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Polls: public confidence in government down Martin Desmarais

Martin J. Walsh (r) is sworn in by Chief Justice Roderick Ireland, as the first new mayor of Boston in 20 years succeeding former mayor Tom Menino. Looking on are Walsh’s family and Boston City Councilors. Holding the Bible is the new mayor’s mother.

(Don West photo)

Walsh inaugurated, council picks Linehan as president Yawu Miller The new Boston and old Boston were in stark contrast Monday with the inauguration of Mayor Marty Walsh and a contentious vote for the presidency of the City Council.

At Boston College, Walsh was sworn in on a multi-racial stage with Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Roderick Ireland administering the oath of office and former state Rep. Mel King leading a group of students in song.

In City Hall, events took a more divisive turn as at-large Councilor Ayanna Pressley failed to derail South Boston Councilor Bill Linehan’s ascent to the council presidency.

The 8-5 vote came on the heels of Mayor Marty Walsh’s swearing-in ceremony. Pressley and Linehan supporters packed the council’s Ianella Chamber for the vote. District 7 Councilor Tito Jackson moved to allow the candidates to make a speech before the vote.

In her remarks, Pressley stressed her experience as a citywide councilor in securing several legislative victories she has eked out, including her home-rule petition to lift the cap on liquor licenses in Boston — a vote where Linehan was the sole dissenter.

“I’m accountable to residents in all 23 neighborhoods in the city,” Pressley said. “And my work speaks to my commitment.”

Linehan, who lined up the seven votes necessary to win the presidency well in advance of the meeting, declined to speak.

With no further deliberation, the votes were recorded.

For Linehan: Frank Baker, Mark Ciomo, Sal LaMattina, Linehan, Timothy McCarthy, Steven Murphy and Michelle Wu. For Pressley: Tito Jackson, Matt O’Malley, Pressley, Charles Yancey and Josh Zakim.

While City Hall insiders had little doubt Linehan would win, a current of tension ran through the body’s deliberations Monday.

As the councilors registered their votes, at-large Councilor Michael Flaherty indicated his support for City Hall, continued to page 6

hasn’t changed all that much.

According to Doherty, since According to several recent Watergate and the Vietnam War, polls, Americans’ trust in the gov- Americans have had distrust of the ernment and belief that it can government but the levels of trust solve pressing problems — the seen prior to that period have economy, health care and the never been matched again. budget — is at an all-time low. But “The lack of trust really isn’t pundits suggest this is no surprise new. The relatively low trust has on the back of the government been around since the seventies,” shutdown and caution that wide- Doherty said. “It has been low for spread dislike of political leaders a while and since the seventies does not equate the inability of there have been very few periods the government to function. where trust has moved in a posiA poll conducted just last tive direction.” month by the AP-NORC Center However, he said the current for Public Affairs Research found all-time low in government trust that half of can likely be atthose surveyed tributed to the said America’s declining view system of govof Congress ernment needs and, in partica lot of changes ular, the battles or even a comover the Afplete overhaul. fordable Care A stunning 70 Act. percent lacked “The conany confidence tentiousness in the governand disagreement to make ment over that progress on is a factor,” he the importsaid. “Maybe ant problems — Carroll Doherty n o t t h e l a w facing the itself, but cerUnited States tainly the in 2014. debate and the fact that the govWhen asked the main problems ernment shut down over this law faced by the country and which the is a factor.” government needs to work on, reHe also said that the long spondents put health care at the recession and the fact that the top of the list, followed by jobs and economy still hasn’t recovered the economy and then the U.S. are factors in the low trust in debt and deficit spending. government.

The Pew Research Center has Doherty points out that, since been polling public trust in the the 1970s, trust in the government government since the late 1950s has not swung that much from and Carroll Doherty, director of president to president either. The political research at the organiza- numbers during the Carter adtion, says that since dipping to its ministration are similar to the curcurrent range in the 1970s, trust rent ones during the Obama adin the government has had some ministration, despite the current polls, continued to page 21 peaks and valleys but actually

“The lack of trust really isn’t new. The relatively low trust has been around since the seventies.”

Parents select schools under new assign plan Yawu Miller Parents of school-age children in Boston begin the process of selecting schools under the Boston Public Schools’ new assignment policy this week.

Under the new system, the school department will generate a list of at least six choices for each family based on their home address with a bias toward local schools. The new plan will include at least two schools in the BPS Tier 1 or Tier 2 category, the

top two levels of school performance.

The best way for parents to obtain a seat in the school of their choice is to register their child in January, when the new process begins. The school department is in the midst of an aggressive effort to publicize the enrollment process, using letters to parents, radio spots and billboard ads, according to BPS Spokesman Brian Ballou.

“Our welcome centers are open for parents to come in and schools, continued to page 9

The Nathan Hale School in Roxbury is a Tier 1 school, meaning students there score in the top 25 percent on the MCAS test.

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2 • Thursday, January 9, 2014 • BAY STATE BANNER

Organization forms natural hair community in Boston Boston’s Natural Hair Meetup members attend an organization event to hear about topics related to natural hair care and styling.

Dr. Yolanda Lenzy (l), a dermatologist and cosmetologist, speaks at an event held by Boston’s Natural Hair Meetup. The organization brings together natural hair care enthusiasts; (r) an attendee at a recent events displays her natural hair style. (Photos courtesy of Boston’s Natural Hair Meetup) Bridgit Brown When Rica Elysee decided to go natural in 2006, she said it was a “daunting” experience at first, but thanks to a community of “naturals” and the upward trend of YouTubers vlogging about natural hair, she survived it. Now she manages the popular Boston’s Natural Hair Meetup, which has 525 members whom she calls her “naturalistas.”

Back in August she became the leading facilitator of the Meetup and has since focused on solving

some of the common dilemmas that group members face.

“Many want to learn about how to treat natural hair when they come to the meetings,” she said. “They ask me what I’m doing with my hair or what I wash it with. They say, ‘How can I grow my hair?’ ‘What are some styles that I can try?’ At first, it occurred to me that it was difficult to answer their questions without an expert in the room.”

Elysee began reaching out to natural hair care enthusiasts, such

as stylists, doctors, and even natural hair product providers. She changed the goal of the Meetup to one that aims to educate women, men and children about natural hair through community engagement and impact projects.

“When you go to the hair stylist as a natural-haired woman and they say they don’t deal with virgin hair, that’s an experience that most of the women in the group have encountered. Some of them have gone natural because they have children and they want

to be a positive image of beauty for them. Then there are people who wanted something different, like hair with no chemicals.”

The meetings take place monthly at UMass Boston. Local hair stylists have presented workshops on how to twist and braidout natural hair. Dr. Yolanda Lenzy, a board certified dermatologist and licensed cosmetologist and hair loss expert, has led a discussion on alopecia and dandruff to members of the Meetup. Its next workshop takes place Jan. 11 at UMass Boston. It will also host an event called “Naturally Informed” on Jan. 19 at Q’s Salon and Spa in Boston. During February vacation week, the Meetup will offer several Mommy and Me events, including collaboration with the Black Doll Museum in Mansfield.

Elysee says another goal of the Meetup is to support local businesses that want to work with natural hair care consumers but have had difficulty reaching this tight and close-knit community. “Magazine and newspaper

ads help, but they don’t reach the overall demographic, so this Meetup offers a new way to reach out to us,” she adds.

Elysee has been able to gain corporate sponsors who provide discounts on their products to the group’s membership. She praises the Meetup platform for making it possible to allow people to meet face-to-face. “That’s the difference between Meetup and Facebook,” she said. “All the interactions on Meetup are about getting out and meeting people, not necessarily about just liking someone or something. I think that Meetup is also a good tool for someone moving to a new city. It gives you that avenue of being able to possibly meet people with the same interests. Many of our members came from other cities and have been able to find a community of their own particular interests here in Boston through the platform.”

Boston’s Natural Hair Meetup has 26 possible meetings scheduled for the coming year, and membership is free.

Thursday, January 9, 2014 • BAY STATE BANNER • 3

School dept. stands by teacher evaluation process Martin Desmarais Prior to the launch of Boston Public School’s new evaluation system last school year, the city had strong support across the board, but now the Boston Teachers Union is crying foul. The union is demanding in a grievance that BPS rehire 30 teachers who were removed for poor performance and it has stated claims that the evaluation system is discriminatory.

According to Richard Stutman, president of the Boston Teachers Union, the union’s examination of the evaluation data finds that a black teacher is five times more likely to be targeted for dismissal, a male teacher is three times more likely to be targeted for dismal and a teacher over the age of 50 is 12 times more likely to be targeted for dismissal.

“We found rampant discrimination by gender by age by race,” Stutman said. “We don’t believe it is random. We don’t believe it is an exception.

“We don’t think you can remotely say that a system is fair if certain races are targeted at five times the rate,” he added. “There is no such thing as a little bit of discrimination.”

Stutman’s assertions aside, the evaluation system has not produced a large percentage of firings.

