The city that Tom built

You could skip the neck-wear altogether, and just funnel the drink right down the throat. Now that's function for you.
 
Ah. But a silk cravat screens out the chunks so nicely.
 
MACray idjut. His BIG IDEA is City Clownsil to vote projects permuts? He not smoke DOPE. is dope. Clownshill CANT EVEN OPEN METEINGS LAW and now being voting inthe artiketure? Old uncle say they NOTagree on what door to be leaving out ov if room onFIRE.
 
Menino Outlines Boston Stimulus Benefits In New Progress Report
Yesterday

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For More
The full six-month progress report on Boston's stimulus finding can be found here.
Six months after the passage of a more than $700 billion federal stimulus package, the City of Boston has benefited to the tune of 1,666 jobs saved or created and a further $162.2 million for a total economic investment of over $334.8 million citywide in 41 "shovel-ready" projects, according to a new report from Mayor Thomas Menino's office.

Menino unveiled the report at a Tuesday conference announcing $720,000 in EPA funding expected to prepare three shovel-ready Brownfields projects in Codman Square and Jackson Square for $16 million worth of new development.

The BRA applied for the federal stimulus Brownfields funding in April on behalf of the Codman Square Neighborhood Development Corporation (NDC) and Urban Edge. The Codman Square NDC has purchased two Brownfields redevelopment sites in Dorchester - the former Levedo Motors site and the AB&W Building/157 Washington Street - and Urban Edge is part of the team redeveloping Jackson Square, according to a statement form the Mayor's office.

Among the highlights of the six-month stimulus project report:

That the City is investing $42.5 million in transportation enhancements including the reconstruction of Dorchester Avenue, an investment in improved technology for intelligent transportation systems and the resurfacing of over 75 streets citywide.
That $30.1 million has been dedicated to public housing modernization, most notably at Washington Beech in Roslindale.
That the City recently issued a Request for Proposals on how best to spend $8.2 million Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program (HPRP) funds to fight homelessness by significantly expanding prevention services.
That the City will use $15.6 million of Title I and IDEA funding to save the jobs of 180 teachers and buy additional books and classroom materials.
That a $6.5 million Energy Efficiency Block Grant will fund Renew Boston - the City's largest effort to help businesses and homeowners save money by cutting expenses though weatherization and energy efficiency upgrades.
That $2.3 million of Community Development Block Grant funding will jumpstart $8.9 million worth of stalled housing and economic development projects citywide.
That the City will stabilize small businesses throughout the City with over $1.075 million in funding for capital improvements and short term rental assistance - more than 40 businesses can be helped.
 
Not only has the mayor not balanced a budget in decade this guy thinks he is a hero using taxpayers money to fund all these projects from the Federal Govt.

Our Govt officials have destroyed capitalism. The last time this city tried to do something worth while was the BIG DIG and it cost the taxpayers estimate of 25 Billion dollars on something that should have cost 400Million.

Now taxes will probably go up in the future because of poor management from city officials like this clown. How are those 1000 dollar paychecks holding up these days for the UNION LABORERS thats what they were making in the BIG DIG days. I see you guys still have alot of Power.

Very sad that your officials have sold you down the toliet. Keep up the good work and keep paying your taxes. Govt Jobs are the new future.
 
I can't wait for the debate tonight....

3 wet blankets and 1 pig.
 
Interesting comment on the Universal Hub blog from someone who doesn't like what the Mayor's done (or, not done) in regard to development in Boston. Anyone know this guy?

The Mayor of Silly Hats
By James J. Adams | Tue, 08/25/2009 - 12:26am

I guess Mayor Menino prefers that his coronation precede his victory. As an appointed mayor, Menino was never really elected. It takes the Vatican to get a mayor out of Boston's city hall. The mayor's self coronation, spread all over the front pages of the city's newspapers Sunday and fed to you on a silver palate in his silly driving around Boston video ( http://multimedia.boston.com/m/25995125/mayor-menino-s-development-tour-of-boston.htm ) is an embarrassment.

