A New Boss For Boston

Despite the dense fog that hung over the city, the vision of Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh remained clear as he assumed the city’s highest-ranking office. “I will listen. I will learn. I will lead,” he said during his Jan. 6 inauguration speech at Boston College’s Conte Forum.Speaking before a crowd of more than 8,000 people, Walsh expressed the need for more jobs, boosting the economy, tighter gun control as well as “increasing transparency in city government.” As the era of outgoing Mayor Thomas M. Menino came to a close after 20 years on the fifth floor of City Hall, Walsh pointed out that Boston is “a city of high achievement and creative genius” and a place where dreams can become reality. “If you doubt any of that, look at this kid from Taft Street in Dorchester who’s now the mayor of this great city,” he said. “I know my mother’s not the only one surprised to see me standing up here.”Although public safety continues to improve each year, the new mayor explained that Boston is still marred by “senseless violence” that resulted in 40 homicides in 2013. “As Acting Police Commissioner Evans said the other day, 40 homicides still represents 40 grieving mothers too many,” he said. Therefore, Walsh vowed to make violent crime reduction his top priority by meeting with city officials following the inauguration.  In response to the city’s housing situation, Walsh said he was impressed when 1,000 people came out in the snow last month to attend his town hall meeting at Roxbury Community College to voice their concerns and possible solutions. Therefore, his administration will use the ideas from the meeting and develop a survey that will be administered by the Boston Housing Authority next month. Walsh explained that the survey will give city leaders a clearer understanding of the needs of senior citizens and those living with disabilities. “We know we’ve got to find new options for creating more housing for seniors in the wake of deep federal budget cutbacks,” he said.       Regarding education, Walsh applauded the efforts of Madison Park High School in Roxbury. He said that through its partnership with Roxbury Community College, Madison Park “is being transformed into a world‐class career and technical school.” However, Walsh explained that such innovation cannot be limited and must be present in every classroom. “We are known the world over for our great colleges and universities,” he said. “It’s time we had a world‐class public school system too.” Walsh added that he plans to work with the School Committee and Acting Superintendent John McDonough to implement a Performance Audit to determine how the city’s education funding is being used in each school. “Education spending is the biggest piece of our city budget,” he said. “Every dollar we spend on education must be put to the best and most effective use.”According to the Office of Budget Management, $937.4 million (36 percent) of Boston’s FY14 budget is earmarked for education, an increase of $56.2 million over last year. On the job front, the mayor explained that he will revivify the Main Streets Program and create business districts in each of the city’s 23 neighborhoods. “We have to make clear to everyone that Boston is open for business,” said Walsh.