Last school year the new evalu-

ation system looked at over 5,000 educators and teachers. Of those, 1.2 percent of educators — or 48 individuals — were deemed “unsatisfactory.” BPS conducted training with these individuals to try and help them improve — and 31 were deemed to have not done so and were removed, according to data released by BPS. In November, BPS released a report that revealed that in the prior years’ evaluation data educators over age 50, male teachers and African-American educators were more likely to receive a “needs improvement” or “unsatisfactory” evaluation.

This sent the union into action and led to the filing of a grievance demanding that the city rehire the removed teachers and also suspend the performance evaluations.

“We think the evaluation system is flawed,” Stutman said. “If the evaluation system is helpful and fair these numbers shouldn’t be surfacing.”

Boston Public Schools Interim Superintendent John McDonough has come out very strongly in support of the evaluation system and against the union’s demands.

“No one who was removed for poor performance last year should be placed in front of students again, but this is precisely what the union leadership has asked us to do,” McDonough said in a statement.

“Performance evaluations are valuable tools to improve the quality of teaching for every child. We need to invest in great teaching — and that means working hard to identify areas of underperformance so we can address them.

“We must not turn back simply because there are patterns we do not like to see in the evaluation data,” McDonough added. “Educator evaluations and the professional support that comes with them help our teachers tackle the other urgent patterns we see all too often: that students living in poverty are less likely to succeed, or the fact that the vast majority of students with disabilities still struggle to graduate.

“Nearly half speak a language other than English at home. We continue to have persistent achievement gaps. Our teachers care deeply about these issues and want to serve all of our children well. We wish the union leadership would focus its energy on helping us find solutions rather than on weakening our schools’ ability to strengthen teacher teams.”

According to BPS officials, this year the evaluations will include additional measures to help prevent the potential for evaluator bias and the city will continue to work with evaluators on a regular basis to ensure consistency.

Dr. Ralph De La Torre (l), chairman and CEO of Steward Health Care, was the honoree at Harvard Street Neighborhood Health Center’s Gifts of Health Gala/Fundraiser held at the Westin Copley Hotel. Joining De La Torre are HSNHC CEO Charley Murphy and Bonnie Brathwaite, chair of the center’s board. (Don West photo)

One of the things that BPS stands strongly by is that in the 2012-2013 school year 93 percent of its teachers received an evaluation, up from 23 percent in prior school years.

School officials and education advocates also express frustration at the union’s about-face on an evaluation system that it argued to adopt during contract negotiations last year and was developed by the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education in partnership with parents, teachers and education experts.

Long-time education advocate Fran Smith, who is also coordinator

emphasis on giving students the best education to be lost in a battle over labor practices.

“Our children have one shot at every grade. What they don’t achieve in that grade every year hurts their ability to succeed,” Smith said. “We have to focus on what is in the best interest of the children. I look forward to the day when the collective bargaining process is a student-centric process.”

If the union grievance holds it will be a long process that will end in court. Stutman says the union wants BPS to stop its “racist, sexist and ageist” practices and to look

“No one who was removed for poor performance last year should be placed in front of students again, but this is precisely what the union leadership has asked us to do.”

— John McDonough of Boston United for Students, said that Boston was in need of a better teacher evaluation process and that to uncover only 30 teachers out of 5,000 who are underperforming is actually not that concerning.

“I think that the new teacher evaluation process is a big improvement,” Smith said. “I do believe that there are some people who are teachers who may not be that effective and the evaluation process should determine that.”

She acknowledges that the individual teachers found as underperforming understandably feel the evaluation was unfair to them and she appreciates that the union filed a grievance to protect the teachers and examine the evaluation. However, she said she does not want the

at the teachers who have been removed and make sure that the decision was not made based on factors other than performance.

According to Lee McGuire, chief spokesman for BPS, school officials will have a series of meetings with the union beginning in the near future. He said if there is a resolution from these meetings he does not expect it to happen for several months, at the earliest. Likely, the teachers in question will have to be looked at on a case-by-case basis.

McGuire echoes the sentiments of the school superintendent. “No group of students should spend a year with a teacher who is underperforming,” he said. “We are not going to be putting teachers back in the classroom that are underperforming.”

4 • Thursday, January 9, 2013 • BAY STATE BANNER

Established 1965

Changing laws on family values In their youth, America’s elders were subjected to more demanding sexual mores than are usual today. Back then it was inappropriate for a young woman of marriageable age to be alone with a man in a private place. Today, even distinguished colleges and universities facilitate encounters between genders with the establishment of coed dorms. Despite many other changes in the sexual mores, rules against polygamy have been unyielding, until recently.

A once common point of view is that marriage is the only socially sanctioned environment for sexual intimacy. Several states even permitted common law marriage, a contractual agreement between the parties without a license from the state. In 1877, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that such marriages are valid unless they are specifically prohibited by the state. Today, 15 states and the District of Columbia still permit common law marriage.

With cohabitation now so prevalent, the issue has less importance. According to a report by the National Center for Health Statistics of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), between 2006 and 2010, 48 percent of women between the ages of 15 and 44 took up residence with a man who was not related. It appears that the moral stigma against cohabiting couples is gone.

However, the addition of another woman to the couple creates a new legal mix. One man

and two women, or cohabitants, creates the appearance of polygamy. The U.S. Congress passed the Morrill Act in 1862 to outlaw polygamy, and the Edmunds Act in 1882 made bigamy a felony. The various states also passed laws making bigamy a crime.

In the recent case of Kody Brown vs. Utah, Federal District Court Judge Clark Waddoups of Utah ruled that Utah’s law goes too far. It violates the plaintiff’s right of free expression of religion as well as other constitutional rights such as the right of privacy that has been enunciated by the courts in recent years. Brown is the husband in a polygamous family in the reality television show, “Sister Wives.”

Brown and his four wives and 17 children are members of the Apostolic United Bretheren Church that advocates polygamy. Even many countries where Islam is a dominant religion that allows polygamy have banned or restricted it.

There is a growing belief around the world that polygamy is a violation of the rights of women.

The recent decision in the Utah federal court concludes that bigamy cannot be implied from cohabitation when there are no multiple legal marriages. If this decision survives on appeal, it might lead to greater tolerance of polygamy in the U.S. Times change. Those who are old enough can remember a time when living together without marriage was once morally and socially unacceptable.

“Man, one wife is all I can handle.”

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Karen Miller Martin Desmarais Gloria J. Browne-Marshall Kenneth J. Cooper

LETTERSto the Editor

We’ve all heard the arguments against raising the minimum wage: It’s bad for business and will result in higher unemployment.

I’m in the coffee business, and those arguments don’t amount to a hill of beans.

Let’s start with the idea that paying people more than the current minimum hourly wage of $8 in Massachusetts is bad for business. On the contrary. Most successful, thriving businesses, including mine, pay well above $8. The entry-level starting wage at Dean’s Beans is $12 per hour. We raise employees to $12.50 after six months, then review wages annually.

This helps our business. Better wages and benefits reduce staff turnover, increase productivity and improve customer service. It’s why most highly successful companies, big and small, from Costco to mine, pay above minimum wage. It works.

An important way that increasing the minimum wage is actually good for business is that it boosts consumer demand. Low-wage workers are the people who most need to spend what they earn. That’s money that goes right back into our businesses and our communities. All businesses need customers with money in their pockets to buy their products and services. It’s a big driver of our local economies.

The other argument we hear is that raising the minimum wage will increase unemployment. Opponents of the minimum wage have used this argument

WHAT’S INSIDE

Colette Greenstein Caitlin Yoshiko Kandil Sandra Larson

since the beginning. Our state has a proud history of being the first to introduce a minimum wage, a century ago.

Every time it comes up for discussion, the opponents trot out this old chestnut of traditional economic theory. But the theory has actually been disproven by a growing list of rigorous studies of minimum wage increases. Evidence shows that increasing the minimum wage does not cause job losses.

So why these continuing arguments to keep the minimum wage down?

Some companies have business models that are built on minimizing wages, rather than maximizing the value of employees.

That’s bad for the rest of us. Their low wages mean not only less consumer demand to drive the economy, but when their employees are paid wages so low that they qualify for food stamps or other public assistance, it’s our taxes that are, in effect, subsidizing the companies who pay low wages.

In the end, we need a sustainable Massachusetts workforce. And it’s certainly not sustainable for our lowest-paid work-

ers to be in poverty.

Instead, low-wage businesses can adapt to a minimum wage hike — just as they have before — whenever the minimum wage has been increased.

If the minimum wage had kept pace with the rising cost of living since 1968, it would already be nearly $11. The Massachusetts Senate voted in November to gradually increase the minimum wage over three years to $11, and then adjust it annually for inflation to keep up with the cost of living. The Massachusetts House of Representatives should follow suit. I signed the petition in favor of an increase on the Business for a Fair Minimum Wage website, and I encourage other business owners to do the same.

The overdue raise in the minimum wage won’t hurt businesses, but it will make a meaningful difference for the workforce and the economy.

