With an aggressive package of legislation filed on Beacon Hill, against a backdrop of “dysfunction” on Capitol Hill, Mayor Marty Walsh promoted Boston as the leading economic and social driver of Massachusetts in his State of the City address.
At the start of 2019, Walsh, stating that “ housing and economic mobility are linked, and a stable home allows residents to pursue opportunities”, presented a package of legislation to the General Court of Massachusetts addressing housing, education, environment, transportation and health and safety initiatives in an effort to link the booming economy of Boston to the neighborhoods and residents of Boston beyond the downtown and South Boston’s Seaport. He says the goals of the 14-bill package that he shipped to state lawmakers are to help preserve neighborhoods threatened by soaring housing costs, stabilize vulnerable households, support small businesses and removing barriers that keep people in poverty. Among Walsh’s proposals are bills that would provide low-income tenants facing eviction with a court-appointed attorney and ban no-fault evictions of persons over age 75.
Pointing the finger at the new administration in Washington DC, Walsh stated “ “What happens in Washington, we feel on the streets of Boston. But here’s what matters more: What we do in Boston can change this country. We’ve done it before, and we’ll do it again, because in this time of uncertainty and division, Boston offers a way forward. There is no federal housing policy, but Boston has created more affordable homes during his administration than “any time on record,” the mayor said. The nation has no infrastructure plan, but in Boston workers are “rebuilding roads and bridges, making our streets work for bikes and buses, and opening parks and libraries all across our city.”
Walsh said he and Gov. Charlie Baker are “going on a road trip” to Washington D.C. “We have a Republican-led Senate and a Democratic House. So we’ll go to Washington with a united front and call for the investments in housing, transit, and the environment that our future depends on. Instead of building a wall, let’s show them how to build bridges,” Walsh said.
The mayor went on to lay out a plan focused on certain goals for his sixth year in office. The city will launch a Mobile Economic Development Center to provide job training and business workshops in “every neighborhood.” He said he’ll create 1,000 new homeowners in the next five years by building affordable housing and giving out more money.
Shifting to public safety, Walsh also highlighted the work of the Boston police department which he said has committed to “lifting people up, not locking people up.” Officers have taken more than 4,100 guns off the street since he became mayor, Walsh said. On other issues, he added, “ The White House turned its back on climate change, while Boston has a strategy to be carbon-free by 2050”. On homelessness, Walsh reaffirmed his commitment pointing out that in the last five years the city has housed more than 1,600 people experiencing homelessness. The Mayor ended by saying, “To the people of Boston: thank you for the privilege of serving you these past five years. I love my job. Every day, I get to go out into the neighborhoods to talk, listen, and work with the people of Boston. And every day, Bostonians walk through the doors of City Hall and share their hopes and dreams with me. They remind me how grateful I am to live my dream and walk through those doors as the son of immigrants
