City Councilor Rob Consalvo joined the mayoral race today. “For the last 11 years, I have built a very strong record as a Boston City Councilor bringing new ideas, new energy, and new vision all across our city,” Consalvo said in a written statement. “I am running for mayor because I love the City...
Police seek vehicle in homicide case
By John Ruch and Peter Shanley/Gazette Staff HYDE SQ.—The Boston Police Department (BPD) is seeking the occupants of a vehicle seen near a fatal shooting at 104 Minden St. at 8:30 p.m. on March 31. The vehicle is described as a dark-colored Ford Flex. BPD released a small, grainy image of the vehicle, apparently...
JP, Charlestown council lawsuits won’t merge
Lawsuits involving the Jamaica Plain and Charlestown neighborhood councils will remain separate after a judge recently denied a motion to merge them, according to Benjamin Day, the plaintiff in the JP case. A court hearing slated for today to review the matter was canceled, he said. The next court date is April 10, when...
DA Conley announces mayoral run
Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel Conley today announced he is running for mayor. Conley, a former Boston city councilor, joins Roxbury radio host Charles Clemons, City Councilor John Connolly and businessman Will Dorcena as the formally announced candidates in what is sure to become a bigger race. Conley is the first candidate to announce...
Mayoral candidates likely to give up seats
With Mayor Thomas Menino announcing last week that he will not seek reelection, the floodgates have been opened for potential candidates. But many of those people contemplating runs are already in elected positions at the city or state level, posing the question whether they must relinquish their seats to run. According to the Mayor’s...
Man shot to death in Hyde Sq.
HYDE SQ.—A man was shot to death last night at 104 Minden St., and Boston Police officers will discuss the incident at tonight’s “Town Hall” meeting held by City Councilor Matt O’Malley. The killing is Jamaica Plain’s first reported homicide this year. The Boston Police Department did not immediately respond to Gazette requests for...
O’Malley won’t run for mayor
City Councilor Matt O’Malley, who lives in Jamaica Plain and represents most of the neighborhood, will not join the mayoral race, he told the Gazette. “I am running for District 6 reelection. I love my job,” said O’Malley. “I may run for mayor someday,” he added, but noted he has been in...
Politics as Unusual: Boston shouldn’t hook big Fish for mayor
When Boston Mayor Tom Menino gave his post-hospitalization “Heigh-Ho” and State of the City address at Faneuil Hall this January, you’d have needed a pair of those cartoon-sized shears that he cuts grand-opening ribbons with to slice through the tension and uncertainty. Those who wished that his ailments would permanently sideline Menino clenched their...
Mayoral race could be dominated by JPers
The chance that the next mayor of Boston will be from Jamaica Plain got a lot bigger this week. The mayoral race could be dominated by candidates who live in or represent JP, and some of them are giving stronger signals of making a run in Gazette interviews. Those who have not ruled out...
Menino officially announces he will not run again
Mayor Thomas Menino officially announced yesterday afternoon that he will not run again after a record 20 years in office at a Faneuil Hall event broadcast live by New England Cable News. Menino also said he has no desire to pick his successor. After arriving on stage to the tune of “My Way,” Menino...
JP political expert: Anybody could be next mayor
The race for the open Mayor’s Office will be the most competitive in decades, likely with several Jamaica Plain candidates, and is anyone’s to win, according to local political expert Larry DiCara. “Anybody, and I underline ‘anybody,’ could be the next mayor of Boston,” said DiCara, a JP resident and former Boston City Council...
JP leaders recall Menino’s impact
Leaders of prominent Jamaica Plain institutions are reflecting on the impact Mayor Thomas Menino had on their work as he is expected to announce today that he is not running for reelection. “I doubt there’s been a mayor in the whole country who’s done more to advance a neighborhood development agenda than Tom Menino...
Ex-mayoral challenger Flaherty hints at run
Former City Councilor Michael Flaherty of South Boston, who gave Mayor Thomas Menino his most serious electoral challenge ever in 2009, hinted at making another run for the office in a written statement praising Menino released today to the Gazette. “I of course ran against him in 2009,” Flaherty wrote, referring to the election...
Local officials reflect on Menino, ponder running
Mayor Thomas Menino’s decision not to run for reelection after 20 years has some local officials reflecting on his legacy while considering the possibility of running in election that suddenly looks like a free-for-all. City Councilors Felix Arroyo and Mike Ross, state Sen. Sonia Chang-Díaz, state Rep. Jeffrey Sánchez and Suffolk County criminal courts clerk Maura...
Connolly: Today a day to respect Menino
Mayoral candidate and At-large City Councilor John Connolly told the Gazette that Mayor Thomas Menino’s reported decision not to run for reelection took him by surprise. “I was floored,” Connolly said, adding he has not yet spoken directly with Menino about the move. “The suddenness of it surprised me.” “I was reflecting on...
Connolly pledges ‘new energy’ as mayor, blasts Menino
City Councilor John Connolly pledged to improve everything from public schools to the arts scene, while blasting incumbent Mayor Thomas Menino’s City Hall as lacking vision and transparency, in Connolly’s first major interview about his mayoral campaign. “While I deeply respect the mayor’s commitment to the city, we need an infusion of new energy...
Boy donates $1,000 to zoo
Sixth-grader Adam Crellin-Sazama donated over $1,000 to Franklin Park Zoo last week, following a months-long fund-raising project. The Jamaica Plain boy sold hot cocoa from a sidewalk stand throughout the winter and accepted donations to support the zoo and its worldwide conservation efforts. About $600 of the $1,050 came from his sidewalk stand, he...
Shattuck Hospital to close 10-story building
FOREST HILLS—Lemuel Shattuck Hospital has plans to “decommission” its Personnel Building, a 10-story tower on its campus that houses a child care facility, administrative offices and equipment and record storage. Shattuck Hospital is a state hospital that treats members of the public as well as prisoners in a secure psychiatric unit. Its main hospital...
Connolly promete nueva energía como alcalde
En su primera entrevista comprensiva sobre su campaña para alcalde, el consejero municipal John Connolly prometió mejorar la infraestructura, incluso las escuelas públicas y los artes, mientras criticaba el alcalde actual Thomas Menino. Según Connolly, Menino carece de la visión y la transparencia. “Aunque respeto el compromiso del alcalde a la ciudad, necesitamos una...
Former Martha Eliot official questions ending service
A Jamaica Plain doctor, who is a former official at Martha Eliot Health Center, in a letter to the Gazette is questioning Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH) decision to end adult service at the health center. Dr. John Jewett, who worked at MEHC for 13 years, including three years as the director of adult medicine,...
Falling concrete at station might have been prevented
FOREST HILLS—The loose concrete that recently fell at the Forest Hills Station might have been prevented if an inspection report had been heeded. In early February, loose concrete was removed from the ceiling at the commuter rail platform at the Forest Hills Station, which is located in the southern section of Jamaica Plain near...
JP Shines to brighten neighborhood
A new Jamaica Plain Business and Professional Association (JP BAPA) initiative called JP Shines to keep local streets clean will kick off April 11. “We’re launching it around the Boston Shines effort,” said Kim Mitchell, owner of Boing! JP’s Toy Shop at 667 Centre St. “We hope this is a long-term initiative.” Boston Shines...
Parklet site changed to Hyde Sq.
HYDE SQ.—Centre Street across from Wyman Street in Hyde Square will likely get one of the city’s first “parklets” later this year, not central JP, as previously expected. The parklet will be installed in the fall, not the spring as previously announced. A parklet is a small, semi-permanent public space that resembles a deck,...