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Ideas, collaboration abound for Dudley innovation space .... pg. 3

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Advocates call for continuity at DCF Yawu Miller

Attorney General Martha Coakley celebrates her victory in the Democratic primary, joined by U.S. Rep. Katherine Clark and Gov. Deval Patrick. (Banner photo)

Ground game was key to Coakley’s narrow victory Yawu Miller There were no surprises when the results of the Sept. 9 primary began scrolling across the giant television displays and tiny smart phone screens at the Fairmount Copley Plaza Hotel. Attorney General Martha Coakley’s 20point lead in the polls had shrunk to just six points, but it was enough to defeat Democratic rival and State Treasurer Steve Grossman.

Coakley won 228,000 of 539,000 votes cast statewide in the gubernatorial race. While her vote total exceeded the entire turnout in the Republican primary — 156,000 — Republican nominee Charlie Baker is expected to draw votes from many Democrats and

independent voters in the Nov. 4 election. Coakley won with just 42 percent of the Democratic vote.

As the New Hope Baptist Church band broke into the Kool & the Gang anthem Celebration Tuesday night, a stream of Democratic bigwigs took to the stage in the main ballroom, warming up for Coakley’s victory speech.

With just eight weeks to mobilize a voter base widely seen as disengaged, the party leaders emphasized the hard work before them.

“Fifty-six days from today, Martha Coakley will be elected to be the next governor of Massachusetts,” former Massachusetts Democratic Party Chairman John Walsh said. “We’re going to do it in the grassroots, one-to-one,

neighbor-to-neighbor, face-toface.”

Two major players in the Democrats’ voter mobilization plan were on the stage with Coakley: SEIU 1199 Executive Vice President Veronica Turner and SEIU 32BJ area leader Roxana Rivera.

Turner, who gave the opening speech Tuesday night, told the Banner that Coakley’s success will hinge on her ability to mobilize disaffected voters.

“She needs to hone her messaging around an economy that works for all,” Turner said. “She has to do a lot of work around energizing her base, and she has to highlight the differences she has with Charlie Baker.”

Coakley, continued to page 18

Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

DCF assigns social workers The state’s child welfare agency to families with children deemed is underfunded, its case workers to be at risk of abuse. When asare over-extended and the chil- signed to work with a child, DCF dren in the system are at risk of social workers will either profalling through the cracks, accord- vide services to help the child or ing to a report commissioned by remove the child from his or her The Boston Foundation. home and place the child in foster The report released last week care. While there has been much outlined best practices for child attention focused on the plight of welfare agencies, calling on the children in the wake of the Oliver Department of Children and case, Andy Pond, President of Families to incorporate real-time the Justice Resource Institute, inputting of data, invest more in said policymakers should look middle management and work at the broader societal problems with other agencies to provide that push children into the DCF services to parcaseload — adents of childiction, povdren involved erty, gambling, in DCF. “If you fund the agency j o b l e s s n e s s , The silver domestic violining at the well, children are going lence.

DCF may be to die. If you fund the “All these that high-prothings put file failures of agency poorly — and kids in a place t h e s y s t e m , we fund these agencies where they are like the death at risk,” he said. of four-year- poorly — more children “The place old Jeremiah will die.” where it all Oliver last year lands is in the — Paul Barrett lap of DCF.” while under Department of In the wake Children and of the Jeremiah Families suOliver case, pervision, draw attention to the the Legislature approved a $25 agency and provide an opportu- million funding increase for DCF, nity for substantive change, child bringing the agency’s budget to welfare specialists say. $779 million. The agency hired In a conference at The Boston 200 new social workers, but lost Foundation last week, a group of some to attrition, bringing its net specialists shared ideas about how personnel gain to 142. best to approach reforms at DCF But with increased rates of as officials appointed during Gov. joblessness, substance abuse and Deval Patrick’s administration other issues that affect families, prepare to transfer the agency to the number of children under new leadership. the care of DCF has increased. In “I think what we can do is come the last year alone, the number of up with overarching principles DCF caseworkers with caseloads and develop plans to move those of more than 20 children has inprinciples forward,” said Gail Dil- creased from 187 workers to DCF, continued to page 18 linger, the Child Advocate for the

MP headmaster exit caps troubled week Sandra Larson As if Madison Park Technical Vocational High School hadn’t had enough turmoil already this year, the Boston Public School department announced over the weekend that Headmaster Diane Ross Gary had resigned.

Gary’s departure came after a spate of problems at the school, including a late rush to fill some 60 vacant staff positions in August and an opening week in which many students had no class schedules in

place, sparking student protests.

The announcement, sent to reporters and posted on the BPS website and Twitter Saturday night, said Gary has been “fully dedicated to the success of Madison Park” but that “transforming Madison Park must always be about much more than one person or one incident. It is about establishing a culture of excellence and distinction.”

Al Holland, a retired BPS headmaster who has led the Jeremiah E. Burke High school and the Health headmaster, continued to page 14

Students arrived at Madison Park Technical Vocational School on Monday after a week roiled by schedule problems, student protests and the resignation of the school’s headmaster.

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2 • Thursday, September 18, 2014• BAY STATE BANNER

Blue Hill Ave street fair promises fun, community Sandra Larson On the afternoon of Sept. 28, a stretch of Blue Hill Avenue will be closed to cars and transformed into an open-air community block party for all ages, featuring live music, improvisational theater, pop-up cafes, local vendors and entrepreneurs, cooking demonstrations and civic dialogues.

Planners for this year’s Circle the City – Blue Hill Avenue event say they aim to expand on last year’s wildly successful party that attracted 90 organizations and more than 6,000 attendees.

“Last year was like the preparty, and now it’s the real deal,” said Latifa Ziyad, who worked on the event last year as part of the Mayor’s Blue Hill Avenue Neighborhood Response Team, and has returned as a volunteer outreach coordinator for this year’s event.

“It was a perfect day. The whole street was aglow,” she continued. “I don’t call it a block party — I call it a four-hour urban utopia. That’s what we created.”

Last year’s “pre-party” was no small event. Thousands of people from the neighborhood and beyond spent the afternoon dancing and playing tennis in the street, browsing a display of historical photographs of Blue Hill Avenue in its heyday, sampling food, participating in an interfaith dialogue and even having their hair done by stylists from local

salons who pulled their chairs outdoors for the event.

Ziyad said a two-year survey by a partnership of city agencies had shown that there was a desire among people in the neighborhood to get to know each other and their local businesses. Meanwhile, the neighborhood-based Sustainability Guild was working to bring green space and healthy programming to blighted, unused vacant lots along Blue Hill Avenue. When the Emerald Necklace Conservancy reached out in 2013 to the Sustainability Guild to work on Circle the City, it turned into a “perfect storm” of interest from varied community players, Ziyad said.

“I had never seen so many people play together, with such purpose, in all my years of growing up in Roxbury,” she recalled.

“It was not only about having fun.

It was not frivolous. It really had meaning.”

Circle the City began in 2012, part of Boston’s Open Streets Initiative that aims to draw people outdoors for healthy and fun activity on safe, car-free streets.

The first year saw open-air events in several locations, including Franklin Park and the Rose Kennedy Greenway. In 2013, events took place on Blue Hill Avenue and Huntington Avenue.

While the initiative originally centered on local parks — the Emerald Necklace Conservancy

is one of the lead nonprofit organizations involved — last year’s Blue Hill Avenue street festival was so successful that for 2014, ENC decided to direct all its funding from lead sponsor Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts to a single festival, on Blue Hill Avenue.

“That event on Sept. 29, 2013 was the most transformational and inspiring of all the Circle the City events we had run,” said Julie Crockford, president of the Emerald Necklace Conservancy.

“The day was a perfect fall day, the crowds were enthusiastic and the energy was 150 percent posi-

tive. It showed us the Boston we all want to live in.”

Besides ENC and Sustainability Guild, organizations leading this year’s event are Boston Collaborative for Food and Fitness, LivableStreets Alliance, Boston Cyclists Union, Nuestra Comunidad CDC, Project R.I.G.H.T. and the city’s Boston Bikes program.

New at Circle the City this year will be an innovation and technology section, a “breaking bread/ food for thought” area, a new vendor marketplace, and an expanded faith-focused component.

Sustainability Guild Founder and CEO Jhana Senxian said they are seeking people to be volunteers and community ambassadors, both in advance and on the day of the event. More than anything, Senxian wants people to show up and bring friends and family. She hopes to see many artists in attendance.

“This is a about a strong, re-

silient, collaborative community,” she said. “We want to champion the talents and skills already in our community.”

Planning for Circle the City 2014 has been underway since last year, and the excitement is now coming to a head.

“We’ve been birthing this baby for at least nine months,” Ziyad said. “And now, we’re starting to have those aches and pains. We’re due in two weeks!”

Circle the City will be held on Blue Hill Avenue between Dudley and Warren Streets on Sunday, Sept. 28 from 1–5 pm. For more information, call 617-522-2700 or see http://www.emeraldnecklace.org/res toration/circle-the-city.

Continue to meditate.

Through meditation, keep climbing higher.

O courageous soul, have no fear.

O dear one, complete your sadhana with a brave heart.

— Swami Muktananda

Last year’s Circle in the City drew more than 6,000 people of all ages to Blue Hill Avenue. (Photo courtesy of Sustainability Guild)

Thursday, September 18, 2014• BAY STATE BANNER • 3

Ideas, collaboration abound for Dudley innovation space Yawu Miller Two months ago, the Boston Redevelopment Authority issued a request for ideas for a business innovation center in the new Bruce C. Bolling Municipal Building in Dudley Square. In a meeting Monday, there was no shortage of ideas.

A program to teach court-involved youth to write code and build web pages would team up and share space with programs for teens who produce music and teens who produce documentaries. An innovation center would build capacity for one of Rox-

bury’s most abundant business types — home-based day care centers. An international network of universities developing an online learning platform would share its technological innovations with the Boston Public Schools — slated to move into the Bruce C. Bolling Municipal Building — and with local colleges.

While one respondent to the request for ideas simply shared ideas, and not a proposal, the other 15 who presented were eyeing the 4,500 square feet the city has set aside in the new building to site their ambitious plans. The BRA will release a request for proposals

Economic Development Chief John Barros leads questions and answers while prospective Dudley Innovation Center operator David Delmar looks on. (Banner photo)

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in two weeks, opening the doors for a formal submission of plans for the innovation space.

City officials used Monday’s meeting, which was held at the Orchard Gardens K-8 School, to help determine the direction for the innovation space.

“This conversation will be helpful as we determine what will be in the RFP,” noted John Barros, the city’s chief of economic development.

The respondents, too, used the forum to hone their ideas. Some explored partnering with others to make a joint bid for the space, including Resilient Coders principal David Delmar, who proposed teaming up with PressPass TV’s bid to create a Boston Center for Media Arts and Technology.

When an audience member asked Delmar why he focused on youth, he indicated he would be open to working with adults as well.

Workbar, which operates work spaces where entrepreneurs rent desks, office space and conference rooms in South Station and Central Square, was part of a super-group of the respondents, joining forces with Future Boston Alliance, Babson’s Women Innovating Now Lab and BUILD, a program that provides high school students with entrepreneurial skills.

The group would provide renters in the Dudley space with access to the other Workbar locations,

SkyLab principal Brigitte Wallace delivers a presentation while team members Al Willis and Arlene Spence look on. (Banner photo) potentially providing them with access to 750 other entrepreneurs who use Workbar. They also propose teaming up with the Boston Workers Alliance, Nuestra Comunidad Community Development Corporation and Roxbury Community College to provide community programming in the space, including classes for small business owners and networking events.

Another group, the Dudley Vision SkyLab, proposed renting workspace, providing business education programming and running a business incubation program aimed at local Roxbury residents.

“It’s been a long time coming, but change is coming to Roxbury,” said Dudley SkyLab proponent Bridgette Wallace. “We want to make sure that the heart of Rox-

bury — the people — are part of this change.”

Barros said Monday’s forum gave the BRA good ideas to incorporate into its RFP. “There are a lot of amazing ideas here,” he said. “We want to make sure that this energy can be captured, to make sure this happens. People are forming new partnerships. People are shifting their ideas based on the comments they’re receiving.”

Barros also stressed that the city is working with property owners in Dudley Square about providing space for startups.

“If you don’t end up in the innovation space, there’s a potential for you to end up in another space in the square,” he told the respondents.

4 • Thursday, September 18, 2014 • BAY STATE BANNER

Established 1965

Equality still a challenge after 40 years of busing Commitment to racial and religious equality is a difficult concept for people to embrace. In the nation’s Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson wrote “we hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal.” Yet Jefferson relied upon a staff of slaves to run his farm.

Although Boston was a major abolitionist center, citizens battled over public school desegregation only 40 years ago.

Fortunately, President Abraham Lincoln recognized that slavery was inconsistent with the principle of equality, and ratification of the 13th Amendment in 1865 rendered that practice unconstitutional. However, the elimination of slavery did not take the nation all the way to equality. Segregation was still permissible. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Plessy v. Ferguson just 31 years later in 1896 that state-sanctioned segregation was constitutional as long as the facilities were equal.

The concept was that there could be no discrimination in the segregation. The facilities for blacks should be of equal quality to those for whites. This result was readily achieved in the Plessy case which involved segregated railroad cars. Clearly, railroad cars could be indistinguishable from one another except for the race of their occupants.

Not every situation is quite so fungible. Plaintiff’s lawyers in Brown v. Board of Education were able to establish that all classrooms were not identical. They also established that the authority of the state to segregate by race created for blacks a sense of inferiority that could be academically damaging.

The 1954 decision in the Brown case made legally imposed school segregation unconstitutional but just as important, it also destroyed the legal foundation for the Plessy case which had been legally effective for 58 years.

The issue of school segregation had been resolved in Boston even before passage of the 13th Amendment. Blacks had established their own schools to avoid mistreatment in the public schools that were open to them. Then Benjamin Roberts challenged the Boston School Committee to provide access of black students to any conveniently located public school. The Boston School Committee rejected the request so Roberts appealed to

the Supreme Judicial Court. The case of Sarah C. Roberts v. City of Boston was denied in 1849.

Roberts’ supporters then petitioned the Legislature to reverse that opinion. In Chapter 256 of the laws of 1855, a law was passed that made it a civil offense to exclude any child from public school because of race, color or religion, and it provided damages to prospective students for any violation of the rule.

So the Massachusetts Legislature desegregated the schools 10 years before slavery became unconstitutional everywhere in the nation and almost a century before the decision in Brown v. Board of Education. Again in 1965 the state Legislature passed the Racial Imbalance Act requiring school districts to integrate any school more than 50 percent black or lose state aid for education.

Boston’s public schools had become racially imbalanced by fiat of the school committee. When the committee was unresponsive to the urging to desegregate by blacks in the community, the Boston chapter of the NAACP filed suit on March 14, 1972. The case of Morgan v. Hennigan was eventually won by the plaintiffs on June 21, 1974.

A defiantly hostile school committee refused to accept the court’s decision and cooperate to establish a satisfactory process to comply with the order of the court. Judge W. Arthur Garrity had no choice but to take control of the school system and implement a procedure that did not require the school committee’s support. It was actually white intransigence that created the necessity of imposing busing.

When busing began in 1974, 65 percent of public school students were white, as were 95 percent of teachers and administrators. Black protestors were less concerned about the racial mix in the classrooms as they were about the ethnic identity of teachers and administrators. Blacks demanded integration in the classroom primarily to prevent assignment of black students to deteriorating school buildings while white students went to more modern facilities.

Now, after 40 years of busing, one wonders whether Boston residents have finally matured enough to accept the principal of racial and religious equality.

LETTERSto the Editor

Gentrification not necessarily a black/white issue

In the article on gentrification last week, the Banner noted that Roxbury’s white population has been rising, and tied that fact to the process of gentrification. It’s not so simple. What the Banner failed to note, however, is that at least some of those whites are not moving into high-priced single family homes.

There is a growing white population in sober homes, group care homes and on the streets of Dudley Square. That population is not at all indicative of rising real estate costs, rising rents or anything rising in Roxbury.

