MAYOR WALSH TO HOST PUBLIC FORUM WITH MAYORS OF NEW YORK AND SEATTLE

MAYOR WALSH TO HOST PUBLIC FORUM WITH MAYORS OF NEW YORK AND SEATTLE

Discussion will focus on how cities can address income inequality

and financial empowerment

BOSTON - March 10, 2015 - Today Mayor Martin J. Walsh announced a public forum on “Municipal Strategies for Financial Empowerment” that will feature Mayor Walsh, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, and Seattle Mayor Ed Murray as panelists, and an audience question and answer period. The event on Sunday, March 22 from 3:30pm to 5:30pm will be held at the Campus Center at UMass Boston and is part of a two day US Conference of Mayor’s Leadership meeting being held in Boston. The event is sponsored by Citi.

“In Boston we are building an economy that works for everybody, and putting programs and strategies in place to lift individuals and families out of poverty, by giving them the tools to build financial security,” said Mayor Walsh. “This forum is a place to talk to residents about their experiences, and hear from peers in government about the work being done across the country to put those seeking financial empowerment on the path to achieving their dreams.”

“Research from FamilyAssetsCount.org shows that almost half of nationwide households lack the necessary savings to cover the loss of a job, emergency car repairs or even medical bills,” said Bill Mills, CEO of North America for Citi. “Mayors across the country are stepping up to play a central role in bolstering household financial security, and we are proud to join the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the Cities of Opportunity Taskforce to support and showcase their innovative initiatives.”

​"Financial empowerment is a crucial topic in neighborhoods throughout Boston and across the country," said UMass Boston Chancellor J. Keith Motley. "We're proud that Mayor Walsh is leading the national discussion on this issue, and we're pleased to contribute by hosting this distinguished panel."

Mayors nationwide are leading efforts to address economic resilience and systemic inequality, challenging issues gripping our cities and our country. The 2-hour panel will be moderated by Dr. Eric Rosengren, President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. The Mayors will discuss municipal strategies for credit building, wealth creation, consumer and family protection, and financial empowerment, aimed at improving outcomes for low and moderate income households. The program will include a 40-minute question and answer period with the attendees. Participants are asked to RSVP here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/municipal-strategies-for-financial-empowerment-forum-tickets-16087150099

Mayor Walsh is a national leader on these complex issues, serving as Vice Chair of The U.S. Conference of Mayors Cities of Opportunity Task Force alongside Chair Mayor DeBlasio.  Established at the Conference’s Annual Meeting last June, the Task Force aims to bring mayors from across the country to together to leverage the power of local governments to advance a national, common equity agenda with local policies and best-practices that will help to expand opportunity for all.

"The nation’s mayors cannot stand idly by when Washington does not act,” US Conference of Mayors CEO and Executive Director Tom Cochran about the ongoing work of the Conference's Task Force. “We have an obligation to do what we can from where we sit to address issues of inequality and grow economic opportunities for the people living in cities and their metropolitan areas all across the country."

In 2014 Mayor Walsh launched the Office of Financial Empowerment in Boston, which offers residents financial coaching and career development tools, and signed an Executive Order for payment certification requirements for vendors with city contracts to prevent wage theft.

STATEMENT FROM MAYOR WALSH ON BOSTON 2024 SALARIES

STATEMENT FROM MAYOR WALSH ON BOSTON 2024 SALARIES

BOSTON - Monday, March 9, 2015 - Mayor Martin J. Walsh today released the following statement:

"The success of Boston's bid for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games relies on transparency. I urge Boston 2024 to release the salaries for all staff and consultants as a testament to the transparency and openness of this process."

MAYOR WALSH SEEKS IDEAS FOR CITY HALL PLAZA

MAYOR WALSH SEEKS IDEAS FOR CITY HALL PLAZA

Looks to Community to Unlock the Potential of  Important Civic Space

BOSTON – March 9 -Mayor Martin J. Walsh is calling for ideas about the use, redesign, and operations on City Hall Plaza. The request to re-imagine City Hall Plaza is an effort that seeks to re-envision the important public space, cultivating an environment that contributes to the vibrancy of downtown Boston and City Hall. A Request for Ideas (RFI) is available at cityofboston.gov/cityhallplaza for interested parties to submit a comprehensive proposal for the space. Mayor Walsh is also asking residents to submit their ideas to Mayor @Marty_Walsh and @NotifyBoston using #CityHallPlaza. The RFI and twitter comments may inform a future Request for Proposals (RFP).