And those other arguments? Well, they’re just full of beans.

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Thursday, January 9, 2013 • BAY STATE BANNER • 5

ROVINGCamera

OPINION Immigration debate ignores highly skilled black workers Charles D. Ellison

As a two-year budget conjures up illusions of congressional comity and President Obama is desperate for a legislative recharge, there is much hype about a big immigration deal on the horizon. But, despite the huge political, economic and cultural implications for the country, black folks have little skin in the game.

How did that happen?

It’s no secret Democrats and Republicans view immigration as their default key to Latino-voter gold. The immigration conversation is the gateway campaign drug that most political strategists assume will bag their candidates tons of brown voters for years to come. Hispanic elected officials also accept it, cynically, as political raison d’être and leveraging. Black voters, in case you missed it, are so 20th century — even though they consistently outperform in most election cycles.

But, perhaps more significant and less reported is Silicon Valley dropping obscene amounts of cash on Washington lobbying and campaign cycles to get immigration fixed. Soon after a 2012 election cycle in which the information-technology sector funneled more than $200 million in campaign contributions to candidate coffers, immigration has started heating up as a major issue again — although only 4 percent of Americans (and, get this, only 8 percent of Hispanics) identify it as their “most important issue.”

The alignment of tech-industry dominance in politics — which now outspends defense contractors — with the emergence of immigration reform as a key Washington priority is no accident. Silicon Valley (figuratively known) is pressed bad for an immigration fix. Through the government’s H-1B visa program, highly skilled foreigners with digital talents can share their expertise with American companies. The problem, however, is demand outstripping bureaucratic capacity: H1-B visas are capped at an annual 85,000 slots, with the latest Senate-passed compromise promising more than double that. That’s not enough, apparently, considering H-1B visa workers fill more than half of all IT jobs in the U.S. So, when IT companies talk reform, the focus typically falls on Asian workers from far-flung places. And despite According to the the current national fad pushing na- Migration Policy tive-born Americans into technology Institute, black Diaspora careers, Silicon Valley kings don’t have immigrants (especially time for that: They need skilled labor African immigrants) now as the digital space grows rapidly. are among the highest But there’s a missing piece in the educated, Englishpolitical jigsaw puzzle that is immi- proficient and highest gration reform. It is black immigrants skilled of migrant who, according to Pew, comprise populations in the U.S. nearly 10 percent of the total foreign-born population. You’d never know that based on the pre-baked parameters of the current debate.

According to the Migration Policy Institute, black Diaspora immigrants (especially African immigrants) are among the highest-educated, English-proficient and highest-skilled of migrant populations in the U.S. — with many highly qualified for those same tech jobs. An oft-cited State University of New York study goes bold: African migrants are, actually, more educated than Asian migrants. That drops dynamite on rigidly held notions and stereotypes about race and intelligence. African migrants even out-degree white immigrants from Europe, Russia and Canada 44 percent to 29 percent.

But while African and Caribbean migrants represent one of the fastest growing and most super-educated migrant groups in the nation, they are also a lost population, relying heavily on the fate of “diversity visas” in cluttered immigration-reform legislation to determine their future here. And, obviously, immigration reform is not high on the U.S. black agenda priority list. High unemployment and other bad stuff can easily distract an American black family. As a result, immigration is not receiving needed attention, despite the fast-growing share of the population that African and Caribbean migrants account for in major black communities in places such as New York, Miami and Washington, D.C. So when House Speaker John Boehner recently signaled an opening to revive immigration-reform prospects, there was little sense that Congressional leaders would be checking in with the Congressional Black Caucus to get their take on it. The tiny and informal bipartisan House “Gang of 8” that’s tasked itself to craft a bill has tinkered along for a while now without any black members on it, save CBC input graciously channeled through fellow Democrats who promise solids one way or the other.

But, since out of sight is out of mind, their role is largely uncertain.

Perhaps that calculus dramatically changes depending on what pressure, if any, black migrant advocates in predominantly black Congressional districts can bring. Something needs to change soon: Persuading the tech sector to include tech-skilled black Diaspora migrants in the debate might be a good place to kick and push. (Maybe that will happen since newly elected Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) is the top recipient of that sector’s political cash.) But once deals are cut, bills are passed and outcomes take shape, many could end up — once again — on the short end of the political stick.

The Root Charles D. Ellison is a veteran political strategist and frequent contributor to The Root.

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

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

Do you think polygamy should be illegal?

I feel like you should only need one woman to satisfy you. If you need more than one, something’s wrong with you.

To me, what’s important is taking care of the children. Looking at the number of black women holding down families by themselves, polygamy might be helpful. But a man would have to economically support his children.

I think it should be legal. That’s why some men cheat. It’s why marriages fail.

Tyrone Jones Comedian South End

Irene

Writer South End

Kent Nicholson

It should be against the law. I think it’s wrong.

I think it should be. It’s a form of prostitution. It opens up a lot of doors that shouldn’t be opened.

Yes it should. I don’t believe in it.

Bernard Goode

Mirlande Joseph

Anthony Pratt

Laborer Roxbury

Community Outreach West Roxbury

Carpenter South End

Retired Roxbury

INthe news

Michael Vance

Michael Vance, Action for Boston Community Development’s vice-president of field operations, has been recognized recently by Noble & Greenough School in Dedham and Massachusetts Council of Human Services Providers for his significant contributions to the Greater Boston community. Vance is a Dorchester resident who lived for many years in Mattapan.

A longtime community leader, Vance has served on the boards of several community and social justice organizations and curr e n t l y o v e r s e e s A B C D ’s 1 3 neighborhood centers that provide tens of thousands of low-income Boston residents with access to housing, food pantries, child care, fuel assistance and job readiness programs.

“It’s no surprise to me that Mike has been honored by these two organizations,” said John J. Drew, ABCD president and CEO. “His tireless work on

behalf of the 100,000 people ABCD serves each year makes a difference every day in the lives of those struggling for a foothold on the ladder of economic opportunity.”

On Oct. 21, Vance received the 2013 Distinguished Graduate Award from the prestigious Noble & Greenough School for his work at ABCD and his accomplishments as a community leader.

On Nov. 6, Vance was presented with the Ruth M. Batson Advocate of the Year Award presented each year by the Providers’ Council to an individual demonstrating exemplary conviction, devotion and tenacity in fighting for the resources necessary for individuals to reach their greatest potential.

“I’m humbled and honored to be chosen for these two awards,” said Vance. “I always felt that it was a privilege to have the opportunity to work in the community

alongside so many dedicated, terrific people. Noble & Greenough gave me the tools to move forward in my life and the Providers’ Council is always there, fighting to make things better for people in need and those providing services. I couldn’t do my job without their support and the help of my colleagues.”

6 • Thursday, January 9, 2014 • BAY STATE BANNER

Councilors Ayanna Pressley, Michelle Wu and Josh Zakim (Banner photo)

City Hall

continued from page 1

Linehan referring to him as a “son of South Boston, Bill Linehan,” using an antiquated honorific often deployed on the council floor.

Voting next, Jackson indicated his support for Pressley referring to her as “representing the whole city of Boston, Ayanna Pressley.”

When newly-elected Councilor Michelle Wu indicated her support for Linehan, Pressley supporters hissed.

In his victory speech, Linehan pledged to represent the whole city in his role as council president.

“Collectively, we have received votes from every neighborhood of

the city,” he said. “We have to work to make sure their voices are heard.”

Outside the Iannella Chamber, some of those voices expressed disappointment in the council’s first vote of 2014.

“How is it that a woman at the top of the ticket lost to a man who nearly got the city sued because of his leadership on the Redistricting Committee,” said Mariama White Hammond, executive director of Project HipHop. White Hammond and other voting rights activists say Linehan attempted to re-draw the city council’s voting boundaries in a manner that violated the 1965 Voting Rights Act, engaged in deliberations without holding public meetings and refused to let community groups submit maps for

consideration by the council.

Linehan’s stewardship of the redistricting process earned him the enmity of black, Latino and Asian activists who were advocating council district boundaries be redrawn in ways that give candidates of color better chances of being elected. The council later voted on a compromise map that did not lessen the electoral prospects of candidates of color, but did little to expand them.

Chinese Progressive Association Executive Director Lydia Lowe said the 2014 council is showing a conservative bent.

“We’ve got a forward-looking mayor and a backward-looking council,” she said.

The council president has the power to make committee ap-

pointments and determine what is included or excluded from the council’s weekly agenda.

The battle for the council presidency surfaced the second week in December when Linehan reportedly secured pledges for seven votes. White progressives, black, Latino and Asian activists pressured Wu to withdraw support from Linehan. Wu showed up in the council chamber Monday with her own supporters and followed through on her pledge to vote for Linehan.

“The council had an opportunity to move the city in a more progressive direction,” said Gloribel Mota. “They decided not to.

We’ve got new faces taking the same positions.”

NAACP Boston Branch President Michael Curry said his organization is planning to closely monitor the council and issue report cards on councilors’ votes.