Walk down Washington Street between Cedar Street and Dudley Square and at any time of the day you’ll see people walking from the so-called sober homes there to the nearest liquor store.

Most of them aren’t black.

Addiction has no color. Neither does gentrification. Wealthy blacks who are

WHAT’S INSIDE

the city, or in this region.

Seeing old-time Roxbury residents forced out because of high rents is not easy. There’s no easy answer as to how to protect people from rent increases, short of rent control, which the City Council rejected more than once. But Roxbury can’t remain a black neighborhood forever. No place ever has. Not the back side of Beacon Hill, not the South End and not even Harlem, NY.

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buying homes in Roxbury are no less culpable of displacing their working class brethren.

Any time a well-to-do black couple buys a multi-family home in Roxbury for $500,000 or more, the rents are going to go up so that couple can pay the mortgage on their new home. And if people from Roxbury don’t want to pay $1,800 for a two-bedroom apartment, there are plenty of people from outside the community who will. Gladly. Rents and real estate in Roxbury aren’t cheap. But they’re a bit cheaper than elsewhere in

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Thursday, September 18, 2014 • BAY STATE BANNER • 5

ROVINGCamera

OPINION The red flag flies high again on prosecution in Brown slaying Earl Ofari Hutchinson A little over a year ago the debate was fierce over whether Florida state prosecutor Angela “Tough on Crime” Corey assigned to prosecute George Zimmerman for killing Trayvon Martin would dump the case. There was good reason for the debate. Zimmerman was not a police officer. But he was seen as the next best or worst thing to it since he had close ties with law enforcement and was a one-time neighborhood watch patrol officer. This automatically bestowed on him the shield that cops have from any charges of misconduct especially in cases where the victims of their misconduct are young African Americans or Hispanics.

The rest of course is history. Zimmerman walked in part because a jury believed his fairy tale that he was the victim of a Martin attack. But in larger part because prosecutors put up an inept, feeble, and bumbling prosecution that again reconfirmed the nightmare fear that the rare times that cops are prosecuted for deadly force and the victims look like Martin bad things almost always happen.

A year later the red flag that flew high with prosecutors in cop cases is flying even higher in the Michael Brown slaying. The instant that the call on whether to prosecute Brown’s killer, Ferguson police officer, Darren Wilson would be made by the hard-nosed St. Louis County prosecutor Robert McCullough who has a well-worn record of refusal to prosecute any officers who have been involved in dubious, even outrageous killings of mostly unarmed black suspects, the screams were loud for a special prosecutor. This hasn’t happened. Missouri Governor Jay Nixon emphatically said no. This could be subject to change but it would take the near miracle of smoking-gun evidence that Brown was killed with absolutely no justification or provocation and the dogged refusal of McCullough to prosecute.

The reason for McCullough’s foot drag on or outright refusal to prosecute Wilson strikes to the heart of why he and other prosecutors either won’t prosecute officers or invariably blow the case against them the rare times they do. More than a decade ago the There is also no U.S. Civil Rights Commission in its ironclad standard of landmark study, “Who’s Guarding what is or isn’t an the Guardians,” of the conduct of police and prosecutors in civil rights acceptable use of force cases, told exactly why. It cited the in police misconduct traditionally close relationship be- cases. It often comes tween district or county attorneys down to a judgment and police officers, who usually work together to prosecute criminals, the call by the officer. difficulties they have in convincing grand juries and trial juries that a police officer did not merely make an understandable mistake, but committed a crime; and the lack of information about cases that could be prosecuted or systems for reviewing possibly prosecutable cases.

These towering barriers have been glaringly evident in the Brown slaying. Wilson was put on pro forma paid leave, the Ferguson police chief released potentially damaging information about an alleged Brown heist at a convenience store, rallies were held and hundreds of thousands of dollars were raised in Wilson’s defense. And in the flood of news stories about the killing, Wilson has been depicted as a hardworking, model cop. There is also no ironclad standard of what is or isn’t an acceptable use of force in police misconduct cases. It often comes down to a judgment call by the officer. In the Rodney King beating case in 1992 in which four LAPD officers stood trial, defense attorneys painted King as the aggressor and claimed that the level of force used against him was justified. This pattern has been evident in a number of celebrated cases since then.

There’s yet another horrific fact about these cases. That’s the call for a special prosecutor who will take the case out of local police friendly prosecutors and can be independent, and objective. Corey was a good example of where even that can go terribly wrong. She was the special prosecutor appointed to prosecute Zimmerman. But again the U.S. Civil Rights Commission noted that the appointment of a special prosecutor does not guarantee that police officers accused of wrongdoing will be prosecuted and ultimately punished. In many cases, the special prosecutor is another county or district attorney selected from a neighboring jurisdiction that may be subject to the same biases and partiality as the original prosecutor. The Commission cites numerous examples where special prosecutors have been appointed in high profile cases to eliminate real or perceived bias by local prosecutors for the defendants yet the prosecution has still failed to get a conviction.

In October, a grand jury supposedly will make the call whether to indict Wilson on charges in the Brown killing. Barring a dramatic development in the case, it will be up to McCullough to ask for an indictment and to supply evidence that will support an indictment. This is usually a mere formality and prosecutors get the green light to go forward. But this can’t happen if no case is presented in the first place, and given McCullough’s track record and the past history of these cases, the odds are long that Wilson won’t spend a day in criminal court. This is why the red flag flies high again on prosecution in the Brown slaying.

Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst.

The Banner welcomes your opinion. Email Op-Ed submissions to:

yawu@bannerpub.com Letters must be signed. Names may be withheld upon request.

What do you think is the importance of having integrated schools?

I think kids get a more wellrounded experience in integrated classrooms. But the reason behind busing was to have equal access to good schools and resources.

Russell Glover Plumber Roxbury

It’s important. It teaches kids tolerance and gives them an understanding of other cultures and different ways of being.

Kendra Calloway Event Manager Dorchester

Integration is good, but the thing that’s important is for the kids to go to school in their own neighborhood.

Marshall Cooper Retired Dorchester

It’s very important. It’s good for kids to interact with kids from other backgrounds.

Angie Cruz Cook Dorchester

INthe news

Jerome Smith

Mayor Martin J. Walsh appointed Jerome Smith chief of Civic Engagement for the City of Boston. The newly-created position is reflective of Walsh’s goals to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of city services, as well as create opportunities for Boston residents to participate with local government. Current Deputy Director Daniel R. Manning will assume the role of chief of staff for the Civic Engagement cabinet.

“Jerome joined our administration in May, and in his role within Neighborhood Services, he has shown great leadership and creative thought in how we approach serving the public,” Walsh said. “Both Jerome and Dan have a broad understanding of how we impact every aspect of the lives of our residents.

We have a great opportunity here to apply our innovation philosophy to the way we engage residents, and I’m excited to execute our shared vision.”

“One of the strongest messages

from the Walsh administration has been that Boston is a city of neighborhoods, with each neighborhood presenting unique challenges and powerful assets to the table,” said Smith. “Supporting greater involvement in our communities will only serve to strengthen the fabric of Boston. I’m grateful to Mayor Walsh for this opportunity.”

As chief of Civic Engagement, Smith will advise the mayor on efforts to preserve and enhance the quality of services delivered

I think integration and diversity are good things. And the schools should have equal resources. We want our kids to excel and we have to give them the resources they need.

Thomas Flynt

Retired Court Officer Roxbury

It’s very important. Kids should go to school with kids from all types of backgrounds. It broadens their perspective.

Raphael Gonzales Hospitality Cambridge

to residents, including overseeing Mayor Walsh’s Civic Academies and Neighborhood Engagement Walks Boston, developing neighborhood partnerships, resolving problems related to code enforcement, managing the Mayor’s 24hour Constituent Service Hotline and Neighborhood Coordinators, and spearheading Mayor Walsh’s Problem Properties Task Force.

In his former position as director of the Office of Neighborhood Services, Smith managed the neighborhood coordinators, helping to facilitate the delivery of services in collaboration with city departments. Prior to joining the Walsh administration, Smith served as chief of staff to Senate President Therese Murray, responsible for all aspects of management within the Massachusetts Senate.

Smith previously served as a neighborhood liaison to the LBGT community under the office of former Mayor Thomas M. Menino, and as the chief of staff for former City Councilor Michael P. Ross.

6 • Thursday, September 18, 2014• BAY STATE BANNER

Blacks, Latinos see gains in Democratic primary Yawu Miller Suffolk County Sheriff Steve Tompkins and former City Councilor Felix D. Arroyo both handily won election to Sheriff and Register of Probate, Tompkins with 61 percent of the vote in a three-way race and Arroyo with 50 percent of the vote in a four-way race.

In a low-turnout primary, Tompkins’ 31,080 votes and Arroyo’s 27,802 were impressive figures for the candidates, both of whom are running for county government for the first time. Tompkins was appointed sheriff by Gov. Deval Patrick in 2013.

The Massachusetts Black and Latino Legislative Caucus has two new members. Jose Tosado, a former Springfield City Council member and mayoral candidate, prevailed in a three-way race for the 9th Hampden District seat, which opened up after incumbent Rep. Sean Curran declined to run

for reelection.

In the 10th Hampden District seat, which opened after 15-year incumbent Cheryl Coakley Rivera announced she would not seek re-election, Carlos Gonzalez, president of the Massachusetts Latino Chamber of Commerce, won with 42 percent of the vote against Springfield City Councilor Melvin Edwards and social worker Ivette Hernandez.

With the addition of the 9th Hampden seat, there are now seven Latinos in the Legislature.

Of the six blacks in the Legislature, Sen. Linda Dorcena Forry is Haitian American and Rep. Evandro Carvalho is Cape Verdean. Also in the Legislature, though not in the Black and Latino Caucus, is Cape Verdean-born Vinny deMacedo, a Republican, bringing the number of Cape Verdeans serving in the House to two for the first time. deMacedo is running for the Senate seat soon to be vacated by Senate President Therese Murray.

While the House and Senate certainly have the most diverse memberships in their history, with three Asian American representatives, there are just 15 people of color serving out of 40 senators and 160 representatives. Despite the fact that nearly 20 percent of the state’s population is made up of people of color, just 7.5 percent of the seats in the Legislature are held by people of color.

In the current election cycle,

black and Latino candidates made several unsuccessful attempts to win additional seats.

In the 2nd Essex and Middlesex Senate District, Lawrence School Committee member Pavel Payano won the Lawrence vote, but lost to former state Rep. Barbara L’Italien, who won the vote in Andover, Dracut and Tewksbury. Lower voter turnout in Lawrence undercut Payano’s spirited campaign, noted Massachusetts Latino Democratic Caucus Co-Chairwoman Ileana Cintron.

“When you look at voter turnout, you would expect Andover to win that seat, and that’s what happened,” she said. “Pavel would have had a chance if it were a state rep. seat.”

In the 12th Suffolk District

Mattapan/Dorchester seat vacated by Dorcena Forry, Rep. Dan Cullinane won 67 percent of the vote, holding off challengers Corey Allen, Carlotta Williams and Ruthella Logan-Cruz. In the 2nd Suffolk East Boston/Chelsea seat, incumbent Dan Ryan held off a challenge by business owner and former Chelsea City Councilor Roy Avellaneda with 67 percent of the vote.

Cintron said the challenges, successful and unsuccessful, are a good sign for black and Latino candidates.

“I think our campaigns got more sophisticated,” she said.

“Not all candidates win their first time out. They’re building their base of support and building resources to make things happen.”

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Campaign volunteers Bethany Serota and Jed Hresko chat at the Lewis School in Roxbury during the Sept. 9 primary. (Banner photo)

Thursday, September 18, 2014• BAY STATE BANNER • 7

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Ruggles reconstruction seen as economic boost for Rox. Yawu Miller A federally-funded $20 million expansion of commuter rail platforms at Ruggles Station is expected to bring jobs and economic expansion to the Lower Roxbury area.

Gov. Deval Patrick and U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx announced the federal Transportation Improvement Generating Economic Recovery grant last Friday, joined by state and local officials.

“The vision set forth by President Obama for the TIGER grant program called for smart investment in transportation that will lead to expanded growth and opportunity,” Patrick said. “The improvements that will be made to Ruggles encapsulate that vision — shortening commutes, increasing transit access and catalyzing growth for this neighborhood and the city.”

Since Ruggles Station opened in 1987, it has had two commuter rail platforms, limiting the number of trains that can utilize the stop. More than half of the commuter rail trains traveling on the Southwest Corridor bypass

the station, forcing commuters to disembark at Back Bay Station and take an Orange Line Train back to Ruggles.

“It’s been a major inconvenience for people,” said MBTA General Manager Beverly Scott.

Yet Ruggles ranks as the fourth busiest destination station in the MBTA commuter rail system. The TIGER grant will allow for the design and construction of a third, 9,600 square-foot platform to accommodate the increased traffic coming into the station, as well as two new elevators and other improvements to the station.

In recent years, the expansion of the Longwood Medical area and new Northeastern University offices have increased commuter traffic coming into Ruggles. Additionally, new development projects in Lower Roxbury are expected to draw even more commuters.

On Parcel 3, at the corner of Whittier Street and Columbus Avenue, a development team is planning the construction of a retail, residential and office space with a new facility for the Museum of the National Center for Afro-American Artists. On Tremont

Advertise in the Banner call 617-261-4600 x7799 for more information

Street, Northeastern University is beginning construction on a new science center.

State officials expect that the renovations at Ruggles will spur even more development.

“Partly as a result of this development, 1.5 million square feet is under development,” said Massachusetts Secretary of Transportation Richard Davey. “Just think, a 9,600 square foot platform gener-

ating more than a million square feet of new development.”

“TIGER really stands for Totally Invested in Growing the Economy of Roxbury,” quipped U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, who noted that a similar grant funding improvements at the Wonderland Blue Line station brought $500 million in investment to Revere.

“In real estate, they say it’s all about three things — location, location, location,” he said. “We’re saying Roxbury is the location of the future.”

The MBTA began planning the expansion of the Ruggles commuter rail platform six years ago.

The TIGER program is a competitive transportation infrastructure program under which states

compete to receive discretionary funding for so-called shovel-ready projects. The Obama administration has authorized $600 million for TIGER grants this year. Priority was given to projects that are connected to job centers and education services.

In addition to the new development projects in Lower Roxbury and Northeastern University, Ruggles Station provides the closest commuter rail access to the Longwood Medical area.

Davey said construction on the new platform will begin within the next 12 months. The construction crews will work nights to minimize disruptions.

“It’s more likely to impact commuter rail passengers,” he said.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx announces a $20 million grant for the expansion of commuter rail platforms at Ruggles Station. Looking on are state Sen. Linda Dorcena Forry, Mayor Martin Walsh, MBTA Director Beverly Scott and Gov. Deval Patrick.

(Banner photo)

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Minority, woman firms get boost from pilot program Sandra Larson A pilot project of the Massachusetts Association of Community Development Corporations and the Massachusetts Minority Contractors Association has brought nearly $39 million in economic opportunity to minority-owned and women-owned business enterprises in its first year.

The Boston Pilot Program was launched last year, said MACDC President Joe Kriesberg, with the aim of increasing the utilization of MBE/WBEs by community development corporations for their real estate construction projects.

The program established goals that at least 30 percent of work will be awarded to MBEs and at least 10 percent to WBEs. The program includes 11 projects by six Boston CDCs. Six of the projects are under construction now and the other five are in the pre-development phase. The program will be ongoing until all of the projects are finished, Kriesberg said. The targeted work includes both “hard costs” such as direct construction costs and “soft costs” such as services provided by architects, attorneys and consultants.

So far, of the $95 million in project contracts, 36 percent has gone to MBEs and 9 percent to WBEs. In total, nearly $39 million — 41 percent of all contract dollars — has gone to either MBEs or WBEs. (The total percent is not an exact sum of the separate figures, as the program does not double-count minority women businesses.)

