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Mayor gives Downtown Crossing pushcarts at least 60 more days
By adamg on Tue, 03/12/2013 - 6:30am
Yes, he can do that: He's the mayor. The Herald reports Rosemary Sansone of the Downtown Boston Business Improvement District, which wanted to push the vendors out at the end of this month, found this "a great solution;" Herald does not indicate if she had a forced grin as she said this.
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Comments
Menino, king of the chains
I bet this was Menino's plan all along. Have his BID (the one encouraged be set up) act like the bad boys kicking out the vendors in a short time frame, then in sweeps Menino as savior for 60 extra days. Then they reach a middle ground so Menino can shape downtown crossing Menino style- chains and luxury apartments, maybe a parking garage. I predict the street stops being pedestrian only next.
Now let's see a permanent solution.
It is gratifying to have the Mayor on our side in this but the best solution would be to move the carts onto Washington Street directly across from where they are now permanently.
This would make the street a true pedestrian zone. There would still be plenty of room for city vehicles to get by. Then the BID should begin looking into some new improved kiosks. They keep talking about the desire to upgrade the program. They have a 3 million dollar budget. So let's see them put their money where their mouth's are.
The vending community wants to upgrade the carts and continue to provide locals and tourists alike with food and merchandise as they have done for many years. The support from the people of Boston has proven they want these carts to stay. So make it happen Mayor Menino.!
Does 60 days really help ?
Does a 60-day extension really help the vendors? Are any of them going to invest in buying new inventory for the busier summer months if they are not going to be there? Or is this a good opportunity for the vendors to sell their existing inventory and look for new opportunities to work? If there is not a clear indication that the vendors are going to be part of DTX in the future, I would expect many of them to explore other opportunities to stay employed and make money. A 60-day extension merely softens the blow.
Keep pushcarts, oust beggers
How about the Downtown Boston Business Improvement District leave the pushcarts alone and instead kick out the panhandlers?
Because it's a public space?
Because it's a public space? You're welcome.
No but this would be nice:
Public Hearing About Banning Aggressive Begging & Panhandling in Boston Next Week
http://bostinno.com/2013/02/14/boston-hearing-ban-...
Can we get the mayor on board
Can we get the mayor on board with a proposal to deport Sob Story Guy to New York?
Interesting question
Why is begging, which is financially motivated, considered free speech, but selling merchandise considered commercial activity? Just wondering what the reasoning is behind it.
"Rosemarie....gotta let this one go for now..."
I;m sure that's the phone call the now mysteriously absent for comment Rosemarie Sansone received yesterday from Mumbles.
So now we have Ms. Pressley and her inane idea to use old parking meters as "collection spots" so that the well-to-do in our lovely burg can tell the person looking for spare change to eat with that they put some money for them in the old meter. Of course by the time the dime they throw in Ms. Pressley's solution gets to an actual homeless person, it should only come out to about three cents.
So, relax, I'm sure Rosemarie is telling her overlords this morning over eggs at one of the meeting rooms at the Langham that this will all blow over soon and that they may have to end up buying off some of the pushcart vendors. I can almost hear her now:"In the grand scheme of things...this will be chump change..you know. like the 3K a week you give me".