News from the campaign office of District 1 City Council candidate, Stephen Passacantilli:
Former City Councilor At-Large and Mayoral candidate John Connolly endorsed City Council candidate Stephen Passacantilli at a Charlestown event hosted by BPS parents from across the district. In the 2013 Mayoral Election, Connolly won both Charlestown and the North End in both the Preliminary and Final Elections.
Connolly, a former teacher and past chair of the Council’s Education Committee said, “Stephen Passacantilli understands what its like raising a family in Boston, and he will be a strong advocate for our kids, our parents, and our Boston Public Schools. Stephen is deeply invested in our communities, and he knows how to get things done. I saw that firsthand when I worked with him in Sal LaMattina’s office, and I’ve seen it through his work in the community. There is no one who cares more or will fight harder for the people of District 1 than Stephen Passacantilli.”
Passacantilli said, “It is such an honor having John Connolly’s support. John and I frequently talk about the Boston Public Schools and how we can ensure that all kids can access a great school close to home. As a BPS parent, I will work tirelessly to ensure that each and every child in Boston receives a world-class education.”
Many know Passacantilli from his years of public service across Boston. He is a lifelong resident of the North End where he has been deeply involved as past president of his local civic association and through local charities and community organizations like North End Against Drugs (NEAD) and the North End Beautification Committee. Passacantilli is also an active Boston Public Schools parent and serves on the board of the Gavin Foundation.
Passacantilli and his wife, Renée, are raising their two children, Grace and Evan, just around the corner where he grew up in the North End.
Can you share any video from the event? Would be good to hear what merits Connolly cited for arriving at his decision. The quote above basically says that Passacantilli’s got kids in the schools and knows how to “get things done.” Was there any more substance in Connolly’s actual remarks?
I think we all know where they both live by now. Would like to hear more about the candidates’ experience, qualifications and accomplishments. Hopefully both candidates will agree to the proposed debates, so voters can get some relevant info before election day.
I voted for John Connolly. I supported Charlotte. I am the least loyal person you will ever meet. I never let Steve tell me whom to support. I support Steve. I know Steve’s service in the community, and that is his track record. I have 20 years of experience with it. I also know that he practically saved my life. He left City Hall to do it, a place where he stayed late and crushed it with results big and small–on a daily basis. He has personally helped many find a path to self-improvement and health, and in a few cases find a housing path through his vast network of more understanding landlords. Sadly, I cannot elaborate further. He is also incredibly well-networked and capable of bridging disparate parties and divergent interests. Everybody simply loves Steve. His heart is probably made of love cells.
Lydia talks about accomplishments at work, which are a basic expectation. Housing in Boston has experienced nothing but increased instability for anyone outside of the increasingly higher socio-economic rungs. She talks about being a small property owner as if that distinguishes her from Steve, who is more familiar with property ownership in the district from every real property perspective. Steve grew up here. He does not LIVE here. He HAS gotten things done. He’s also fought personal battles the size of Gibraltar. He’s overcome. Lydia is not in any position to overhaul the MBTA. That takes state-level action and population reduction. It’s a really bad platform to run on, considering it is impossible to measure success. Or maybe that is the hope.
I believe in my heart that Lydia is getting attention based on her own demographics. I think this is shameful. I would like to see debates, too, because Steve would not just win the debate. He’d win the track record. We who have lived under Steve’s care need no boasts. Lydia’s boasts are not any more specific, and in fact are unrelated to the real issues that forced a person like me out of the district. At every step of the way, Steve has built a personal, professional and social track record of success that ranges from filling a pot hole on a dime to creating a lasting and complete community where everyone is heard and can contribute. I personally find Lydia to be a poor choice. This is no time to take a gamble on a City worker. As a soup kitchen and food bank volunteer, I assure you that setting up a soup kitchen is not on my political resume. We need a trusted voice, with energy–and the guts to be a pioneer in getting things done in new ways that are inclusive; effective; and tangible.