Kriesberg indicated the program is continuing to strive toward meeting the 10 percent WBE participation goal and also increasing the soft-cost dollars going to MBE/WBEs. So far, soft costs represent only a small portion of the contracts.

Under the program, John B. Cruz Construction, a Boston minority-owned company, was awarded the $7.8 million Walnut Avenue Apartments project developed by the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Development Corporation. In a statement, company president John Cruz called the award “a substantial opportunity for a minority-owned general contracting firm” and stated his commitment to ensure that 50 percent of the subcontracts are awarded to minority businesses and that over

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50 percent of the labor force will be minority workers.

The MACDC/MMCA program helps fill a gap left by the Boston Resident Jobs Policy, which sets targets for local, minority and female workers on cityfunded construction projects, but does not address the utilization of minority-owned enterprises.

Hiring local minority general

contractors is bound to have a multiplier effect on the local economy, said Greg Janey, a MMCA vice president and co-chair of the Boston Pilot Program.

“When minority general contractors are awarded contracts, they’re going to have a larger number of minority subcontractors,” he said. “This initiative came about because MMCA thought the CDCs should maintain their mission of taking care of the contractors within their radiuses — take care of your house before you go abroad, if you will.”

Highlights of the joint pilot program include “life cycle involvement,” a requirement that the goals are met during pre-con-

struction, construction, and post-construction phases; and a requirement that a minority general contractor is to be invited to all bids during the procurement process, Janey said. MMCA and MACDC have also been working with CDCs and city and state agencies on ways to ensure prompt payment, a key issue for small contractors.

Besides JPNDC, the participating CDCs are Codman Square Neighborhood Development Corporation, Dorchester Bay Economic Development Corporation, Madison Park Development Corporation, Nuestra Comunidad Development Corporation and Urban Edge.

Governor Patrick votes in the Massachusetts primary election at the Milton Senior Center. (Governor’s Office photo by Eric Haynes)

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NEWSBriefs

Initiative trains black workers for Boston-area hotel jobs

Mayor Martin Walsh joined members of Boston’s hospitality union, Local 26, and executives from several local hotels yesterday to celebrate the graduation of the first African-American hospitality training class from Local 26’s Best Corp Hospitality Training Center. At the event, Local 26 announced that the class would be named the “Mel King Empowerment Program” in honor of longtime community activist and former state legislator Mel King.

“I commend Local 26 hotel workers for standing up for fairness and equality for all of Boston’s residents,” Walsh said. “Together, the union and their hotel employer partners are making strides to ensure that people of color have access to life-changing career paths in the hotel industry.”

The class is a four-week “Intro to Hospitality” training that includes job shadowing at several of the best hotels in Boston.

After graduates complete the class, Local 26 works with hotels to place graduates into hotel jobs.

“Union hotel jobs are good jobs, with low-cost full-coverage healthcare, high wages, and a pension,” said Brian Lang, President of Local 26. “We know that forming a partnership with the best hotel employers in New England to recruit, train and hire African Americans is good for the hospitality industry and is good for the neighborhoods of Boston.

We’re proud to see members of the first graduating class start

their union jobs this month.”

Local 26 negotiated diversity language into its contracts with 29 Boston area hotels after noticing a decline in African-American representation in the hospitality industry. Local 26’s “Best Corp Hospitality Training Center” coordinates with the hotels on a training class for African Americans.

“I’ve been a cook for more than 25 years, but it’s always been a struggle to make ends meet,” said Bobby Oliver, 49, a resident of Dorchester who graduated from the class last month. “During the hospitality training class, I was able to shadow employees at the Westin Waterfront, and now I’ve got an interview with the General Manager. Getting a union job with higher wages and benefits will really change the lives of my three kids.”

Local 26 represents 7,000 workers in the hospitality industries in the Greater Boston Area. Members include workers of hotels, restaurants, university dining services, the Boston Convention Centers, Fenway Park and Logan International Airport.

consumers of higher education through savings and monthly workshops. This fall, they will expand their services to families with younger children in the communities where FUEL Education has already helped hundreds of families: Chelsea Public Schools, Lynn’s KIPP Academy, and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston’s Yawkey Club of Roxbury.

“Families who start thinking about college when their children are young and begin setting aside savings early on, even in the smallest denominations, more often see their children off to a higher ed-

ucation,” said Bob Hildreth, the founder and executive director of FUEL Education. “We want to do everything we can to ensure this kind of success for families in Chelsea, Lynn and Boston and we look forward to seeing their hard work pay off in the form of college access and, down the line, college degrees.”

The expanded program will serve families with children in pre-K through high school. Participating families will open a savings account and begin putting away money for their children’s future education. They learn about the

college application and financing process through FUEL’s new online initiative and digital workshops.

Once the students reach high school, families participate in the traditional FUEL program, including monthly “Savings Circle” meetings where they learn about and save towards college.

The new online component of the program will not only allow FUEL to expand its services to more families across Boston; it will also encourage families who currently participate in the program to stay FUEL, continued to page 16

Nonprofit launches college saving initiative Young students and their families in some of Massachusetts’ most underserved communities will soon have access to a program that helps families save for college and prepare for the college application process.

FUEL Education is a nonprofit organization that empowers families to become informed

Mel King joins Local 26 members Darryl Singletary, Glen Noel and James Rivera during a graduation ceremony of the union’s Best Corp Hospitality Training Center. (Photo courtesy of Local 26)

Thursday, September 18, 2014• BAY STATE BANNER • 13

Symposium will recognize successful inner city firms Martin Desmarais The Roxbury-based Initiative for a Competitive Inner City has been helping urban entrepreneurs and inner-city businesses for 20 years. For the last 15, the organization’s signature event has been the Inner City 100 Symposium and Awards, which highlights 100 of the fastest-growing businesses located in U.S. inner cities.

This year, the event is set for next month and will feature a new format ICIC is hoping will help winning businesses advance further in their specific industries.

Scheduled at the Seaport World Trade Center in South Boston on Oct. 15–16, the Inner City 100 Symposium and Awards is a two-day event that not only honors inner-city businesses for their growth, but also provides urban entrepreneurs with management education seminars, networking opportunities and a showcase to highlight company products and services.

The Inner City 100 list is published annually in Fortune magazine after the winners are announced at the awards celebration.

According to ICIC spokeswoman Mary Duggan, the fastest growing businesses are determined based on revenue growth over a five-year period. She said the power of the awards program is that it demonstrates the success of inner-city businesses.

“A lot of people think businesses can’t survive in the inner city,” Duggan said. “We want to showcase businesses that are really thriving in the inner city.”

Duggan said that past Inner City 100 winners have had tremendous success and help inspire political and business leaders, academics and the media to recognize and support the economic power of inner-city businesses. The program has helped trigger a number of investment programs targeting urban entrepreneurs, sparked a nation-wide support program for inner city businesses and been part of movements to stimulate change in city communities.

Traditionally, the awards have honored the overall 100 fastest-growing businesses in inner cities, regardless of industry or sector. However, ICIC has changed the format this year so that the list will be comprised of the 10 fastest-growing inner city businesses in 10 distinct industry sectors.

According to Duggan, the hope was to give winners further recognition among their industry peers by ranking them within specific industries.

“We are doing this basically so that instead of just getting their recognition for growth in the inner city they are really competing against their industry peers and showcasing how they did in their industry,” Duggan said. “We want to provide more value for the winners and help them connect with their industry peers.”

The change was made based on feedback on the awards program from CEOs of the honored businesses in recent years.

Winners will be ranked this year in the following 10 sectors: construction; manufacturing; professional services; food and beverage; retail; media and com-

munications; software and information technology; transportation and logistics; healthcare and biotechnology; arts, entertainment, recreation and tourism.

While highlighting and showcasing this country’s rising inner-city businesses is the main priority of the Inner City 100 Symposium and Awards, organizers also stress the benefit of the educational and networking aspects of the event.

Though the event is annually held in Boston, the winning businesses are from across the country and ICIC also works to attract other inner-city businesses to the event.

According to Duggan, the event traditionally draws about 600 attendees — typically about 300 total businesses are represented at the event.

The big draw is the management education offerings and the fact that ICIC brings together

professors from Harvard Business School and executives from wellknown and successful companies to work with attending businesses in the seminars, education sessions and networking opportunities.

The symposium will focus on four major topic areas this year: Mergers and Acquisitions, Sustained Growth, Leadership and Innovation.

“We want to reach small business owners, ideally in urban areas that want to access this kind of network and executive education,” Duggan said. “Throughout the event we have one Harvard Business School professor presenting on each one of these categories and CEOs as well.”

The design is such to offer business owners the opportunity to examine the topics from and academic viewpoint, as well as a practical management perspective.

Everything during the symposium is tailored for inner-city businesses

Harvard Business School Professor Michael Porter, founder of the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City, will deliver the keynote address at the Inner City 100 symposium in October. and urban entrepreneurs.

Some of the major speakers and presenters at the event include Harvard Business School Professor Michael Porter, Honest Tea President and CEO Seth Goldman and Viacom Media Networks Senior Vice President Anne Hubert.

Porter will give a keynote presentation titled “Enhancing U.S. Competitiveness” during which he will discuss his efforts to understand and improve the competitiveness of small businesses in the United States and examine how

ICIC, continued to page 16

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headmaster continued from page 1

Careers Academy, will take over the Madison Park post for the immediate short term.

While McDonough’s words implied that Gary’s departure was a needed change, an additional statement from BPS spokesperson Lee McGuire noted that an inspection of Gary’s certification status Friday revealed she had never gained Massachusetts headmaster certification.

“Although she had applied for a Headmaster certification in August, 2013 the required paperwork and next steps to support that application were never submitted,” the statement said.

Gary supporters reacted with surprise and displeasure.

“I’m angered and disappointed by the manner in which Dr. Gary’s tenure at Madison Park was handled and supported,” said District 7 City Councilor Tito Jackson in a brief interview on Monday.

“It’s not right. It’s just not right.

I don’t know how they can do this to children,” said Louis Elisa, longtime activist in the local NAACP and the Garrison-Trotter neighborhood and a member of Friends of Madison Park.

Elisa voiced skepticism about the certification issue; if anything, he conjectured, the state may have fallen behind in the process and not sent her the paperwork she needed to complete.

“It’s a red herring. A joke,” he said. “She wouldn’t have been interviewed if she didn’t have the qualifications.”

In an interview with the Banner last week, before Gary’s resignation, McDonough discussed the student schedule fiasco and protests. He took a measured tone, ac-

knowledging “unacceptable” disruption and explaining how some of the problems occurred.

“We intervened before the first day [of school], anticipating that we would have schedules ready — but as we were digging deeper, we ran across more problems and had to start again from scratch. So it did result in unacceptable disruption to students and to staff,” he said.

Earlier, the Boston Globe had reported that student schedules had to be done over to make course selection equally fair for all students, including English Language Learners and students with disabilities.

Schedules also had to accommodate a recent change in the number of periods in the school day.

Perhaps foreshadowing Gary’s imminent departure, McDonough stated there were two choices at Madison Park: “Embark on major change, knowing it will cause a level of anxiety for those who are used to doing their work in the same way for a long time … or be very clear that major change is not as important as keeping the status quo. It’s a question that each one of us who has an interest in Madison Park has to ask themselves.”

He declined to answer directly whether he and Gary were at that time seeing eye to eye, instead responding, “I still think we have an enormous amount of work to do.

It is difficult and will take time. We are moving towards clarity. A whole community has to come together to be supportive of the future at Madison. Everyone I talk to, everyone I meet with, seems to share an understanding that things need to change.”

Members of the Friends of Madison Park had been vocal in their support for Ross Gary all through the recent problems.

“Dr. Gary has done everything

The Boys & Girls Club of Boston’s Yawkey Club esta participando en un

Programa de Servicio de Alimentos de Otoño Las comidas se ofrecen a todos los niños gratis en

115 Warren Street, Roxbury, MA 02119 (en el Centro de Artes escénicas de Whitlock)

El 01, Octubre, 2014 – Sept. 21, 2015

Merienda: 1:30 – 4:30 p.m. (6–18 anos de edad) Cena: 5:00 – 6:00 p.m. (6–18 anos de edad) Requisitos de aceptación y participación para el programa y las comidas son los mismos para todos independientemente de reace, color, origen nacional, sexo, edad o discapacidad, y no habrá ninguna discriminiation en el curso de los servicio de comidas.

Students enter Madison Park High School. (Banner photo) she was hired to do, and more. She is loyal to the system — she could have thrown the administration under the bus, but she didn’t blame them,” said Louis Elisa.

“She’s been put in a very bad situation,” said Bob Marshall, a former Madison Park teacher and a member of the Friends group. Speaking by phone last week, he added, “She had no dean of discipline, no second in command. She didn’t have any help until April. They have not given her the resources to run the building.”

A School Department spokesperson said the department is currently “in the final stages” of bringing a Director of Student Discipline on board, as recommended in a report by a team of School Department and Teacher’s Union representatives that reviewed Madison Park’s operations last spring. School department officials did not say why the position remained vacant for so long or why Gray had been blocked from making a hire.

Marshall said the school’s situation has deteriorated rapidly over the past few years as a series of headmasters have come and gone.

He puts a good share of blame on former mayor Thomas Menino, who instituted an Innovation Plan for Madison Park in 2012, and on McDonough, who has been interim superintendent since Carol R. Johnson retired in 2013. “[McDonough] has to be held accountable for this,” said Marshall.

“This is bigger than Dr. Gary. This is about governance, about the superintendent and the people the superintendent hires.”

Elisa and Marshall said they spent the better part of four days on site at Madison Park during the week of student protests and emer-

gency schedule reorganization.

“These schedules should have been done in June. That’s a breakdown in the system,” Elisa said.

“The late hiring — that’s not a Madison Park problem, that’s a systematic failure.”

A half-dozen students interviewed Monday morning as they waited for the school to open had not yet heard that Gary was no longer their headmaster. Some showed little reaction to the news; others said they were glad.

“She’s done nothing for the school. We never see her,” said Yardley Perez, a 17-year-old junior pursuing the school’s auto tech program.

“She never came up to us to talk. She never introduced herself,” said Xavier Rodriguez, 19, a senior studying plumbing.

None of the seniors’ schedules were in place when school started and no explanation was given to students, Rodriguez said. “It was all messed up. We just cleaned all day, and tried to help the freshmen.”

Perez said he came to school every day last week despite not having a schedule. “We were just watching movies. I came in all week and didn’t do anything,” he said.

McDonough told the Banner Friday that schedule revisions were still underway, but would be available online to students Sunday night.

Lian, a 14-year-old freshman in the culinary program, said her schedule had problems last week, but she had verified online that things were on track for Monday.

During her week without a proper schedule, classes were conducted, she said, though not the right ones.

The Boys & Girls Club of Boston’s Yawkey Club is participating in the

Fall Food Service Program Meals are provided to all children FREE of charge at 115 Warren Street, Roxbury, MA 02119 (in the Whitlock Performing Arts Center)

October 1, 2014 – Sept. 30, 2015

Snack: 1:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. (6–18 years old) Dinner: 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. (6–18 years old) Acceptance and participation requirements for the program and meals are the same for all regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability, and there will be no discrimination in the course of the meal service.

“Some of the teachers didn’t want to stand around, so they just started teaching,” she said.

Teachers and paraprofessionals near the school Monday morning mostly declined to comment. One teacher did not reveal his name, but said he thought some staff would be “elated” at the news of Gary’s departure.

Another teacher predicted there would be a mix of reactions, and offered some sympathy for Gary.

“I would just say, good luck to her. I think she was put in a difficult position,” he said. For any future headmaster to succeed at the school, he added, “it would take a very dynamic personality.”

Perhaps accustomed to the historical ups and downs of the school, this teacher’s focus seemed to be shifting beyond the recent drama.

“We’ll get it together,” he said.

“We always do.”

McDonough spoke of a long process that requires patience, but said that some bold changes have already been made that will further the school’s mission. He listed three: changing the assignment process so that only students who choose to be at a vocational school are assigned to Madison Park; moving toward an administrative structure that is “more appropriate to Madison Park”; and changing student schedules from seven periods to eight, bringing them more in line with successful Massachusetts vocational schools.

