live in the same neighborhoods because they don't go to school together. I would prefer to see a community based learning model that that has a real parent choice involved that maybe doesn't you know involve choice of the gree that to the degree that becomes a lottery you know as you can wake up in South Boston on a far corner of the city but

be assigned to the Roosevelt school on the entire opposite end Hyde Park. I rather see a community based learning model we're trying to link schools with health centers community centers and libraries to create a culture of opportunity 24/7 365 not just for the child but for the family. I think that and I think we could leverage more dollars to make those investments too if we then move to the second step which is transportation reform. That said it's a difficult issue and I don't know what to say to the mom in Dorchester who look me in the eye and said the King Schools right down the street from me and there is no way in heck I'm going to send my child there. That goes to the quality issue which is a real issue. I just don't think our current assignment system gives us the ability to elevate quality. And I come at this by the way as a teacher for three years in two schools middle school teacher. My children were. Over 90 percent children of color over 90 percent children living in poverty and well over 75

percent being raised in a single parent family. I care deeply about reaching every child and creating a culture of opportunity that goes to education for every child. I think this assignment system doesn't work for families in every neighborhood and at the end of the day when we do those lottery assignments OK if you live in a place where you're surrounded by underperforming schools and you get to a school that's a high performing one the lottery has worked for you. The issue we don't talk about there is there's seven kids left behind in those underperforming schools from that underserved neighborhood. What are we doing for those kids. And unfortunately I think the scars of our deeply troubled and unjust past haunt us today that what happened 40 years ago was morally wrong and needed to change. But the policy today we need to figure out making that work for all families and not be haunted. By our past we need to think about our kids of today and for tomorrow and the last

piece all say I could talk about this for now I see that's what I thought it was going to ask you to. But you know what let's just say as you know as a value I want my daughter to go to a diverse school on a socioeconomic basis on a racial ethnic basis. You know that's part of why you know I'm committed to the city and raising my family here is that I think that we are better and stronger when we celebrate our diversity and recognize that it makes us a better city. And sometimes unfortunately to say that you want to see student assignment reform people conjure all sorts of different images. Well you just took the words right out of my mouth because I was going to ask you to respond to that because it sounds like when you hear that for a lot of people their back goes up and they say OK the message really is something else similar to what people sometimes people hear states rights and that's really different way then. Some people say that I mean it and I was there you know you go go to the majority of Boston Public Schools and you're going to see schools that are over 90 percent poor children of color.

So is this policy creating the system that we really want for our children because it's at the roots of what happens it's where it all begins where we assign our children I would argue that if you have more predictability in the system in the assignment system you that you would see a much higher rate of integration in our neighborhoods on a socio economic and racial ethnic level and that that you've got to drive the diversity that I think we all want by where people live and not buy a lottery about where they go to school and I'll say you know when council press and I and we don't agree on this issue. I was going to read a letter way we can talk we can talk about it which is a huge step forward but also when council press and I were knocking on doors together in my neighborhood the other day you know Suppose it. You know West Roxbury that people conjure was definitely not the doors in the neighborhood that I'm raising my child in. You know we are in a neighborhood with a growing

diversity and particularly in my corner of West Roxbury. I'm very proud to say we're a diverse neighborhood. I am a Presley got away yeah same as you school your way to approach this. I guess where I would begin is you know I think I would counsel colleagues talking about what John is sort of envisioning you know is a great ultimate goal but it's not one that's going to happen tomorrow or the next day. For as long as we have an equity in society and those disparities are compounded in the lives of Boston families every day and especially with those children entering our Boston public schools you know we talk about the achievement gap which is really for me what this is about and we haven't talked about yet. It's not because poor black and brown children are any less intelligent. It's because they are saddled too often with adult responsibilities and burdens that impair and impede their ability to walk into