Coronation does seem an apt word, since the Mayor's most noteworthy contribution to the office building in Boston is his self-proclaimed ability to pick the right little crown. Thank God he wasn't around when the Seagram Building was built. I wonder what he would have put on top of the Hancock--a really big pen and ink stand. Maybe a big post office box on the top of the McCormack Building. But this Mayor doesn't only pick building tops. He actually calls from his cell phone to change zoning codes as he sees fit. The law-bah humbug. Let them eat cake --but make sure they eat it on a porch that passes his front porch architectural thesis, yet published, but also self-proclaimed.

I have been involved in commercial real estate in Boston for 28 years. I have no need to hide or to blend into the faux business scenery when everyone around me knows it stinks but has no choice but to go along. Fortunately, I have not been a developer and have thus not had to please the whims of an individual rather than of a citizenry. If the Mayor has invited us to come and praise his Caesar, let's start with doing away with the statistical nonsense his office issues.

The Mayor boasts that there has been more square footage of commercial development PER SQUARE MILE than any of the top ten most populous cities in the country. The problem is that Boston, at a whopping 48.4 square miles, is less than 1/4 the size of the 10th most populous city--San Jose. In fact, Boston does not make the top 150 in area. Boston could comfortably fit inside of the 469 square miles of Los Angeles nearly 10 times over. The truth is that, of the top 10 most populous cities in the US, only Philadelphia has added less new construction since 1996. STRIKE ONE ON THE FACTS.

During Mayor Menino's tenure, 15.3 million square feet of office space has been built in Boston. Not bad for a 16-year reign which has no sight in end. During Ray Flynn's 9-year tenure, 36 million was added. Yes, Mayor Flynn in 7 years more than doubled the amount seen in the Menino era. Considering that the inventory during Mayor Flynn's tenure lacked the 15 million added during Menino's days, the percentage growth on a yearly basis under Mayor Flynn averaged roughly 8% per year. Menino has averaged 1.3%. Need we even mention Mayor White who, during 16 years, saw the construction of 24.3 million square feet? Again, looking at Boston before Mayor White, the percentage growth of the City was exponentially larger than our current Mayor's at nearly 9% per year. And this was in an era where the Mayor sought out developers and companies to come to Boston, not when developers sporting clever crowns lined up for the "privilege" to build in Boston. STRIKE TWO ON THE LEGACY COUNT.

And what specifically has the Mayor, other than crowns, added to the skyline? In the entire 16-year tenure of Mayor Menino, a whopping 6 new buildings over 500,000 square feet have been built. I believe I am being quite generous in setting 500,000 square feet as the cutoff for consideration as a "tower." The national standard would be at least one million, of which there has been a grand total of one, the new headquarters of State Street Global at One Lincoln Street.

Six new "towers." And of the six, three of them fell under the approval process of Massport--Fidelity's two office buildings on the Seaport and Manulife's new headquarters on Congress Street in the Seaport. The state, with Massport as its agent, does not require approval from the City. The Mayor doesn't talk about those buildings in case you ever noticed. That leaves us with three. The Mayor speaks frequently of 111 Huntington Avenue, that of the famous hat. And I would agree that some people know of the building. Quick, name the other two skyline changing gems. Answers at the bottom. STRIKE THREE ON SKYLINE IMPACT.

The only thing less impressive of a Mayor who brags about his singular ability to stall projects "in my City", i.e. those of Mr. Chiofaro, is a Mayor who, one day on a whim declares that a 150-story tower will be built in Boston as if the Development Fairy was planning a visit. How many years ago did that triumphant horn sound--3,4? Perhaps that will be the tower built when it's 80 degrees in January.

Mayors do not build. They allow others to build. Buildings do not create jobs. The companies that choose to occupy them do. Mayor Menino has followed the over worn path of his predecessors not only in Boston but in almost every major city. They need the tower and they need the power. The problem is that our Mayor Menino has struck out in doing so, no matter which way you count it, obscure it, or spout on about it while riding around town.

It is time for an end to the BRA which provides the legal cover for not only Mayor Menino but for any mayor to pretend there is a legitimate review process in Boston. It is time that a developer playing by the written rules deserves fair treatment under them. It is time for Mayor Menino to take the crown off his head, because there was really never one there anyway.

