MAYOR WALSH TO SIGN ORDINANCE TO HELP OLDER RESIDENTS WITH THEIR PROPERTY TAXES

MAYOR WALSH TO SIGN ORDINANCE TO HELP OLDER RESIDENTS WITH THEIR PROPERTY TAXES

BOSTON - Wednesday, November 7, 2018 - Mayor Martin J. Walsh today announced he will sign an ordinance passed by the Boston City Council, sponsored by Councilors Lydia Edwards and Ed Flynn, which will provide assistance to older homeowners in Boston. With the passage of this ordinance, the City of Boston will opt into Massachusetts General Law Ch. 60 §62A, which gives municipalities the ability to offer payment agreements to older homeowners who are behind on their tax payments. "In Boston, we are committed to taking care of everyone who wants to live in our City, including older residents who help make Boston the world-class city it is today. With this ordinance, we're working to further create a supportive city where all residents, regardless of age or ability, can thrive," said Mayor Walsh. "I thank Councilors Edwards, Flynn and the rest of the Boston City Council for their collaboration." The ordinance will allow property tax payment agreements and interest relief for eligible senior homeowners with low-income in the City struggling to repay their overdue taxes. Payment agreements of up to five years that forgive 50% of the accrued interest will be granted to eligible, low-income seniors in Boston. In order to be eligible, people must meet the requirements for the residential and senior exemptions. This legislation will also improve the accessibility of tax-related documents by providing residents with details about how to access their property tax information in multiple languages. This effort is being coordinated as part of the City of Boston's Office of Language and Communication Access citywide implementation plan. "As a city, it's critical we take every step possible to keep our elders housed and to support Bostonians in building and retaining wealth over generations," said Councilor Edwards. "This ordinance is a win-win, helping economically vulnerable taxpayers keep their homes while meeting tax obligations to the city. I appreciate the partnership of the Mayor, city staff and my colleagues on the council in crafting this ordinance and I look forward to its signing." "It is great to work with the Walsh Administration to provide more tools for our elderly residents and increase accessibility for non-English speaking Bostonians." said co-sponsor Ed Flynn, District 2 City Councilor, "Tax bills can be intimidating and this ordinance will make things easier for the taxpayers of Boston. I look forward to having this ordinance signed into law." This ordinance continues to build on Boston's age-friendly work. Including its work to support senior homeowners. In 2016, Mayor Walsh announced an extension of the Senior Citizen Property Tax Work-Off Abatement program. The tax work-off abatement law allows a city or town to establish a program giving property owners 60 years or older the opportunity to volunteer services to their city or town in exchange for a reduction in property tax. Across Boston, the Age-Friendly Boston initiative was launched in 2014 when Mayor Walsh joined the network of the World Health Organization age-friendly cities through AARP, the United States affiliate. In May of 2017, the City of Boston's Commission on Affairs of the Elderly released the Age-Friendly Action Plan, a comprehensive plan with 75 action items to create an environment where older adults continue to lead healthy and productive lives in Boston.

MAYOR WALSH RELEASES FIRST EVER INVENTORY OF BOSTON'S INCOME-RESTRICTED HOUSING

MAYOR WALSH RELEASES FIRST EVER INVENTORY OF BOSTON'S INCOME-RESTRICTED HOUSING

Sixty six percent of the 54,247 units documented are restricted to households earning less than 50 percent of Area Median Income (AMI)