that school receptive to learning. And until and unless we commit to schools with full support services. Then we'll never close the achievement gap. You can't talk about a commitment to teaching the whole child when children are walking into school broken and they're walking into schools broken because they are in families that are destabilized. And so it's all connected. If you want to strong city you need strong schools and you can have strong schools without healthy communities and you can have healthy communities without strong families. And that's why I do this work for the 80 percent of our kids that are on the school free lunch program for the young people that interface with every day who are dealing with trauma who are dealing with mental health issues have sleep disorders for the for the young people I deal with who are taking care of younger siblings and cooking for a family of four before they even leave their house. The burden that

we're placing on teachers. It is that they cannot just focus on teaching because our schools have become community based organizations. I'm talking about teachers that call me for my assistance to intervene in domestic violence situations or to help a student get glasses. You know schools that have kids coming to school hungry so we need to have a full support services model that includes social workers and fair a pice and guidance counselors so that we can really nurture and support these kids in the best way to be receptive to learning in the best place. All right we have a caller yes. Kenny from Boston Go ahead please you're on the Kelly Crossley Show Boston Public Radio. Hi I'm calling I'm a lead kind of the Roger clap innovation school and I'm calling to see if any of these coming conflicts or Shawn will take a look at the curriculum that the school is buying into our

school system is buying into that obviously isn't working. You know we we tend to blame what he says not work. Obviously not working. It's a case of right and the UN task force. OK I just want to know what you were referencing going right there in the fact that kids are not ready for colleges. They read you know the 65 percent that do graduate out of Boston public schools 50 percent of those. Withdrawing from college got to first before the end of the first year so the curriculum that you know we're spending millions of dollars on they have a plan to look at that and see if maybe that is one of the reasons that our schools are not working. OK thank you very much for your for your call. Kenny from Boston. Now let me put on the table also Kenny raises some interesting points but didn't Massachusetts just win the race to the top I mean isn't this the the school system in some places being held up as a model across the country. How do you

respond to that Kenny. Well so I was proud to be the only city council who went up to testify in favor of Race to the top at the statehouse and have paid a price for that politically but one that I would do again and I'd say if we look at the Roger clap where Ken Ken is apparent that there's a school that a year ago was slated for closure was saved at the last minute and now has an innovation status because of that ed reform bill which is going to give it the opportunity to blossom and it will blossom. And then I would go and look at the Orchard Gardens Pilot School one of the one of the lowest performing schools in the city. Over the course of the past 10 years. But now because of that it's turnaround status through the ed reform bill. Will become one of these star schools and goes the counselor Presley's model around student support services something we've teamed up on together and I couldn't agree with their moron and will turn around and so I think that we are at a point now of opportunity

to really make deep systemic changes here because of that ad reform bill in large part I would say to Kenny's point generally I think there's some curriculum issues for sure but funds are not the whole problem now it's about in fact what you want to do is you want to empower the school site level the principal working with teachers and parents to make decisions and schools should look different because those are the folks who know the kids going in every day. So different curriculum decisions more about quality of teacher afterschool support student support services quality of principal all of these things. Let me let Shawn and I on a way in. Well I I have a couple points. I mean I do think that school curricula should reflect what the parents want. And I think the best way to do that is to give them a wide array of choices and then let them decide. And is that a way to increase the excellence that Candy says he thinks is missing for sure. I mean well but the Roger clap school it's a completely different school at least in theory than it was last year even though it's it has the same you know physical facilities in many of the same kids. But you know so this isn't necessarily the school that Kenny chose to send his kids to.

