Through Boston’s early race for its 55th mayoral election this coming November, incumbent Michelle Wu has held a significant lead over major challenger Josh Kraft. However, many have called for an alternative candidate altogether. Enter community organizers Domingos DaRosa and Alex Alex. These four clashed at the Boston Ward Committee Democrats’ first Mayoral Candidate forum on May 15.
The candidates shared their thoughts and how their prospective administrations might approach a series of topics sent in by attendees. Candidates were asked how they might balance the humanitarian need of supporting new arrivals with supporting the needs of underserved communities within the city in the context of the city’s right-to-shelter laws.
Wu extended her thanks to Gov. Maura Healey for “her leadership in an impossible situation.” Wusaid it’s her job as mayor to take care of the fundamentals, affordable housing, jobs, and education, while stretching tax dollars as far as possible.
Kraft said that compassion is the cornerstone of civilization, and current residents are not receiving the access to opportunities they deserve. His solution is to organize Boston’s robust network of nonprofits better to provide effective services.
Alex also hopes that Bostonians will take care of themselves by helping one another. He sees seizing vacant lots or those used for parking as a potential source for additional housing. “Parking lots cannot be taxed in the same way that businesses or residences can. I feel like those are ways to generate our revenue,” he added.
DaRosa claimed that people are being shipped from other parts of the country to Boston because of state right-to-shelter laws, and that residents should live in the city for a year before they are eligible for public services. He also wants to expand infrastructure that would take stress off 112 Southampton St. and correct the policies that he thinks squander funds.
To improve Boston Public Schools (BPS), Wu first recognized the challenges faced by education since the pandemic. She said her confidence lies in BPS Superintendent Mary Skipper, under whose leadership, she claimed, chronic absenteeism is down and graduation rates are up.
Kraft said he would focus on students first. He set a goal to improve literacy rates by 10 percent and expand vocational programs into more schools, a project BPS has been working on for some time.
Alex called for more hands-on learning. “We need to take greater advantage of the city as an educational resource, the environment, and the people as well,” he said. “For example, you can take kids out to a sanitation plant to see how trash gets processed. And then you talk about where that trash comes from, the life cycle of the plastic, etc.”
DaRosa called for a marriage of BPS and the Boston Center for Youth and Families, the organization that oversees the city’s community centers and public pools. He also supports a seven-to-seven plan for BPS students.
Jumping off the topic of education, candidates were asked to grade the city’s response to homelessness and other public safety hazards at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard.
Wu graded the city with an incomplete, citing the work-in-progress nature of the city’s response. She touted the strides her administration has made, including 24-hour medical support around supportive and low-threshold housing, community and public-health-based teams engaging directly with the unhoused, and the lack of any permanent encampment.
“The steps that we’re taking now are focused on addressing outdoor congregate substance use and providing services city-wide, not just in one area,” she said.
Kraft gave an F. He said his administration would prioritize getting people into recovery and working with law enforcement proactively while pushing for services rather than sentences.
Alex said the issue is larger than just drug use and homelessness, but is predicated on a lack of personal responsibility for how one’s actions affect other people, and how we need to rethink how we can house and feed at an institutional level.
“I was homeless for a bit. I could have easily wound up there. I didn’t because there were people who gave me the help that I needed when I needed it,” he said.
He graded the city’s efforts a C-.
DaRosa did not share a grade but called on the state, rather than just the city, to expand its efforts. “We can’t allow the state to keep bringing everyone to Boston because it’s only fueling the flame.”
Though crime has reached historic lows, BPD has responded to a greater number of shootings this year than last. To reduce gun violence in the city, Wu emphasized the importance of community engagement.
“We are putting funding towards block parties and activating communities because to us, community safety isn’t just the absence of shootings or the absence of fear or harm, it’s belonging,” she said.
Kraft suggested utilizing Boston’s reentry community to “those who understand how to talk to the kids that might be thinking about doing the wrong thing, and how to engage them and how to build their value.”
Alex said the best solution to gun violence is meeting people’s needs so they are not drawn to extreme actions. He reiterated ideas akin to those of Wu, suggesting that if people feel part of their community, they will be more protective of it.
On healthcare, candidates were asked how they would address these issues and what they think should be done about the recently closed Carney Hospital.
Wu said discussions with local health centers are ongoing. She added that Carney needs to remain a medical facility in some way, shape, or form. “It will look different than how it was before, but we’re pushing the property owner, which is still connected to that horrible, greedy [Steward Health Care] that sucked all the profits out at the expense of patients,” she said.
Kraft called the closing of Carney a horrible loss and said that something should be done to keep emergency and psychiatric services on site. He also called for an expansion of community health centers either through pilot programs or the larger hospitals city-wide.
DaRosa pointed out the lack of pharmacies in Dorchester and Roxbury. He said, “[Boston Medical Center] doesn’t have satellite sites. We have great clinics, but we don’t have clinics in every neighborhood. And that’s something that we can build that infrastructure [for].”
He also suggested bringing EMT education to Madison Park High School so that more students can be fed into that system.
With traffic conditions and parking a popular complaint city-wide, candidates were asked if reducing dependence on cars would be a priority for their administration.
Wu said yes. Although her administration has experienced shutdowns of up to 130 days, that work has saved 40 years’ worth of night and weekend patching, she said.
She called out Kraft’s previous comments that his traffic plan would begin and end with reducing bike lanes, claiming that he had not thought of much else.
Kraft said his plan would emphasize restoring sidewalks and filling potholes. “I am for bike lanes, but we need a pause and understand where we can put them with thoughtful feedback and data collection in the most efficient place,” he said.
With the cost of living continuing to balloon, candidates were asked how they would expand affordable housing and permit development without displacement.
Wu celebrated having added 11,000 units of housing, including 5,400 affordable units and an additional 4,000 on the way.
She added that her administration has worked to expedite the approval process, clarify zoning regulations, and restore city planning as an official function, ensuring that community-driven processes define the rules and standards.
Wu also fired additional shots at Kraft, whom she called “Mr. Halfsies,” for his claims that rolling back affordability requirements is the best way to bring more affordable housing.
Kraft responded that “Of course, income-restricted housing is needed, but just as important is housing for working people.”
“We need to find pathways to build more housing because in the end, big picture, the way out of a housing crisis is to build more housing,” he said. “Availability equals affordability.”
The official deadline to join the race is slated for May 20. The forum in its entirety can be viewed here.