“Changes have been made.

There’s a lot more to be done,” he said. He also stated firmly that there are currently no plans he knows of or would support to close the school.

If there is a silver lining to this year’s early troubles, it may be that it caused students to step forward and be heard with a demand to be educated.

“It’s criminal, what they’ve done to our children,” Marshall said. “I applaud the students and parents who are saying, ‘We don’t have to take this.’”

Despite the school’s long struggle, Elisa remains keenly optimistic about the future of Madison Park and of vocational education in general.

“I’ve seen the resurgence of vocational education, a recognition that there is a combination of directions to get you through life,” he said. “A young man or woman who can come out and repair electronics or hybrid engines, they’re going to have a good future. The future is bright, if no one tries to destroy it.”

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FUEL

continued from page 12

engaged with the FUEL curriculum and savings goals while their younger children matriculate through elementary and middle school. According to one parent at FUEL’s Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston site, “It is very helpful to get this information before junior or senior year. There is so much to digest that an early start is key, now we can go forward informed.”

FUEL Education fuels the college dreams of underserved families. It is a high-impact, innovative nonprofit, providing knowledge, resources and financial incentives that empower underserved families to propel their children into higher education. FUEL was founded

by Robert Hildreth, a banker and social entrepreneur, in 2009. The program currently runs successful sites in Boston, Chelsea and Lynn, Massachusetts. More information is available at www.fueleducation.org.

Be sure to check out our website and mobile site www.baystatebanner.com

The Benjamin Healthcare Center held its annual fundraising golf tournament, which has been officially renamed to the Myrna E. Wynn Annual Golf Classic Fundraiser. Wynn announced she is retiring at the end of this year. The fundraising golf tournament is her creative initiative and for the past 11 years has been hosted at the Spring Valley Country Club in Sharon, Massachusetts.

(Photo courtesy of Benjamin Healthcare Center)

ICIC

continued from page 13

they can compete successfully in the global economy while sup-

porting rising living standards for Americans.

Goldman will share his journey from brewing iced tea in his kitchen, to landing his first account with Whole Foods, to getting ac-

quired by The Coca-Cola Company and offer insight on how he grew his business while maintaining focus on the company’s plan.

Hubert will give a luncheon keynote titled “Following Your Audience to the Future.” She will speak about how Viacom’s Scratch business is channeling the power of the company’s creative talent, cultural force, reach and connection to its audiences to drive innovation.

Other Harvard Business School professors speaking at the event include Jose Alvarez, Jan Rivkin and Stefan Thomke.

Luggage Forward co-founder Zeke Adkins has attended the past two Inner City 100 Symposium and Awards events and he plans to attend this year. He said he finds the educational component particularly useful and is excited to have access to high-caliber professors from Harvard Business School and experienced executives from successful companies.

“It is more interactive than some other conferences and events you will go to. Instead of just a speaker or a panel at the front of the room just talking at the participant, it is more of an interactive format,” Adkins said. “We really appreciate the way that they have a nice mix of different content and different formats.”

His downtown Boston-based company, which started in 2004 and provides door-to-door luggage and sports equipment delivery to about 200 countries around the world, has been on the Inner City 100 list for the last two years.

He admits he appreciates the recognition for his company’s success as well.

“As an entrepreneur it is always nice to get a little pat on the back because during the daily grind of being entrepreneur you don’t always have much time for these things,” he said.

All in all, he stressed it makes for a worthwhile two days.

“It is just the right mix of information and education and interaction and accolades. It is a nice balance of all those things,” he added.

ICIC was founded in 1994 by Harvard Business School’s Porter.

Its Inner City 100 program has highlighted companies that have created nearly 76,000 new jobs.

Other programs, such as its Inner City Capital Connections program, have helped lenders find investment in companies in 134 different inner city areas. These companies have gone on to raise more than $1 billion in capital and create about 5,000 jobs.

Thursday, September 18, 2014• BAY STATE BANNER • 17

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Coakley

continued from page 1

The issues 1199 will be highlighting during the campaign include the candidates’ stands on health care, earned sick time, the minimum wage and universal early education.

Turner, whose union endorsed Coakley early on, said more than 200 1199 volunteers worked on behalf of her campaign on primary day in Boston, Springfield, Worcester, Lawrence, Fall River and New Bedford. With an endorsement of the larger SEIU State Council, 40 SEIU volunteers will be working on the campaign six days a week, she said.

Additionally, the union will hire outreach workers to fire up the Democratic base.

In her victory speech, Coakley pledged to run a strong grassroots campaign.

“I promise you this — just as I promised when this campaign began: No one will work harder, make more phone calls, shake more hands, and knock on more doors than I will,” she said. “There is too much at stake.”

While Turner, Rivera and Gov. Deval Patrick added some color to the stage, there were few people of color in the room at the Fairmount Copley Plaza celebration.

But people of color will likely be a central factor in the gubernatorial race if Coakley hopes to win, notes at-large City Councilor Ayanna Pressley.

“Democrats can’t win without

the black vote,” Pressley said.

While voters in the predominantly black and Latino wards 12 and 14 turned out at the city average of 12 percent, voters in those two wards supported Coakley by 64 percent and 72 percent, respectively. City wide, Coakley won 47 percent of the vote. In the Nov. 4 election against Baker, black and Latino voters could be even more pivotal. In the 2010 U.S. Senate special election Coakley lost to Republican Scott Brown, Coakley won 68 percent of the city-wide vote and 95 percent of the vote in Wards 12 and 14.

Many saw Coakley’s loss as a direct result of her campaign and the Democratic Party’s failure to engage the black and Latino voters who make up the party’s most loyal voting bloc.

Party officials seem determined not to repeat that mistake. The Sunday after the primary, Democratic activists held an event at the party’s headquarters to raise funds for get-out-the-vote efforts in the black community.

Observers say Coakley’s field organization will be the key factor in the race against Baker. Boston Mayor Martin Walsh said the advantage in the ground game goes to Coakley.

“There’s no doubt she has the best field organization in the race,” he said.

Get-out-the-vote efforts aside, Coakley and Baker will have to engage black voters directly to secure victory in the November election, Pressley said.

“Candidates have to show up

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Coakley campaign outreach coordinator Darryl Smith checks vote tallies with volunteers Marcia Riddick and Jose Edwards at the Fairmont Copley Plaza. (Banner photo) and meet people where they’re at,” she said. “Whether it’s at the Dudley bus depot or at church, they want to see you. They want you to speak to their issues.”

Coakley’s victory against two male challengers in some ways set the stage for a woman-dominated Democratic ticket for state-wide offices. Former Assistant Attorney General Maura Healey secured

DCF

continued from page 1

1,054. The agency has set a goal of dropping its maximum case load for each social worker to 15.

At the same time, advocates say, cuts to funding for DCF over the years have forced the agency to lay off much of its middle management — the very people who are responsible for training and supervising the front-line social workers.

“Reform for the Legislature means first and foremost getting

62 percent of the vote in a hardfought race against former State Sen. Warren Tolman for attorney general. Former Brookline Selectwoman Deb Goldberg won 43 percent of the vote in a three-way race for treasurer. State Auditor Suzanne Bump ran unchallenged for Auditor.

The sole male on the Democratic ticket for constitutional

office, Steve Kerrigan, prevailed with 51 percent of the vote in a three-way race.

the agency more money,” said state Sen. Paul Barrett.

But he acknowledged funding alone cannot stop child abuse.

“If you fund the agency well, children are going to die. If you fund the agency poorly — and we fund these agencies poorly — more children will die.”

DCF has made changes aimed at using data to track children in the system and their case workers.

Earlier this year, DCF distributed iPad personal computing devices to its case workers, allowing them to input data on their cases in real time, although the agency does

not yet require the workers to do so.

With the Nov. 4 election looming, it will fall on Republican Charlie Baker or Democrat Martha Coakley to follow through on the reforms currently being implemented at the department. The advocates at The Boston Foundation conference stressed the importance of following through on the current set of reforms.

“We are in mid-reform,” Pond said. “We began reform nine months ago. To be perfectly blunt, this is a bad time to change leadership.”

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Singer Offiong Bassey paves her own path to music career Colette Greenstein Hailing from Cambridge, Mass., Offiong Bassey is a young singer, songwriter, and poet who has established herself in the city’s musical landscape in just a few short years. Offiong returns to the legendary Scullers Jazz Club on September 24 less than a year after her first sold-out appearance in November 2013.

Of returning so soon to the place where she first heard the greats play, (Rachelle Ferrell, Jonathan Butler, and Nnenna Freelon), Bassey is excited and says that she was “blessed and surprised to sell out my concert last year, and to be invited back and to have that opportunity is such a great one.” She adds, “It’s one I couldn’t really have dreamed about.”

Bassey’s Nigerian-American roots and her musical influences of gospel, soul, jazz, R&B and traditional West African music are on full display throughout her self-titled debut album, “Offiong Bassey.” She wrote all 11 songs on the album, and co-produced it with Ivory Coast-native producer Blethy Emmanuel Tiegnon. They were joined by an international cast of musicians and percussionists, and the album was released on Bassey’s label, Moonlit Media Group.

Bassey, whose name means “God’s moon,” exudes a quiet air of self-assuredness, confidence and humility. She’s very much looking forward to her upcoming performance at Scullers.

“I switched things up a bit,” she comments. “I have some new material that I’m debuting. I have a new sound. And so I’m just excited to show everybody what I’ve been up to.”

The public almost didn’t get a chance to hear a glimpse of Bassey’s voice or see her talent first-hand.

She initially was headed down another path before fully committing to her music career. Being the eldest of two, there were high expectations for her and her future.

A graduate of Yale University, she went to work for Bain & Co. where she consulted for various industries from media and entertainment to pharmaceuticals, software and IT. However, Offiong knew that she wanted to sing and to be creative, but just didn’t quite know how to fit music into her life. She was coming to a point in her life where a decision had to be made between either attending graduate school or committing to her music.

She knew that if she was in grad school and not working full-time that she wouldn’t really have the money to executive-produce her own album. Making her decision a bit more challenging was the fact that she was awarded a full scholarOffiong Bassey

continued to page 25

20 • Thursday, September 18, 2014• BAY STATE BANNER

Stand-up comedian Sommore ‘flexes her girl power’ Colette Greenstein

Twenty years in and comedian Sommore is at the top of her game, slaying audiences with her sharp wit, humorous storytelling, and her no-holdsbarred take on relationships, sex and money.

The first woman to host BET’s Comic View in 1994, Sommore is back on the cable network hosting the re-launch of the comedy series which debuted earlier this year. She needed little convincing to serve as host for Comic View.

Comedian Sommore appears at The Wilbur Theatre September 19.

“I was excited for the new and upcoming comedians,” she said.

“I know what it was like for me and I was excited to be the person to introduce them to the world. I love being a comedian.”

In 1995, Sommore earned the Richard Pryor Award for Comic of the Year for her stand-up act and five years later, in 2000, she became widely known as one of the original “Queens of Comedy.”

That same year she entered The Guinness Book of World Records as the first female comedian to perform before an audience of more than 44,000 in Atlanta, Georgia at the Georgia Dome

when Latham Entertainment showcased both the “Kings and Queens of Comedy.”

Sommore has hosted HBO’s Russell Simmons’ Def Comedy Jam, Showtime at the Apollo, and BET’s Live From LA, as well as several national comedy tours including the Latham Entertainment Presents Tour. She also co-produced and was featured on The Royal Comedy Tour, where she was the first female comedian to headline the tour over her wellknown male stand-up comedy peers.

In a field dominated by men, Sommore has staked her claim in the comedy world. She’s a writer, producer, and an entrepreneur.

She’s written and produced her own comedy specials. The first being a filmed version of her stand-up act in 2008 for Comedy Central called “The Queen Stands Alone” in which she talks about “simple things women can do by flexing their girl power.” In 2013, Showtime aired her sophomore special, Chandelier Status, where she discussed women in control, Tiger Woods and sugar daddies, Sommore, continued to page 24

Thursday, September 18, 2014• BAY STATE BANNER • 21

22 • Thursday, September 18, 2014• BAY STATE BANNER

Death of a King

The Real Story of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Final Year

“The

question I attempt to answer in this book is simple: In his last year, what kind of man has Martin Luther King, Jr. become? In my view, he is a man whose true character has been misinterpreted, ignored, or forgotten. I want to remember — and bring to life — the essential truths about King in his final months before they are unremembered and irrecoverable.

This is the King that I cherish: the King who, enduring a living hell, rises to moral greatness; the King who, in the face of unrelenting adversity, expresses the full measure of his character and courage.

This is the King who, despite everything, spoke his truth, the man I consider the greatest public figure this country has ever produced.”

by Tavis Smiley with David Ritz Little, Brown and Company Hardcover, $27.00 288 pages

Excerpt from the Introduction to “Death of a King” (page 5) Kam Williams Most Americans’ memory of Dr. Martin Luther King is little more than his “I Have a Dream” speech delivered at the March on Washington on August 28, 1963. In fact, sometimes it seems that his legacy has been reduced to just the portion of that iconic address envisioning a world when people would “not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

While King did continue to lobby earnestly on behalf of that lofty ideal thereafter, he also subsequently spoke out forcefully against militarism, poverty and a host of other palpable evils plaguing

the nation. And during the year before his assassination, he particularly voiced some pretty progressive positions which put him at odds not only with the government, rightwing ideologues and the mainstream media, but even with many liberals who felt the civil rights leader was stepping out of his element by taking stands against the Vietnam War and economic injustice.

Death of a King revisits the martyred icon’s last days in order to illustrate how, until his untimely demise, he resolutely followed a path dictated by his moral compass, often in the face of blistering criticism and wearying death threats.

Author Tavis Smiley recognized a need for this enlight-

ening bio because “history has sentimentalized King, rendering him heroic but harmless.”

Tavis shares writing credits with David Ritz, with whom he previously collaborated on “What I Know for Sure.”

Ritz is the prolific author of over 50 titles, most as the uncanny ghostwriter of celebrity autobiographies for Aretha, Elvis, Sinbad, Etta James, Ray Charles, Smokey Robinson, Natalie Cole, Janet Jackson, Laila Ali, Paul Shaffer, BB King, Don Rickles and Tavis’ close friend Dr. Cornel West, to name a few.

A haunting portrait of the trials and tribulations of an unwavering visionary who held fast to his core beliefs to his dying day.

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Thursday, September 18, 2014• BAY STATE BANNER • 23

24 • Thursday, September 18, 2014• BAY STATE BANNER

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Finding your roots Kam Williams Most black people hit a dead end when trying to trace their lineage, because their ancestors were considered fungible goods during slavery, meaning they were merely personal property to be bought and sold, and whipped and shipped at the will of their owners. While in bondage, they couldn’t marry, start a family or even raise their own offspring.

For that reason, Henry Louis Gates’ African-American Lives proved to be a hit on TV, since the popular PBS program profiled prominent black figures’ attempt to reconstruct their family trees with his help. Turns out some other ethnicities are just as curious about their heritage. So, Dr. Gates decided to host another show, expanding his focus this time to include a diversity of folks reflecting the full spectrum of the racial rainbow.

“Finding your Roots” is basically a companion book to Season One of that series of the same name. And among Dr. Gates’ over two dozen subjects is style diva Martha Stewart, whose name has come to be synonymous with class and sophistication.

Given her aristocratic bearing and Anglo-Saxon pseudonym, one might easily assume that she’s a WASP whose forbears arrived on the Mayflower. Truth be told,

Sommore continued from page 20

“DESIGNATED DREAMERS” ARTIST’S RECEPTION Thursday, October 2 | 5:30 – 7:00 pm

Join us for an Artist’s Reception for Lolita Parker Jr’s “Designated Dreamers” exhibit – followed at 7 pm by a special Art is Life Itself!, with an artist panel called “No Space. No Art.”, a candid discussion about the current state and potential future of the arts in Roxbury. After the panel, enjoy the cool sounds of Fulani Haynes and the Jazz Collaborative.