Which is why you know when you change the whole educational philosophy part way through the child's education that's going to alienate some people and some people are going to like and some people aren't. And it's all because they're all being sort of forced into the system that changes you know arbitrarily over time. The reason why we're closing schools is because people are still leaving the school system. If we don't stabilize the system we're going to have these problems. So it's a bigger issue than curriculum. Yes. You agree with counselor Conley with as far as that's concerned. Yes. OK. Same thing. OK. All right. All right very good. Well we're going to go to break and come back and I have some other many other questions for you also. I'm Kelly Crossley we're hearing from the candidates running for city councilor at large. We're opening up the lines 8 7 7 3 0 1 89 70 8 7 7 3 0 1 89 70. We'll be back after this break. Keep your dial on eighty nine point seven. WGBH Boston Public Radio. This program is made possible thanks to you and Boston Private Bank and Trust

Company Boston private bank provides private and commercial banking and investment management and trust services to individuals and businesses. You can learn more by visiting Boston private bank dot com. And Boston youth symphony orchestras with music director Federico courtezan presenting Beethoven Symphony Number Six at Symphony Hall Sunday October 23rd at 3 pm tickets at 8 8 8 2 6 6. Twelve hundred. And Skinner auctioneers and appraisers of antiques and fine art you might consider auction when downsizing a home or selling a collection 60 auctions annually 20 collecting categories Boston and Marlborough online at Skinner Inc dot com. Next time on the world Irish songwriter Lisa Henaghan. She wrote a song about fear and panic on a friend's ukulele. It's always nice to have a new instrument around and it sort of sat there. I was a little afraid of it because it's over that this be cheerful brutal honesty on a ukulele. Next I'm on the world.

Coming up at 3 o'clock here at eighty nine point seven WGBH. What is the smallest town in Massachusetts measuring in at just over 1 square mile. Last month WGBH issued the 2012 challenge 2000 and 12 new sustaining members before the end of the year and 89 7 would eliminate the first fundraising campaign of 2012. For that to happen. This station only needs to hear from Sixteen hundred people or about half the population of Nepal. Wherever you are you can do your part online at WGBH dot org. Our son was killed he was shot twice in the chest. I look out and I can see the police officer on the hood firing into the car. I'm Philip Martin. Join me mornings and afternoons this week for the case of D.J. Henry and the training of police here in a 9.7 WGBH. Good afternoon I'm Cally Crossley If you're just joining us we're continuing our city council

series meeting the candidates running for various seats today we're talking about the at large race. There are seven candidates on the ballot. Here with me in the studio are three of the seven candidates running to win or keep a seat on the city council. I am joined by councilor John Connelly councilor Ayanna Presley and Sean Ryan. Next week we'll hear from the other four candidates. You can join us at 8 7 7 3 0 1 8 9 seventy 8 7 7 3 0 1 89 70. We have some callers I want to do like kind of a lightning round of individual questions for some of you. Councilor Connelly so I've read that you and Councillor Pressley are have. Come together in an agreement that looks a little bit from the outside like what Samuel did with Michael Flaherty in the last mayoral race. You decided to join forces. Names are not easily. I'm just sorry you're going to divide our share of campaign resources and the objective this way from your perspective. Well the objective is that for my shoes it's not just about being re-elected and

I don't take that for granted but it's about the people that you will serve with. I think the one piece that some of the media coverage has missed is that we have a friendship that goes back six years before either of us was a city councillor and grew into a strong working relationship I'm proud to be a co-sponsor on councillor Presley's teen pregnancy initiative I think really the centerpiece of her work in the first term but beyond that I put it the simply I work every day for strong schools Ayana works every day for strong families and you can't have one without the other. And I hope when people go to vote they're going to see our two names on the ballot and say that same thing. As to your point as it has been reported it looks like you're trying to broaden your voter base in areas where councillor Pressley may be strong and you're boosting her up in terms of monetary resources. Agree or disagree with that assessment. Agree in part it's a partnership of equals. Again stemming from a longtime friendship the one piece I would say is if there's any inequity in our relationship