“I think they failed the first test,” he said. “This was a disappointing first vote. It reminds us that we have a lot more work to do in the city of Boston.”

Walsh sworn in The mayor, whom Lowe referred to as forward-looking, made his first entrance into the City Council chamber calling on the body to work collaboratively.

Walsh’s swearing in ceremony, held at Boston College earlier in the day, played on themes of inclusivity and openness, with the

new mayor pledging to run the city with openness and inclusion.

“I will listen, I will learn, I will lead,” the mayor said in his remarks.

Walsh has been listening in the weeks leading up to his swearing-in with a series of community meetings held at Roxbury Community College and other venues around the city. He has also begun assembling a new leadership team in City Hall, appointing as chief of staff Daniel Arigg Koh, the 29-year-old former general manager of the HuffPost Live news website, as chief of Health and Human Services former at-large Councilor Felix G. Arroyo and as chief legal counsel state Rep. Gene O’Flaherty, whose district includes Charlestown and much of Chelsea.

Walsh’s first announced picks demonstrate an hybrid mix of old and new Boston with O’Flaherty, an at-times conservative-leaning Democrat, Arroyo, a labor-friendly and popular counselor and Koh, an Andover native with no experience in Boston’s politics.

The inauguration was attended by political luminaries including Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Gov. Deval Patrick, former mayor Ray Flynn and Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley.

Following his appearance in the council chamber, Walsh headed into a meeting on public safety with members of Mothers for Justice and Equality, interim Police Commissioner William Evans and Suffolk County Sheriff Steven Thompkins.

Councilor Bill Linehan (Banner photo)

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Family advocates pushing agenda in federal budget Anna Challet June Jimenez of Silver Spring, Md., was pregnant when she was laid off from her job at a public affairs firm last year. She tried unsuccessfully for months to find a job and worried about losing her home.

“My mortgage is $1,500 a month and I only received $320 a week in unemployment,” she says.

Her health insurance policy at the time didn’t provide her with maternity coverage, and when she tried to purchase an individual plan, she discovered that she couldn’t because her pregnancy qualified as a pre-existing condition. She qualified for Medicaid, which covered the cost of her pregnancy, including an emergency C-section.

But she found herself facing the possibility of having to choose among making her mortgage payments, paying for utilities, and buying food.

What sustained her, she says, was that by her sixth month of pregnancy she was able to enroll in WIC (the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children).

She used WIC to buy food for her and her daughter for the next nine months.

Today Jimenez is working again, and her daughter Karanda is now almost a year old. “Without a doubt, Medicaid and WIC saved

us,” she says. “[Those programs] provided a crucial bridge for me.”

At a congressional briefing last week, children’s advocacy organization First Focus Campaign for Children, in conjunction with advocacy group MomsRising, presented the results of a nationwide poll that found bipartisan public

portionately impacted programs serving children.

While some federal programs like Social Security are mandatory, children’s programs like WIC, Head Start (which provides early childhood services to low-income families, including education and child care) and K-12 education

“Congress has struggled to prove responsive to the concerns of the American people.”

— Ed Walz support for protecting funding for children’s programs in the federal budget.

The survey of 800 voters, commissioned by First Focus and conducted by polling firm American Viewpoint, found that strong majorities of both Democrats and Republicans opposed cuts to programs like the ones that sustained Jimenez.

Voters were surveyed by phone in the first week of December.

“Kids were affected significantly by the budget sequestration that took effect earlier this year,” says Ed Walz, vice president of communications at First Focus.

Cutbacks, he says, have dispro-

are funded through the appropriations process.

Head Start programs, for example, had to cut services for close to 60,000 children in the 2013–2014 school year.

According to the survey, three in four voters oppose cuts to K-12 education funding, including 87 percent of Democrats, 63 percent of Republicans and 71 percent of independent voters.

Voters specifically oppose cuts to early learning for young children by a ratio of nearly two-toone (62 percent to 32 percent), including half of Republicans, over three in four Democrats, and almost 60 percent of indepen-

dents. Nearly two in three voters oppose cuts to Head Start.

Sheila Arias of Durham, N.C., says that when she lost her job as an interpreter, she couldn’t afford to keep her daughter Jaslene, who was two at the time, in daycare. Arias went to the local Children’s Developmental Services Agency for help and was told that Jaslene would probably qualify for Early Head Start.

The agency helped Arias apply, and three weeks later, her daughter was accepted into the program. Jaslene has developmental disabilities, and Arias says that the teachers “offered her important structure and a regular daily routine” that, in addition to therapy, have helped with managing her special needs.

Jaslene will start kindergarten next year, and Arias says that Early Head Start is now helping her with her younger child, who is showing signs of a disorder that also affects his sister.

This month, Democrats and Republicans reached a budget deal that would restore some of the funding to programs that were affected by sequestration.

First Focus reports that if seques-

tration relief were to be applied proportionally to children’s programs, about $3.6 billion federal dollars would be restored to these initiatives in 2014, including $1.8 billion for K-12 education and $370 million for Head Start.

The poll found that when voters are asked to prioritize deficit reduction or protecting investments in children, 31 percent of respondents place a higher priority on investments in children and 41 percent rate the two options as equally important.

“Voters reject what they consider a false choice,” says Walz.

“What this shows is that 72 percent of voters reject that the way to reduce the budget deficit is to cut children’s programs.”

“Congress has struggled to prove responsive to the concerns of the American people,” he says.

“What the current deal does, in a nutshell, is create an opportunity for Congress to undo some of the damage done in this budget year.”

This article is part of ongoing coverage by New America Media on the Affordable Care Act, supported by The Atlantic Philanthropies.

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Conservatives bank on myth of minimum wage as job killer Earl Ofari Hutchinson The GOP has ruthlessly sold the outlandish myth to millions that a hike in the minimum wage is a huge job killer. It has been so effective in its hard sell that President Obama and Congressional Democrats have repeatedly been stymied and frustrated in every effort they’ve made to boost the

minimum wage nationally. And almost certainly, Obama in his State of the Union Address later

COMMENTARY this month will again demand that Congress, meaning House and Senate Republicans, immediately

raise the minimum wage. Some states have hiked the old, archaic and pitifully low standard minimum wage from $7.25 to a double-digit figure that faintly resembles a living wage. The current federal minimum wage amounts to slightly more than $15,000 in annual income. That’s not even close to the amount needed to keep a family of four out of the

Former mayoral candidate Charlotte Golar Richie chats with former Boston Mayor Ray Flynn before the inauguration ceremony for new Boston Mayor Marty Walsh at Boston College’s Conte Forum. (Don West photo)

soup lines. You’d have to go back more than four decades, to 1968, to find the last year that the minimum wage actually kept pace with inflation for workers.

House Speaker John Boehner in a pithy, horribly simplistic, but effectual retort to the cry for a minimum wage increase, said, “When you raise the price of employment, you get less of it.” Boehner and Congressional Republicans cherry pick a few dated studies and some anecdotal employment figures in some low wage, low unemployment states such as North Dakota to make the case that the minimum wage hurts the economy. At first glance, that seems compelling enough. But it ignores other low wage states that have boosted the minimum wage and where there’s been no plunge in employment, or wholesale flight of employers from those states to low-wage states that won’t boost their minimum wage a penny higher than the federal minimum wage.

Boehner also ignores recent studies which found that states that have boosted their minimum wage have not had a plunge in hiring. It doesn’t take a course in Economics 101 to figure out that employers increase production and sales when there is demand. Demand increases when workers have enough cash in their pockets to buy more goods and services. It also doesn’t take a seat in the same economics class to know that lower job turnover boosts productivity and reduces business costs. This adds tens of billions more to the economy, which translates to job growth.

Studies overwhelmingly back up a huge bump up to the economy from a decent minimum wage. Polls show that the overwhelming majority of Americans support a minimum wage hike, and that includes a significant number of Republicans. Yet, the GOP — despite its unpopular,

bogus argument against a minimum wage increase — has still managed to get its way.

It comes down to two things.

One is the millions that buy the notion that a minimum wage hike is a bad thing. This belief is based in part on blind adherence to Republican dogma, in part on kneejerk opposition to anything that Obama and the Democrats propose, just as reflexive kneejerk opposition to labor unions that have traditionally been in the forefront of the fight for a minimum wage hikes, as well as the legitimate fear that business owners will simply pass along any wage increase to consumers by boosting prices on goods.

The other reason for formidable resistance to a minimum wage boost is the perception of who the boost will help — the poor. When the minimum wage is fixated as a sop to the poor, even the working poor, the issue gets muddled, and becomes a political flash point issue. With few exceptions, in years past, talk of poverty was not just missing from the nation’s political plate, but was a dirty word.

