Boston, MA – I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to my neighbors, friends, and constituents for allowing me the privilege to serve as your District 2 Boston City Councilor. I sincerely appreciate the courtesy you have extended to my family, my staff, and I at civic meetings and events across our city. It is an honor to serve as your District 2 City Councilor, and I have worked hard every day for our residents and community.
I am respectfully asking for your vote next Tuesday, November 7th to continue my focus on constituent services and quality of life issues in District 2.
Throughout my time in office, I have used my position of public trust to speak out on many important issues through City Council Hearings, community meetings, press releases, letters, social media platforms, as well as with our civic groups. As an elected official, my focus has always remained on public safety, housing stability & affordability, social & economic justice, and quality of life issues for our residents and families.
In terms of public safety, I have been a strong advocate of pedestrian and traffic safety on all of our roads. I advocated for a 12 point safety plan and held hearings to advocate for traffic calming infrastructure improvements, slower speeds and increased enforcement. I called for and held hearings on many other public safety issues, including construction safety and gas leaks in the City of Boston.
In addition, I have consistently called for hiring hundreds of Boston Police Department officers every year for the next ten years to address long-standing issues of forced overtime, overstretched resources, and looming retirements.
When it comes to housing, I held hearings during my time in office on affordable housing and the Inclusionary Development Policy (IDP) to help keep working families in Boston. I have held hearings on increased property taxes and advocated for relief for longtime neighbors. I also passed an ordinance previously to help our seniors who have fallen behind on their property taxes to pay with reduced interest and on more affordable terms. I continue to advocate for neighbors and civic groups when it comes to zoning and licensing matters at City Hall.
Moreover, I have always stood with our working families seeking fair and living wages, affordable healthcare, safe working conditions and a secure retirement. Whether it was United Steelworkers during the National Grid lockout, Unite Here Local 26 at Marriott Hotels, UFCW 1445 at Stop & Shop or Macy’s, my family and I have always been proud to stand with organized labor. I also joined workers and advocates fighting against wage theft, and passed resolutions in the City Council in support of laid-off workers at our various hotels.
With accessibility and inclusion in mind, I continue to advocate for improved language access at all levels of our city government. My social media posts are translated into Spanish and Chinese, and I have five women of color on my staff who are bilingual. Moreover, I have been working on the issue of digital equity and ensuring that our residents have access to affordable internet and digital resources. I also work closely with the Disability Commission on accessibility for our persons with disabilities.
I continue to advocate at City Hall when it comes to many neighborhood and quality-of-life issues. For instance, this includes additional pest control resources for our dedicated city employees to help provide this public health and quality of life issue the attention it deserves.
Government serves us best when it takes the legitimate concerns of its citizens and civic organizations seriously. I have not only listened to your concerns, but have taken the lead on issues affecting our most basic government services. I promise to continue to advocate on behalf of the people of District 2, listen to your feedback, be accessible in our community, and work hard to deliver results for all of our neighbors.
Sincerely,
Ed Flynn
Boston City Councilor, District 2
Maureen Dahill is the editor of Caught in Southie and a lifelong resident of South Boston sometimes mistaken for a yuppie. Co-host of Caught Up, storyteller, lover of red wine and binge watching TV series. Mrs. Peter G. Follow her @MaureenCaught.
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