and balance you know what help I can provide is that you can't meet a whole city in two years. I ran for three years before I won. So my day want in office I'd already been crossing the city for three years I honestly had two years to meet this city to the degree I can help her get in front of people she hasn't met before and she can help me get in front of people I haven't met before. I think we both have a mutual respect and friendship. We know the other will win those votes no one in West Roxbury is going to vote for Ayana Pressley because I tell them to. But if I can help get I on in front of West Roxbury I know she's going to win them over because of her. Her work I mean everyone in the city cares about stopping violence and supporting families. Councillor Pressley So the conventional wisdom is that this partnership helps you in ways. It makes you less vulnerable because the conventional wisdom is that you are vulnerable because of Michael Flaherty's interest into the race he is not here today. Be talking to him next week and that's putting the squeeze on

your on your candidate. Respond to them. And what do you how do you how does it benefit you this partnership from your vantage point. Well again any time. Let me just give a context here so first of all I've already demonstrated that I can earn votes in every neighborhood of this city or I would not have been elected citywide. The partnership with John is one that has evolved over time. Little known fact John actually encouraged me to run for the Boston City Council. Even though we compete for the same vote so we've actually been friends for quite some time and have been campaigning together for over two years. What happened in sort of the natural progression evolution of our friendship. We then developed a strong and productive working relationship we've co-sponsored a number of legislative initiatives together on the council. And as this re-election campaign heated up many of our shared

supporters asked us to do things together in the more of those we did together the more people asked us to do together. Again to John's point education is that equalizer and families are the stabilizer. My work is about eradicating poverty and combating violence. And you can't do those without a commitment to education. As far as conventional wisdom it says many things it says that I'm vulnerable because I'm a woman. It says that I'm vulnerable because I'm black. It says I'm vulnerable because I'm a black woman. It says I'm vulnerable because I came in fourth. It says I'm vulnerable because this is a tribal Procul town and I'm not a native Bostonian. It does say all of that. It says all of that. But this is what I know. That I can earn votes in every neighborhood My agenda is one that strengthens this entire city. I will not allow conventional wisdom to stereotype me or my message not only to not underestimate traditional

voters which is a code word for white people. Not only do I know that I can earn their votes but I believe that my base of progressives and women and people of color will turn out as well because they know what is at stake. Our government is stronger when it reflects the citizenry that it serves. The strength and value of our diversity is not for some contrived fake moment in a press release talking points. It's about a diversity of perspective and opinion and felt and is the first woman of color on that body in its 100 year history. I have brought that diversity of perspective and opinion and thought a perspective that has been sorely lacking. And I know it's added value to that body and strengthened it. And not only my advocacy on behalf of families but in particular on behalf of issues uniquely impacting women and girls like teen pregnancy and human trafficking and domestic violence and sexual assault to name a few.

All right. SHAWN Now you stated what your agenda is about. And you're wanting more parental involvement wanting more decisions made at home as were. But what's interesting is I live across the web and see many of the comments you've made is that you know government is just get out. But if you're running for city council that is the government. I'm trying to understand why it is that this is attractive to you to run for the city council seat when your public statements seem to be the government's not doing much for folks right now. Well I do think that there are many things that government is not the best vehicle for doing. I think solving social problems in general. Government hasn't done a great job. We've already brought up the segregation. You know government put you know what they saw and what they felt was a well-intentioned solution to the problems and end up failing. And the problem with with when government fails what in the failing I'm sorry I've lost you there the desegregation busing failed in Boston. Yes. OK. It failed to desegregate our schools which was its intended goal. The problem with government solutions is even when they

do fail they continue. It's very difficult to stop a failed policy once it starts because there are some people who benefit from it. And the way the school system is set up now is it kind of slices all Bostonians into these different groups who are then treated differently. My political philosophy is about treating people the same. Giving people access to all the choices the same sorts of choices. You know what I don't that's a role you think government can do. Well guys I'm just guy I'm just going back to your comments about government trying to reconcile that with your interest in this job. Just to give you one very specific example. We spend about $15000. You know perk per kid in the Boston Public Schools Now not all that money is spent in the classroom a lot of it spent downtown. Some of it spent on the bussing there's a lot of bureaucracy involved. But if you if you live out West Roxbury where John is from you know a lot of people out there and I've knocked on a lot of doors in West Roxbury they send their kids to holy name or saint to Reese's Holy Names about $5000 a year. So they're they're achieving better results with a third of the