The existence of millions of poor in America flew in the face of the embedded laissez faire notion that the poor aren’t poor because of the hyper concentration of wealth, or worse, any failing of the system, but because of their personal failings. Surveys bore this out. Even many among the poor were as apt as many of those in the middle-class, and the well-to-do, to debase themselves for their poverty. They blame it on their misfortune, bad luck, lack of education and skills, or alcohol and drug problems. These are certainly reasons why some fall into poverty or remain chronically poor. They, however, are at best peripheral to the real cause of the poverty rise, and that’s the control by a relative handful of the bulk of the nation’s income, resources and productive wealth.

A minimum wage increase would in very limited part redress the grotesque income inequality between rich and poor. And it’s that fear of big and small business and the rich that GOP is the designated mouthpiece for that ensures it will dig its heels in and continue to wage a furious fight against Obama’s call for a minimum wage increase. That means continuing to peddle hard the myth that it’s a job killer.

Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst. He is a frequent MSNBC contributor. He is an associate editor of New America Media. He is a weekly co-host of the Al Sharpton Show on American Urban Radio Network. He is the host of the weekly Hutchinson Report on KTYM 1460 AM Radio Los Angeles and KPFK-Radio and the Pacifica Network. Follow Earl Ofari Hutchinson on Twitter: http://twitter.com/earlhutchinson Have no fear.

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schools

continued from page 1

ask about the registration proask about the registration process,” he said.

The challenge for many parents of prospective BPS children will be to secure placement in a school that’s not in the bottom two tiers of the school department’s ranking system: Tier 3, where more than 50 percent of the students scored lower than proficient on the MCAS exam, or Tier 4, where fewer than 25 percent scored proficient.

Because of the new system’s bias toward placing students in

“We have to make sure we’re not locking families into under-performing schools,” says Kim Janey, a senior project director at Mass Advocates for Children. “School reform has to be about more than assignment, because school assignment doesn’t approach equity. It just determines who has access.”

And access is never guaranteed, notes Myriam Ortiz, executive director of the Boston Parent Organizing Project.

“When you see a school among your choices, it doesn’t mean you’re going to get a seat there,” she says. “It doesn’t mean there are seats available. It just means you can apply.”

“We have to make sure we’re not locking families into underperforming schools.”

— Kim Janey schools close their home address, parents living in low-income neighborhoods where schools in the bottom two tiers are concentrated may now have reduced chances of placing their children in higher-performing schools, advocates say.

Using the DiscoverBPS website, parents can check the options available to their children by adding in their addresses. For a random address on Walnut Avenue in Roxbury, the tool generated 19 possible schools, five — little more than a quarter — were in the top two tiers. In contrast, the website generated 13 schools for a random address on Maple Lane in West Roxbury with six — nearly half — in the top two tiers.

Last year, because Roxbury and West Roxbury were in the same school zone, parents from Roxbury could enter the lottery for schools in West Roxbury. Because the new system limits parents’ choices to those schools closest to their home addresses, some parent advocates are concerned the new system will exacerbate the inequities in Boston’s schools.

With the increased emphasis on proximity added into the school choice equation, the chances for applicants in lower-income neighborhoods to obtain seats in top-tier schools may be even slimmer than they appear. The Nathan Hale School, a Tier 1 school in Roxbury, has 168 seats. The Beethoven School, a Tier 1 school in West Roxbury, has 306 seats.

The distinction between choices and availablity of seats is at the crux of concerns many parent advocates have around the process. Former school committee member John Barros advocated a school assignment system where each child was guaranteed access to the same number of seats in top-tier schools. His measure was not adopted.

Ballou says BPS is working to erase the disparities in educational opportunities between neighborhoods.

“We’re trying to increase the number of higher level schools everywhere,” he said. “That’s something that’s going to happen over time.”

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er-income neighborhoods are concentrated in low-performing schools is because fewer parents in lower-income neighborhoods actually participate in the school lottery system, advocates say.

If parents do not select a school, the department makes what is called an administrative assignment, usually sending the child to the closest school with an available seat. The schools with the greatest number of available seats are those least selected by parents who participate in the school assignment process, and therefore tend to be among the lowest-performing schools in the system.

“If you’re not on top of it, you’re going to be assigned to an underperforming school,” Janey says.

An end to busing?

When former Mayor Thomas Menino announced plans to revamp the city’s school assignment policy, he told Bostonians the new system would encourage parents to send their children to schools closer to home. Under the new plan, proximity to the student’s home address is a driving factor in the algorithm that selects school choices for parents.

For the Walnut Ave. address plugged into the department’s DiscoverBPS website, 14 of the 19 schools selected were within one mile. Each school listed within that one-mile radius is marked with a pedestrian symbol, indicating it’s in a walk-to-school zone.

Proximity may not be a plus for every parent, notes Ortiz.

“They should actually use a different symbol,” notes Mia Johnson, a middle school parent whose seventh grader has a mile-

and-a-half walk from Dorchester to the Mission Hill K-8 school.

“What that means is you won’t have transportation.”

For example, there is no direct bus route from Walnut Avenue to the Martin Luther King K-8 school .95 miles away on Lawrence Avenue in Dorchester. A parent walking their kindergartener from that address could take the 44 Humboldt bus to Dudley Square, then take the 45 Ashmont bus up Blue Hill Avenue to Lawrence Avenue. Not counting for the slow pace of a toddler, Google Maps estimates the walk time at 23 minutes.

Ortiz says some working parents may select farther away schools, opting for bus service over the walk.

Ballou says it’s too early to tell how much BPS will save on trans-

portation costs, but he anticipates that the savings will be “significant.”

Past estimates have put the savings from instituting walk-to schools policies as high as $6 million. The total transportation budget for BPS is more than $100 million. Savings on kindergarten and elementary education notwithstanding, the department will still be required to bus special needs children, children attending citywide schools, charter schools, pilot schools and private schools.

Additionally, some public high schools have student attendance in excess of the MBTA’s capacity to serve. West Roxbury High School, for example, runs buses from the Forest Hills Orange Line station to its campus, which is several hundred yards from the West Roxbury/Dedham line.

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College pricing now mirrors holiday retail sales pitches

After a “tuition reset,” Concordia University found that the lower rates increased student applications, raising enrollments and, ultimately, net tuition revenue. (Drew Geraets via Flickr) Marian Wang You know all those seemingly great sales during the holidays? It turns out, they are often a “carefully engineered illusion.” A recent piece in the Wall Street Journal defines what it calls “retail theater,” noting that often the discounts being offered to bargain-conscious consumers are carefully planned out by retailers from the start: The common assumption is

that retailers stock up on goods and then mark down the ones that don’t sell, taking a hit to their profits. But that isn’t typically how it plays out.

Instead, big retailers work backward with their suppliers to set starting prices that, after all the markdowns, will yield the profit margins they want.

The red cardigan sweater with the ruffled neck on sale for more than 40 percent off at $39.99 was never meant to sell at its $68 starting

price. It was designed with the discount built in.

Some retailers that sell online even set their discounts depending on user information, as the Journal reported last year: The Staples Inc. website displays different prices to people after estimating their locations. More than that, Staples appeared to consider the person’s distance from a rival brick-and-mortar store, either OfficeMax or Office Depot. If rival stores were within 20 miles or so, Staples.com usually showed a discounted price.

Higher education may seem like a different world, but universities in many ways have been working from the same playbook.

Savvier college-bound consumers know that the so-called “sticker price” of tuition and fees at a given college or university isn’t what many — or even most — students pay.

Take American University, where 74 percent of full-time freshmen got a grant or scholarship — essentially a discount off the list price — for the 2011-2012 school year. Or Drexel University, where that figure was 98 percent.

At nearly 200 schools, 100 percent of full-time freshmen got a scholarship, as DePaul University’s Jon Boeckenstedt points out.

A recent study of discounting at private non-profit colleges found that the average institutional grant has grown as a percentage of sticker price, hitting an all-time high of

roughly 53 percent. But the report, released in May by the National Association of College and University Business Officers, also pointed out that while larger discounts are generally a good thing, students could still end up paying more depending on how much the sticker price is going up at the same time.

Like retailers, colleges and universities are increasingly getting more sophisticated about how they give out discounts, offering so-called “merit aid” to students they especially want to enroll.

Private universities have led the way in discounting, but as we’ve detailed, the practice has spread to public universities as well. Many state schools have moved toward the “high-tuition, high-aid” model by discounting for students with high test scores or for out-of-state students who will ultimately pay more than residents, even with a small discount.

Some colleges — mostly private colleges — will even price-match if students know to ask. (It’s not unlike your local Best Buy, really.)

The growing discount rates and the lack of transparency in the pricing of higher education have prompted some schools to try another approach. A few colleges and universities have opted for “tuition resets,” announcing they’re slashing sticker prices by as much as $10,000 — while often reducing aid.

Call it the J.C. Penney strategy.

The retailer tried to move away from high-low pricing and move to “everyday low prices,” only to find out the hard way that customers really, really love a discount.

Yet, at least initially, some colleges such as Concordia University have gone the “tuition reset” route and have found that the lower rates (and the accompanying PR boost about

the lower rates) got more student applications in the door, raising enrollments and ultimately net tuition revenue. Whether that interest from consumers will continue after the headlines fade remains to be seen.