Answers: 10 St. James Avenue and 33 Arch Street.
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Interesting piece. I do get frustrated at two things with this type of article:

1) "The law...bah humbug!" This type of rant accomplishes nothing, because it presumes that the mayor is breaking the law. If one doesn't like the way the mayor carries out the law, either change the mayor or change the law, or both. Or have the mayor arrested and charged with the "illegality". But don't take the boring and intellectually dishonest route of hiding behind "it's all so illegal, boo hoo."

2) "This is a dictatorship!" Well, no, actually it isn't. The mayor is an elected official with very strong executive powers. If his power seems dictatorial (and I don't accept that, as a matter of law, it is), then you may have an example of "illiberal democracy", not "dictatorship", what ever that is intended to mean. Again, if one doesn't like it, elect a mayor who is sensitive to one's own views, or change the law that confers the mayor with strong executive power, or both.
 
Bottom line the MAYOR is a CROOK.

Take a look at his gang
Diane Wilkenson
Chuck Turner
Dimasi
Wynn

The facts I would like to know is how much MONEY these people actually stuffed down this PIG pants?
 
The city is run like a criminal enterprise, but guess what? The voters NEVER do anything about it, so it persists.

Now that Teddy has passed expect the state to be shook up dramatically. Uncle Sam's Federal teat is going to be running dry very shortly because of his passing and that means every patronage job, project, fund, etc. is going to be evaporating. No self respecting coat holding hack is going to want to stick around in a job where there isn't money to be skimmed and there is tough work to actually provide services on a tight budget. There will be an exodus, new faces that will create another Mass Miracle, and then the usual suspects will crawl back into power when the money is good for the taking again.
 
It seems like nearly everyone hear with an exception of the 10 year Kennedy child hates or dislikes Menino. The guy is an idiot. How is he still leading the polls when nobody likes him?
 
Lack of good alternative candidates. There isn't a single challenger that standards head and shoulders above Menino without serious detractors.
 
Lurker said:
Now that Teddy has passed expect the state to be shook up dramatically. Uncle Sam's Federal teat is going to be running dry very shortly because of his passing and that means every patronage job, project, fund, etc. is going to be evaporating.
Click to expand...

Federal Tax Burdens and Expenditures: Massachusetts is a Donor State
Massachusetts taxpayers receive less federal funding per dollar of federal taxes paid compared to the average state. Per dollar of Federal tax collected in 2005, Massachusetts citizens received approximately $0.82 in the way of federal spending. This ranks the state 40th nationally and represents a fall from 1995 when Massachusetts received $0.92 per dollar of taxes in federal spending (when the state ranked 39th nationally). Neighboring states and the amount of federal spending they received per dollar of federal taxes paid were as follows: Rhode Island ($1.00), Connecticut ($0.69), New York ($0.79), New Hampshire ($0.71), and Vermont ($1.08).
Click to expand...
Source (Yes, I know it hasn't been updated in the last 4 years, but 10 years as a donor state -all under Teddy- is a good run)
 
Statler, without Teddy how long do you think every other state with now more senior Senators is going to wait before diverting funds away from Massachusetts?
 
Well, yeah. A freshman senator will never have the same pull that Teddy commanded. My point was that despite the myth, he never really abused that power (at least relative to other states).
 
John Kerry is head of foriegn affairs, which I believe is a top senate spot. He'll pick up some of that slack for sure.
 
Patriots_1228 said:
It seems like nearly everyone hear with an exception of the 10 year Kennedy child hates or dislikes Menino. The guy is an idiot. How is he still leading the polls when nobody likes him?
Click to expand...

10 year Kennedy child? I'll be at college in a year, thanks.

And why do you think I'm ambivalent about Menino?
 
Do NOT be making the fun over Louis Kennedy here. He is being the SMART one not voting for THREE STTOGES!!! Rest of you need MERKIN for chins to hide and dis guys when our sortaMayor poke Curleys eyes out!!!
 
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