costs. So you know one would say in this particular case it seems as though the government is not doing as good a job as this private institution. And what I also want people to question is should we be forcing poor people to go to schools that John said they don't want to go to. I went to the Martin Luther King school on Intervale street in Dorchester and there were gangs waiting outside the school you know for their for their members. Even when I you know came out to get on the bus back to JP. So if a if a parent in Dorchester or Roxbury or Matin or in any of these neighborhoods doesn't want to send their kid to a school that they think is failing why are we forcing them to send their kid there to the tune of 15 grand a year. So you will be the voice on the council should you be elected saying I'm a critical voice of government I'm a skeptical voice in government we need somebody who is willing to say no who doesn't just go along to get along. You know I'm I'm pointing out that government can do some things it can't do others and if we try and make it do things that it can't do it's a waste of everybody's money and we don't have that much money to waste these days.

Well maybe that's a good transition to getting you all to weigh in on Occupy Boston. I mean that's something that's going to be it's right in your bailiwick really. It's a national movement now Occupy Boston Sparta. But what happens there really comes under the purview of you folks in the city council in terms of the resources. To support them and also just in hearing that's a constituency and these are it's a constituency of folk who are willing to go out and stand up and whether you like what they're saying or not. They're out there and they're there articulating what their concerns are. Shawn how do you respond to Occupy Boston. Well I've been down to Occupy Boston five times one. One day I spent about five hours there just interviewing everybody because I wanted to find out what they were saying. So I admire I admire what they're doing. I mean this this reminds me of stories I heard from my parents who were you know somewhat politically active the way a lot of kids were back in the 60s and 70s due to the war. So I think what they're doing is admirable. I think what are you hearing. Well I'm hearing a lot of things and I'm hearing give me one. Well I made it with you. Meanwhile the one that

I think deserves some discussion is the idea of corporate personhood. But I think I think what what the message that I hear down there is just that people don't have jobs you know the financial industry is not you know working to everybody's benefit and this is all true. But I hear a lot of differences of opinion as to what the root source of the causes and therefore what steps we should take. OK. But I do just want to say that I stopped by the night of the mass arrests because I wanted to see it with my own eyes. And I have to give give kudos to the Boston Police Department because I thought that they did an excellent job. And I didn't think that there was excessive force used and I was glad to see that that the people in charge were officers known to me in there. They were good genial personalities so I'm not the type who would well this is your purview if you're on the council. Ayanna Pressley How do you how do you feel about Occupy Boston. Well I agree with them and I've also spent some time down there as well. And I support them in their activism.

What I would say is that I believe some of our most successful work in this country is community driven and government endorsed. I believe for some of the I mean much of what they're looking to overhaul and change I need them. We need you know especially municipal have you gone down there. Yes I am. Yeah absolutely. And most of the people that I spoke with are people who were upset because they sort of you know if you buy into the idea of a meritocracy and if you work hard you can get ahead and you know they attain the right degrees and credentials and they're still unemployed and I agree they have every reason to be outraged outraged too. But we need their activism and their outrage working in symbiotic partnership with those of us in government if they want to change the system please work with us to do that. Many of them are not registered voters. I'm not sure how many people I spoke with but I didn't speak with one who was

a registered voter and participating. And I do think that government is not the only solution but it is one and I don't think that we should be demanding less of our government. We're in this situation because we haven't demanded more along those lines of a moral imperative and access to opportunity. So also this is the form of government closest to community and so we need to be working with and for them. So I hope they'll come to City Hall and I also hope they'll all register to vote. Oh I take it if I'm like Occupy Boston My phone's going to ring. Listen I I I. You know I agree with the spirit of the movement and much of the frustration and what I find very interesting is as I've gone around Boston I've heard a lot from no politician wants to say this because right now you don't want to get in trouble over occupy. I've run into a lot of folks out there saying negative things about the folks down