I want Steve to win this election. I want this district to inclusive for all, not just voters who respond to promises of an easier path. That never came in New York. It will likely not come from Lydia. It will likely not come just from Steve. This election is highlighting the real concerns of the community, and Steve is in the seat to take charge and get closer than anyone else in history in all great cities to reversing anti-livability trends and policies. He is an optimizer. He is a relationship manager. He is true. He relies on grit, guts, determination and skill to get things done, and he has. We need effective and proven leadership, not pandering to the lowest common denominator. What are your issues, Lisa? I’ll bet Steve would LOVE to hear them.
Thanks for sharing the dog whistles Brian! I think everyone got it. Steve lives here, and he’s “like us” so he understands what’s best for us. You live in Rhode Island and you’re “like us” so you understand what’s best for us. Lydia lives in East Boston, but she’s not “like us” so she doesn’t know what’s best for us.
“Easier path” “pandering to the lowest common denominator” “New York” “demographics” “energy” –did I miss any. Campaign message received. Excellent work from the farm team in Rhode Island. Great that Steve has so much support from the diaspora of “people like us” and “Real North Enders” who live in other places—who so generously continue to try to run things for us poor, clueless “outsiders.”
Luckily for all of us, the old days of being able to win elections based solely on the kind of identity politics that you’re pushing are taking their dying breath here in Boston. The neighborhoods of this district have changed, and people do want to talk about the issues that impact their lives—development, housing, transportation, traffic, education. They want a candidate who can make intelligent decisions that will have long-term impact, based on evidence, research, and policy experience, not someone who can “fill a pothole on a dime.” The city has an app for that. I think most people would rather handle things that way, rather than having to use connections to beg for favors. It’s lovely that you’re grateful for having “lived under Steve’s care” but luckily this is Boston in 2017, not a feudal serfdom. City government is here to serve everyone, regardless of their connections.
Lydia also lives in our community, and saw that residents were having real problems with housing sustainability and rising evictions. She used her knowledge and experience to create policy-based solutions. The impacts of the policies she created running the Office of Housing Sustainability are available to all Bostonians, and will continue to have an impact long into the future. The city council recently passed a law, shaped by Lydia’s vision, to protect residents from predatory developers. I’ve personally met people who her office has saved from unjust eviction. All assistance handled above-board, all benefits available to every resident of Boston. Isn’t that a better way of handling thing than calling to beg Steve to use “his vast network of more understanding landlords”?
The fact that you follow that quote with “Sadly, I cannot elaborate further” speaks volumes. People are sick of old-school Boston politicians who operate by trading favors and making back room promises. This way of operating is especially troubling given Steve’s super-tight relationship with Mayor Walsh. The last thing anyone in this district wants is a rubber stamp for the Mayor on city council. We can’t handle the traffic from the thoughtless development that’s already happening—we don’t want to be handed more!
Steve and Lydia have both worked at City Hall. Steve’s experience running the City Department of Transportation’s Sign Shop is obviously working wonders for his political campaign (I think I saw a Passacantilli sign in my refrigerator last night), but it’s not the kind of experience that is particularly relevant towards fixing the very real problems facing this district.
I welcome Steve beginning to talk in detail about how he proposes to address the issues facing District One & I’m looking forward to the upcoming debates! I encourage all residents to come to the debate in Charlestown next Wednesday. It would be great if we could get a debate here in the North End, but none of the civic organizations that you and Steve participate in are willing to host one (sad face). Brian, maybe you could use your connections with Steve to get one on the books?! I know it’s a toll call from Rhode Island, but take one for the team!