It’s worth mentioning that one big difference between the pricing of higher education and other consumer goods is the ease of comparison shopping: When you’re shopping for a new TV set, it’s relatively easy to compare prices with a little research. It’s much harder to do that with colleges, especially when you have to narrow down your options to a manageable number and submit applications before knowing for sure how much each option will end up costing.

There are, of course, tools out there intended to make college costs more transparent. Colleges are required to post net price calculators to give prospective students — or, at least, those who put in the time to find the calculators online and enter in their personal information — a better sense of what a given school might cost them after discounts. But the calculators have their limitations: Some estimates are more accurate than others, depending on the complexity of the colleges’ calculators, which are not standardized. (In more recent news, lawmakers have introduced a law aimed at making the calculators more user-friendly.)

As it stands, it’s not always clear whether consumers actually win when colleges — or retailers — tinker with their pricing and discounts. What is clear is that when the system isn’t especially transparent, discounts can get people overexcited, whether they’re real savings or not.

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Thursday, January 9, 2014 • BAY STATE BANNER • 11

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At Codman Square Health Center, healthcare is delivered by a care team of health professionals including providers, nurses, medical assistants and more. (Scotland Huber photo)

tion requires new standards of access and communication that transforms how healthcare has often been delivered in the past. A health center’s transformation into a PCMH is a complex and far-reaching process in which no part of the organization remains untouched.

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Gabrielle Union thrives in ‘Being Mary Jane’

Stephen A. Crockett Jr. Gabrielle Union might as well be a unicorn or a leprechaun or some other mythical creature.

She is stunning and petite and warm and kind — all things that actresses of her stature and beauty aren’t supposed to be. And get this: She likes bacon.

Not all things bacon, but a quiche-looking thing that sits in rows on a square plate in front of her. She didn’t order it so much as it just appeared, all neat and prepared, like magic.

She looks at the food and wonders aloud whether it has bacon in it. She picks it up, inspects it a bit and then, throwing caution to the wind, dives in. Two bites in, she closes her eyes, and it is confirmed: bacon.

She is satisfied.

We are waiting for her fictional mother and “Being Mary Jane” co-star, Margaret Avery. Union

is getting the room ready for her — adjusting the seat, moving the microphone closer so that Avery’s soft voice can be heard on the recording. Union will do this throughout the interview. She will check on Avery, defer to her, and listen intensely when she talks about her years of being a black woman in white Hollywood. Although the two aren’t blood-related, they have a bond that reads as very familial. They make inside jokes, finish each other’s sentences, and tease each other.

“When y’all talked about the ‘booty call,’” Avery says, as if it were a foreign tongue, “I heard that and went, ‘Oh God.’” She puts a delicate hand across her chest, clutching imaginary pearls of a past that didn’t include such crass advances. “I mean, I grew up in a time when husband and wife slept in separate twin beds.”

Union laughs, and that’s where their fondness for each other lies

— somewhere between the absurdities of booty calls and married couples in twin beds. One of these actresses comes from an old Hollywood that never saw her as light enough to be a leading lady, while the other is a leading lady who struggles with her own beauty and finding roles that allow her to express real emotion. Both are looking for raw honesty and the authenticity of true experiences in “Being Mary Jane.”

Premiering Jan. 7, BET’s first one-hour scripted drama focuses on the professional and personal life of successful news anchor Mary Jane Paul, played by Union.

The TV movie premiered last year and was the highest-rated cable show for that day, serving as a kind of backdoor pilot into the series, which has already been picked up for a second season.

The series, created and execUnion, continued to page 16

Gabrielle Union stars at Mary Jane Paul on BET’s new drama “Being Mary Jane,” which premiered on Jan. 7. (Photos courtesy of BET)

Thursday, January 9, 2014 • BAY STATE BANNER • 15

intheMix with Colette Greenstein

For the Child in All of Us …

Jose Mateo Ballet Theater’s presentation of “The Nutcracker” was absolutely charming and delightful! It was a feast for the eyes as dancers of all backgrounds graced the stage costumed in intense hues of pink, lilac, orange and yellow. The Strand Theater played host to the timeless classic the weekend before Christmas, and it was wonderful to see the turnout of families at the grand old theater.

It was fun for the whole family and a classic not to be missed!

L-O-V-E …

Ever energetic and full of vigor, Common rocked the House of Blues stage for over an hour with his message of love and music for the soul. Backpackers, hip-hop-heads and everyone in between bobbed their heads and waved their arms in the air with joy and excitement as he performed such hits as “Go,” “Testify,” “The Light,” “Used to Love Her” and “The People.”

Cell phones and iPads were recording as Common amped up the crowd with his freestyle and breakdancing skills. Dude still

has moves! And the surprise of the night was British R&B singer Estelle, who warmed up with the crowd with her songs “American Boy,” “Wait a Minute (Just a Touch)” and “Come Over.”

JP Eateries …

Two restaurants that couldn’t be any more different but are worth checking out are Vee Vee and Centre Street Sanctuary, both located on Centre Street in Jamaica Plain on opposite ends of the busy thoroughfare.

Vee Vee is an intimate and cozy restaurant/bar located near the Monument that offers seasonal and eclectic fare for their menu options. On a recent visit for brunch, the “Huevos Maria” was a hearty way to start the morning. It features scrambled eggs with jack cheese, black beans, tomatillo salsa and tortilla chips, topped with a side of applewood-smoked bacon.

The combination somehow all worked together. It was an absolutely delicious way to start the morning. If you’re looking to catch up with a friend, significant other or to venture out on your own, then add Vee Vee to your list. But, be prepared to wait in line because even after five years in the immensely popular restaurant still has a waiting list.

with Colette

Centre Street Sanctuary offers a very cool and casual vibe that’s perfect for meeting a group of friends or unwinding after work.

It is over in the Hyde Square area near the former Blessed Sacrament Church, and the atmosphere makes you feel like everyone there could actually know your name. The restaurant/pub features a large bar with padded high-back chairs along with booths and high-top tables. The comfortable atmosphere is complemented by its varied menu of comfort food such as the unique “Fried Mac and Cheese Balls,” smoked chicken wings and natural burger sliders. It also offers a selection of homemade desserts that are baked up from scratch.

The chocolate Bundt cake with mascarpone cheese was pretty amazing. So, when you go, be prepared to be there for hours because you won’t want to leave.

Coming Up ...

SpeakEasy Stage Company presents the joyous, soul-stirring musical “The Color Purple” at Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA beginning Friday, Jan. 10 at 8 p.m. and running through Saturday, Feb. 8. Tickets: $45, $55 and $60. For show times, visit www. artsboston.org.

Comedian Jim Gaffigan

Centre Street Sanctuary on Centre Street in Jamaica Plain features a menu with a variety of comfort food such as the natural burger sliders, above. (Colette Greenstein photo) kicks off a five-night run at The Wilbur beginning Tuesday, Jan. 14 through Saturday, Jan. 18.

For tickets and show times, go to www.ticketmaster.com.

On Saturday, Jan. 18, The Multicultural Arts Center presents “Joyful Noise Gospel Concert” featuring the Harlem Gospel Choir at 7:30 p.m. at Harvard University’s Sanders Theatre. To purchase tickets,

visit http://ofa.fas.harvard.edu/ boxoffice/ or call the Harvard Box Office at 617-496-2222.

Penn & Teller come to Citi Shubert Theatre on Jan. 24 and Jan. 25. Tickets: $35- $75. For show times and tickets, go to www.citicenter.org.

If you would like me to cover or write about your event, email me at inthemixwithcolette@gmail.com.

16 • Thursday, January 9, 2014 • BAY STATE BANNER

Gabrielle Union says that her role on the new BET drama “Being Mary Jane” reflects the different degrees of her character, TV news anchor Mary Jane Paul. (Photo courtesy of BET)

Union

continued from page 14

utive-produced by Mara Brock Akil (creator of “Girlfriends” and “The Game”) and directed by her husband, Salim Akil (“Jumping the Broom”), is an unflinching look at the balancing act of trying to manage a stressful family life

and a hectic career, all the while traversing the tight rope of single-dom.

Union credits a failed “Scandal” audition with guiding her toward her new role. “The words that we were auditioning with were so amazing that all of us were like, even if we don’t get this job ... it was so good to practice with good material. It’s making me better just auditioning ... We all kind of fell in

love with this idea of playing in a world that a black woman had created,” she says.

The world Brock created is one that Union believes is a testament to an authentic life. “For women, you are either a victim or a hero. You’re either the good girl or the bad girl, and very rarely do you get to see 360 degrees of a character,” she says. “In ‘Being Mary Jane’ you see her be all of

that. She is a victim, she is a hero; she’s a good girl, she’s a bad girl, and she has those days when nothing is really happening. It reflects life — we aren’t all one thing.”

For Avery, the reflection is a bit different. “I was just happy to have a job,” she says, sharing a laugh with Union, tinged with a sadness that they both know to be based in truth.