Presented in partnership with Discover Roxbury and Roxbury Open Studios.

“ART IS LIFE ITSELF!”

The Performance Series That Embraces Art, Culture & Spirituality.

Program at 7 pm. Come early for dinner!

Thurs., September 18 – CFROP: Committee of Friends & Relatives of Prisoners + Open Mic Thurs., September 25 – “Spiritual Roots of Protest” Dialogue 50th Anniversary Boston-Area Presentations by author Gordon Oyer + Open Mic

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among other topics.

Sommore is not one to rest on her laurels. In fact one of her upcoming goals is being a talk show host.

“I took that [BET’s Comic View] experience as a host,” she says. “I hosted the Standing Ovation Tour, the Love & Hip Hop reunion show. It’s grooming me.”

Sommore also mentions that she’s had several meetings about being a host. “I want something hot, fresh, with lots of drama.”

She hopes that it’s a project that has comedy in it, preferably “some Jerry Springer type of comedy.”

In 2010, Sommore participated in Chicago’s Just for Laughs

Martha doesn’t trace her roots back to British bluebloods but to a long line of Polish blue-collar craftsmen who toiled as butchers, basket makers, gardeners, shoemakers, seamstresses and iron workers.

By contrast, Korean-American comedienne Margaret Cho appreciated learning that her family’s surname started way back in 1237 with her greatgreat-great… ancestor In-gyu Cho. “I love this because now I feel like I exist,” she says, regretting how “Your specialness gets lost with your American- by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. University of North Carolina Press ization.”

CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Hardcover, $30.00 Gupta, who was born 352 pages and raised in MichiJohn Lewis, Condoleezza Rice gan, was stunned to discover that and Cory Booker, actors Samuel one of his forefathers, Ramesh- L. Jackson, Robert Downey, Jr., war Dass, had been imprisoned Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick, in the Thirties and again in the minister Rick Warren, and R&B Forties as a freedom fighter in singer John Legend.

India’s struggle for independence A painstakingly-researched from England. Also profiled are genealogical tapestry weaving a jazz musicians Branford Marsalis wonderful tribute to America as and Harry Connick, Jr, politicians a very culturally-rich melting pot.

Comedy Festival as a featured act on the show Cedric the Entertainer’s Urban Circus, which aired on TBS. Over the span of her career, she has performed alongside the likes of comedic greats such as Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock, Steve Harvey and Cedric the Entertainer. She’s also appeared on numerous television shows including The Oprah Winfrey Show, (where Winfrey proclaimed her “a force to be reckoned with in the new millennium”), The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The View, and Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher.

Known for her stylish looks from head to toe, the glam comedian says she keeps the comedy fresh “by writing a new joke every day.” The only topics that are offlimit to her are God and Whitney Houston. “Everyone else is fair game,” says Sommore.

Of her upcoming show at The

Wilbur, she says the Boston audience is “the right amount of urban, and the right amount of intelligence. They’re really smart.

I’ll be performing all new material, real life stuff, what’s going on in the world.”

The Trenton, New Jersey native has come a long way from her days as a substitute teacher teaching algebra in Atlanta’s public school system. She’s steadily come up through the ranks of comedy and has experienced and seen a lot. But working in a male-dominated field still presents challenges.

“I don’t think it will ever be equal,” she says. “I think women will have to work doubly hard but I think women are making great strides. I cheer for comedians.”

The Wilbur presents Sommore Friday September 19 at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets: $27. To purchase, visit www. ticketmaster.com.

Thursday, September 18, 2014• BAY STATE BANNER • 25

Bassey

continued from page 19

ship to attend the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, which she eventually turned down.

“I felt in my heart and my soul I couldn’t envision it [grad school],” she said. “One of the things that has helped me to be authentic is that when I’m moving along in my life and I want to take a next step, I know that it’s right if I can see it within myself, in my soul, in my mind’s eye. I can see it’s actually happening.”

Once she made the decision in support of her music everything fell into place. Bassey landed a job with Bellwether Education Partners (an education consulting firm), which was actually started by a former Bain manager. It ended up being a great transition for her in that it offered a more manageable work-life balance for her to record, and most importantly she had the means to finance her first album.

“…when I’m moving along in my life and I want to take a next step, I know that it’s right if I can see it within myself, in my soul, in my mind’s eye. I can see it’s actually happening.”

Bassey began writing songs in 2005, but it wasn’t until 2010 that production began on the first album, which was released in 2013. Her lyrics and music which “speaks to the spirit” are sung or rapped in English as well in her native Efik or Nigerian Pidgin English. Musically, the album is described as “genre-bending sounds mixed with everything from Afro-Peruvian rhythms and funk to R&B and Nigerian Ekombi.”

Her upcoming Scullers performance will include many of the songs from her sophomore album, “The Gathering” (which doesn’t have a release date yet).

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Since her first project, Bassey says that she’s learned a little more about the art of songwriting and how to communicate.

“With this album I’ve taken more of a step back and I write as it comes to me from my heart as I respond to the environment,” she says. “And, then I step back and say ‘ok, what is the message that I’m trying to convey?’ and ‘how might I shift things around if need be in order to have that message be clearer?’”

As lead producer and songwriter on her new album (she learned the technical and artistic aspects of production through observing and learning from producers she previously worked

with), she may give the audience a sampling of South American and East African sounds and rhythms.

But one never knows with Offiong. One thing is for sure. This global citizen who has traveled to Ghana, Japan, Nigeria, Panama, and Spain has always been about getting out there and experiencing new things, and so will the audience on September 24.

Offiong Bassey performs at Scullers Jazz Club on Wednesday, September 24 at 8 p.m.

Show: $25; Dinner/Show: $65.

Purchase at www.scullersjazz. com and for more information on Offiong Bassey visit www.offiong bassey.com.

Offiong Bassey

26 • Thursday, September 18, 2014 • BAY STATE BANNER

COMMUNITY Calendar Friday

September 19 Mayor Martin J. Walsh’s Movie Nights Mayor Martin J. Walsh’s Movie Nights, part of the Boston Parks and Recreation Department’s ParkARTS program, will give residents and visitors plenty of chances to enjoy popular films under the night skies in city parks in August and September. All shows begin at dusk (approximately 7:45pm). Bring your blankets and chairs and make yourself comfortable as you enjoy these family favorites in the outdoors.

Friday, September 19 — Frog Pond, Boston Common, “Frozen”; Friday, September 26 — George Wright Golf Course, Hyde Park, “The Greatest Game Ever Played.”

For more information please call 617-635-4505 or visit the Boston Parks and Recreation Department online on Facebook or at www. cityofboston.gov/parks.

Saturday September 20 Have You Heard?

A Public Forum of Hearing and Hearing Loss Mass. Eye and Ear will be holding its 14th Annual Public Forum on Hearing and Hearing Loss on September 20 from 8am-12:30pm at 243 Charles St., Boston. Topics to be discussed include Sensorineural Hearing Loss by Dr. Sharon Kujawa and Biomedical Research on Hearing Loss by Dr. M. Charles Liberman. Author Katherine Bouton will share her perspective on living with hearing loss. There will also be a reception following the program to meet the speakers. While the event is FREE, you must RSVP quickly, as seating is limited. To RSVP, call 617-5734466 or e-mail AudiologyPublic Forum@meei.harvard.edu.

Sunday September 21 Hidden Gems of the Back Bay Fens Sunday, S e p t e m b e r 2 1 , 11am-12:30pm: What do a 17th century Japanese Temple Bell, a historic bridge made of Roxbury puddingstone, the oldest continually operating victory gardens in the country and a tree once thought extinct have in common?

They all reside in the Back Bay Fens. Learn about these and other treasures on a guided walking tour of the Back Bay Fens led by Emerald Necklace docents. Tours start and end at the Shattuck Visitor Center, 125 The Fenway, Boston.

Website: www.emeraldnecklace. org/calendar/tours/. Phone: 617522-2700. Free.

The Sturgeon Queens Film: The Sturgeon Queens (2014) — a 2014 documentary about Russ and Daughters, a century-old “lox and herring emporium” on New York’s Lower East Side, featuring interviews with family members and famous fans, including Supreme Court Justice

Ruth Bader Ginsburg and 60 Minutes reporter Morley Safer. 2pm, the Yiddish Book Center, at 1021 West St., Amherst, Mass. For more information or to purchase tickets ($4-8), call 413-256-4900 or visit www.yid dishbookcenter.org/events.

Upcoming Racism and violence on communities of color In light of the events in Ferguson, MO. this summer, the Dudley, Grove Hall, and Mattapan Library Branches will be hosting a series of programs that aim to engage the community on current issues of racism and violence on communities of color through art, music, film, literature. Discussions will be led by community activists and organizations addressing these issues.

Join us for this relevant and pressing discussion. Thursday, September 25, 6pm, Grove Hall Branch, 41 Geneva Ave., Dorchester, Boston Strong? exhibition closing reception and community discussion. Saturday, September 27, 2pm, Dudley Branch, 65 Warren St., Roxbury, Film: Fruitvale Station screening and community discussion. Thursday, October 16, 6pm, Grove Hall Branch, 41 Geneva Ave., Dorchester, Film: Fruitvale Station screening and community discussion. Thursday, October 23, 6pm, Mattapan Branch, 1350 Blue Hill Ave., Film: Fruitvale Station screening and community discussion.

Through Barbed Wire presents 4th Friday Reading of Prisoners’ Writings September 26, 7-9:30pm, monthly prose & poetry participatory event focused on prisoners’ writings, positive change.

Currently focusing on publishing a book to deter youth away from violence. Audience participation encouraged, light refreshments; between Fields Corner and Ruggles MBTA stations, #15 bus from Red or Orange Lines, commuter rail. Created/directed by Arnie King. First Parish Church, 10 Parish St — parish house, D o rc h e s t e r. C o n t a c t : w w w. arnoldking.org or throughbarbed wire@yahoo.com; tel: 857-4924858. Free/Donation.

History & Landscape of the Back Bay Fens Saturday, September 27, 11am-12:30pm: From foul muddy flats to the parkland of today, the Fens has undergone many transformations in the last 125 years. Join Emerald Necklace docents as they talk and walk the historic landscape. Includes stops at the Kelleher Rose Garden, with its 1,500+ roses, and the oldest World War II Victory Gardens in America. Tours start and end at the Shattuck Visitor Center, 125 The Fenway, Boston. Website: www.emeraldnecklace.org/calen dar/tours/. Phone: 617-5222700. Free.

Design in the Art of Lois Mailou Jones The Shirley-Eustis House, 33 Shirley St., Boston, a National Historic Landmark house

museum and carriage house in Roxbury, Massachusetts is pleased to announce a lecture with Barry Gaither on Sunday, September 28 at 2pm. Mr. Gaither’s talk is entitled, “Design in the Art of Lois Mailou Jones.”

He will discuss early career textile designs by the internationally celebrated Boston-born African American artist Lois Mailou Jones, and their reappearance as motifs in her later paintings.

Lois Mailou Jones is significantly represented in the collections of the Museum of Fine Arts where she was recently featured, and of the Museum of the National Center of Afro-American Artists. Edmund Barry Gaither is Director of the National Center of Afro-American Artists and its Museum Division, as well as Special Consultant to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Admission for each lecture will be $10 per person. The Shirley-Eustis House is raising funds to help furnish a new exhibit — the Lafayette Bed Chamber. Refreshments will follow Mr. Gaither’s lecture. Visit www. shirleyeustishouse.org for more information on these events or Shirley-Eustis House tours, gardens and history, call 617-4422275 or email governorshirley@ gmail.com. You can also become a fan on our Facebook page to stay connected to our events and announcements.

Performance: The Oven The premiere of a monologue written by author and Amherst College Professor Ilan Stavans and directed by Matthew Glassman about Stavans’ life-changing experience using hallucinogenics during a shamanic religious ritual in Colombia. Sunday, September 28, at 2pm (also: Sunday, October 12, at 2pm), the Yiddish Book Center, at 1021 West St., Amherst, Mass. For more information or to purchase tickets ($6-10), call 413-256-4900 or visit www. yiddishbookcenter.org/events.

Shirley-Eustis House The Shirley-Eustis House, 33 Shirley Street, a National Historic Landmark house museum and carriage house in Roxbury announces Open Studios Activities for Saturday, October 4 and Sunday, October 5. History Beneath our Feet — It’s time to do some digging in honor of Massachusetts Archeology Month!

Learn how archaeologists learn about the past from what they find in the ground! We will dig in sandboxes to uncover treasures left behind. You will learn the proper ways to dig, record facts and put together an 18th-century mystery!

Adults $5, Students and Seniors $4. This program will be held in the Carriage House at 1pm on Saturday, October 4 and is FREE with house tour. The Art of Apples — Back by popular demand! We will discover the wonderful varieties of apples on our grounds and then use them to paint and create apple masterpieces, cook apples over an open fire for an applelicious treat, and sample apple cider. Participants will learn about the life and times of Johnny Appleseed! This will be held at the Shirley-Eustis House Carriage House from 1-4pm on Sunday,

October 5 $5 for adults, $4 for students and seniors — FREE with historic Shirley-Eustis House tours. Shirley-Eustis House Tours — The main mansion will be open on Saturday and Sunday, October 4 and 5 from 1-4pm. Adults $5, Students and Seniors $4.

9th Annual HONK! Festival Time to mark the calendar for the ninth annual HONK! Festival (www.honkfest.org) which will take place from October 10-12 throughout the neighborhoods of Somerville, Cambridge, and Boston. Founded in 2006 in Davis Square by members of the Somerville-based Second Line Social Aid and Pleasure Society Brass Band (www.sec ondlinebrassband.org), HONK! is a rousing socio-political music spectacle which features social activist street bands from all over who come together to share their different approaches to merry making while also instigating positive change in their communities. Free and open to all. For more information visit: honkfest. org/2014-festival.

Community Open House Sunday, October 19, 10am4pm. A full day of free events for visitors of all ages, including a performance by author and story performer Mark Binder at 10:30am; the opening of the visiting exhibit Felix Lembersky: Soviet Form, Jewish Context, featuring a talk by the artist’s granddaughter, Yelena Lembersky, at 11:30am; and a performance by the klezmer fusion band Yale Strom & Hot Pstromi at 2pm. The day also includes a welcome from Aaron Lansky, the Yiddish Book Center’s founder and president, at 1:30pm, and guided tours of the Center at 11am and 1pm.

The Yiddish Book Center, at 1021 West St., Amherst, Mass.

For more information, call 413256-4900 or visit www.yiddish bookcenter.org/events.

The Magic Dreidel Performance: The Magic Dreidel: A Chanukah Celebration

with The Grumbling Gryphons, Sunday, December 14, at 2pm.

The renowned traveling children’s theater group The Grumbling Gryphons with an engaging musical performance for all ages. the Yiddish Book Center, at 1021 West St., Amherst, Mass. For more information or to purchase tickets ($3-8), call 413-256-4900 or visit www.yiddishbookcenter.org/ events.

Ongoing King’s Chapel Tuesday Noon Hour Recital programs King’s Chapel announces the Tuesday Noon Hour Recital programs for September 2014.

Historic King’s Chapel is located in downtown Boston at the corner of School and Tremont Streets.

Hailed by residents and visitors alike as a treasure in the midst of a bustling city, this year-long series features a wide range of programming from classical to jazz and more! Admission to the Noon Hour Recitals is by suggested donation of $3 per person; the donations are given to the performing musicians. Programs begin at 12:15 pm and last approximately 35 minutes; for more information, please call 617227-2155.

West African Drum class Master Senegalese drummer Mamadou Lynx Ndjaye teaches all level of Djembe drumming.

T h u r s d a y s from 7:30-9pm.

English High School, 144 McBride St., Jamaica Plain. Contact: 617359-1552 Toddler Drum Circle Toddler Drum Circle series with Cornell Coley will run every Saturday during the school year. 9:30-10:30am. Songs, stories, puppets, drumming and cultural info! Ages 1–4 yrs old!

