Episodes
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After Baker Bails, What's Next?
This week's announcement by Governor Charlie Baker (R-MA) that he won't see a third term threw Massachusetts politics into a state of upheaval. On the Democratic side, current candidates Ben Downing, Danielle Allen, and Sonia Chang-Diaz now face a bevy of prospective new rivals, including former Boston Mayor Marty Walsh and former Boston mayoral candidate Annissa Essaibi George — which creates new pressure on another potential Democratic candidate, Attorney General Maura Healey, to finally make up her mind. On the Republican side, former state Rep Geoff Diehl could get company soon too, though the Mass GOP's allegiance to former President Trump and Trumpism seems deeper than ever. In the first episode of GBH News' Talking Politics, Political Reporter Adam Reilly unpacks it all with GBH State House Reporter Mike Deehan, Bay State Banner Senior Editor Yawu Miller, and Boston Globe Columnist Joan Vennochi. -
Boston's Race Into History: The Elected School Committee Rides Again (Probably)
Yes, Michelle Wu won big in this month’s mayoral election — but the idea of Boston returning to an elected school committee won even bigger, albeit in a nonbinding ballot question. In this episode of Boston’s Race Into History, City Councilors Ricardo Arroyo and Julia Mejia, who are driving the push for local legislation that would end the current mayorally appointed body, talk about what comes next. First, though, Peter Kadzis and Saraya Wintersmith join Adam Reilly to recap Wu’s last full week as mayor-elect. -
Boston's Race Into History: Closing The Wealth Gap(s)
Some Boston neighborhoods are filled with attractive homes, thriving businesses, and plenty of new construction. Others are visibly struggling — and more often than not, they’re areas where Bostonians of color outnumber their white counterparts. So how would Annissa Essabi George and Michelle Wu push to get the benefits of Boston’s booming economy to more people in more places? Adam Reilly discusses with former mayoral candidate John Barros, who also served as Mayor Marty Walsh’s chief of economic development, and Segun Idowu, President and CEO of the Black Economic Council of Massachusetts. First, though, make sure to catch a campaign update with Saraya Wintersmith and Peter Kadzis, who discuss (among other things) Boston voters’ seeming reversal on whether it’s important that the next mayor be someone who grew up in the city. -
Boston's Race Into History: Police Reform
Once again, Boston’s Race Into History slides into the space usually occupied by The Scrum. In this episode, we size up Annissa Essabi George and Michelle Wu’s contrasting visions of policing and police reform — and get some sharp insights from Boston City Councilor Andrea Campbell and Tanisha Sullivan, president of the Boston Branch of the NAACP. First, though, Saraya Wintersmith and Adam Reilly unpack recent developments on the campaign trail. -
Boston's Race Into History: Improving Public Education
Boston’s mayoral candidates have been vowing to improve the city’s public schools for decades—but somehow, the system never quite manages to get where everyone says the want it to go. So what’s the hold-up? And what can the next mayor do—whoever she is—to make BPS work better? In this episode of Boston’s Race Into History, Adam Reilly talks it over with former mayoral candidate John Connolly, Ruby Reyes of the Boston Education Justice Alliance, and Xyra Mercer, a current BPS student and member of Boston’s school committee. First, though, Saraya Wintersmith joins Reilly to discuss recent developments on the mayoral campaign trail, including Annissa Essabi George’s new equity agenda and Senator Ed Markey’s endorsement of Michelle Wu. -
Boston's Race Into History: Mass and Cass
On the latest episode of Boston’s Race Into History—which is borrowing the Scrum’s space from now through early November—we size up Annissa Essabi George and MIchelle Wu’s similarities and differences when it comes to the crisis at Mass and Cass and the bigger problems the situation there embodies. Our guests are former Boston City Council candidate Domingos DaRosa, Marla Smith of the South End-Roxbury Community Partnership, and Catherine D’Amato of the Greater Boston Food Bank. First, though, Saraya Wintersmith and Adam Reilly recap recent developments on the campaign trail, including Ayanna Pressley’s endorsement of Wu, Andrea Campbell’s push to play queenmaker, and Essaibi George’s sharpening attacks. -
Boston's Race Into History: The Housing Crisis
The Scrum is on hiatus through Boston’s final mayoral election, in part because we’re doing a limited-run show on Boston’s mayoral race, “Boston’s Race Into History.” You can watch it Fridays at 7 pm on GBH Channel 2, or find it at GBHNews.org or on YouTube — but we’re also going to post the audio of episodes here. Video doesn’t work for everyone, and we want as many people as possible to hear what Saraya Wintersmith, Adam Reilly, Peter Kadzis, and other contributors have to say on politics and policy as Election Day approaches. In this episode, we’re sizing up Annissa Essaibi George and Michelle Wu’s contrasting approach to the affordable-housing crisis in the city. Next time, we’ll look at how the two finalists stack up on Mass & Cass, addiction, and homelessness. -
Boston's Race Into History: Preliminary Preview with the GBH News Politics Team
GBH News reporter Adam Reilly welcomes local political experts who are closely watching Boston's mayoral race to see which of the five candidates will face each other in the race to the November elections, in a live event taped on the eve of the election. GBH News City Hall reporter Saraya Wintersmith and WBZ political commentator Jon Keller lead the way with their reporting and historical context. Pollster Steve Koczela points out interesting data points in the race, and finally UMass political scientist Erin O'Brien meets up with Jax Van Zandt, host of the show Politics and Prosecco, to talk about the significance of the race to women and particularly women of color. -
Boston’s Mayoral Race: The Undecideds May Call The Shots
It’s an historic field of candidates. And five of them are battling for the voters' attention. They may be swimming in the same pool, but they are trying to find the lane that will bring them to victory and the mayor's office. You'll hear a lot of aquatic metaphors in this installment of The Scrum. So, brace yourselves. Our political analysts, Professor Erin O’Brien from UMass Boston and Lisa Kashinsky of POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook, get into it with hosts Adam Reilly and Saraya Wintersmith. “If you ask the candidates, of course they’re going to say they’re very different,” O’Brien said. “Most voters aren’t policy nerds like us, and so it’s more personality. And that’s why people are having a hard time choosing.” GBH politics editor Peter Kadzis offers some context on recent developments -- the harbor development plan (scuttled) and the eviction moratorium (launched) -- with which you may or may not agree, but which will grab your attention. As with last week’s episode, you can watch the discussion on video, here. -
Historic Mayoral Election Reflects Boston's Changing Political DNA
We’re closing in on Boston’s preliminary mayoral election, so this week, The Scrum asks: How did the city get here? A field with five major candidates who are all people of color, four of them women, in a city that has exclusively elected white men to the mayor’s post. GBH News’ political editor Peter Kadzis gives a brief history lesson on local Boston politics. A lot of credit, Kadzis says, goes to Ayanna Pressley’s 2009 election to City Council. Then Reilly and Wintersmith get into what this election is all about with Yawu Miller, the senior editor of the Bay State Banner, and Gin Dumcius, the managing editor of the Dorchester Reporter. Until Sept. 14, The Scrum will be focusing its episodes on Boston’s preliminary mayoral election. Tune in next week to hear about the candidates “chasing the Walsh vote” and those who are aiming for a different part of the electorate. Ever wish you could be in Peter’s kitchen while these episodes are taped? Well, now you can. The first video podcast version of The Scrum is available here: https://www.wgbh.org/news/politics/2021/08/26/bostons-changing-political-dna-how-did-we-get-to-this-historic-group-of-mayoral-candidates