BOSTON - Thursday, November 8, 2018  - Mayor Martin J. Walsh today released the first ever inventory of Boston's affordable housing which documents and analyzes the type and location of the 54,247 units of income-restricted housing in the city. The comprehensive inventory, Income-Restricted Housing in Boston, issued by the Department of Neighborhood Development (DND), was released with a database of nearly 1,300 projects that show one in five housing units in Boston is income restricted. The neighborhoods with the highest percentages of income-restricted housing stock are the South End/Lower Roxbury with 48 percent, Roxbury with 45 percent, and Charlestown and Jamaica Plain with 25 percent each.   "Creating more affordable housing and preserving Boston's more than 54,000 income-restricted units are top priorities for my administration, and are a driving force behind our housing goals," said Mayor Walsh. "This report helps us understand how many income-restricted units there are, where they are, and to whom they are affordable, all important information as we work to increase affordable housing opportunities in our neighborhoods."   Analysis of the 54,247 income-restricted housing units shows that 66 percent of them are restricted to households earning less than 50 percent of Area Median Income (AMI), or $43,150 for a two-person household. Of those units, 20,746 units or 38 percent are restricted for households making between 31-50 percent of AMI, which ranges from $25,900 to $43,000 for a two-person household. Many of those households may also be utilizing a mobile voucher, or a tenant-based voucher. "This report documents the hard work done by housing advocates and members of the community over decades, much of it in partnership with the City of Boston," said Vanessa Calderón-Rosado, CEO of Inquilinos Boricuas En Acción and co-chair of the Mayor's Housing Task Force. "We're proud that 48 percent of all the housing in the South End and Lower Roxbury is income-restricted, and are committed to maintaining and increasing that percentage. The positive effects that living in income-restricted housing has had on generations of Bostonians is real and long-lasting, and must be available in the future." Income-Restricted Housing in Boston is the result of DND's collection and curation of data on all income-restricted units as part of an effort to better monitor how much affordable housing exists in the city, and where it is located. The report is also a response to goals outlined in Mayor Walsh's Housing a Changing City: Boston 2030 plan. The inventory includes data from Boston Housing Authority (BHA) public housing, privately-owned housing built with DND funding and/or on City-owned land, and privately-owned housing built without any City subsidy, for example, created using Low-Income Housing Tax Credits or as part of the Inclusionary Development Policy (IDP), including units built with funds from cash in lieu payments to the Inclusionary Development Fund. "Boston shines on the world stage because of its people, all of whom proudly call our great City home for different reasons, adding new layers to its fabric," said Kimberly Sherman Stamler, President of Related Beal. "We look to replicate that fabric in our own buildings, creating mixed-income neighborhoods that appeal to long-standing residents and families seeking choice in housing. This report demonstrates the Walsh Administration's collaborative and forward way of thinking, offering transparent roadmaps and clear targets that help identify opportunities for developers and residents alike. We look forward to continuing to work with the City to create housing opportunities in the years ahead." Mayor Walsh recently  increased the City's overall housing targets from 53,000 to 69,000 new units by 2030, including 15,820 income-restricted units, to meet Boston's population growth. These income-restricted units will include purchasing 1,000 rental housing units from the speculative market and income-restricting them through an expanded Acquisition Opportunity Program. In addition, the City will soon announce awardees of an affordable housing funding round that includes more than $16 million in city affordable housing funds, and the first large scale awards of Community Preservation Act (CPA) funding for affordable housing development projects. The RFP for this $16 million in funding was announced in September. As the City continues to make strides towards creating more affordable housing, it is also working with regional partners to ensure affordable housing is a reality throughout the region through the Metro Mayor's Regional Housing Task Force, and its execution of a recently-released regional housing production goal of creating 185,000 new units of housing across the region by the year 2030. For more information on the City's work to create more housing, please visit: Housing A Changing City: Boston 2030.

MAYOR'S MENTORING MOVEMENT EXCEEDS 2,300 MENTORS

MAYOR'S MENTORING MOVEMENT EXCEEDS 2,300 MENTORS

BOSTON - Wednesday, November 7, 2018 - Mayor Martin J. Walsh today joined Mass Mentoring Partnership (MMP) and leaders from mentoring programs across the city to announce the Mayor's Mentoring Movement has exceeded 2,300 mentors. The Mayor's Mentoring Movement was launched in 2014 with the initial goal to recruit 1,000 new mentors to serve Boston youth.   "Through our work with Mass Mentoring Partnership, we have been able to provide our youth with even more opportunities to succeed," said Mayor Walsh. "We know that mentoring relationships lead to brighter futures for our young people and stronger neighborhoods. We will continue to recruit more mentors to ensure that every young person has access to these empowering relationships." The mentors recruited through the Mayor's Mentoring Movement are matched with young people across the City of Boston through mentoring programs serving youth in a variety of settings. The volunteers include adults who live and work in the city as well as many City of Boston employees. Mentors encourage positive choices, promote high self-esteem, and academic achievement. "We want to thank our mentoring program partners for all of their work to make these relationships happen for Boston youth," said Beth Fraster, Vice President & Chief Program Officer at Mass Mentoring Partnership. "And we thank Mayor Walsh for his continued commitment to this initiative and his dedication to supporting young people across the city." "Her words of affirmation and encouragement definitely help me move beyond what I can see for myself," said Denaisha Lesley-Coburn on her mentor, Sandra Torres. "I think that's very important because sometimes we know what we are capable of doing, but when we have other people to shine a light on those facts or things that you are able to do, it pushes you even more." ABOUT MASS MENTORING PARTNERSHIP Mass Mentoring Partnership (MMP) is fueling the movement to expand empowering youth-adult relationships to meet the needs of communities across Massachusetts. With offices in Boston and in Holyoke, MMP serves hundreds of mentoring programs and youth development organizations statewide supporting thousands of youth in mentoring relationships. For more information, please visit massmentors.org