Just in case we don’t get the opportunity to hear from them in person, I encourage anyone who is interested in the issues facing the North End, Charlestown and East Boston to take a look at BOTH candidates’ web sites:
http://www.stephenforboston.com/
http://www.lydiaedwards.org/
Hi, Lisa – I’m so sorry for having such a hard time fielding such hurtful remarks about my person, my intelligence, and my place of residence. It was clear which side of the fence you were on. I find it amazing that Matt passed your comment on to posting. You insult me at my core and degrade my state. I lived in the North End for two decades, and it is a testament to Stephen that he is known down here not just by me. I did not wish to elaborate further on anyone’s personal story, to cover your concern there. Like Teddy Kennedy, Steve has been known to take on personal cases. He is a humanist in every proportion.
Stephen has a proven track record. Stephen lives here AND is from here. No one is pushing for old school ways that exclude anyone. You are very presumptuous to think I have not evaluated both candidates. I follow my mind and my heart, I have no history on you, but hope your approach with others is more respectful. I believe that we all have a stake in a place that involves our lives. If your family lived in my district or you had business concerns here, I would value your input. It seems to me that you have a bone to pick with some things that are merely notions. Instead of being so readily combative, I would suggest that you equally evaluate both candidates as well. Your tone if so vitriolic that it literally hurt my feelings. You categorically excluded me and rallied against some preconceived notion for a metro area of $1.6M people that is inextricably part of Boston’s larger reach. It is grotesquely classist, elitist and socially excluding to participate in denigrating people by geography. Farm state? Our GDP is higher than Seattle’s per capita. Would you rally against outside support from, say, rural Oklahoma for any candidate you liked? You seem to have two standards.
As for housing, predatory developers (as you call them) put up towers that house the higher rent paying strata. These towers free up available space in the existing buildings, increasing supply and driving down costs. Unfortunately, the demand for housing is based on economics. People who work and produce will always drive the market, and rents are up, up and up. I believe that each of these developments has affordable housing allotments.
Speaking once again of outside support: Considering candidates that are female, black or some other characteristic that drives perceptions, outside support and money often backs them….without any consideration of the other candidate. I have participated in critical races as far away as Santa Clara and Den Haag. You’ll forgive me if my continuing stake in the fate of the District allows me the free speech to express support in light of your scathing rebuke of Steven. Me. Rhode Island. The last time I was spoken to like this or made to feel like this was when I was excluded from sports as an overweight child. People will always remember how you make them feel.
I supported Charlotte because she was the best candidate, and for reasons of housing. I was priced out. I did not support Charlotte because she was female, black or both. I also don’t like labels. I attend a church that is recklessly referred to as a “black church.” We are all of us Americans. I will support whom I feel to be the right fit where and when I so choose.
I’d like to see a more civil response to my desire to participate in politics wherever I see fit. I graciously decline further conversation. I applaud Matt for allowing a final, respectful comment. Thank you to any and all readers for allowing me a say in something so dear to my heart. I am utterly offended, and I am generally utterly hard-shelled.
Truly,
Brian
I wanted to add a very important note about apps and technology. I’ve noticed problems with a feeling of being disconnected from government as expressed by those not prone to use or even accessible to technology. Right now, Providence is repaving almost every road. The citizens who rely on public transportation are not always privy to route changes, detours and scheduling adjustments. You might imagine this most impacts the senior citizen set and the working poor–along with the disabled and otherwise hindered. I think we forget that attitudes or mechanisms that seem to unite can alienate others. These can be attitudes that are categorically opposed to certain kinds of people, places and things, too!
Nothing will ever beat a beat cop. Nothing will ever beat an official who goes onsite. Nothing will ever beat a City Councilor that beats the pavement. I want to be able to make a phone call, write a note even–and see my councilors; cops; etc. After that, thank you kindly for hosting information about both candidates. I think that as much as some folks find new ways to be inclusive, they can be elitist; exclusionary; and discriminatory. This applies to all protected classes and non-protected classes. Teddy Kennedy always read a letter, and he always did what he could. I like those kind of old ways. Last comment under this post for sure. Bonus shout-out: I am honored to see John Connolly featured once again. What a great man!