Spontaneous Celebrations, 45 Danforth St., Jamaica Plain.

Contact: Cornell Coley www.afro latin.net 617-298-1790 cc@afrola tin.net. Cost: $8, $5 for sibling.

SEE MORE UPCOMING EVENTS ONLINE BayStateBanner.com/events

The Community Calendar has been established to list community events at no cost. The admission cost of events must not exceed $10. Church services and recruitment requests will not be published. THERE IS NO GUARANTEE OF PUBLICATION. To guarantee publication with a paid advertisement please call advertising at (617) 261-4600 ext. 7797 or email sandra@bannerpub.com. NO LISTINGS ARE ACCEPTED BY TELEPHONE, FAX OR MAIL. NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE. Deadline for all listings is Friday at noon for publication the following week. E-MAIL your information to: calendar@bannerpub.com. To list your event online please go to www.baystatebanner.com/events and list your event directly. Events listed in print are not added to the online events page by Banner staff members. There are no ticket cost restrictions for the online postings.

B

Thursday, September 18, 2014• BAY STATE BANNER • 27

Credit card cos. seize pay from millions of Americans Paul Kiel Back in 2009, Kevin Evans was one of millions of Americans blindsided by the recession. His 25-year career selling office furniture collapsed. He shed the nice home he could no longer afford, but not a $7,000 credit card debt.

After years of spotty employment, Evans, 58, thought he’d finally recovered last year when he found a better-paying, full-time customer service job in Springfield, Mo. But early this year, he opened his paycheck and found a quarter of it missing. His credit card lender, Capital One, had garnished his wages. Twice a month, whether he could afford it or not, 25 percent of his pay — the legal limit — would go to his debt, which had ballooned with interest and fees to over $15,000.

“It was a roundhouse from the right that just knocks you down and out,” Evans said.

The recession and its aftermath have fueled an explosion of cases like Evans’. Creditors and collectors have pursued struggling cardholders and other debtors in court, securing judgments that allow them to seize a chunk of even meager earnings. The financial blow can be devastating — more than half of U.S. states allow creditors to take a quarter of after-tax wages. But despite the rise in garnishments, the number of Americans affected has remained unknown.

At the request of ProPublica, ADP, the nation’s largest payroll services provider, undertook a study of 2013 payroll records for 13 million employees. ADP’s report, released today, shows that more than one in 10 employees in the prime working ages of 35 to 44 had their wages garnished in 2013.

Roughly half of these debtors, unsurprisingly, owed child support. But a sizeable number had their earnings docked for consumer debts, such as credit cards, medical bills and student loans.

Extended to the entire population of U.S. employees, ADP’s findings indicate that 4 million workers — about 3 percent of all employees — had wages taken for a consumer debt in 2013.

Carolyn Carter of the National Consumer Law Center called the level of wage garnishment identified by ADP “alarming.” “States and the federal government should

look on reforming our wage garnishment laws with some urgency,” she said.

The increase in consumer debt seizures is “a big change,” largely invisible to researchers because of the lack of data, said Michael Collins, faculty director of the Center for Financial Security at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

The potential financial hardship imposed by these seizures and their sheer number should grab the attention of policymakers, he said. “It is something we should care about.”

ADP’s study, the first largescale look at how many employees are having their wages garnished and why, reveals what has been a hidden burden for working-class families. Wage seizures were most common among middle-aged, blue-collar workers and lower-income employees. Nearly 5 percent of those earning between $25,000 and $40,000 per year had a portion of their wages diverted to pay down consumer debts in 2013, ADP found.

Perhaps due to the struggling economy in the region, the rate was highest in the Midwest.

There, over 6 percent of employees earning between $25,000 and $40,000 — one in 16 — had wages seized over consumer debt. Employees in the Northeast had the lowest rate. The statistics were not broken down by race.

Currently, debtors’ fates depend significantly on where they happen

to live. State laws vary widely.

Four states — Texas, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and South Carolina — largely prohibit wage garnishment stemming from consumer debt. Most states, however, allow creditors to seize a quarter of a debtor’s wages — the highest rate permitted under federal law.

Evans had the misfortune to live in Missouri, which not only

allows creditors to seize 25 percent, but also allows them to continue to charge a high interest rate even after a judgment.

By early 2010, Evans had fallen so far behind that Capital One suspended his card. For months, he made monthly $200 payments toward his $7,000 debt, according to statements reviewed by ProPublica and NPR. But by this time, the payments barely kept pace with the interest piling on at 26 percent. In 2011, when Evans could no longer keep up, Capital One filed suit. Evans was served a summons, but said he didn’t understand that meant there’d be a hearing on his case.

If Evans had lived in neighbor-

ing Illinois, the interest rate on his debt would have dropped to under 10 percent after his creditor had won a judgment in court. But in Missouri, creditors can continue to add the contractual rate of interest for the life of the debt, so Evans’ bill kept mounting. Missouri law also allowed Capital One to tack on a $1,200 attorney fee. Some other states cap such fees to no more than a few hundred dollars.

Evans has involuntarily paid over $6,000 this year on his old debt, an average of about $480 each paycheck, but he still owes more than $10,000. “It’s my debt. I want to pay it,” Evans said. But “I need to come up with large quantities of debt, continued to page 28

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren gets a warm greeting from local students outside Ruggles Station in Roxbury during the announcement of a $20 million federal grant for renovations to the station. (Mayor’s Office photo by Don Harney.)

    was born on April 24, 1933 to William Edward Hyatt and Viola Louise Evans Hyatt in Roxbury, Massachusetts. She passed on Friday, September 5, 2014 in Bellevue, Nebraska and is the widow of Henry Washington, artist and Boston native. Carole attended Boston public schools and graduated from Massachusetts Memorial Hospitals (Boston Medical Center) as did her two sisters and two cousins.

Carole enjoyed being a nurse and was a Surgical Supervisor at Mass. Memorial and a Nursing Administrator at Dimock Community Health Center Complex. Carole obtained a Bachelor’s Degree from U Mass/Boston and was a teacher in the Boston public schools for 20 years. She leaves to mourn her passing her sister Olga (Rev. Dr. Robert) Habersham, their children Mabel (Aubrey) Flowers, Sir Robert Habersham, IV (Monica), her sister Diana Jones and her children Michael (Linda) Jones, David (Sunila) Jones, grand nieces and nephews Jarreau, Marselle, Jayden, Miles, Sydney, Devin, Sian and Nia and many cousins and friends in the New England area.

Her memorial service was held on Friday, September 12, 2014 from 6:00 – 8:00 pm at New Beginnings Worship Center, 2231 Jefferson Street, Bellevue, Nebraska 68005, (402) 293-0750.

Condolences may be sent to New Beginnings Worship Center or Olga H Habersham at 3967 Hepburn Avenue, Los Angeles, California 90008-2734.

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28 BAY STATE STATE BANNER BANNER 28 •• Thursday, Thursday, September September 18, 18, 2014 2014•• BAY

debt

continued from page 27

money so I don’t just keep getting pummeled.”

Companies can also seize funds from a borrower’s bank account.

There is no data on how frequently this happens, even though it is a common recourse for collectors.

The garnishment process for most debts begins in local courts.

A company can file suit as soon as a few months after a debtor falls behind. A ProPublica review of court records in eight states shows the bulk of lawsuits are filed by

just a few types of creditors and companies. Besides major lenders like Capital One, medical debt is a major source of such suits. Highcost lenders who deal in payday and installment loans also file suits by the thousands. And finally, an outsized portion comes from debt buyers — companies that purchase mostly unpaid credit card bills.

When these creditors and collectors go to court, they are almost always represented by an attorney.

Defendants — usually in tough financial straits or unfamiliar with the court system — almost never are. In Clay County, Missouri, where Capital One brought its

LEGAL NOTICE INVITATION FOR BID PAINTING PROJECT CONTRACT MEDFORD HOUSING AUTHORITY The Medford Housing Authority invites sealed bids for a PAINTING PROJECT CONTRACT. BIDS FOR Painting Project Contract will be received until 2:00 PM Tuesday, October 7, 2014 at the Medford Housing Authority at 121 Riverside Avenue in Medford, MA 02155 at which time they will be publicly opened. Deliver bids in two envelopes, an outer mailing envelope, and an inner envelope clearly marked “Bid for PAINTING PROJECT” This one-year contract, (with two one-year renewable options) for PAINTING PROJECT includes painting occupied units that have not been painted for ten (10)+ years (35 unit minimum). The estimated cost is $50,000 for Year One. Specifications will be available on September 17, 2014 after 10 AM by email to Bernie Kirstein at bkirstein@medfordhousing.org, or in hard copy from the Medford Housing Authority at 121 Riverside Ave., Medford, MA, 02155.

There is no charge for bid documents. There are no filed sub-bids.

A walk-thru will be held Wednesday, September 24, 2014 at 10:00 AM. Attendees meet at 121 Riverside Avenue, Medford, MA. All bidding procedures included in M.G.L. c.30.B, Section 39M, c. 149, 24 CFR 85.36 and the provisions of Instructions to Bidders shall be strictly adhered to.

The bid proposal must be accompanied by a bid surety in an amount no less than 5% of the total bid (Total of years one, two and three). Bid surety must be in the form of a certified check, bank draft, or a bid bond made out to the Medford Housing Authority. Company or personal checks will not be acceptable. Bid surety of all but the three (3) lowest bidders will be returned within one (1) week of the bid opening. Bid surety of the three (3) low bidders will be returned upon final approved execution of the contract.

Questions to Bernie Kirstein by email at bkirstein@medfordhousing.org or telephone: 781-396-7200 Ext.140.

The Medford Housing Authority reserves the right to reject any and all bids or parts therein if it is in the public interest to do so.

For Section 3 contract questions only, please contact Barbara Fleming at (781) 396-7200 Ext.108. Ms. Fleming will be available for questions regarding Section 3 compliance immediately following the job site inspection.

suit against Evans in 2011, only 7 percent of defendants in debt collection cases have their own attorneys, according to ProPublica’s review of state court data. Often the debtors don’t show up to court at all: The most common outcome of a debt collection lawsuit in Missouri (and any other state) is a judgment by default.

In a Clay County courtroom recently, the court was filled with creditors, but debtors were in short supply. Attorneys for hospitals, debt buyers, and lenders milled about, approaching the podium when their cases were called. Often they simply asked for default judgments when debtors failed to show.

Christopher McGraugh, an associate circuit court judge in St. Louis, said the system is designed to give debtors a chance to dispute allegations in suits against them.

But in debt collection cases, “it just doesn’t happen that much.”

Some debtors, he said, may believe that they had no reason to attend since they owe the debt. For others, unable to afford an attorney, handling the case on their own is “beyond their sophistication,” he said. As a result, the facts of most cases are never questioned, leaving the plaintiff with a judgment and the ability to pursue a garnishment.

McGraugh, who has presided over thousands of debt collection cases, said when defendants do obtain lawyers, particularly in cases involving debt buyers, they can point to possible holes in the suit. Those cases, he said “are rarely pursued.”

Millions of debt collection lawsuits are filed every year in local courts. In 2011, for instance, the year Capital One went to court against Evans, more than 100,000 such suits were filed in Missouri alone.

Despite these numbers, creditors and debt collectors say they only pursue lawsuits and garnishments against consumers after other collection attempts fail.

“Litigation is a very high-cost mechanism for trying to collect

a debt,” said Rob Foehl, general counsel at the Association of Credit and Collection Professionals. “It’s really only a small percentage of outstanding debts that go through the process.”

“Legal action is a last resort,” said Capital One spokeswoman Pam Girardo, and the bank only filed suit after Evans “didn’t complete the payment plan we agreed to.”

Experts in garnishment say they’ve seen a clear shift in the type of debts that are pursued.

A decade ago, child support accounted for the overwhelming majority of pay seizures, said Amy Bryant, a consultant who advises

When these creditors and collectors go to court, they are almost always represented by an attorney.

Defendants — usually in tough financial straits or unfamiliar with the court system — almost never are. employers on payroll issues and has written a book on garnishment laws. “The emphasis is now on creditor garnishments,” she said.

Today, only about half the seizures are for child support, she said.

To illustrate the rise overall, Bryant provided ProPublica and NPR payroll statistics from a major retailer with approximately 250,000 employees nationwide. The company allowed the data to be used on the condition its name was not used.

Since 2007, the number of employees who had their pay seized for consumer debt roughly doubled. As of June of this year, 2 percent — about 5,000 employees — had ongoing garnishments for consumer debt and just under

Legal Advertisement TOWN OF ARLINGTON REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

1 percent for student loan debt.

ADP’s analysis also found that the rate of garnishment for child support was most common (3.4 percent), but closely followed by consumer debt, including student loans. The next most common reasons for garnishments were tax levies and payments for bankruptcy plans. (Disclosure: ProPublica retains ADP to provide it with professional employer organization services.)

Wage seizures for student loan debts are governed by different laws than other consumer debts. Collectors can obtain a garnishment after an administrative procedure set by federal rules. Borrowers must also be more than nine months behind before a collector can seek one. Finally, such seizures are capped at 15 percent of disposable income.

Department of Education data shows that approximately $1 billion has been collected each year over the past several years through these garnishments. The amount is up by about 40 percent since 2006, even after the figures are adjusted for inflation. ADP’s analysis did not break out student loans from other types of consumer debt.

Bryant said the rise in garnishments has become an unanticipated burden for employers.

“It becomes very complicated,” she said, particularly for national employers who must navigate the differences in state laws. “It’s very easy to make a mistake in the process.” If an employer does not correctly handle a garnishment order, she said, they can become liable for a portion or even the entirety of the debt in some states.

The burden was enough to prompt the American Payroll Association to request in 2011 that the Uniform Law Commission draft a model state law on wage garnishment. Bryant said employers are hoping that the new law, which is still being drafted, will be adopted by a large number of states and reduce complications.

ProPublica

waive minor technicalities.

MASSACHUSETTS BAY TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY TRANSPORTATION BUILDING 100 SUMMER STREET BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02116-3975

The Menotomy Weatherization Program is accepting sealed proposals from contractors for heating system efficiency modifications including repairs, cleaning, tuning and burner/system replacements for the HeartWap (HWAP) Program as well as accepting proposals from asbestos abatement contractors. The service area is Arlington, Cambridge, Lexington, Belmont, Somerville, Watertown and Waltham. The accepted proposals will be for the HeartWap Program years: October 1, 2014 through September 30, 2016.

Requests for information for the Heartwap Program may be made to Michael DiNicola at 781-316-3434. 0r mdinicola@town.arlington.ma.us All proposals must be in our office – The Menotomy Weatherization office at 20 Academy Street, Suite 202, Arlington MA 02476 – no later than Tuesday September 30 2014

Electronic proposals for the following project will be received through the internet using Bid Express until the date and time stated below, and will be posted on www.bidx.com forthwith after the bid submission deadline. No paper copies of bids will be accepted. Bidders must have a valid digital ID issued by the Authority in order to bid on projects. Bidders need to apply for a digital ID with Bid Express at least 14 days prior to a scheduled bid opening date.

All proposals are subject to price negotiation. The Menotomy Weatherization Program reserves the right to reject any and all proposals deemed best for the Program. Small and minority firms are encouraged to apply. This advertisement is subject in all respects to the terms and conditions of the invitation to bid.

Electronic bids for MBTA Contract No. D74CN01, DATA CENTER UPGRADES TO 10 PARK PLAZA BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, CLASS 5 – ELECTRICAL, PROJECT VALUE – $1,000,000, can be submitted at www.bidx.com until two o’clock (2:00 p.m.) on October 2, 2014. Immediately thereafter, in a designated room, the Bids will be opened and read publicly.

An Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer.

The work consists of the upgrades to the fire suppression system of the existing Data Center and improvements to the work area associated with the IT server room. The work also includes a new FM-200 system and a new IT department work area. Associated work includes upgrades to the HVAC system, fire alarm system and upgrades the existing IT department work area.