紐英崙中華專協慶41週年 談音樂藝術人生

紐英崙中華專業人員協會幹部，嘉賓與表演者合影。(周菊子攝)

              (Boston Orange 周菊子波士頓報導)紐英崙中華專業人員協會(NEACP)11月4日在古老的波士頓第一教堂，以”音樂藝術與人生”為主題，舉辦第41屆年會，彷如特意讓人在欣賞優美音樂，品味藝術之餘，思考人生中，專業與生活如何無縫接軌。

            當晚在波士頓龍鳳酒樓舉行的晚宴中，中華專協還頒發榮譽會員證給紐英崙中華公所主席陳家驊，感謝他長久以來的支持，並有會長彭淑敏宣佈康雅雰出任副會長。

紐英崙中華專業人員協會董事長蕭蔚(右)藉由嬌妻江佩蓉(左)的
"榮星兒童合唱團"歲月，還把聲樂家岳彩輪都請來演唱。(周菊子攝)

             往年的專協年會，多半安排一整天的名人講座，今年由會長彭淑敏策畫，董事長蕭蔚全力支持，譚嘉陵，魏瑀嫻，江佩蓉分頭聯繫，別開生面的規畫出長僅三小時的四段節目。

             第一段由目前在新英格蘭音樂學院修讀博士，並在該校成人教育部任教的黃竹君論述”音樂家的角色”，獲有茱莉亞音樂學院碩士學位，奪得過史坦威等比賽第一名，今年五月發行了第一張網路專輯，六月為高雄捷運創作首發樂曲”致高雄”的駱奇偉，深入淺出的談”變奏與即興”。

江佩蓉(右)，薛悅悅(左)都是當年榮星兒童合唱團成員。(周菊子攝)

             黃竹君指出音樂的主要角色是供人演唱，誘發舞蹈，講述故事，一名好的音樂表演者必須像傳譯詮釋者的利用自身知識及經歷，企圖”解碼”作曲家給我們的線索，像運動員藉由重複練習，精進自身技巧，以提升體能狀態，像演員利用現有”工具”及”知識”，揣摩情感，重現音樂。她還借用了日本民謠紅蜻蜓，巴赫變奏曲，D小調小提琴獨奏曲，BWV1004，第一樂章，以及蕭泰然改編自鄧雨賢的”望春風”來舉例。

           駱奇偉則以莫札特的”閃爍的小星星”，十二變奏曲，還他自己重新編曲的鄧麗君的”甜蜜蜜”，來解釋那些很有表達性的音符，例如莫札特創出來的16音符等等，是怎麼放進樂曲中，帶給聽眾不同的感受。

中華專協榮譽董事，也是中華表演藝術基金會會長的譚嘉陵(中)最喜歡
栽培諸黃竹君(左)，駱奇偉(右)等年輕音樂人。(周菊子攝)

             第二段從江佩蓉，薛悅悅當年在榮星合唱團，這辜偉甫於1957年創辦，呂泉生長年任團長的全台灣唯一兒童合唱團的歲月說起。他們憶述當年團長要求功課退步就得離團，於是一星期六天練唱，卻不敢歇怠課業的許多往事。他們兩人長大後，竟在美國東部重聚。他們邊說往事，邊演唱了9首歌，包括當年進榮星合唱團唱的第一首歌，澳洲民謠”海基奔拜西”

