Why I'm Voting for Councilor Arroyo

In case you haven’t heard, we’ve got some important elections coming up next year.  When those come up, I implore you to vote in them.  (I suspect I will have something to say about them as the time draws nearer.)  But don’t worry about having nothing to do until then- there is another election you should be paying attention to and it’s happening much sooner than 2012.  I refer of course to the Boston City Council elections, and I’m particularly concerned about the At-Large seats. 

I haven’t made my final decision on all of them, but I know for sure that the first vote I cast will be for Councilor Felix Arroyo (so you know, Ayanna Pressley is getting one of my votes too).  I confess: this is personal.  Back in the winter of 2010, I had just about decided to remove my children from the Boston Public Schools so I could homeschool them.  What clenched it for all of us was a day in January when I had to walk two four-year-olds and one nine-year-old to a bus stop ten minutes away from our home.  It was about 10 degrees outside that day, and at least two of them were crying, including the one with the worst asthma.  I was enraged — there was a bus stop literally at the top of my driveway, but in BPS’ infinite wisdom, we were assigned one about a quarter-mile away. 

After speaking to the school and BPS and getting little help, I was ready to leave.  I gave it one last chance and called Councilor Arroyo’s office.  I explained the situation and they called me back twice to get more information.  About two weeks later, they called me again to tell me that my request had been approved.

I am guessing every other parent in Boston who has ever had to deal with BPS’ transportation is reading this in stunned silence.

My children had had enough, and I ended up pulling them out after all.  But no one can say that Councilor Arroyo did not try very hard to keep us in the system.  Anyone who is familiar with his record should not be surprised.  As chair of the Labor, Youth Affairs and Human Rights committee, part of Councilor Arroyo’s mission is to help the youth of this city. 

Arroyo has fought to keep the funding for youth jobs.  The jobs that kids work over the summer may not seem like a lot, but as our economy contracts and they find themselves competing with adults for the same jobs, the experience they get in these positions can be invaluable a few years later. 

As you know, , so it is no surprise that I am grateful once more to Arroyo for his advocacy to save vulnerable branches of the BPL.  (Shockingly, the Sedgwick Library was once one of those branches.)  Arroyo’s meetings on this issue also surfaced some important facts: I was shocked to discover that the trustees of such an important institution had no responsibility to do any kind of fundraising.  Amazing- and shameful.  I agree with the councilor that the BPL board should be restructured to assume that responsibility.

Are these issues unimportant to the childfree?  I don’t think so, but I’ll entertain the possibility.  However, I think everyone in Boston- and certainly everyone in JP- should get on board the that Arroyo filed.  The City of Boston has over $1 billion invested in banks around the city.  I know — you find that hard to believe because you know how our fair city looks and operates, but it’s true.  You know what might make us look and work a little better?  If our small businesses could get loans from the banks where the City of Boston deposits its — our — money.  (Not) surprisingly, it is not an easy thing for a small business in Boston to get a loan, no matter how credit worthy.  To paraphrase the Vice President, that’s a big, fricking deal, especially for a community that prides itself on its small, local businesses.  Please stop reading right now and go call your city councilor and urge them to support this ordinance.  I’ll wait.

Okay then.  Felix Arroyo is a politician that is working for the improvement of the present and future Boston.  Importantly, he’s said on record that he believes the vision should come from his constituents. 

Someone who trusts people to come up with their own vision?  That’s a real leader, and that’s why he gets my vote.