Boston Mayor Marty Walsh joined Jim Braude and Margery Eagan Friday on Boston Public Radio. The Mayor covered a wide range of topics during their hour-long discussion, and fielded calls, emails and Twitter questions from constituents.
Mayor Walsh began by talking about the prospect of an Eastern Mass. casino, and the Mayor's frustration that the city of Boston hasn't had a bigger say in the process. "We're getting close to a decision on this region," Walsh said. "I sent the Gaming Commission an 18-page letter yesterday (...) of how I feel they've been disrespectful to the city of Boston. There's a lot of questions that haven't been answered."
Walsh said the Mass. Gaming Commission needed to be more rigorous in their approval process. "There's no consistency. (...) There's a lot of open questions here. They need to get this thing right."
The Mayor was not completely down on the prospect of state gaming being a revenue-generator for Massachusetts, and for Boston in particular. "It's an industry that we're creating, and it's jobs, opportunity," Walsh said. "There's also opportunities to grow this industry and add to what we have."
Walsh continued: "The problem is not the industry. The problem is the way the commission has handled creating this industry."
A caller to Boston Public Radio asked Walsh whether Massachusetts casinos would lead to an increase in problem gambling. "We put $5 million from gambling revenue to go into a gambling addiction problem that the state runs, that'll be statewide," Walsh said. "Anyone who has an addiction issue around gambling, putting a casino in doesn't necessarily mean they're going to start gambling, because" addiction is one day at a time. "There's limits on how much you can gamble, and if you're an addict and you put yourself on a 'banning gambling' list, that's for life."
The Boston Globe reported Friday that the Boston city council was looking at giving itself up to a 24 percent pay raise. Mayor Walsh said that wouldn't affect his compensation. "I'm gonna make sure the mayor's salary is not part of this package. I don't want it tied to it. If the council — they're going to have a discussion, this is their business in their chamber," Walsh said. "I'll let them deal with it."
Braude asked whether the city council was an essential governing body in Boston. "I think there's definitely a place for city council. If you think of representation of the people, it's really the representatives and city councilors," Walsh said. "The council certainly has value. (...) They're out there every single night at neighborhood meetings. (...) [BRA board member] Ted Landsmark got approved last week by the city council. I need the council to set the salaries for" city workers.
There's been tumult recently over Madison Park High School in Roxbury, where the school year began without full schedules being handed out to Madison Park students. Some students petitioned and demonstrated over the lack of organization by school administrators.
"Madison Park is a school that over the last five years that's had four different sets of administrations in there," Walsh said. "It's going to take us a while to turn Madison Park around, and the mindset at Madison Park. What happened with the schedules was inexcusable. (...) It was either go forward with these schedules that don't work, or try" to fix them after school started. "They decided to go with the latter."
Walsh stressed that students and Madison Park parents need to be patient. "You can't turn a school around in the course of a month. Even a year. It's a mindset," he said. Walsh added, "It shows there's a base of kids that care about education, that care about that school. (...) I'm going to do everything in my power" to turn Madison Park around.
The Massachusetts state primary was held September 9th, and Mayor Walsh reflected on the low turnout. "I think that people are burnt out," Walsh said. "We had the mayor's race last year. (...) Prior to that, we had [Sen.] Markey's special, [Sen.] Elizabeth Warren's special. (...) People are just fatigued on voting fatigue."
Braude and Mayor Walsh went back and forth on who the Mayor will support in the November election.
Braude: Will you endorse [AG Martha] Coakley for governor of the state?
Walsh: "I'm going to be endorsing the Democratic ticket."
Braude: "How hard are you going to work?"
Walsh: "I'm gonna work hard for the Democratic ticket. I can't get into a race and not work hard."
Braude: "What do you think of Charlie Baker?"
Walsh: "I like Charlie."
Braude: Who'd you vote for for governor?
Walsh: "I forget." (laughs)
Recently, Mayor Walsh failed to notify the Boston city council — as per city law — before he left Boston city limits. When Walsh talked about an upcoming trip he's planning to Ireland, the Mayor joked that he was now being extra-cautious about registering travel plans. "I will be notifying the city council that I'm leaving town."
Walsh said it was a very emotional trip to be making to his parents' homeland. "I'm very excited about going back," Walsh said. "I am a crier. I'll tell you, they had a couple billboards over in Ireland for [my] campaign for mayor. (...) I have close ties, I have aunts and uncles in Ireland, and first cousins."
Walsh was also asked about preliminary plans his administration has made to try to woo a Grand Prix car-racing event to Boston's seaport. The race would be conducted on Boston surface streets. "We're looking at it, to bring NASCAR to the city. It would bring roughly 250 to 300,000 people to Boston on Labor Day weekend, a slow weekend," Walsh said. "We're still in negotiation, deliberation with them, it's very complicated."
Walsh talked about another high-profile event Boston could someday host: the 2024 Summer Olympics. "[Plans are] still moving forward," Wals said. "It's something that's exciting. It would be an unbelievable opportunity" to have the Olympics in Boston. Walsh sounded a note of caution: "I am not going to mortgage the city away for the Olympics," he said.
The Mayor also reflected on the 40th anniversary of the beginning of busing in Boston. "I went to Saint Margaret's Grammar School," Walsh said. "I remember seeing police, the buses pulling up [escorting the buses]. It was a just a big commotion." Walsh's was shocked to see police escorts. "Wow, that's incredible, the police have to come with the buses. (...) To think back and learn about it, that the school committee in the time should've taken it on, and addressed it properly. (...) Boston's still feeling the effects of busing. (...) There's racism out in Boston. I think that [it exists] in every city, in every urban area. But I think we have to have that conversation about [it]."