“City Hall Plaza is City Hall’s front yard. While we’ve reimagined the interior entrance of the building, enlivening the space with public art, a coffee cart, and tables and chairs, the exterior needs new energy,” said Mayor Walsh. “This is the people’s plaza, and we’ve seen how it can bring the City together for international events and community events alike. I’m looking to our experts in architecture and urban planning for design, curation, and partnership ideas, as well as residents of Boston and other interested parties.”

City Hall Plaza consists of over 200,000 square feet of contiguous, solid-surface open space in an L-shape that includes a stage on the north side. Daily foot traffic on the Plaza is estimated at 20,000 to 30,000 people per day. City Hall Plaza has hosted many successful events including several World Cup viewing events,  the annual Boston Calling music festival, PRIDE, dozens of summer music concerts, flag raisings, bike races and more.

Mayor Walsh announced plans to re-envision City Hall Plaza during his 2015 State of the City Address speech in January. The Mayor hopes the plaza will be an inviting and attractive public space for residents and visitors and welcomes any ideas that further these goals, including leasing options, design improvements, curation ideas and public-private partnership strategies.

The RFI is not a formal procurement process to select an operator, but rather an informal solicitation to gauge interest and gain information. Responses to this RFI will assist the City in understanding the current state of the marketplace with regards to the solicited information. City Hall Plaza has been re-envisioned previously, and those existing ideas will be part of the conversation as this process progresses.

BOSTON'S AAA BOND RATING AFFIRMED BY MOODY'S AND STANDARD AND POOR'S

BOSTON'S AAA BOND RATING AFFIRMED BY MOODY'S AND STANDARD AND POOR'S

Cite sound fiscal management, very strong economy 

BOSTON - Tuesday, March 10, 2015 -  Mayor Martin J. Walsh today announced that both Standard and Poor's Rating Service and Moody's Investor's Services have affirmed Boston's AAA bond rating, the highest possible credit rating a City can receive.  Both agencies cited the City's sound fiscal management under Mayor Walsh's leadership and the strong and growing local economy. 

"These top credit ratings are a testament to the strong fiscal management that we have implemented to strengthen our city now, and for the long term," said Mayor Walsh. "We will continue to make smart fiscal decisions that will allow our neighborhoods, schools and local economy to thrive."  

"The AAA rating reflects Boston's sound fiscal management of a stable financial position and the city's substantial and economically diverse tax base bolstered by strong government, health care and higher education sectors," said the Moody's rating report.

"We consider Boston's economy very strong," said the Standard and Poor's rating report. "Boston is the 21st-largest city in the nation and the economic hub of New England. The city is the state capital and center for government-related activities. In addition, its economic strengths include world-renowned bio medical research capabilities, a large and broad-based high-tech and life science sector, and a substantial financial services sector. Supporting these strengths are a well-educated workforce and world-class higher education and academic medical centers, both within the city and surrounding area."

Additional factors for the favorable rating include:

·       The city is the center of economic activity for New England and boasts a substantial tax base of over $109 billion; 

·       Local unemployment below the national average at 4.5 percent;

·       272 projects in the pipeline at the Boston Redevelopment Authority, totaling $23 billion in development costs; 

·       Projected per capital effective buying income at 126 percent of the national level;

·       Strong budgetary flexibility with 2015 audited available reserves in excess of 20 percent of general fund expenditures and no plans to materially draw them down;

·       Property taxes account for 63 percent of revenue, and collections are strong and stable;

·       Assessed values increased 10.9 percent, the largest since 2007, attributable to 12 percent residential growth and 8.8 percent commercial growth.

Read the full reports here.

