John Tobin
Mission Hill residents seek money from area colleges for vandalism repairs
By adamg - 11/10/11 - 8:26 amThe Huntington News reports on a proposal by the Mission Hill Problem Property Task Force for a fund to which Northeastern, Wentworth, MassArt and Mass. College of Pharmacy would make contributions to repair vandalism. Northeastern's John Tobin (yes, that John Tobin) says it's unfair to assume that all vandalism on the Hill is the fault of college students.
Globe: John Tobin to quit city council
By adamg - 7/5/10 - 11:07 pm
The Globe reports Tobin, who has represented West Roxbury and Jamaica Plain since 2001, will become a lobbyist, sorry, vice president for city and community affairs, at Northeastern University:
... I framed it in the sense that I'll be the city councilor for Northeastern ...
That should mean frequent chats with Mike Ross of Mission Hill, whose constituents aren't all that enamored of Northeastern right now.
City councilor: Might be time for parking meters in West Roxbury
By adamg - 6/14/10 - 3:08 pmCity Councilor John Tobin said today he wants a meeting with city transportation officials to look at installing parking meters in the West Roxbury business district along Centre Street.
Tobin said he's hearing from a growing number of merchants who want meters as a way of increasing turnover in spaces. In addition to on-street spaces, the city has two small lots off Centre Street, one behind the post office, the other across from the Dapper O'Neil mural,
City Transportation Commission Tom Tinlin said he'd be willing to meet, but cautioned the city has generally resisted efforts to put meters in outlying business areas to try to keep from driving would-be customers to suburban malls such as the South Shore Plaza, where parking is free. A possibly better solution would be better enforcement of two-hour limits on parking along Centre Street, which would encourage the turnover the merchants seek while not making local shoppers flee to Braintree.
Their discussion took place at a City Council hearing on raising fines for parking violations outside of Boston Proper.
City councilors: Cabbies, livery drivers causing problems in residential areas
By adamg - 5/12/10 - 12:01 pmIn Jamaica Plain, livery drivers are parking in resident-only spots. In Hyde Park, cab drivers are running their businesses out of their homes. And in Allston/Brighton, cabbies are leaving their personal cars in parking lots, running their businesses 24/7 in residential areas.
City Councilors John Tobin (Jamaica Plain), Rob Consalvo (Hyde Park) and Mark Ciommo (Allston/Brighton) said the city needs to come up with regulations to keep residential areas from being overrun by businesses.
Consalvo, who said "I love tax drivers," said he knows of at least five drivers in Hyde Park who run their operations out of their houses - and is dreading the first "violent act involving a money transfer at 3 in the morning."
Tobin said that while the city has regulations barring commercial vehicles from resident-only spots, they do not apply to livery vehicles. He said the city doesn't even know how many livery licenses there are in the city.
Lying suburbanites continue to try to get their kids into Boston exam schools
By adamg - 4/23/10 - 7:21 amCity Councilor John Tobin wants a year-long residency requirement just to take the ISEE test that helps determine whether a kid gets accepted into either of the two Latin schools or the O'Bryant.
Ed. Note: Despite what the story, in a Boston newspaper, says, it only takes sweat and tears - and hard work - to get into an exam school. No blood is normally shed.
Not enough K-1 seats in Boston
By adamg - 4/16/10 - 10:47 amCity Councilor: 'Of course' library officials have a list of library branches to shut
By adamg - 3/11/10 - 8:01 pmThe Jamaica Plain Gazette quotes city Councilor John Tobin on BPL officials: "They've said they don't have a list [of branches to close]. Of course they have a list."
The Gazette has more on Tuesday's hearing on BPL finances.
City councilors to Patrick: Don't cut moviemaking tax credit
By adamg - 2/24/10 - 1:14 pmBoston city councilors said today that Gov. Patrick's plan to cut the amount of money available to companies that make movies in Massachusetts would harm a nascent industry in the state.
City Councilor John Tobin (West Roxbury, Jamaica Plain), who submitted a call for a hearing on the financial impact of the change, compared moviemaking to the Red Sox. Sure, David Ortiz and other players make "an obscene amount of money," but they're also responsible for hiring large numbers of local residents.
The tax credit "puts men and women from the city of Boston, and from around the Commonwealth, to work," Tobin said.
Councilor Bill Linehan, (South Boston, South End) said, if anything, the state should be looking at expanding the credit to bring more jobs here.
John Tobin likes being a city councilor
By adamg - 1/28/10 - 2:25 pmWon't take on Mike Rush for Marian Walsh's Suffolk and Norfolk state-senate seat, the Jamaica Plain Gazette reports.
Text-addicted city councilor seeks legislation against drivers like him
By adamg - 12/7/09 - 11:25 amCity Councilor John Tobin today called for a statewide law to ban texting while driving.
At a hearing at City Hall this morning, Tobin admitted he's a recovering texter: "I have done this, I've texted while driving many, many times. And I've been trying to reform myself. I never even gave it a second thought."
Tobin said he realized he needed help in August when a local allergist sent him a link to a graphic YouTube video from the United Kingdom showing a recreation of a texting-related crash.