              迄今唯一得過”葛萊美獎”提名，曾任哈特福德音樂學院聲樂系主任的華裔歌唱家岳彩輪，則是2012年和同事合作編曲，發現呂泉生作曲，以徐志摩填詞的”沙喲娜拉”，從此一頭栽進呂泉生的音樂中，還在2016年飛到洛杉磯，為誌記呂泉生100週年誕辰，舉辦了兩場音樂會，隨後出版”呂泉生歌曲專輯”，獲得全球音樂獎銀獎。

康麗雪(左)，康雅雰(右)是中華專協理事中的姊妹花。(周菊子攝)

              岳彩輪在王瑞玲伴奏中，演唱了”杯底不可飼金魚”等8首呂泉生的作品，再另外演唱一取法國歌劇”卡門”的”鬥牛士之歌”，讓出席者感受演唱歌劇和中文歌曲的不同。

              第三段原本是創辦了”中華藝術協會”的舞蹈家陳玉律，暢談她的藝術與人生。沒想到陳玉律突然生病，無法親自出席，改由她的好友代為照稿宣讀她的一生經歷。中華藝術協會的傳統中國舞蹈團也在會上表演”小放牛”，”羽扇”，”錦雞炫美”，”兩小無猜”，展示陳玉律的編舞，教舞成績。

中華專協董事長蕭蔚(右)頒發榮譽會員證書給陳家驊(左)。(周菊子攝)

              第四段的”傳統與現代的對話”，原本安排有女高音曾莉涵演唱，邱艾瑩，吉丹兩夫婦四手聯彈。也沒想到曾莉涵臨時喉嚨感染，遵醫囑無法開腔，於是改為純演奏由邱艾瑩和盧易之改編的四季紅，望春風，天黑嘿，以及”匈牙利舞曲”，斯拉夫舞曲，帕帕吉諾幻想曲等曲目。

             紐英崙中華專業人員協會跨過四十年後，在現任董事長蕭蔚和會長彭淑敏的努力下，明顯年輕化，副會長康雅雰，財務長莊紀華，以及蘇信豪，魏瑀嫻，黃俊義，康麗雪，謝開明，周駿安，周中平，陳威宇等10名理事，有一半都是年僅三十出頭或以下的年輕人。

中華專協幹部與家賓們。(周菊子攝)

            查詢中華專協詳情，可上網www.neacp.com，諮詢可發電郵，2neacp@gmail.com。

中華專協董事會和理事會成員。(周菊子攝)

中華專協董事長蕭蔚(左三)，會長彭淑敏(中)和理事會的莊紀華，
魏瑀嫻，康麗雪，康雅雰，陳威庭等人。

今年的專協年會在會後辦聚餐。(周菊子攝)

"善良的天使" 將於華府，加州，紐約辦首映會 12月在中國上映

中美合拍紀錄電影《善良的天使》即將上映

用全球視野探討中美關係的未來

【洛杉磯訊】在中美即將迎來建交40週年之際，一部由奧斯卡和金馬獎獲獎團隊歷時五年、精心打造的院線紀錄電影《善良的天使》（Better Angels）於近日在華府、加州帕薩迪納及紐約相繼舉辦首映會。影片由兩屆奧斯卡獲獎導演柯文思（Malcolm Clarke）執導，美國知名製片人William Mundell和金馬獎獲獎製片人韓軼聯合制片，以歷史的眼光和全球視野來探討中美關係的未來。影片將於今年12月在中國二千多家電影院播放，並於明年初在美國上映。這也將是中美合拍紀錄電影首次在中國大規模放映。

《善良的天使》集聚了多位全球知名學者和政要，包括前美國國務卿亨利·基辛格（Henry Kissinger）、詹姆斯·貝克（James Baker）、中國前人大常委會副委員長、經濟學家成思危、香港特別行政區前行政長官董建華（Tung Chee-hwa）、恒隆集團主席陳啟宗（Ronnie C. Chan）、華美銀行董事長、總裁兼最高執行長吳建民（Dominic Ng）等。他們各自表達了對中美關係的期望、態度和擔憂，並探討中美關係的未來。吳建民在影片中分享到，中國可以發揮在基礎設施建設方面的優勢，加強與美國的合作，為兩國民眾創造更多就業機會，增進兩國關係。