REQUEST for PROPOSALS The Oakes Ames Memorial Hall Association, Inc. Board of Trustees seeks proposals from qualified firms to prepare a Historic Building Comprehensive Needs Assessment and Prioritized Treatment Plan for Oakes Ames Memorial Hall, a 19th Century historic landmark in Easton, MA. The full RFP may be viewed at the Town of Easton website (www.easton. ma.us) under the “Business” and “Request for Proposals/Bids/Quotes” tabs.

The RFP also is available in person at the Easton Town Offices during business hours. Interested parties also may request the RFP be mailed to them by contacting Wayne Beitler at 508-230-0645.

A pre-proposal conference briefing and tour will be held at 10:00 AM on Thursday, September 25th, 2014 at Oakes Ames Memorial Hall, 3 Barrows Street, North Easton, MA 02356 The receipt deadline for the RFP submittal is 3:00 PM on Thursday, October 9th, 2014. Proposals shall be mailed or delivered to: Wayne Beitler, Community Planner Department of Planning & Community Development Easton Town Offices 136 Elm Street North Easton, MA 02356 The Association is an Equal Opportunity employer. The Association reserves the right to reject any proposal deemed not to be in its best interest and

NOTICE TO BIDDERS

Bidders attention is directed to Appendix 1, Notice of Requirement for Affirmative Action to Insure Equal Employment Opportunity; and to Appendix 2, Supplemental Equal Employment Opportunity, Anti-Discrimination, and Affirmative Action Program in the specifications. While there is no DBE goal associated with this contract, the Authority strongly encourages the use of Minority, Women and Disadvantaged Business Enterprises as prime contractors, subcontractors and suppliers in all of its contracting opportunities.

Additional information and instructions on how to submit a bid are available at http://www.mbta.com/business_center/bidding_solicitations/ current_solicitations/ On behalf of the MBTA, thank you for your time and interest in responding to this Notice to Bidders Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Beverly A. Scott, Ph.D. MBTA General Manager and Rail and Transit Administrator Richard A. Davey MassDOT Secretary and CEO September 9, 2014

Thursday, September 18, 2014 • BAY STATE BANNER • 29

MASSACHUSETTS BAY TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY TRANSPORTATION BUILDING 100 SUMMER STREET BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02116-3975

(3) experience and expertise of subconsultants,

questions will be answered.

(4) demonstrated ability to perform work with minimal disruption to facility operations,

NOTICE TO BIDDERS

(5) familiarity with Massachusetts public bid laws

Each submission shall include a Statement of Qualifications that provides detailed information in response to the evaluation criteria set forth below and include Architect/Engineer & Related Services questionnaires SF 330 (www. gsa.gov/portal/forms/download/116486) with the appropriate number of Part IIs. Certification of the prime and subconsultants shall be current at the time of submittal and the Consultant shall provide a copy of the certification letter from the Supplier Diversity Office, formerly known as State Office of Minority and Women Business Assistance (SOMWBA) within its submittal. The Consultant shall also provide an original and fourteen copies of litigation and legal proceedings information, signed under the pains and penalties of perjury, in a separate sealed envelope entitled “Litigation and Legal Proceedings”. See http://www.massport.com/business-with-massport/capital-improvements/resource-center for more details on litigation and legal proceedings history submittal requirements.

Electronic proposals for the following project will be received through the internet using Bid Express until the date and time stated below, and will be posted on www.bidx.com forthwith after the bid submission deadline. No paper copies of bids will be accepted. Bidders must have a valid digital ID issued by the Authority in order to bid on projects. Bidders need to apply for a digital ID with Bid Express at least 14 days prior to a scheduled bid opening date.

Electronic bids for MBTA Contract No. K78CN01, SOUTH COAST RAIL GRADE CROSSING IMPROVEMENT PROJECT, TRACK, CIVIL, AND SIGNAL PROJECT, TAUNTON, FREETOWN, AND NEW BEDFORD, MASSACHUSETTS PROJECT VALUE $16,002,000; CLASS 1 – GENERAL TRANSIT – $9,058,910; CLASS 3 – TRACKWORK - $5,458,910; CLASS 6A2 – RAILROAD SIGNALS AND COMMUNICATIONS - $1,484,180; can be submitted at www.bidx.com until two o’clock (2:00 p.m.) on October 2, 2014. Immediately thereafter, in a designated room, the Bids will be opened and read publicly.

Work on the South Coast Rail Commuter Line will consist of improvements to the existing track alignment, construction of new tracks through select segments, upgrade of existing at-grade highway crossing track and roadway surfaces, and the demolition of select track segments as indicated. These improvements will be made while existing freight line service continues to function.

Bidders attention is directed to Appendix 1, Notice of Requirement for Affirmative Action to Insure Equal Employment Opportunity; and to Appendix 2, Supplemental Equal Employment Opportunity, Anti-Discrimination, and Affirmative Action Program in the specifications. While there is no DBE goal associated with this contract, the Authority strongly encourages the use of Minority, Women and Disadvantaged Business Enterprises as prime contractors, subcontractors and suppliers in all of its contracting opportunities.

Additional information and instructions on how to submit a bid are available at http://www.mbta.com/business_center/bidding_solicitations/current_solicitations/ On behalf of the MBTA, thank you for your time and interest in responding to this Notice to Bidders Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Beverly A. Scott, Ph.D. MBTA General Manager and Rail and Transit Administrator Richard A. Davey MassDOT Secretary and CEO September 10, 2014 LEGAL NOTICE REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS The MASSACHUSETTS PORT AUTHORITY (Authority) is soliciting consulting services for MPA CONTRACT NO. M223-D1, DREDGING ENGINEERING CONSULTANT SERVICES, BOSTON MASSACHUSETTS. The Authority is seeking a qualified multidiscipline consulting firm/team, with proven dredging related experience to provide professional services including planning, permitting, design, design review and construction related services including resident inspection relative to the US Army Corps of Engineers’ Boston Harbor Deep Draft Navigation Improvement Project and other Massport berth maintenance dredging projects. The Consultant must be able to work closely with the Authority, the US Army Corps of Engineers and other interested parties in order to provide such services in a timely and effective manner.

The consultant shall demonstrate dredging related experience in several disciplines and including but not limited to engineering, environmental permitting, hydrographic surveying, sampling and testing services, cost estimating, construction management and resident engineering services.

The scope of work shall include, but not be limited to the following: (1) Provide engineering services related to the Boston Harbor Deepening Project. This project, which is managed by the US Army Corps of Engineers, and is sponsored and partially funded by the Massachusetts Port Authority, looks at deepening the major entrance channel and the main ship channel through Boston Harbor up to the Reserved Channel to a depth of between 45 and 50 feet. Massport’s goal is to provide deeper access to Conley Terminal at a depth that would allow the port to retain and grow its container liner services and efficiently operate its bulk cargo facilities. Additional port improvements in the Mystic and Chelsea Rivers and the Main Ship Channel above the Reserved Channel are also considered.

(2) The consultant scope of services shall also include planning, permitting, design, cost estimating, and construction related services related to other Massport’s berth maintenance dredging projects.

The contract will be work order based, and Consultant’s fee for each work order shall be negotiated; however, the total fee for the contract shall not exceed $1,000,000.

In recognition of the unique nature of the project and the services required to support it, the Authority has scheduled a Consultant Briefing to be held at 10:00 am on Tuesday, September 23, 2014 in the Bid Room of the Capital Programs Department, Suite 209S, Logan Office Center, One Harborside Drive, East Boston, Massachusetts 02128. At this session, an overview of the project will be provided, the services requested by the Authority will be described, and questions will be answered.

Each submission shall include a Statement of Qualifications that provides detailed information in response to the evaluation criteria set forth below and include Architect/Engineer & Related Services questionnaires SF 330 (www. gsa.gov/portal/forms/download/116486) with the appropriate number of Part IIs. M/WBE Certification of the prime and subconsultants shall be current at the time of submittal and the Consultant shall provide a copy of the M/WBE certification letter from the Supplier Diversity Office, formerly known as State Office of Minority and Women Business Assistance (SOMWBA) within its submittal. The Consultant shall also provide an original and nine copies of litigation and legal proceedings information, signed under the pains and penalties of perjury, in a separate sealed envelope entitled “Litigation and Legal Proceedings”. See http://www.massport.com/business-with-massport/capital-improvements/resource-center for more details on litigation and legal proceedings history submittal requirements.

In order to be eligible for selection, The Project Manager and all individuals responsible for technical disciplines shall, upon commencement of the project, be registered Architects or Engineers, in that discipline, in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

The Authority may reject any application if any of the required information is not provided: Cover Letter, Insurance Requirements, Litigation and Legal proceedings, and SF330 Part IIs for the Prime and every sub-consultant. The above-mentioned information shall be highlighted in the Cover Letter.

The submission shall be evaluated on basis of: (1) current level of experience and knowledge of the team or team members working with the US Corps of Engineers on similar federal harbor dredging projects, particularly the Project Manager, (2) geographic location and availability of the Project Manager, resident inspectors and other key personnel to be assigned to the project,

(6) proposed approach and demonstrated performance in providing permitting, design and construction phase services for terminal and berth dredging projects (7) cost management and scheduling capabilities, (8) M/WBE and affirmative action efforts, please indicate the proposed % of M/WBE participation (9) past and current level of work with the Authority, (10) experience with sustainable design concepts and resiliency, and The selection shall involve a two-step process including the shortlisting of a minimum of three firms based on an evaluation of the Statements of Qualifications received in response to this solicitation, followed immediately by a final selection of the consultant by the Authority. The Authority reserves the right to interview the firms prior to final selection, if deemed appropriate.

By responding to this solicitation, consultants agree to accept the terms and conditions of Massport’s standard work order agreement, a copy of the Authority’s standard agreement can be found on the Authority’s web page at www.massport.com. The Consultant shall specify in its cover letter that it has the ability to obtain requisite insurance coverage.

Submissions shall be printed on both sides of the sheet (8 1/2” x 11”), no acetate covers. Ten (10) copies of a bound document and one PDF version on a disc each limited to: 1) an SF 330 including the appropriate number of Part IIs, 2) resumes of key individuals only each limited to one (1) page under SF 330, Section E, 3) no more than ten (10) projects each limited to one (1) page under SF 330, Section F, 4) no more than 3 sheets (6 pages) of information contained under SF 330 Section H addressing the evaluation items (except for the litigation and legal proceedings history), and 5) no more than 2 sheets (4 pages) of other relevant material not including a 2 page (max.) cover letter, SDO certification letters, covers, dividers, and other required information.

This submission, including the litigation and legal proceedings history in a separate sealed envelope as required shall be addressed to Houssam H. Sleiman, PE, CCM, Director of Capital Programs and Environmental Affairs and received no later than 12:00 Noon on Thursday, October 23, 2014 at the Massachusetts Port Authority, Logan Office Center, One Harborside Drive, Suite 209S, Logan International Airport, East Boston, MA 02128-2909. Any submission which is not received in a timely manner shall be rejected by the Authority as non-responsive. Any information provided to the Authority in any Proposal or other written or oral communication between the Proposer and the Authority will not be, or deemed to have been, proprietary or confidential, although the Authority will use reasonable efforts not to disclose such information to persons who are not employees or consultants retained by the Authority except as may be required by M.G.L. c.66.

The procurement process for these services will proceed according to the following anticipated schedule: EVENT

DATE/TIME

Solicitation: Release Date

September 17, 2014

Deadline for submission of written questions

October 03, 2014 (12 PM - Noon)

Official answers published (Estimated)

October 10, 2014

Solicitation: Close Date/Submission Deadline

October 23, 2014 (12 PM – Noon)

Times are Eastern Standard Time (US).

Questions may be sent via email to CPBidQuestions@massport.com subject to the deadline for receipt stated in the timetable above. In the subject lines of your email, please reference the MPA Project Name and Number.

Questions and their responses will be posted on Capital Bid Opportunities webpage of Massport http://www.massport.com/doing-business/_layouts/ CapitalPrograms/default.aspx as an attachment to the original Legal Notice and on COMMBUYS (www.commbuys.com) in the listings for this project.

MASSACHUSETTS PORT AUTHORITY THOMAS P. GLYNN CEO AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR LEGAL NOTICE REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS The MASSACHUSETTS PORT AUTHORITY (Authority) is soliciting consulting services for MPA CONTRACT NO. A310-S2 DESIGN CONSULTANT FOR CRITICAL MPA ASSETS RESILIENCY (Logan and Maritime Facilities). The Authority is seeking qualified multidiscipline consulting firm or team with proven experience to provide professional services including planning, design, and construction related services, as well as skills necessary to create operational flood plans and training. Several buildings will be analyzed for their existing flood proofing concepts, and design and bid documents will be prepared for both permanent and temporary measures to protect the building during an extreme flood event. An Operational Flood Plan will also be developed and courses to train personnel will be prepared. The Consultant must be able to work closely with the Authority and other interested parties in order to provide such services in a timely, efficient, and cost-effective manner.

On September 17, 2014, a “Project Description and Supplemental Information” package will be available on the Capital Bid Opportunities webpage of Massport http://www.massport.com/doing-business/_layouts/ CapitalPrograms/default.aspx as an attachment to the original Legal Notice, on COMMBUYS (www.commbuys.com) in the listings for this project or by contacting Monica VanAsselberg at Capital Programs MVanAsselberg@ massport.com The consultant shall demonstrate experience in several disciplines and including but not limited to: Climate Resiliency, Architectural, Civil, Structural, Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing, Vertical Transportation, Geotechnical, Waterfront Engineering, Landscape Architecture, Code Compliance, Cost Estimating, Construction Phasing, Sustainable Design, Stakeholder Engagement, and Operational Planning. Demonstrated experience retrofitting/designing for flood protection in critical facilities is required.

The contract will be work order based, and Consultant’s fee for each work order shall be negotiated; however, the total fee for the contract shall not exceed $500,000.

In recognition of the unique nature of the project and the services required to support it, the Authority has scheduled a Consultant Briefing to be held at 11:00 AM on September 25, 2014 in the Bid Room at the Capital Programs Department, Suite 209S, Logan Office Center, One Harborside Drive, East Boston, Massachusetts 02128. At this session, an overview of the project will be provided, the services requested by the Authority will be described, and

In order to be eligible for selection, all aspects of Chapter 7C, Section 44 of the General Laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts shall be satisfied including the majority of the firm’s Board of Directors or ownership shall be registered in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in accordance with the applicable provisions of the statute. Consultants shall furnish professional registration status of the firm’s board of directors or ownership. All individuals responsible for technical disciplines shall, upon commencement of the project, be registered Architects or Engineers, in that discipline, in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

The Authority may reject any application if any of the required information is not provided: Cover Letter, Insurance Requirements, Litigation and Legal proceedings, Registration of the Board of Director as defined in MGL Chapter 7C Section 44, and SF330 Part IIs for the Prime and every sub-consultant.

The above-mentioned information shall be highlighted in the Cover Letter.

The submission shall be evaluated on basis of: (1) current level of experience and knowledge of the team for similar projects, particularly the Project Manager, (2) geographic location and availability of the Project Manager and other key personnel to be assigned to the project, (3) experience and expertise of subconsultants, (4) demonstrated ability to perform work with minimal disruption to airport operations, (5) familiarity with MGL, including filed sub-bid experience, (6) cost management and scheduling capabilities, (7) affirmative action efforts, please indicate the proposed % of M/WBE participation (8) current level of work and past performance with the Authority, (9) experience with sustainable design concepts and resiliency, and (10) project understanding and technical approach to this project.

The selection shall involve a two-step process including the shortlisting of a minimum of three firms based on an evaluation of the Statements of Qualifications received in response to this solicitation, followed immediately by a final selection of the consultant by the Authority. The Authority reserves the right to interview the firms prior to final selection, if deemed appropriate.

By responding to this solicitation, consultants agree to accept the terms and conditions of Massport’s standard work order agreement, a copy of the Authority’s standard agreement can be found on the Authority’s web page at www.massport.com. The Consultant shall specify in its cover letter that it has the ability to obtain requisite insurance coverage.

