Bay State Banner 10-30-14

Page 1

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT Officials mark 375th year of America’s first public school ...... pg. 2

Goya................ pg. 21 FREE

Thursday • October 30, 2014 • www.baystatebanner.com

FREE

Baker finding traction with urban voters Yawu Miller

Gubernatorial candidates Martha Coakley and Charlie Baker pause for a moment of prayer before a Greater Boston Interfaith Organi ation forum at the ourth Presbyterian Church in South Boston. Also pictured are ev. Burns Stanfield and Su an l ayess. (Banner photo)

Coakley, Democrats make appeals to party’s loyal base Yawu Miller Democrats in Massachusetts are pulling out all the stops in Attorney General Martha Coakley’s bid for the governor’s office. She’s received endorsements from black and Latino elected officials from New Bedford to Lawrence. Last week, Coakley shared the stage with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at the Park Plaza Hotel, rallied labor supporters with Mayor Martin Walsh at the IBEW Local 103 hall in Dorchester and dispatched volunteers to knock on more than 72,000 doors and make more than 63,000 phone calls, according a Coakley campaign press release. Sunday, during a Greater

Boston Interfaith Organization forum in South Boston, Coakley defined herself as the anti-corporate candidate in the race, defining her terms in office as attorney general by her willingness to take on the banks that foreclosed on Massachusetts homeowners. “They got bailed out,” she said of the banks. “We did not. And we’re still bailing ourselves out in Massachusetts.” While Republican candidate Charlie Baker defines himself as a government reformer, Coakley has been defending the record of Gov. Deval Patrick and pledging to continue his agenda of public investment. “I think things need to get better,” she said. “I don’t think

they need fixing. I think we need to invest in people.” With the latest Boston Globe poll showing Coakley trailing Baker by nine percentage points, Coakley and her supporters are focused on rallying the traditional Democratic base of progressives, people of color and urban voters. In Roxbury, volunteers are knocking on doors, dropping literature and phone banking, according to Ward 12 Democratic Committee co-Chairwoman Victoria Williams. “Going into the next week, it’s going to be non-stop,” Williams said. “Our goal is to increase turnout. It’s always a struggle when it’s not Barack Obama or Deval Coakley, continued to page 11

Gov. Deval Patrick, cast a vote for the Republican? On a walk-through in Mattapan “Me and my wife haven’t deSquare Sunday, gubernatorial can- cided yet,” said McClean, now the didate Charlie Baker toured local head of the National Association of businesses with a handful of sup- Social Workers. porters and reporters in tow. Still, Baker’s frequent visits to On display was Baker’s easy-go- businesses, bars and restaurants in ing rapport with voters. Report- Roxbury, Dorchester and Matttaers leaned in to hear Baker’s con- pan make good optics for a camversations with shop owners, who paign that has effectively re-shaped discussed the challenges of doing the candidate’s images from the business in Mattapan square, and fiery Republican who channeled with shoppers. white male anger against the PatNo Republican gubernatorial rick administration in the 2010 candidate in recent memory has race to today’s Baker, who’s as at spent as much time campaign- home pouring beers for patrons ing in Boston’s of the L Street black comTavern as he is munity as has debating CoakBaker, who has ley on state toured Grove policy in nuHall, opened an “How have things been merous candioffice on Blue for the last seven or dates forums. Hill Avenue Sunday afin Dorchester eight years? Do you ternoon, during and attended really think things are a Greater numerous paBoston Interrades, festivals going better?” faith Orgaand community — Charlie Baker nization guevents. bernatorial And alforum in South though DemBoston, Baker ocratic candiand Coakley date Martha listened to a Coakley has made similar cam- woman tell the story of losing her paign stops (she was in Mattapan husband in a shooting, then were Square with state reps. Russell asked to pledge their support for Holmes and Dan Cullinane before anti-gun violence initiatives. the primary), the 6'6" Republican When called to speak, Baker seems to garner more attention. strode past the podium and gave The question remains, though, the woman a hug — a simple geswill Baker garner more votes than ture of compassion that made for the 3–5 percent Republicans typi- great optics. When Coakley’s turn cally get in Boston’s predominantly to speak came, she too hugged the black precincts. woman, but Baker had already beat At America’s Food Basket, a her to the punch. chance encounter with former DeThroughout the campaign partment of Children and Families Baker has seized opportunities to Commissioner Angelo McClain connect with voters one-on-one — yielded a cordial conversation. But a strategy that seems to be at least Baker, continued to page 14 would McClain, who served under

City hosts summit on lead paint danger Sandra Larson Massachusetts law dictates that any housing unit inhabited by children under age 6 must be safe from lead-based paint hazards. That means that if the building was built before 1978, the year lead paint was banned in the U.S., the owner must have it inspected and deleaded if children or pregnant women live there, or provide certification that there is no lead present. In addition, fair housing laws prohibit owners from refusing to rent to families just because they

have young children. While the laws are aimed at both protecting children and guaranteeing families equal access to housing, results are not always as intended. Not only are children continuing to be exposed to lead, families are illegally steered away from apartments that may contain lead. The health and discriminatory impacts of lead paint were addressed at a city-sponsored daylong “lead summit” last week that drew together city and state officials, academic experts and stakeholders lead summit, continued to page 26

A panel of fair housing experts discusses discriminatory ads posted by landlords seeking to deter families with children and avoid deleading. (l-r) Barbara Chandler of the Metropolitan Boston Housing Partnership; William Berman of Suffolk University Law School; John Smith, of the Fair Housing Center of Greater Boston; and Jamie Williamson of Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination. Not shown: Nancy Schlacter of the Cambridge Human Rights Commission; (Banner photo)

VOTE NOVEMBER 4TH Find more information at www.wheredoivotema.com


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.
Bay State Banner 10-30-14 by Banner Publications Inc. - Issuu