At Boston Development Forum, Seaport Question Yields Notable Moment For Campbell

During Thursday's housing and development mayoral forum, Boston City Councilor Andrea Campbell may have scored the first, live standout moment of the campaign, which — like so much of pandemic professional life — has been defined by Zoom interactions.

The moment came at the Responsible Development Coalition's candidate summit, where Campbell and the four other leading hopefuls seeking to head the city responded to a question about the Seaport, Boston's newest, waterfront neighborhood that's criticized by some for its lack of racial and economic diversity.

"If we in the city of Boston can create a whole new neighborhood like the Seaport, why can't we do the same on the Blue Hill Ave corridor? Why can't we do the same on Washington Street, Codman Square?" Campbell said to growing applause. "Once we do that, we become the best city in the country. ... We can deliver that to other neighborhoods that have been left out for far too long."

The applause, though not thunderous, marked the first time candidates gathered before a large, in-person audience to talk through priorities. About 150 came to watch the event at the Carpenters Center, a change that allowed speakers to feed off audience energy rather than talk to a screen of Brady Bunch-styled squares.

All of the candidates were critical of the Seaport's homogeneity and aesthetic, but only Campbell received such a strong response.

The answers sparked some tension among the host organization's leadership. After the event, coalition chair Joseph Byrne of the carpenters' union, one of the supporters of the Seaport development, said while the neighborhood may lack diversity, it gave union members jobs during an economic downturn.

"I remember in 2008, the economy was down, there was no work, we were all struggling to make it by," he told GBH News. "The way I look at the Seaport, that created an opportunity for me to go to work."

The forum also furnished a standout moment for Acting Mayor Kim Janey, who stunned the audience with a deft, albeit evasive, answer regarding how to spend the hundreds of millions worth of incoming federal pandemic relief dollars over the next five years.

Asked by moderator Bruce Mohl of Commonwealth Magazine for a detailed breakdown of how much money should be earmarked for priority categories such as schools, housing, and infrastructure, Janey replied: "What we're not going to do is pretend in 60 seconds that we're going to give you a formula of how we're going to spend it without engaging the residents of Boston."

The answer sparked a wave of quiet murmurs.

Janey said she will soon unveil a task force made up "key stakeholders" who will help the city determine how to invest the money.

Former Walsh economic development chief John Barros took a more critical tone than he has in the past, referring to former Mayor Marty Walsh as "still my mayor," and chiding other candidates for supporting rent control, a policy he described as "dangerous."

"Who wants to freeze rent at today's rents?" Barros queried. "We've gotta produce new rents…that's about affordable housing and producing affordable housing."

After the forum, Barros explained his critical posture, saying the developing race now demands definition.

"I think we need to continue to talk about issues in a way that helps voters understand the differences between each candidate," he told GBH News. "I think too often, when we're at forums, the differences aren't clear."

With this week's withdrawal of State Rep. John Santiago, Barros is now the sole man in the race. He said he "is still feeling good" about his campaign.

"My plan hasn't changed," Barros said.

Councilor Michelle Wu, who was seated on the far left of the candidate lineup, doubled down on her support for rent control, declaring she is "proud" to stand on the idea as a way for Boston to help people stay in their homes. Wu also stressed her long-held conviction that Boston's Planning and Development Agency needs serious revamping.

Councilor Annissa Essaibi George, seated on the far right of the candidates, reiterated three pledges: to create a strategic plan for Roxbury's Madison Park Technical Vocational High School within her first 100 days in office; to re-open Boston in the wake of COVID-19; and to reconvene a task force to update the Payment in Lieu of Taxes, or PILOT, agreements the city has with non-profit institutions.

Dorchester native Essaibi George was one of two camps with dozens of volunteers gathered along Dorchester Avenue with vibrantly colored shirts in advance of the event. Essaibi George's camp sported hot pink while Wu's wore deep purple.

The candidates all expressed support for expanding union apprenticeship programs by placing them within Boston Public Schools.

Prior to the forum, all of the candidates signed the coalition's responsible development pledge, which includes several priorities like creating good paying jobs, maintaining safe job sites and fostering inclusivity and equal pay.

Asked how they each expected to fulfill that pledge, Campbell said she would achieve it through her proposal to "activate" 100 of the city's vacant lots within 100 days. Janey said she would use unions to carry out development projects. Barros said he would expand apprenticeship programs. Essaibi George reiterated her pledge to create a new Office of Economic Development and Workers' Rights. And Wu said she would hold bad actors accountable for wage theft and disregarding the requirements of the Boston Residents Jobs Policy.