“I am happy about ‘Being Mary Jane,’” Avery says, “because when black people do the casting, they accept my look. When whites are doing the casting, they figure, if I’m the mama I’ve got to be 20 to 30 pounds overweight and almost semi-Aunt Jemima-like. It’s got to be that look that makes them feel comfortable.”

It is that comfortable look that makes Union feel uncomfortable.

“It is a caricature, a stereotype, and it isn’t real,” she says. It is authenticity that she craves from Hollywood. “I would love one time, a woman plucks her chin hair. Or just one time a man goes in for a full workup because of low testosterone or low libido ... just the real issues that we are actually facing, and also the backlash that comes with it.”

She turns to Avery: “The scene where you are sick and coughing and Richard [Roundtree as Avery’s husband] says, ‘I wish you would go on and die already.’ You never see that! People having a moment of brutal honesty.”

Avery and Union don’t just play these characters — they believe in them and fight for them.

It is clear in talking with both women that this isn’t really a show

they star in but more a cause they believe in.

“I was tossing this conversation around with some of my friends when I recognized that my own father wouldn’t have dated me,” says Union. “My dad only likes light-skinned women, and he married a light-skinned woman thinking he would have lightskinned children.”

Avery and Union look at each other and laugh. “Whoops,” Avery says.

This is why Avery and Union — both sisters in the struggle for high-quality roles for black women — believe in the power of the storyteller behind the camera and the storyteller in front.

“This is a story that we are telling, and it is definitely FUBU, for us by us,” Union says. “If you can relate to any aspect of the show, any of the characters, then it’s a bonus ... The BET audience is incredibly diverse, and that’s a good thing. I’ve done black films where [they’re] only covered by black press, and this is not one of those projects.”

“We have shot through those fences, and now we are just everybody’s baby, and whoever clings to that baby, great,” she continues. “It’s like when a celebrity that everyone loves gets pregnant and everyone claims that baby: Everybody loves Nayla [Halle Berry’s daughter]. You live for those pictures, and not everybody loves every celebrity kid, but everybody loves Nayla.

“I think,” she says, “’Being Mary Jane’ is like Nayla.”

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CAREER ADVANCEMENT & EDUCATION A SPECIAL ADVERTORIAL SECTION

RCC, Madison Park unite to boost student career options

Ted Thomas

Roxbury Community College has distinguished itself by creating educational opportunities such as the Dual Enrollment Program which allows Massachusetts students attending a public secondary school or non-public school, including home school, to enroll in a for-credit course at the college.

In the latest example of such cooperation, RCC has joined in a partnership with Madison Park Vocational Technical High School that is called the Massachusetts Academic Polytech Pathway —Roxbury or RoxMAPP. The partnership, which formally began in June 2013 with a joint announcement from the offices of Governor Deval Patrick and then-Mayor Thomas Menino, was hailed as

a model for student success.

The announcement stated that, “Beginning in June 2013, Madison Park Vocational Technical High School and Roxbury Community College will establish RoxMAPP … an innovative educational and workforce development partnership that will implement new academic and career development programs, expose students to career options early in their high school years, and provide them with greater access to exciting work-based learning opportunities.”

Making the partnership successful requires “the support of community leaders, members of the business community, and city and state officials,” according to the announcement.

Cecile Regner, interim vice president of enrollment management and student affairs,

who coordinates RCC’s participation in RoxMAPP said, “It requires the coordination of several offices here at the college.” She added that for RCC “to support this program successfully means that almost all of the departments are working together.”

Referred to as “a model for student success and community revitalization,” the following is a summary of the stated goals of RoxMAPP: • Madison Park and RCC will increase student retention and graduation rates … by enhancing the quality and rigor of academic and career programs and providing all students with more comprehensive and individualized support.

• Madison Park and RCC will increase college and career

readiness by creating more seamless educational and career pathways for students.

• Madison Park and RCC will increase employment rates for young adults in the region by working in collaboration with the Joint Industry Advisory Board.

• Madison Park and RCC will combine the knowledge, expertise, resources, and facilities of both institutions to provide new services that better respond to the needs of students, parents and family members, employers, and members of the Roxbury community.

There are great hopes for the success of RoxMAPP, according to Regner, which is based on a nation-wide model called Best Practices. She explained that Massachusetts

is interested in the model at the Cardozo High School in Washington, D.C., which created partnerships with businesses, as well as the local community college.

The Cardozo model includes high school students taking college courses while still in high school, a feature that RoxMAPP also includes in its partnership with Madison Park High School.

A group of 18 Madison Park students were the first to participate in RoxMAPP, a number expected to increase over the next few years.

Expressing her pleasure with the partnership, Headmaster of Madison Park Diane Ross said, “The RoxMAPP Program will provide our students with the opportunity to get a ‘head start’ on their goals to be career and college ready.”

18 • Thursday, January 9, 2014 • BAY STATE BANNER

CAREER ADVANCEMENT & EDUCATION A SPECIAL ADVERTORIAL SECTION

Innovation Nights business events help new products create buzz Bobbie Carlton The Boston region is the home of the original Innovation Nights events. It all started in April 2009 as Mass Innovation Nights with a website and a monthly event designed to help local innovators increase the buzz around new products and companies.

Every month, 10 companies bring new products to the event and the social media community turns out to blog, tweet, post pictures and video, add product mentions to LinkedIn and Facebook statuses, and otherwise help spread the word.

In the last two years, the events have helped to: • Launch almost 600 products • Connect dozens of job seekers and hiring managers • Profile local experts Held once a month, the events allow companies to show off Massachusetts-based innovation with networking and presentations. The Experts Corner team has one-onone conversations with startups and entrepreneurs. Innovation Nights are held on-site at various venues that donate their space to further the cause of local innovation.

The events are usually held on the second Wednesday of each month. The next event is this Wednesday, Jan. 8, at Progress Software in Bedford, Mass.

Registration and networking starts at 6 p.m. and presentations start showing at 7 p.m.

Innovation Nights have been held at many venues, including at the Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation, the IBM Innovation Center, the Microsoft NERD Center, the MassChallenge Incubator, the offices of Con-

tinuum and VideoLink, CCR LLP, Clock Tower Place in Maynard, Mass., the Woburn TradeCenter 128, Space with a Soul, LogMeIn and the Quincy Innovation Center.

Last year, the organization celebrated its 500th product launch with a special event in May. Organizers say that among the first 500 companies to launch products at Innovation Nights there have been more than 20 mergers and acquisitions. In addition, the companies have collectively raised more than $600 million in funding (angel and venture capital) and created more than 600 new jobs.

Mass Innovation Nights is a “stone soup” event, referring to a folk story in which a stranger or small group of travelers comes upon a poor village. The travelers are hungry but everyone claims to have nothing to share. So the travelers create a fire, hang a pot of water over it and place a stone inside, telling one and all that they are creating “stone soup.” They suggest that it will taste better with a little something for flavoring — a carrot, a potato, maybe even a little piece of meat. Soon everyone in the village has contributed “just a little something” and everyone sits down to enjoy the wonderful feast.

Innovation Nights are like stone soup. Someone has a space where the event is held, with tables and wireless.

Other companies have new products to promote. Others are social media mavens who can create buzz. Still others donate a few hours of their time and expertise. Regardless, all involved are able to benefit from the event that the community has created together.

For more information on Mass Innovation Nights, visit http://mass.innovationnights.com

Thursday, January 9, 2014 • BAY STATE BANNER • 19

20 • Thursday, January 9, 2014 • BAY STATE BANNER

Herb Wilkins, investor in BET and Radio One, dies at 71 Roxbury native Herbert P. Wilkins Sr., whose investments and financial insights helped build Black Entertainment Television, Radio One, and numerous other major media properties, died on Dec. 3 after a long illness in Columbia, Md. He was 71 years old.

In 1977, Wilkins founded Syndicated Communications, a venture capital firm that has provided equity capital to more than 120 companies in media and communications. These include some of the best-known African American and Hispanic businesses in the nation, like BET, Buenavision, District Cablevision, Radio One, TV One, WorldSpace, and Z-Spanish Radio. All totaled, the companies in which SYNCOM invested achieved a market value of more than $10 billion.

Robert Johnson, founder of BET called Wilkins “the smartest and one of the respected and influential African American business leaders I have had the good fortune to know.”

“Herb was one of my best friends,” said Johnson in a statement, “and a business mentor who guided me on the creation of BET and District Cablevision, the first cable system in Washington, DC. For his advice on all of my business deals, I owe a great deal of thanks for his contribution to my success.”

Cathy Hughes, co-founder and chairman of Radio One, TV

One and Interactive One, credits Wilkins for the success she and her son, Alfred Liggins, company CEO, have had. She called Wilkins “the gatekeeper for black entrepreneurs in the broadcast industry.”

Wilkins was born to Katherine and William Wilkins in Roxbury on Jan. 9, 1942, and attended public school in Boston.