波士頓華埠社區中心慶羊年籌款逾廿五萬元

波士頓華埠社區中心行政主任李隆華（右一），副董事長馬以正
（左一）頒發“波士頓華埠社區之友獎”給李伯豪，Renee Inomata夫婦。
（菊子攝）

波士頓華埠社區中心（BCNC）三月六日晚在帝苑大酒樓舉辦羊年春宴，頒BCNC之友獎，表揚Amelia Peabody基金，以及李伯豪，Renee Inomata夫婦，感謝帝苑東主黃官羨捐款五千元，現場及無聲拍賣加上逾百名善長捐贈共籌得善款逾廿五萬元。

            當晚約有六百多人出席，許多人對BCNC的來賓陣容，捐款手筆，義賣物品的規格之高，晚宴共同主席為道富集團資深副總裁Brian Downer，BJ批發俱樂部執行長，有華裔血統的Laura Sen等，大表印象深刻。

帝苑大酒樓東主黃官羨（右）捐款五千元，波士頓華埠社區中心
行政主任李隆華（左）代表接受。（菊子攝）

            波士頓華埠社區中心董事長鍾潔姿在開場致詞時，點明了BCNC獲得各方支持的原因之一。她透露女兒曾經問她，為什麼要為這機構當義工，她坦言，原因其實很簡單，只因為她本人也是移民後代，深知移民初到異地他鄉，需要各方面幫助，才能更順利開展新生活。她父親當年廿出頭時移民來美，也是先經過了上英語課，再深造，就業等過程，奠定打拼基礎，給了子女更好未來。波士頓華埠社區中心正是這樣的幫助移民機構，她希望當晚出席的六百多名賓客，都能加入支持該中心行列，幫助更多新移民安居樂業。

地產商羅邁搶拍到林書豪簽名的籃球，笑得合不攏嘴。（菊子攝）

            BCNC副董事長馬以正和BCNC行政主任李隆華，當晚代表該中心，頒發“波士頓華埠社區之友獎“給Amelia Peabody基金，以及劍橋市香港餐廳東主李伯豪，Renee Inomata夫婦。

            馬以正指出，Amelia Peabody基金從2004年起支持BCNC的青年項目，並捐贈經費，容許BCNC擴展在波士頓，昆市的服務，迄今共捐出廿八萬元。當晚由Tom St. Clair代表該基金領獎。

 波士頓華埠社區中心董事長鍾潔姿，周榮亞夫婦（後）
恭喜香港餐廳東主李伯豪，Renee Inomata夫婦（前）。（菊子攝）。

            劍橋市香港餐廳東主李伯豪，Renee Inomata夫婦，則不但是BCNC長期支持者，更是移民在美奮鬥有成，回饋社區的模範之一。馬以正透露，李家創辦的香港餐廳已有六十多年歷史，早就成為劍橋市哈佛廣場的地標之一，謠傳著名的“蠍子碗（Scorpion bowl）“這烈酒，就是一名哈佛教授在香港餐廳發明出來的。Renee Inomata是Burns & Levinson律師樓的合夥人之一，在就業，商標法等方面為企業做顧問，不但屢次當選“超級律師”，曾經擔任麻州州長派區克（Deval Patrick）的亞美顧問委員會主席，最近還被同儕選為“美國最佳律師”。

            BCNC行政主任李隆華當晚報告了中心發展近況，包括已在昆市興國街275號設立佔地2900平方英尺的分部，辦理成人英語班等服務之外，並與市區學院合作，以中文授課，容許移民獲得大專院校學分。       

波士頓華埠社區中心董事長鍾潔姿（右），行政主任李隆華（左）

致詞。（菊子攝）

            當晚的活動重點之一是籌款，由WCVB第五號電視台的Jim Lokay主持，拍賣品包括出城一天的美酒點心購物遊，林書豪簽名的籃球，紅襪隊求票，新英格蘭愛國者隊球賽門票以及鍾家庭的簽名球衣一件，標出價值一萬二千四百八十元的到亞洲北京，上海或香港，無日期限制的商務艙來回機票兩張等。

            最近買下摩頓市百年大樓Spark的地產商羅邁以八百多元在拍賣中搶得林書豪簽名籃球。他高興表示，十歲兒子最近愛上籃球，搶拍到這籃球，回家一定受到兒子熱烈擁抱。

圖片說明：

波士頓華埠社區中心董事梅陳月嫦，以及周榮亞，陳偉民（右一）
見到波士頓市議員吳弭（右二）抱著出生才滿月的兒子，
都來逗逗小朋友。（菊子攝）

            

            

            

           

 陳清音親自率巾幗醒獅隊為BCNC春燕表演。（菊子攝）

            

           

            

當晚出席者中的教育界人士圍坐一桌。左一起為昆士小學校長何少華，
前任昆士中學校長黃伯勳，現任昆士中學校長Steve Cirasuolo，張可仁。
（菊子攝）