The city that Tom built

Ron Newman said:
We'd be contending against Brussels, Antwerp, Amsterdam, Berlin, Prague, Madrid, Rome, Istanbul, Sydney, Chicago, San Francisco, Toronto, Montreal, and a whole bunch of other places that are more 'world class' than Boston is.
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Prague? Are you kidding me?????????????? Maybe I should post some of my pics, 90% of the city is made of commieblocks and the 10% which doesn't has street life in only a few small areas, mostly by tourists. 5th on the list I'd say is Hong Kong, without a doubt, once you go there, you'll know (I haven't, but I'm quite sure).
 
James J Adams, the man who wrote that comment on the Universal Hub blog about the Mayor, last week, sent me a personal message. He wasn't able to post to the archboston forum for some reason so asked if I could post this for him.

I have been a real estate broker in Boston for 28 years, dating back to the time of Kevin White. I have leased over 4 million square feet on behalf of tenants and over 6 million square feet on behalf of landlords.

I am the only broker to have been awarded the Boston Deal of the Year by the Greater Boston Real Estate Board.

I say this not to brag but to, I hope, provide legitimacy to what I write. I believe in democracy. I believe in standing up to what is wrong. I have seen Mayor Menino increasingly succumb to the multi-term power he once denied craving. I do not know the man personally and my attacks are not on his character.

I simply know the facts because I have been at the "crown" meetings. I have listened to his attempts to claim that he is Boston's "de facto" architectural lord. I have witnessed him deny access to those who would question his prior allegiances.

I have two children. I have taught them that there are certain principles by which to live your life. And above all is the principle to speak out against what is wrong. Great men have preceded me dealing with far greater issues, witness Senator Kennedy. But I also believe that what is wrong on a small scale becomes acceptable on a larger scale.

I have nothing to gain financially. In fact, as an active commercial broker, I may be a pariah to those who use and curry the Mayor's favor. But I am certainly not afraid to state these opinions to the Mayor's face. And I am by no means willing to back down from any point I have raised.

Now you know who I am.

Thank you,

Jim Adams
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As the write I beg to differ. It is a matter of what you see define as accomplishment. I was simply trying to correct what I know are untruths.

However, I do respect the law. But as Jack White of the Stripes said, you can't take the effect and make it the cause. There is no presumption of law breaking other than the Mayor defining the powers of his position which he actually does not hold and then highlighting them with an example of overriding a zoning law on a whim. I don't understand your logic of "either change the law or change the mayor." That would be quite favorable for a person actually guilty of breaking the law. Let's not put him away, let's just say robbing a bank is OK. (Not a reference to the mayor)

The word dictator did not appear in my post but, depending on who or who isn't receiving the blows, a "dictator" is in the eye of the beholder, no?




tobyjug said:
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.
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Your reply is a bit inapposite to the general observation I was trying to make, and perhaps lacks some rigor as a result. The overall (attempted) point of my previous posts is that the current system is designed to give the mayor the power to conduct himself as he now does. That he does so might be an example of bad policy, even bad law, but is not an example of illegality. And, it is unfortunate that so many, though not necessarily you, are quick to confuse bad policies and laws with "illegality". That confusion begets blindness to the possibility of change.

Well, this hardly seems like a warm greeting to a new member's first post! So, please let me offer my hearty Toby welcome of a giant lick in the face!
 
It's amazing how these clowns are incapable of giving Menino a run for his crown....

The Boss actually comes across as strong leader in comparison to these wimps...

Yoon and McCrea would be much stronger candidates if they weren't so limp wristed...


I am starting to like the latter though....
 
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So, for my weekly Patch column I'm thinking of mentioning some of the 'quality of life' initiatives that Mayor Menino has initiated, including the bike sharing program and the food trucks. Yes, not ground-breaking, but for Boston, major steps perhaps. These give the city a little bit of sparkle or excitement, and they appeal to the younger generation, I think.

Are there other things that have been added (or taken away) that you can think of?

The column will be complimentary to the Mayor (shocker).