Submissions shall be printed on both sides of the sheet (8 1/2” x 11”), no acetate covers. Fifteen (15) copies of a bound document and one PDF version on a disc each limited to: 1) an SF 330 including the appropriate number of Part IIs, 2) resumes of key individuals only each limited to one (1) page under SF 330, Section E, 3) no more than ten (10) projects each limited to one (1) page under SF 330, Section F, 4) no more than 3 sheets (6 pages) of information contained under SF 330 Section H addressing the evaluation items (except for the litigation and legal proceedings history), and 5) no more than 2 sheets (4 pages) of other relevant material not including a 2 page (max.) cover letter, SDO certification letters, covers, dividers, and other required information.

This submission, including the litigation and legal proceedings history in a separate sealed envelope as required shall be addressed to Houssam H. Sleiman, PE, CCM, Director of Capital Programs and Environmental Affairs and received no later than 12:00 Noon on Thursday, October 23, 2014 at the Massachusetts Port Authority, Logan Office Center, One Harborside Drive, Suite 209S, Logan International Airport, East Boston, MA 02128-2909. Any submission which is not received in a timely manner shall be rejected by the Authority as non-responsive. Any information provided to the Authority in any Proposal or other written or oral communication between the Proposer and the Authority will not be, or deemed to have been, proprietary or confidential, although the Authority will use reasonable efforts not to disclose such information to persons who are not employees or consultants retained by the Authority except as may be required by M.G.L. c.66.

The procurement process for these services will proceed according to the following anticipated schedule: EVENT DATE/TIME Solicitation: Release Date

September 17, 2014

Deadline for submission of written questions

October 3, 2014 12 PM Noon

Official answers published (Estimated)

October 10, 2014

Solicitation: Close Date / Submission Deadline

October 23, 2014 12 PM Noon

Times are Eastern Standard Time (US).

Questions may be sent via email to CPBidQuestions@massport.com subject to the deadline for receipt stated in the timetable above. In the subject lines of your email, please reference the MPA Project Name and Number.

Questions and their responses will be posted on Capital Bid Opportunities webpage of Massport http://www.massport.com/doing-business/_layouts/ CapitalPrograms/default.aspx as an attachment to the original Legal Notice and on COMMBUYS (www.commbuys.com) in the listings for this project.

MASSACHUSETTS PORT AUTHORITY THOMAS P. GLYNN CEO AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

SUBSCRIBE TO THE BANNER call (617) 261-4600

•

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30 • Thursday, September 18, 2014 • BAY STATE BANNER

Commonwealth of Massachusetts The Trial Court Probate and Family Court Department SUFFOLK Division

Docket No. SU14D1293DR

Divorce Summons by Publication and Mailing Jean Murant Emile

vs.

Andrelle Emile

on or before 10/09/2014. If you fail to do so, the court will proceed to the hearing and adjudication of this action. You are also required to file a copy of your answer, if any, in the office of the Register of this Court.

Witness, Hon. Joan P. Armstrong, First Justice of this Court.

Date: July 29, 2014 Ann Marie Passanisi Register of Probate Commonwealth of Massachusetts The Trial Court Probate and Family Court Department

To the Defendant: The Plaintiff has filed a Complaint for Divorce requesting that the Court grant a divorce for irretrievable breakdown of the marriage pursuant to G.L. c. 208, Section 1 B.

SUFFOLK Division

Docket No. SU14D1538DR

Divorce Summons by Publication and Mailing

The Complaint is on file at the Court.

vs.

Yvon Antenor

Witness, Hon. Joan P. Armstrong, First Justice of this Court.

Date: September 8, 2014 Ann Marie Passanisi Register of Probate COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS PROBATE COURT Case NO. SU14P2122EA

SUFFOLK ss.

To all persons interested in the estate of Rose Romanow A/K/A Rose Ronanow late of Boston, in said County of Suffolk, deceased.

To the Defendant:

A petition has been presented to said Court praying that Ira H. Grolman of Boston in the County of Suffolk, public administrator, be appointed administrator of said estate.

You are hereby summoned and required to serve upon: Jean Murant Emile, 278 East 9th St #53, South Boston, MA 02127-0003 your answer, if any, on or before 11/13/2014. If you fail to do so, the court will proceed to the hearing and adjudication of this action. You are also required to file a copy of your answer, if any, in the office of the Register of this Court.

The Plaintiff has filed a Complaint for Divorce requesting that the Court grant a divorce for irretrievable breakdown of the marriage pursuant to G.L. c. 208, Section 1 B.

If you desire to object thereto you or your attorney should file a written appearance in said Court at Boston before ten o’clock in the forenoon on the 13th day of November, 2014, the return day of this citation.

The Complaint is on file at the Court.

Witness, Hon. Joan P. Armstrong, First Justice of this Court.

Date: September 8, 2014 Ann Marie Passanisi Register of Probate

An Automatic Restraining Order has been entered in this matter preventing you from taking any action which would negatively impact the current financial status of either party. SEE Supplemental Probate Court Rule 411.

Witness, Joan P. Armstrong, Esquire, First Judge of said Court, this 8th day of September, 2014.

Ann Marie Passanisi, Register

An Automatic Restraining Order has been entered in this matter preventing you from taking any action which would negatively impact the current financial status of either party. SEE Supplemental Probate Court Rule 411.

Shirley N Remy-Antenor

Antenor, impounded your answer, if any, on or before 11/06/2014. If you fail to do so, the court will proceed to the hearing and adjudication of this action. You are also required to file a copy of your answer, if any, in the office of the Register of this Court.

You are hereby summoned and required to serve upon: Shirley N Remy-

Commonwealth of Massachusetts The Trial Court Probate and Family Court Department SUFFOLK Division

Docket No. SU14D1577DR

Divorce Summons by Publication and Mailing Mariama Camara-Green

vs.

Gilbert A. Green

To the Defendant: The Plaintiff has filed a Complaint for Divorce requesting that the Court grant a divorce for irretrievable breakdown of the marriage pursuant to G.L. c. 208, Section 1 B. The Complaint is on file at the Court.

An Automatic Restraining Order has been entered in this matter preventing you from taking any action which would negatively impact the current financial status of either party. SEE Supplemental Probate Court Rule 411.

You are hereby summoned and required to serve upon: Mariama CamaraGreen, 451 Norfolk Street Apt. 16, Mattapan, MA 02126 your answer, if any,

Parker Hill Apartments Brand New Renovated Apartment Homes Stainless Steel Appliances New Kitchen Cabinets Hardwood Floors Updated Bathroom Custom Accent Wall Painting Free Parking Free Wi-Fi in lobby Modern Laundry Facilities

WOLLASTON MANOR 91 Clay Street Quincy, MA 02170

OFFICE SPACE

Senior Living At It’s Best

DORCHESTER/ MILTON

A senior/disabled/ handicapped community 0 BR units = $1,027/mo 1 BR units = $1,101/mo All utilities included.

4+ bdrms Newly renovated, 2000+ sq ft apt in 3 fam, no smkng/pets, hrdwd flrs, eat-in kit, pantry, lg master bedroom, din and lv rm, laundry rm, enclosed frnt/bck prchs, off street prkng, T access, min to Bost.

Sec 8 OK

$375/mo. $695/mo. $1000/mo. $1395/mo.

Call Sandy Miller,

Two Bedrooms Starting at $2200

CHELSEA APARTMENT

1st Class Office Space Corner of Gallivan Blvd and Washington St ample parking.

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Property Manager

OWNER

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888-842-7945

Program Restrictions Apply.

617-835-6373

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ADVERTISE

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FIND RATE IN FORMATION AT www.baystatebanner.com /advertise

Brokers Welcome

MARSHFIELD HOUSING OPPORTUNITY PURCHASE PROGRAM • ROUND 9

617-283-2081

The Marshfield Housing Partnership is accepting additional applications from qualified applicants for grants to assist them in purchasing an existing market rate home or condominium in Marshfield. A deed restriction will be recorded on each unit purchased with a grant to secure affordability in perpetuity.

AFFORDABLE FIRST-TIME HOMEOWNERSHIP OPPORTUNITY

MAXIMUM GRANT AMOUNTS

Wildflower Meadow Condominium Phase I







15 Great Road Littleton, Massachusetts 01460

Three three-bedroom, two and one half bath, Colonial style homes, 1,394 living area: $185,000 Two three-bedroom, two bath, cottage style homes, 1,473 living area: $185,000

New construction of ENERGY STAR certified homes offering garage, deck, patio, gas forced hot air and central air-conditioning. Community club house and pool.

Buyers will be selected by lottery.

In order to qualify, total household income cannot exceed the following maximum income limits per household size: One person household: $47,450 Two person household: $54,200 Three person household: $61,000 Four person household: $67,750 Five person household: $73,200 Six person household: $78,600 Household Asset Limit of $75,000

To request an application and information packet Please contact: Housing Resource Group, LLC at 781.820.8797, or hrgllc.alwan@yahoo.com, or visit the Reuben Hoar Library, 41 Shattuck Street.

Completed applications must be returned to the Housing Resource Group, LLC, Four Raymond Street, Lexington, MA 02421 by November 14, 2014.

An information meeting will be held at the Reuben Hoar Library, 41 Shattuck Street, Littleton at 2:00 P.M. on Saturday October 25, 2014.

2 BEDROOM

3, 4 & 5 BEDROOMS

$80,000

$100,000

$120,000

MAXIMUM HOUSE/CONDOMINIUM AMOUNTS

One two-bedroom, one and one half bath, Cape style home, 1,338 living area: $165,000

Commuter rail to Boston

1 BEDROOM

BEDROOMS

SALE PRICE

MAXIMUM GRANT

NET PRICE AFTER GRANT

1 BR Condo

$212,000

$80,000

$132,000

1 BR House

$249,000

$80,000

$169,000

2 BR Condo

$250,000

$100,000

$150,000

2 BR House

$290,000

$100,000

$190,000

3 BR Condo

$297,000

$120,000

$177,000

3 BR House

$332,000

$120,000

$212,000

4 BR House

$350,000

$120,000

$230,000

5 BR House

$368,500

$120,000

$248,000

MAXIMUM ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME 1 PERSON

2 PERSON

3 PERSON

4 PERSON

5 PERSON

6 PERSON

7 PERSON

8 PERSON

9 OR MORE

$47,450

$54,200

$61,000

$67,750

$73,200

$78,600

$84,050

$89,450

Please call

Subject to periodic change by the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Net family assets may not exceed $75,000.

Households interested in applying should attend one of the two informational sessions being provided.

Informational sessions will be held at the following locations: Thursday, October 9, 2014, 7:00 p.m.: Hearing Room # 2, Marshfield Town Hall, 870 Moraine Street, Marshfield Saturday, October 11, 2014, 10:00 a.m.: Hearing Room # 2, Marshfield Town Hall, 870 Moraine Street, Marshfield A lottery will be held on Thursday, November 6, 2014 at 7:00 p.m. at the Marshfield Town Hall, Hearing Room # 3, to select grant recipients.

Successful grant recipients are required to have at least one family member attend and complete a Homebuyer Education Workshop For additional information or to receive an application please contact either the Marshfield Housing Authority (781-834-4333) or the Marshfield Housing Coordinator: (781-834-1051). Applications are also available at the Marshfield Town Hall.

All applications must be received and date stamped by the Marshfield Housing Authority no later than 12:00 p.m. (Noon) on Friday, October 24, 2014.

MARSHFIELD HOUSING AUTHORITY, 12 TEA ROCK GARDENS, MARSHFIELD, MA 02050 MHOPP Funding was made possible by the Town’s adoption of the Community Preservation Act

amount of $25.00 to cover handling and mailing fees.

The selected contractor shall furnish a performance bond and payment bond in amount at least equal to one hundred percent (100%) of the contract price as stipulated in Section 00700 GENERAL CONDITIONS of these specifications. Anticipated funding for this project will be from the Unite States

Statement and Weekly Utilization Report. Each Contractor must complete, sign and file with his bid the Bidder’s Certification Statement. Failure to do so will result in rejection of the bid. The Weekly Utilization Reports shall be submitted in accordance with section 8.2 (ii) and (iii) of the Contract. Failure to comply with the Minority Employee Utilization Requirement may result in imposition of the sanctions set forth in section 8.2 (f) and (g) of the Contract.

Attractive and Affordable This beautiful privately owned apartment complex with subsidized units for elderly and disabled individuals is just minutes from downtown Melrose.

Close to Public Transportation • Elevator Access to All Floors • On Site Laundry Facilities Heat Included • 24 Hour Closed Circuit Television • On Site Parking Excellent Closet and Storage Space • 24 Hour Maintenance Availability On site Management Office • Monthly Newsletter • Weekly Videos on Big Screen T.V. Resident Computer Room • Bus Trips • Resident Garden Plots

Call for current income guidelines

visit us on the web at www.cefalomemorial.com

AA/EEO

THREE BEDROOM

DUPLEX

Available in quiet Working fireplace, 2 Roxbury neighborhood. baths. All GE appliBuilding is well mainances. Master bath tained three A F Fwith O Ronly DAB L E H O Uhas S I Nmarble G L Otile T Tfloor ERY apartments. Renter and whirlpool bath. responsible for heat, hot Building opposite water and electricity. beautiful quiet park.

Lumiere

3780 Mystic Valley Parkway, Medford, MA

PleaseThree contact: Please contact: studios @ $1,048,* eight 1BRs @ $1,174,* Sharif Khallaq, five 2BRs @ $1,292* Sharif Khallaq, SAAK Realty SAAK * Rents subject to change in 2015. Utilities not included.Realty Tenants will pay own gasWashington heat, gas hot water, cooking), water and sewer.

2821 St.electricity (including 2821 Washington St. Roxbury, MA Roxbury, MA Lumiere is a 163 unit rental apartment community located in Med617.427.1327 617.427.1327 ford at 3780 Mystic Valley Parkway. 16 of these apartments will be made available through this application process. Unit features include fully applianced stainless kitchens, 36" designer kitchen cabinetry, solid surface counter and island tops, bathroom ceramic tile flooring and bath surround, in unit washers and dryers, and include one parking spot. The property abuts the Mystic River Reservation, a 300 acre public park along the scenic Mystic River. Location offers convenient pedestrian and MBTA bus service to Wellington MBTA train station and submarket shopping and entertainment. Please see www.LiveLumiere.com for more details on the development and the units.

Maximum household income limits: $47,450 (1 person), $54,200 (2 people), $61,000 (3 people), $67,750 (4 people).

Rudy Crichlow, CRS 617-524-3500

Call our Office at (781) 662-0223 or TDD: (800) 545-1833, ext. 131 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday through Friday for an application

Medford Housing Authority seeks qualified part time or full time receptionist for busy front office. Pleasant manner and good communication and computer skills required. Bi-lingual (Haitian Creole) is highly desirable. Résumé and cover letter by October 3, 2014 to 121 Riverside Avenue, Medford, MA, 02155.

ONE BEDROOM APARTMENT

Completed applications and required income documentation must be received, not postmarked, by 2 pm on November 12th, 2014. The lottery will be held on December 3rd at 6 pm.

Buying • Selling • Relocation

245 West Wyoming Avenue, Melrose, MA 02176

RECEPTIONIST

For Rent:

A Public Info Session will be held on Oct. 8th, 2014 at 6:00 p.m. at Medford City Hall (85 George P. Hassett Drive in the Council Chambers, 2nd floor).

Joseph T. Cefalo Memorial Complex

MEDFORD HOUSING AUTHORITY

For Rent:

Thursday, September 18, 2014 • BAY STATE BANNER • 31

For lottery information andhome applications, or for reasonable ac• 1st time buyer assistance commodations for persons with disabilities, go to www.s-e-b.com/ • Free home (x1 value lottery or call (617) 782-6900 thenestimate x7) and leave a message.

Applications and information also available at “I’m here to help you” the Medford Public Library on 11 High Street.

Library hours: M–Th 9–9, Fri. 9–6, Sat. 9–5. www.rudycrichlow.com EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY

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