同時，影片中還記錄了小城市的市長、教育工作者、農民、工人等一般民眾為不斷跨越兩國之間地域和文化差異而付出的努力。中國駐美大使崔天凱在觀影後表示，影片中擁有不同文化背景的兩國民眾透過各自的努力促進理解、和諧共存，他們的故事既平凡又偉大。這些民眾就是中美關

係中「善良的天使」，在中美關係處於低潮時，他們不僅以自己的綿薄之力堅定維繫兩國友誼，還持續推動中美關係重回正軌。

查理貝克連任麻州州長 得票率高達67%

麻州州長查理貝克(Charlie Baker，左二)在選舉大勝，順利連任前，
出席陳文棟(左起)，陳毓禮，陳文珊為他安排的選民見面會。
(檔案照片，周菊子攝)

(Boston Orange 周菊子整理報導)麻州的2018州長選舉，在位州長查理貝克(Charlie Baker)以壓倒性的67%得票率，贏得連任。

四年前，查理貝克和寇克莉(Martha Coakley)競爭麻州州長席位，得票率是48.4%比46.5%，差距不到2個百分點。今年，在他已連續數年盤據全美最受歡迎州長寶座的狀態中，他的得票數比民主黨籍對手甘沙雷(Jay Gonzalez)多一倍有餘，得票率為67%比33%。

查理貝克在波士頓市這深藍城市中，得票數也比四年前多一倍。

在海恩斯(Hynes)會議展覽中心，開懷笑到見牙不見眼的查理貝克說，是選民的誠信，實際及常識，讓他們站得很穩，也很專注，遠離競選所帶來的黨派之爭，個人攻擊，以及隨之而來的過度負面信息。

甘沙雷是晚上大約9點15分時，在民主黨各職位候選人共用的費爾蒙柯普利廣場酒店(nearby Fairmont Copley Plaza)宣布退讓，稱查理貝克值得享有他得到的讚譽，也感謝他把禮貌，尊重及合作帶進政府管理中。

他一點也不後悔參選，也不會改變競選的做法，他為他們競選的理想感到驕傲。

陳文棟(左)，陳文珊(右)11月6日穿梭各支援據點，為查理貝克助選。
\(周菊子攝)

甘沙雷一度嘗試把查理貝克和全美共和黨連在一起，但這些批評都失敗了。自從查理貝克在2015年上任數週，就遇上幾乎是麻州歷年來災情最慘重的暴風雪，卻能帶領麻州順利度過後，他的民意支持度就一直有70%那麼高。

查理貝克在這次競選中，藉著雄厚財力，也花了數以百萬計的金錢來買電視廣告，宣揚他本人的不分黨派政績，打擊濫用毒品危機，

陳仕維的夫人(左一)，陳偉民(右二)等人，11月6日冒雨當義工，為
查理貝克助選。(周菊子攝)

在今年的全美各地選舉中，川普總統的影子幾乎無所不在，查理貝克卻沒有受到麻州非常不喜歡川普的影響。

查理貝克在2016年時，沒有投票給川普，還在許多事上批評他，也因此和川普拉開了距離。

根據波士頓環球報，查理貝克在競選期間表示，如果當選連任，他將專注於在麻州建更多住宅，從州政府角度來因應氣候變化。在近來共和黨籍州長紛紛放棄州長這角落辦公室，尋求擔任大使，或展望白宮之際，查理貝克還說，一旦當選連任，會做滿四年任期。

在麻州今年的這場期中選舉中，除了當選連任的州長，副州長之外，幾乎一片藍色，總檢察官奚莉(Maura T. Healey)，州務卿威廉蓋文(William Galvin)，財政廳廳長高柏珂(Deborah B. Goldberg)，以及稽核長邦普(Suzanne M. Bump)都當選連任。

在麻州參眾議員部分，兩名麻州華裔眾議員，共和黨籍的黃子安，民主黨籍的陳德基也都順利當選連任。

這次的選舉，還讓麻州新添一名亞裔眾議員，傅萊明罕鎮民主黨籍的Maria Robinson締造歷史，成為麻州有史以來的第一位韓裔眾議員，轄區在米斗塞第六區。她也是該地區有史以來第一位有色人種眾議員。

