Age Strong Commission

Mayor Walsh: Here’s Why Boston Changed the Elderly Commission to the Age Strong Commission

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Boston has always been known as a strong city. A lot of our strength comes from our older residents, who represent a broad diversity of cultures and backgrounds, and who helped to make our city what it is today. That’s why we recently changed the name of the Elderly Commission to the Age Strong Commission. It better reflects the work we do, and the strong Bostonians we serve. We also launched the city’s first-ever Age Strong public awareness campaign.

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Boston Saves

Walsh: Saving For Your Child’s Future Can Be Overwhelming, But Boston Is Here to Help

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The start of kindergarten marks the beginning of a child’s educational future and here in Boston we believe nothing should hinder a child’s path to success. That’s why, in 2016, and in collaboration with Boston Public Schools, we launched Boston Saves as a three-year pilot program. Our goal was to build strong career pathways by helping families of BPS kindergarteners save money for their children’s college or career training. Throughout those three years, our efforts worked. We provided children’s savings accounts to 1,600 students from eleven BPS schools for a total of $80,000.

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Boston Public Schools

Walsh: Welcome Back, BPS!

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Yellow buses, backpacks and excited kids are here: it’s back to school season. We’re lucky to live in Boston, a city with some of the smartest people in the world. I have a message for all our students heading into school this fall: nobody’s education is more important than yours, because nobody has the potential to change the world like you do. I’m proud of how hard you work and how brave you are in the face of all your different challenges. I know that this school year will be full of new opportunities, and new ways to learn and grow.

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Development

Review of ZBA Announced After BPDA Employee Pleads Guilty to Bribery

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Boston Mayor Martin Walsh said that the city has hired a law firm to review how the Zoning Board of Appeals conducts business after a city employee pleaded guilty to accepting bribes to influence the ZBA. On August 30, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced that John M. Lynch, 66, a former Assistant Director of Real Estate at theEconomic Development Industrial Corporation (EDIC), a division of the Boston Planning and Development Agency (BPDA), pled guilty to accepting $50,000 in bribes from a Boston real estate developer. Lynch was supposed to use his official influence to secure a ZBA vote that favored the real estate developer on his federal tax return. The real estate development project was not in Jamaica Plain. Sullivan & Worcester LLP, a law firm outside of Boston, will conduct the review of the ZBA, starting with the rules and regulations in place that dictate how the board conducts business on behalf of residents, and those with matters before the board.

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Opinion

Mayor Walsh: How We’re Working to Ensure BPD Reflects and Serves Our Neighborhoods

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Last month, we welcomed the Boston Police Academy's newest recruits. These men and women had spent the last six months learning to serve and protect the people of Boston with the highest standards of excellence and professionalism. As each recruit crossed the stage, they stopped to shake hands with me and Commissioner Gross. It was a powerful experience meeting each and every new member of our city’s police department, which is the oldest — and the best — in the nation. Among these recruits are veterans, former teachers, and youth sports coaches.

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Opinion

Mayor Walsh: How We’re Investing in Jamaica Plain

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Here in Jamaica Plain, we’re making investments across a wide range of projects, including parks and open space, streets and transportation, our schools’ infrastructure, and our delivery of city services. Every spring, we release our Capital Investment Plan which funds the critical improvements to our infrastructure and facilities in Boston over a five-year period. It is a reflection of our priorities, and is guided by the voices of over 15,000 residents who offered input for our citywide plan, Imagine Boston 2030. Our Capital Plan funds the essentials of community life -- our schools, streets, libraries, and parks, including climate and resilience projects. It’s a commitment to all those who call Boston home and to our future generations.

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City Services

Boston City Hall Now Has Public Lactation Room for Anyone to Use

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Boston City Hall now has a public lactation room available to anyone looking for privacy to breastfeed or pump while at City Hall. The free lactation room is in the main lobby on the third floor, adjacent to the south elevators. It is open for use during regular business hours. "At Boston City Hall and throughout our city, we need to ensure there are resources and support for parents, and I'm proud this new resource will be available to all at City Hall," said Mayor Marty Walsh via press release. "We look forward to continuing our work supporting parents and children throughout Boston, building resource for those who are raising the next generation of Bostonians."

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Opinion
Boston Mayor Marty Walsh

Mayor Walsh: How We’re Creating More Affordable Housing

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Boston is going through a period of historic growth -- the kind our city hasn’t seen in decades. More people are choosing to put down roots and start families here. More businesses are choosing to open their doors here. Students from all over the world come to attend our universities and colleges each year. As Boston grows, we must keep our focus on the families and communities that make our our city the diverse, welcoming and world-class place it is.

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Opinion
Boston Mayor Marty Walsh

Mayor Walsh: Recovery is Personal to Me — And to All of Us

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Early on in my first campaign for mayor, I realized I had to be open about my recovery from alcoholism. I had been working on addiction prevention and recovery issues for my entire 16 years in the State Legislature, and I knew I wanted to make it a priority for the city if I were elected. But my friends in the recovery community encouraged me to also tell my own story, as a way of breaking down stigma and bringing hope to people suffering from substance use disorders and their families. So I did, and the response was, and still is, profound. Connecting with people in recovery, talking to young people about their choices and their challenges, having people approach me quietly, after an event, about a struggling family member -- these are among my most meaningful experiences as mayor.

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From the Community

Applications Wanted for 2019 Boston Cultural Council Organizational Grants

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Applications for the 2019 Boston Cultural Council Organizational Grants are now open. Building on Mayor Walsh’s commitment to expanding and supporting arts in Boston, this year’s round of funding marks the largest ever and totals nearly $500,000 available to arts organizations. The grants are a partnership by the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture, the Boston Cultural Council (BCC) and the Mass Cultural Council (MCC). “Boston is home to so many great arts organizations who are making significant impacts on our communities with their programming,” said Mayor Walsh via press release. “I am so proud that we are able to support their efforts through these grants, and I can’t wait to see the variety of arts opportunities that each neighborhood takes advantage of in 2019.”
The BCC works under the umbrella of the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture and distributes funds annually from the city of Boston and Mass Cultural Council that support innovative arts, humanities, and interpretive sciences programming with the goal of enhancing the quality of life in Boston.

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