blog@abn

I've been to two City Council budget briefings and one School Committee public hearing (in Dorchester) where the city's budget "crisis" has been discussed. I have spoken for years, and now mayoral candidate Kevin McCrea is speaking out as well, about the hundreds of millions of dollars bled from the City treasure by the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) -- through takings of City land without paying a dime, multi-million-dollar, multi-decade tax breaks to politically wired developers for huge and profitable projects, accumulation of a land empire free of city property taxes, rent-free occupation of the whole 9th floor of City Hall, sale of tax breaks in return for direct payments from real estate owners, take-over of state and federal grant programs at exorbitant administrative fees -- all done with Mayor Tom Menino's express permission. Despite all this public information, the mayor does not relent, and protects the BRA while school children come to hearings and beg for their education. And NOT ONE City Councilor brings up any of these items at the budget meetings or school hearings. They'll sit there and frown over how to cut classes and where to close schools and whether to cut cops or teachers; Councilor Maureen Feeney suggested at the hearing we all pray together as an action strategy. But they won't touch the BRA, which is tucked securely under the mayor's powerful wing. They've even started to talk about taxing hospitals and colleges, but will not touch the BRA! What kind of catastrophe would it take to get them to break open the BRA's bloated treasure chest? What will it take to get rid of this parasitic agency, that bleeds our resources and controls our communities? I think it's time for another tea party. These politicians will not do the right thing unless they are forced to. Each and every official who stands by and participates in this disgraceful charade of governance should be voted out of office and replaced by someone who will represent the people's interests.