她以13,433票贏得選舉。

羅德島州長選舉 馮偉傑再飲恨 嘆財力差距太大

馮偉傑(右)和妻子Barbara上台發表退讓講話。(周菊子攝)

             (Boston Orange 周菊子羅德島州報導)全美州長候選人中唯一的華裔，爭取入主羅德島州的馮偉傑(Allan Fung)，11月6日晚大約九點宣佈退讓。羅德島州的首名女州長雷萌朵(Gina Raimondo)順利連任。

            2014年，他們兩人第一次在州長選戰中交鋒。馮偉傑以4.5%之差飲恨。今年2018，他倆再度對壘，雷萌朵令人意外的，得票率高達51.5%，和馮偉傑得票率的38.6%，差距拉大到12.9%。

馮偉傑的大選日派對，出席者眾多。(周菊子攝)

            馮偉傑發表退選講話時頗為激動。他誓言未來兩年將在克蘭斯頓市長職位上繼續非常努力工作，在任何羅德島人有需要的地方，決不會噤聲，絕對會為所有人奮鬥，抗爭。他還強調州政府的行政透明，稅收款項及公家資源的妥善管理，都是可以做到的事。

            馮偉傑坦言，落選固然讓人痛，但他也得稱讚雷萌朵，拉動了那麼多人出來投票。選完之後，大家還是得團結努力，把全州帶往正確的方向去。

羅德島州打破紀錄的三明華人。右起，羅德島州首名亞裔警官
Robert Chin (陳金泉)，首名亞裔市長暨首名州長候選人馮偉傑
(Allan Fung)，首位獲提名為美國法警(US Marshal)的周榮(Wing Chau)。
（周菊子攝）

            他說，公職服務對他來說，從來不僅只是一份工作，而是他真正的熱情所在。

            馮偉傑事後慨歎，經費差距之大，是這次競選失利的一大原因。儘管他有擁護者甚至願意每月5元的持續支持，總籌款成績也比上次好很多，共籌得130萬元左右，共和黨黨部給了大約100萬元的相對撥款，但和雷萌朵從華爾街，創投公司等那兒籌得的數額相比，差太遠了。

            馮偉傑的助選員和義工們在選前最後一個週末，敲門拜訪了約500多選民，但雷萌朵的競選陣營卻敲門拜訪了5000戶人家，這人力、物力的差距，實在太大了。

            普域敦斯報(Providence Journal)指出，雷萌朵在這2018年的選舉中，共花了660多萬元來爭取連任。2014年她首度參選時，也花了560萬元。她和民主黨州長協會不但幾乎包辦了羅德島州內所有的電視廣告，還有如翻山倒海似的發傳單，郵件給選民，攻擊競選對手。特別是馮偉傑。

            根據美國人口統計局資料，羅德島州是全美最小的州，總人口才105萬，其中亞裔不過35,000左右，佔3.3%。華人更少，大約8,694人，就算100%支持馮偉傑，也不足以贏得選舉。不過華人付諸行動的支持馮偉傑，今年的確創高峰。不但羅德島餐館業者攜手鼎力相助，羅德島華人也為馮偉傑舉辦一連四場籌款會，甚至紐約，麻州都有人支持。麻州甚至有亞裔共和黨招募義工遠赴羅德島助選。

　　雷萌朵的一點不掉以輕心，居然在中文報章上也做廣告，於是儘管她的四年施政績備受批評，當選連任的支持率竟超過50%，讓許多人備感意外，卻也讓不少人感慨，難怪。

紐英崙中華專業人員協會41週年年會 - 謝開明圖片專輯

https://photos.app.goo.gl/BU7xbctDDn3ncvzTA

中華專協董事與表演者合影。

中華專協董事會與嘉賓。

紐英崙中華專業人員協會董事長蕭蔚(右三)，會長彭淑敏(左二)與顧問蔣宗壬和駐波士頓台北經濟文化辦事處處長徐佑典(右一)，波士頓僑教中心主任歐宏偉(左一)恭賀紐英崙中華公所主席陳家驊(左三)獲選為該會第四位榮譽會員。

紐英崙中華專業人員協會董事長蕭蔚(左三)，會長彭淑敏(左四)和本屆幹事。

紐英崙中華專協董事會和幹事會合影。