Government

Read: New City Council President Andrea Campbell’s Inspiring Inaugural Speech

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District 4 City Council Andrea Campbell was unanimously chosen as the Boston City Council president on New Year's Day. Campbell is now the city council president in only her second term in office after being first elected to the council in 2015. District 4 primarily includes Dorchester and Mattapan, as well parts of Roslindale and a small part of Jamaica Plain. Below is Campbell's inaugural speech given during the Boston City Council's first meeting on New Year's Day:

Good afternoon! I want to welcome all of you -- family, friends, and guests -- to the Boston City Council chamber on this historic day in the city of Boston.

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Elections

Walsh Cruises to Second Term; Six Women Now on City Council

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As expected Mayor Martin Walsh easily defeated District 7 City Councilor Tito Jackson for a second term. But it was the Boston City Council races that were more interesting. Walsh took 65% of the vote to Jackson's 33%, according to unofficial results as of 10:30 pm on Tuesday. The only truly contested race in Jamaica Plain was the District 7 race (there's a little bit of District 7 in JP by Egleston Square). After a preliminary that had more than a dozen candidates Kim Janey and Rufus Faulk faced each other.

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Elections
Election Day, 2008, in JP, by Nick Sherman

Election Day on Tuesday: What You Need to Know

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What do you need to know about Tuesday's election? How about perhaps it's the sleepiest low-key election in Boston history? At least in the last 25 years. Boston Mayor Martin Walsh is expected to cruise past current District 7 City Councilor Tito Jackson in the mayoral race. In the September preliminary Walsh took more than 60% of votes and Jackson got 29%.

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Government

City Councilors to Massport and FAA: Plane Noise is ‘Unbearable’

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Much to the frustration of Jamaica Plain residents and those in other Boston neighborhoods, there has been a noticeable increase in airplane noise in recent months. Several Boston city councilors recently wrote a letter to the Federal Aviation Administration and Massport to express their own concerns, as well as their constituents' reported vexation. Seven city councilors representing Jamaica Plain, Hyde Park, Mattapan, Roslindale and West Roxbury penned the letter to Amy Lind Corbett, the regional administrator of the New England region for the FAA, and Thomas Glynn, CEO of Massport. "Nearly every morning, planes begin to fly overhead at or before 6 a.m. and often continue essentially non-stop for hours at a time. This can negatively impact an individual’s sleeping pattern, acuity, and quality of life," says the letter.

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Government

City Councilors: Employers Shouldn’t Use Credit Checks to Discriminate

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Two Boston City Councilors have proposed an ordinance to prevent employment discrimination based on credit checks. District 4 City Councilor Andrea Campbell and At-Large City Councilor Ayanna Pressley cosponsored the proposed ordinance that will be discussed on Sept. 29 in a public hearing. The current City of Boston Code protects people from being discriminated based on a host of things: race, sex, gender identity or expression, age, ability, national origin ancestry, religion, sexual orientation, parental status, ex-offender status, prior psychiatric treatment and military status. But some employers use credit checks as a determining factor to hire a possible employee. The ordinance states, "...individuals burdened with student loans, medical bills, or those who have been involved in the criminal justice system," are being adversely affected while seeking employment.

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