John Tobin

Mission Hill residents seek money from area colleges for vandalism repairs

adamg — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 13:26:45 +0000

The 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

adamg — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 04:07:12 +0000

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

adamg — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 20:08:59 +0000

City 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

adamg — Wed, 12 May 2010 17:01:39 +0000

In 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

adamg — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 12:21:32 +0000

City 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

adamg — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 15:47:17 +0000

School Assignment Crunch in West Roxbury from Chris Lovett on Vimeo.

City Councilor: 'Of course' library officials have a list of library branches to shut

adamg — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 01:01:49 +0000

The 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.

Form letter in support of the North End branch.

City councilors to Patrick: Don't cut moviemaking tax credit

adamg — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 18:14:42 +0000

Boston 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.

Tobin's proposal for a hearing.

John Tobin likes being a city councilor

adamg — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 19:25:04 +0000

Won'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

adamg — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 16:25:21 +0000

City 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.

City Council defers action on move to block Consalvo gambit

adamg — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:15:03 +0000

The Boston City Council today deferred action on a proposal by Councilor John Tobin that would block a rumored attempt to make fellow Councilor Rob Consalvo the next mayor.

City Council to look at ways to keep people from peeking at your ballots

adamg — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:17:42 +0000

The Boston City Council agreed today to look at ways of making it harder for the nosy to see how you're voting.

Councilor John Tobin (West Roxbury, Jamaica Plain), said the current system, in which people vote at little triangular platforms that look like they belong in a bank, makes it too easy for people standing at the same cluster to see how somebody's voted. And then there's the walk to the scanner box, which offers further opportunity to figure out a person's ballot, he said.

Tobin said some cities use a system in which voters sit at a table and a privacy curtain surrounds them.

Tobin's resolution.

Councilor would increase fines for pasting posters on George Washington's horse

adamg — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 13:19:27 +0000

Councilor John Tobin (West Roxbury, Jamaica Plain) plans a hearing on whether the city should stiffen the penalties on people who mark up or otherwise deface "historic landmarks, monuments and structures."

Tobin says one of the reasons to get even tougher on taggers and their ilk for these violations is because graffiti can be harder to remove in general from the brick, brownstone, limestone and marble often used in such landmarks and because "cleaning graffiti from historic properties can require more testing to find the right technique and products to complete the job, which can make the removal more expensive."

Via ParkwayBoston.com.

Councilor would ban texting while driving in Boston

adamg — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 17:04:30 +0000

City Councilor John Tobin (West Roxbury, Jamaica Plain), will ask the council tomorrow to look at making like the MBTA and ban texting while driving.

A ban would require approval of the state Legislature to go into effect.

Tobin, who has paid for "Slow Down, Boston" signs for his constituents' lawns, says that while texting is a wonderful thing - he admits to sending dozens of text messages a day - texters are a menace to themselves and others behind the wheel:

Texting while driving severely impedes a driver’s ability to operate a motor vehicle safely. Distracted drivers make the roads more dangerous for everyone. It's time for us to take the necessary steps to protect motorists and pedestrians while they are traveling in the city’s neighborhoods.

Mayor Menino and friends joke about e-mail scandal

thirstybear39 — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 16:19:38 +0000

Check out the end of this Herald article which tells how Mayor Menino and his friends joked about the e-mail scandal at a Councilor Tobin event last night. Note: the mayor was skipping an East Boston event to attend this toast.

http://tiny.cc/b9l8m

The mayor turned down the East Boston event and instead attended a ritzy gala on Newbury Street, where he was given an achievement award. Later that night he went to a 40th birthday party fund-raiser for Councilor John Tobin at a West Roxbury Elks Club.