Pete Stidman

Connolly banking on turnout push
October 11, 2007

"It's quiet out here," is the standard Dot-onian comment on the at-large City Council race this cycle. With expectations of a low-turnout, little to no press coverage and only five candidates with operations proven to pull significant votes citywide, incumbents seem to be dusting off the old campaign gear only now, three weeks before the final election.

On the other hand, skilled political observers willing to bet a trifecta in the race are exceedingly rare.

"The only thing I can tell you for sure is Michael Flaherty will come out number one on the ballot," observed state Rep. Martin Walsh, chair of the Ward 13 Democratic Committee. "This election will absolutely come down to election day and who has the best organization to pull out their vote."

Dorchester Reporter
October 11, 2007

A few legal matters are all that remain between neighbors of a vacant lot on Elmhurst Street and the playground they've envisioned there for more than ten years.

"I started when I had no kids," said Paul Malkemes, who lives in the Codman Square neighborhood and works at Boston Project Ministries a few doors down from the lot. "Now, I have three girls and still no park."

A short walk to a neighborhood on the other side of Talbot Ave., and another group of neighbors with park dreams can be found. Paul Darby has been after the city to build a park between Spencer and Whitfield streets for over 30 years.

Dorchester Reporter
October 4, 2007

Fundamental disagreements over the future of the St. William's Church may force the potential re-developer of the property, the Vietnamese American Initiative for Development, to sell it instead.

"Every month we're losing $15,000 on it," said Viet-AID director Hiep Chu. "We have two or three new schemes, but we haven't invested in them because we don't know what people want."

Viet-AID's last plan, introduced a month-and-a-half ago, included razing the church and building 34 housing units on the Dorchester Avenue site. The number is on the lower side of what would allow the community development corporation to recoup the $2 million they paid the Archdiocese for the property earlier this year, said Chu, but neighbors rejected the plan with several concerns that all seem to boil down to density.

Dot-based program seen a leader in field

Dorchester Reporter
October 4, 2007

Governor Deval Patrick and the First Lady, Diane Patrick, are searching for new ways to address domestic violence in the Commonwealth, and in Newburyport and a back street in Fields Corner, they think they found two.

The couple strolled into the Dorchester House on Monday to meet with upwards of thirty local and statewide advocates in a session that was open to the public, but closed to the press, and afterwards highlighted $5 million in spending on the problem and new grants for police training, services for families affected, and emergency housing.

Dorchester Reporter
September 27, 2007

For the second time this year, a potential buyer of the Caritas Christi Health Care chain that owns Carney Hospital has decided not to pursue the deal. Denver-based Catholic Health Initiatives halted its merger talks with Caritas officials last month.

Caritas is still open to such a merger, said Caritas Carney Hospital president Daniel O'Leary, but it is still profitable and should not be counted out on a go-it-alone strategy.

"We're pursuing a two-part strategy," said O'Leary. "One is, finally, after a long delay, hiring a strong leader. We're not in as bad a shape as the Globe portrayed, but we have lost time. [The other is], I think there's still a good possibility for us to interest another chain. I think it would be good for health care. One doesn't preclude the other, but the clear strategy is to go it alone."

Dorchester Reporter
September 20, 2007

Gov. Deval Patrick delayed months before publicly taking a pro-casino gambling stance on Monday, unveiling a proposal for three casino licenses in the state. State legislators are currently pouring over his plan, giving the benefit of the doubt, they say, but none deny there is a storm brewing on the hill.

Speaker of the House Sal DiMasi issued a careful but "skeptical" statement the following day, but included pointed questions that revealed his position on the issue:

"Will the so-called revenue be merely offset by the obvious negative effects of gambling on public safety, personal finances and families?" read the statement. "And why would we want to do something of this nature that will so dramatically change the landscape and image of the commonwealth?"

Will Dorchester feel the difference?
September 20, 2007
Dorchester Reporter

As Mayor Thomas Menino's quadriceps have grown from riding his new silver Trek bike around Hyde Park over the past six weeks, so has his administration's resolve in making the city a friendlier place all cyclists.

His first act of bicycle-friendliness is scheduled for today, the introduction of a new bike coordinator, a long-vacant position in the city. Nicole Freedman, a one-time Olympian and long-time advocate who already works for the Boston Redevelopment Authority, will take the job. Her first initiatives include new bike racks across the city and a data-gathering effort geared toward mapping safe routes for beginning riders and targeting problem areas for improvements.

Dorchester Reporter
September 13, 2007

Pastor Antoine Montgomery said he's been calling the Department of Neighborhood Development (DND) every week for over a year. Last week, the calls may have paid off. DND is asking residents for input on the possible development of seven vacant lots situated around Montgomery's Prayer Tower Apostolic Church at 141 Norfolk St. in the Codman Square area.

The Codman Square Neighborhood Council met Sept. 5, but came to no conclusions as to how the lots should be used. The church has a master plan that could include all seven.

"We're on a million dollar drive here," said Montgomery, walking between the lots and the existing PTAC buildings, which include a hair salon, an academy, administrative offices and the 120-seat church. "If we could just get 20,000 people to donate $52 to us, we'll have our million dollars."

Dorchester Reporter
September 13, 2007

A passel of large development projects on and around Columbia Point has the Boston Redevelopment Authority and Mayor Thomas Menino itching to create a "comprehensive vision" for the Dorchester peninsula.

"There are so many exciting developments in this vibrant neighborhood and a comprehensive master plan will help the city ensure these changes are balanced with community input an eye for long term sustainability and matched with appropriate infrastructure," said City Councillor Maureen Feeney in a prepared statement.

The study will cover roughly 412 acres between I-93 and the bay, including the University of Massachusetts, Boston; Bayside Expo Center; John F. Kennedy Library; Boston Globe; and Boston College High School, to name a few institutions.

Dorchester Reporter
September 13, 2007

Voters counting the days until the preliminary election Sept. 25 - there must be a few - are witnessing a race for City Council's District 7 seat that pits one of a growing cadre of 30-something political hopefuls of color in the city against a civil rights-era office holder that is not about to retire.

Henriquez, 30, is challenging Chuck Turner, 66, for the seat. Althea Garrison, a perennial candidate for District 7, state Rep. and other offices is also in the race.

According to Henriquez, incumbent Turner uses techniques that are outdated products of the 1960s.