Rob Consalvo
Councilor: City could raise hundreds of thousands of dollars by putting ads on city Web sites
By adamg - 1/25/12 - 4:13 pmCity Councilor Rob Consalvo (Hyde Park, Roslindale, Mattapan), today proposed slapping advertising on city Web sites, including library and school sites - and even the site run by the city's public-housing authority.
Consalvo says cityofboston.gov got 6.8 million visits last year, the BPS site some 4.7 million.
With this kind of traffic, the city and the BPS could potentially raise hundreds of thousands of dollars in recurring revenue from advertising on these Web sites as well as advertising on associated city Web sites such as the Boston Public Library, the Boston Public Health Commission, the Boston Water and Sewer Commission, the Boston Redevelopment Authority and the Boston Housing Authority.
Consalvo said he would want to see "strong content review" to ensure inappropriate ads are not run (Ed. note: Darn, there go the plans to capture some of the MBTA's liquor-ad sales by putting beer ads on school-lunch menus).
However, the city might have to leave its flagship site out of any ad solicitations. The US General Services Administration, which handles registration of .gov sites, such as cityofboston.gov, bars advertising:
A Gov Internet domain may not be used to advertise for private individuals, firms, or corporations, or imply in any manner that the government endorses or favors any specific commercial product, commodity, or service.
The prohibition does not apply to sites that are run with other domains, such as bpl.org, bostonpublicschools.org and fatsmack.org.
H/t Kate Hutchinson for digging up the ad ban.
As crooks turn to rental cars, rental agencies agree to link customer databases to Boston 911
By adamg - 12/21/11 - 1:10 pmCity Councilor Rob Consalvo said today the largest rental-car companies in Boston have agreed to open their records to 911 dispatchers to help police more quickly track down criminals who rent cars for getaways.
Consalvo: Keep Hyde Park sleepy
By adamg - 8/17/11 - 12:10 pmCity Councilor Rob Consalvo opposes a request from a Dominican restaurant on Fairmount Avenue to extend its closing hours from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. Consalvo says there are no Hyde Park restaurants or bars open past 1 a.m. and he wants to keep it that way.
A later closing time "might be a fit downtown or in some other areas," but not in the southwestern corner of Boston, Consalvo told the Boston Licensing Board this morning on a request from Rincon Caribeno on Fairmount Avenue to extend its hours from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. In June, the board rejected a similar 2 a.m. request from Tony's Pizza next door.
Rincon Caribeno owner Javier Diaz says the later hours would help him better serve the area's Dominican population. He proposed keeping the kitchen open until midnight and the bar open until 2.
A representative from the mayor's office also opposed the later hours.
Diaz is also seeking permission to add hard liquor to his current alcohol license, currently limited to beer and wine. He said he has yet to see any profit from the beer-and-wine license, which he got last year.
City councilor wants to fingerprint thousands of Bostonians
By adamg - 1/17/11 - 9:35 amThe Herald reports City Councilor Rob Consalvo (Hyde Park, Roslindale) wants an ordinance under which anybody who applies for a license for "jobs that involve public contact" would have to undergo a fingerprint check. The city hasn't had any major problems with coked up cab drivers or marauding bike messengers, but Consalvo says he wants to act before it's too late. He'd pay for the new check by charging license applicants $100.
City councilors have extensive public contact, but although nearly 8% of them have been convicted of federal offenses, they would be exempt because they are not required to obtain a city license before taking their jobs.
Boston neighborhoods could soon see fewer boarded-up foreclosed houses
By adamg - 8/25/10 - 12:26 pmBut not because there are fewer foreclosures. In fact, City Councilor Rob Consalvo said today, foreclosures are up 5% over last year. Consalvo (Hyde Park, Roslindale) has proposed letting the city force banks and mortgage companies to use indoor framing and locks to secure their foreclosed houses.
City Councilor would slap liens on people who ignore Boston pit-bull law
By adamg - 5/17/10 - 11:09 amRob Consalvo, who represents Hyde Park, will seek a change in state law that would let the city go after pit-bull owners who ignore the city's law requiring pit bulls to be muzzled outside.
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.
Boston declares war on cheapskate suburbanites, contractors dumping their crap in the city
By adamg - 3/8/10 - 2:02 pmBoston recently increased fines for serious illegal dumping and is looking at expanding its network of cameras to catch people dumping everything from bags of trash to construction debris in 43 "hot spots" around the city.
City Council defers action on move to block Consalvo gambit
By adamg - 11/18/09 - 3:15 pmThe 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.
Guys in uniforms with guns who aren't cops roaming the streets of Boston
By adamg - 8/5/09 - 9:07 amWicked Local West Roxbury reports on a law proposed by City Councilor Rob Consalvo to require armed guards to register with Boston Police - and undergo police training. Seems that currently, police have no idea who's out there with guns.