I might include your ideas in my column, so be forewarned.

Thanks.
 
The iodiocy regarding the banning or severly limiting the use of Segways

Segways will never play a major role in transportation -- but they can be an excelent vehicle for tours of the various neighborhoods of Boston -- particularly away from downtown
 
I (personally) find those segway tours completely obnoxious. They are constantly down at the children's museum dock, and are always just going about like they have the right of way. Yes that's mostly the people on the tour, but the tour management should step it up and set ground rules. They are always rolling frontwards and backwards at their leisure, and passersby need to dodge them when it should be vice versa.

On a further personal note, these just always appear to be as the further fattening of our culture. What is wrong with a walking tour? Get some frikken excercise ya creeps!

Anywho, I don't like segways I guess. But banning them? That's foolish. Ban the numbskulls who buy scooters and think they are bicycles. But, then again bicycles are subject to all the same rules of the road as cars too.... Don't ban scooters but make the owners aware that they must use traffic lanes, and cannot go through red lights.

I'm sorry. Wrong thread for a mini-rant.
 
Segways pissed off the wrong suburban commuting, cigar smoking, fine Italian dining, SUV driving, politically connected, steak head assholes in the North End and that's why they got the shaft. Now if the Segway operators made parity, if not exceeding, in campaign contributions, those laws would magically be forgotten.

Just like how revenue generating ISD never seems to get any more funding or manpower to go after slum landlords. The city doesn't want the revenue from enforcing the law since it's already collecting more than that in political kickbacks.
 
Food Trucks in parks.

LMAO.

The 30 old guys at Chinatown Gate Park couldn't hear themselves talk today over the din of various compressors running on a lunchtime BBQ truck. So they moved their game over to the edge of Kingston Street.

The truck idled in the park.
 
I gave up on the story idea after I could only come up with those two pro's - the food trucks and the bike sharing. Eh. So I'm going with a defense of Scott Brown after he declined to participate in a "It Gets Better" video that the Mass delegation to Congress put together.
 
Sicilian said:
Food Trucks in parks.
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hoodsietruck.jpg
 
Lurker said:
Segways pissed off the wrong suburban commuting, cigar smoking, fine Italian dining, SUV driving, politically connected, steak head assholes in the North End and that's why they got the shaft. Now if the Segway operators made parity, if not exceeding, in campaign contributions, those laws would magically be forgotten.
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The sidewalks are too damn narrow in this town to handle people who have no fricking clue what they're doing on a Segway. I was in San Fran last year and couldn't count how many times I nearly got my ass flattened by George and Barb visiting from St. Louis on those damn things. And the pedestrian space on the Embaracedo is like an interstate highway compared to the Freedom Trail. They have their place, but the Harbor Walk is probably that place ('cept for the insurance liability of everyone who gets thrown overboard into the water). It just doesn't work for the usual 17th century tourist traps in town. Plus there's 100% odds that somebody riding one will get beaten within an inch of their life if they clip a harried Financial District worker on a bad day.
 
Sunday afternoon, I was grabbing a beer with friends at the Intercontinental and saw a pack of touristos on them pass on the Harborwalk. Where do you park them when you decide to stop for lunch?
 
I heard Mumbles wants to install hitching posts around the city. I think there's already a set down by the saloon.
 
Outside of South Station on Atlantic Ave. sidewalk there are 50 new Hubway racks and roughly 25 new bikes. At 6:00 PM people were still checking them out.

They look awesome, the bikes actually look functional, and the pricing tiers are well thought out and reasonable.

I'm not a big fan of Menino, but IMO this is a BIG plus for Boston. Kudos.
 
Sicilian said:
Outside of South Station on Atlantic Ave. sidewalk there are 50 new Hubway racks and roughly 25 new bikes. At 6:00 PM people were still checking them out.

They look awesome, the bikes actually look functional, and the pricing tiers are well thought out and reasonable.

I'm not a big fan of Menino, but IMO this is a BIG plus for Boston. Kudos.
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Pictures in the Biking in Boston thread.
 
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