2023 elections

Councilor has charges added for Jamaica Plain crash that injured her son

By adamg - 7/19/23 - 9:54 pm

WBUR reports that at a hearing today, City Councilor Kendra Lara (Jamaica Plain, West Roxbury, Mission Hill) had charges of negligent operation and recklessly permitting bodily injury to a child added to the the driving an unregistered and uninsured motor vehicle and driving with a suspended license that police initially charged her with after she alleged drove into a house on Centre Street in Jamaica Plain on June 30. Councilors Tania Fernandes Anderson, Julia Mejia and Ricardo Arroyo attended the hearing to support her.

Innocent, etc.

District 5 council candidates agree: City should buy hillside on American Legion Highway to keep it from development

By adamg - 7/19/23 - 3:08 pm

District 5 candidates: Arroyo, Pepen, Ruiz, Sanon

Arroyo, Pepén, Ruiz, Sanon.

The four people running for City Council in District 5 (Hyde Park, Roslindale and Mattapan) met in an online forum last night and agreed on basic issues more than they disagreed: All are in favor of trees, making streets safer and supporting some form of rent stabilization. Read more.

Endorsement season heats up in Boston

By adamg - 7/13/23 - 10:13 am

The Dorchester Reporter reports that, in addition to the former hizzona, City Councilor Frank Baker has endorsed John FitzGerald to replace him as District 3 (Dorchester) city councilor. Read more.

Forum for District 5 council candidates set for next week

By adamg - 7/11/23 - 1:16 pm

The Longfellow Area Neighborhood Association and other civic groups will host an online forum for the four candidates running to represent District 5 - Roslindale, Hyde Park and Mattapan - at 7 p.m. on July 18.

Incumbent Ricardo Arroyo faces challenges from Jean Claude Sanon, Enrique Pepén and Jose Ruiz.

Marty Walsh wades back into local politics

By adamg - 7/10/23 - 8:43 am

Freed from those pesky rules that keep federal officials from endorsing candidates, current NHL Players Association President Marty Walsh has made an endorsement for the District 3 (Dorchester) City Council seat Frank Baker is giving up, the Dorchester Reporter reports: John FitzGerald, whose father, Kevin, shared an office with Walsh when Walsh was first elected a state rep back in the day.

Michael Flaherty to retire from City Council

By adamg - 7/5/23 - 5:54 pm

At-large City Councilor Michael Flaherty of South Boston announced today this year will be his last on the council. Read more.

Arroyo admits to conflict-of-interest violation, pays $3,000 fine

By adamg - 6/28/23 - 10:02 am

The state Ethics Commission reported yesterday that City Councilor Ricardo Arroyo (Hyde Park, Mattapan, Roslindale) has paid a $3,000 fine for not withdrawing as a lawyer, after his election, from the lawsuit his brother, former City Councilor and mayoral aide Felix Arroyo, filed against the city over his firing. Read more.

At-large, some district councilors could face challengers this fall

By adamg - 6/22/23 - 9:39 am

The Bay State Banner lists the City Council races that could have contested races this fall, including the four at-large seats and Districts 3 (Dorchester), 5 (Hyde Park, Mattapan and Roslindale), 6 (West Roxbury, Jamaica Plain, part of Mission Hill) and 7 (Roxbury).

Boston City Council passes new redistricting plan; will judge approve?

By adamg - 5/24/23 - 2:28 pm

The Boston City Council voted 10-2 today for a new redistricting map that keeps a largely White part of Dorchester in its old council district. Read more.

Federal judge tosses changes in City Council district lines; council might have less than three weeks to draw new ones

By adamg - 5/8/23 - 9:21 pm

A federal judge today ordered city officials to stop their preparations for the fall district council elections, ruling that the maps approved last fall are illegal because they relied on race to draw the boundaries between two largely Dorchester districts without proof racially based solutions were needed in Boston. Read more.

Special election tomorrow to pick two Boston state reps

By adamg - 5/1/23 - 11:45 am

Democratic voters in the 10th Suffolk state representative's district (West Roxbury and parts of Roslindale, Jamaica Plain and South Brookline) vote tomorrow in a special primary to determine who gets on the ballot later this month, but since there are no Republican or independents running, the winner will most likely replace Ed Coppinger, who resigned from the seat earlier this year. Read more.

Developer's check briefly takes center stage at 10th Suffolk forum

By adamg - 4/21/23 - 11:42 am

MacGregor, Orthman, Segel.

A generally genial online forum for the three candidates running for the state representative's seat that Ed Coppinger quit briefly turned tense last night over the West Roxbury hot-button of the fenced off field of dirt at Centre and Park streets. Read more.

Baker to retire from City Council

By adamg - 4/20/23 - 10:38 am

The Dorchester Reporter gets the scoop: Frank Baker will not run for re-election this fall for the mostly Dorchester District 3 city-council seat he's held since 2012. Read more.

Looks like John Moran will replace Jon Santiago at the State House

By adamg - 4/19/23 - 12:42 pm

The State House News Service reports that Amparo "Chary" Ortiz appears to have withdrawn from the May 2 special primary to replace Jon Santiago, leaving John Moran as the only Democrat left, with no Republicans or other candidates to appear on the May 30 ballot.

Online candidate forum for 10th Suffolk race

By adamg - 4/18/23 - 1:23 pm

The Highland Neighborhood Civic Association will hold a Zoom forum on Thursday for the three Democratic candidate for the state rep's seat vacated by Ed Coppinger. Read more.

Progressive group to hold forum for two 10th Suffolk candidates, says the third doesn't want in

By adamg - 3/27/23 - 3:34 pm

Progressive West Roxbury/Roslindale holds a forum tonight for Rob Orthman or Roslindale and Celia Segel of Jamaica Plain, who are running in the May 2 Democratic primary for the 10th Suffolk state representative's seat Ed Coppinger recently resigned from. Read more.

First official candidate for Suffolk County register of probate doesn't live in Suffolk County

By adamg - 3/27/23 - 2:10 pm

Felix Arroyo opened up a vacancy as Suffolk County Register of Probate when he retired earlier this month. The first person to officially signal he's running for the office, by registering a campaign with the state Office of Campaign and Political Finance, is Vincent Procopio of Saugus.

Saugus is not in Suffolk County, but unlike candidates for district attorney or register of deeds, registers of probate don't have to live in the county they want to serve. The job entails overseeing a state-funded office for handling wills and the like. It pays $174,000 a year.