there in Boston neighborhoods OK who sort of look at the all of these are spoiled college kids or something like that OK. And yet I find the commentary from Occupy Boston and the commentary from the folks who have criticized them. When you get beyond what do you think that to be the same. It's a huge frustration with the imbalance in our society with corporate greed. With institutional power that doesn't respond to people whether it's a government or the private sector and just the general pain people are feeling in this economy. And let's not forget we're talking about all these broader issues in Occupy Boston and nice job of focusing on big issues and you know we are in the 99 and focusing on all these aspects but a lot of this started from Bank of America raising fees on their own customers and it goes to this whole notion that we live in society. People are hurting right now losing jobs having income reduced finding a new job that comes without benefits. Health care still hasn't been solved and people are feeling pain out

there and not seeing any any light at the you know at the end of the tunnel here. And I think that plugs in to both you know frustrated folks at Occupy Boston frustrated folks just trying to live their life every day. And I mean you've been down there. I have. Well you know I passed through very quickly but I haven't talked to anybody down there yet I'm going down on Friday. Talk to folks and hear more I read everything about it online and you know so I just think there's something there about this. This frustration with the imbalance out there and we can look to you know how our economy failed and quite frankly how people felt government let us down both in getting to the point that our economy failed and then and how we want to try to rectify it and so I think there's a lot there that is that we ought to be listening to and focused on what do you say to folks to get them to the polls November the councillor Pressley has rejected conventional wisdom that people are not showing up.

So you've got to get the people out there. Yeah you know listen I mean we you know we work every day of our two year term and I would also point out that you know our partnership both on in working and in campaigning goes back well over you know goes back over two years but you know we work every day hoping people are going to see what we're doing and find the election were the ones that I want. I say that what I say is look this race looks like it will be about 11 percent turnout one in 10. And when that happens it means that the voting constituencies are more likely. I have already made up their mind for reasons that are separate from the quality of the candidates and the records of the elected officials and that if you don't get out there and vote then there will be changes that may not be done on the basis of the right reasons and looking at the records of the incumbents and so I hope I'm starting to feel more attention there but I do worry that this low turnout will not be good John.

Well I mean what I usually tell people on the trail I found that most people you know they're fond of one or two or three of the incumbents but there's at least one that they that they feel could I could do a job better. And so I ask people if I say you know if you want to school reformer like John vote for SEAN RYAN And you know if you want someone who's going to be an independent voice like Mike Flaherty is going to get them to the polls what you're saying now is that your message to get them to the polls Well I think people are looking for a different sort of politician and I certainly offer that to the people of Boston. And you know I'm very intent on staying on my issues schools and safety and with the thrifty services. So you know I'm just trying to trying to give people what they want. Yana Presley Well I think people don't vote. Not only because they're apathetic sometimes they don't vote because they're so informed they're cynical about what can happen. And I also think people don't vote as often as we would like for them to municipal elections because they Irani

Asli and at their own peril. Consider municipal government the bottom rung of power. So what I say to them is you're hurting the things that you pray about in church and mass and curse about the evening mills and shake your head in reading the newspaper. All those decisions are made on the municipal level. This is not the bottom rung of power it is the form of government closest to you and there is too much at stake and please vote. And I'm asking for one of your four November 8th. All right. Well we've been talking with the candidates running for city councilor at large. The general election for people who don't know is November the 8th. I've been joined by city councillor John Connelly city councilor Ayanna Presley and Sean Ryan. Next week we'll meet the other four candidates. You can keep on top of the Cowley Crossley Show at WGBH dot org slash Calla Crossley follow us on Twitter or become a fan of the Calla Crossley Show on Facebook today show was engineer

by Antonio Ali are produced by Chelsea Mertz will Rose live and every Ruzicka we're a production of WGBH Boston Public Radio.