After receiving his bachelor’s degree from Boston University in 1965, Wilkins graduated from the Harvard School of Business in 1970 and began a long, successful career in finance and management consulting.

Wi l k i n s b e c a m e p r i n c i pal-in-charge of management advisory services for Lucas, Tucker & Co., independent public accountants. He also served as senior vice president of Urban National Corp., a Boston-based venture capital fund.

In 1972, Wilkins co-founded Syndicated Communications Inc., along with partner Terry Jones, and served as its first president and CEO. He also founded and formed the SYNCOM Funds group, which is composed of a number of individual venture funds.

Wilkins served on the boards of Simmons- Lathan Media Group, BET Holdings Inc., where he was a founding board member, and was a former director of Cowles Media Company.

Of all his business accomplishments, Wilkins received his great-

est recognition for the rescue and turnaround of Iridium Satellite Communications. The international communications company was created by Motorola at a cost of more than $5 billion dollars, but its failure became one of the largest bankruptcies in U.S. history. Attempts by investment

bankers to sell the company were rejected by all of the “so-called” mainstream venture capital firms.

In 2001, Wilkins led the deal to acquire Iridium Satellite for approximately $25 million. The transaction included the acquisition of 72 satellites in orbit, a terrestrial communications network, various technological patents and significant real estate. Seven years later after recapitalizing Iridium, identifying new management and realigning the company’s business model toward mission-critical communications applications, the company was sold to GHL Acquisitions for approximately $560

million.

For his efforts to support rising minority communication companies, Wilkins has received numerous honors and awards and was named to the FCC’s Advance Committee on Minority Ownership in 1984. A longtime member of the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Wilkins received the organization’s highest honor, the Laurel Wreath.

Wilkins is survived by his wife, Sheran, and their three children, Herbert II, Monique and Michelle, and seven grandchildren. Funeral services were held on Dec. 11 at St. Johns Baptist Church in Columbia.

Estelle ‘Rae’ Coleman, 91, was pioneer in banking world Estelle Rematha Coleman peacefully passed away at Sunnyvale Health Care Center (Sunnyvale, Calif.) on Dec. 24, 2013, at the age of 92. She was born on Sept. 16, 1921 to Geneva Wiggins and Grady Battle in Zebulon, N.C. At the age of eight, she and her mother moved north to Cambridge, Mass. “Rae,” as she was lovingly known, was educated in the Cambridge Public School System.

In 1938, after dating for a short period, she married J. Riche Coleman and moved to Roxbury. Between 1939 and 1946, five children were born: Jocelyn, Marcia, Gretchen, Jay (“Beau”) and Stephanie. Unfortunately, that marriage ended in divorce in 1947. Coleman and her children worshiped at Eliot Congregational Church and St. Mark’s Congregational Church, both in Roxbury.

Every summer, while her children were young, Coleman took them to Martha’s Vineyard Island, where her in-laws owned a summer cottage in Oak Bluffs. As they grew older, Coleman stayed in Boston to work full-time, visiting weekends, while her mother-in-law, “Granny” Coleman cared for all five of the children on the Vineyard for the entire summer.

In February 1964, Coleman moved to New York City and pursued a career in banking with the newly-opened Harlem branch of the New York Bank for Savings.

Not knowing much about the banking industry, she enrolled in a twoyear course at the American Institute of Banking. Upon successfully graduating, she attended New York University to continue her studies in estates and trusts and was subsequently promoted to supervisor of new accounts. Within a seven-year period, Coleman was transferred numerous times to different branches that needed an officer in the new accounts department. She was also given additional promotions and, in 1973, Coleman became the first black female officer elevated to assistant secretary/branch manager for banking operations, directly responsible for overseeing deposits that totaled $136 million. This was the highest rank that had ever been attained by a black female in the state’s savings bank industry.

In l976, Coleman made history again when she became the first black female to attain the position of assistant vice-president of a savings bank in the N.Y. savings bank system. She remained in the N.Y.N.J. area until 1980, when she relocated to the San Francisco Bay area, where she attained an executive position with Crocker Bank (now known as Chase).

Upon retirement from banking, at the age of 75, Coleman moved to San Jose, Calif., where she became an active member of the National Council of Negro Women and ultimately served as its President for over 10 years.

Still filled with zest and vitality, in her early 80’s, Coleman was employed, on a part-time basis, by Breathe California, formerly the American Lung Association, as a liaison to seniors experiencing lung problems. Her job was to reach out to these people and educate them about the various programs offered

by Breathe California, and to facilitate meetings and health fairs regarding health-related issues. She retired from that position in 2011, at the age of 90.

In 2010, Coleman returned to her roots in Zebulon, N.C., for an overwhelming reunion with her father Grady Battle’s family. She was able to connect with her half-sisters, half-brothers and their families, some of whom she had never met.

Coleman leaves to celebrate her homegoing: her children, Jocelyn Coleman-Walton (Duncan), Martha’s Vineyard and Odenton, M.D.; Marcia Coleman-Joyner (Hewitt), San Jose; Gretchen Coleman-Thomas, Martha’s Vineyard; Jay (Dottie), Fort Myers, Fla., and Martha’s Vineyard; three half-sisters: Sandra Fraser (Wolfie), Rockville, M.D.; Deborah Battle, Irvington, N.J.; Cynthia Allison (Robert), Dallas; three half-brothers, Robert Mitchell (Diane), Las Vegas; David Donald Battle, Nashville, N.C.; Cephas Battle (Lillian), Chesapeake, Va.; 10 grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren and a host of nieces, nephews, friends and colleagues.

Coleman was pre-deceased by her youngest daughter, Stephanie Coleman-Butler; half-sister, Gloria Moore; and half-brother, John Bull Battle.

Coleman will be fondly remembered by family and friends for her sense of style, sense of humor, love of shopping, music, joke telling, dancing, and playing (and winning) at cards and board games.

In 2011, before her decline in health, her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren celebrated her 90th birthday on both coasts (San Jose and Martha’s Vineyard).

A Memorial service will be held in San Jose on Jan. 11 at 11:00 a.m., at the Lima Family Erickson Mortuary on 710 Willow Street, San Jose. In lieu of flowers please make a donation to the Polycystic Kidney Research Foundation, PO Box 871847, Kansas City, MO 64187.

Thursday, January 9, 2014 • BAY STATE BANNER • 21

polls

continued from page 1

all-time bottom.

Noah Berger, president of the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center, said that it is important that people distinguish between the actions of certain elected officials and the government in general and he worries that the numbers that show low trust in the government are impacted by those not making this distinction.

“I think when you think about government it is important to keep in mind that government is not just those politicians in Washington, it is how we work together to do important things,” Berger said.

According to Berger, U.S. citizens must be engaged in the government to help fix the current issues that are facing this country.

“At some level trust in government is ultimately trust in ourselves,” Berger said. “Lack of confidence in government is a major problem and it is important for all of us to answer the question of why we have government.

“Ultimately government is the tool we have to get important things done,” he added. “It is important to make sure we keep confidence in our government to do those things.”

The AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll found that in the categories listed as top priorities for the government, those polled had little confidence the government could improve them.

For those who listed health care reform as a top priority 49 percent said they are “not at all confident” the government will make any progress on the issue, and 20 percent said they are only “slightly confident” of progress.

For those who listed the budget and the national debt as a priority, 65 percent said they are “not at all confident” that the government can fix the problems and 20 percent said they were only “slightly confident” that anything will be fixed.

A poll conducted by Pew Research during the government shutdown in October reflects equally dispirited responses.

According to the Pew Research poll, just 19 percent say that they trust the government in Washington to do what is right just about always or most of the time. The share of the public saying they are angry at the federal government, which equaled an all-time high in late September (26 percent), has ticked up to 30 percent. Another 55 percent say they are frustrated with the government. Just 12 percent say they are basically content with the federal government.

However, according to the poll, despite highly negative views of the federal government overall, the public has favorable views of many of its agencies and departments which were closed by the shutdown. Majorities have favorable opinions of 12 of 13 agencies tested — with the IRS the lone exception (44 percent favorable).

Federal workers, hundreds

of thousands of whom were furloughed during the shutdown, also were viewed positively by 62 percent of those who responded.

Only 20 percent had an unfavorable opinion of federal government workers Of all parts of government, Congress took the brunt of the ire. The poll found that just 23 percent have a favorable opinion of Congress, while 73 percent

have an unfavorable view.

According to Pew Research, in general, the public continues to blame lawmakers themselves — rather than the political system more generally — for the problems in Congress. Nearly six-in10 (58 percent) said “the political system can work fine; it’s the members of Congress that are the problem.” Just 32 percent said “most members of Congress have

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22 • Thursday, January 9, 2014 • BAY STATE BANNER

Commonwealth of Massachusetts The Trial Court Probate and Family Court Department Suffolk Probate and Family Court 24 New Chardon Street Boston, MA 02114 (617) 788-8300 SUFFOLK Division

Docket No. SU13P3031EA

Citation on Petition for Formal Adjudication Estate of Richard Stewart White, Jr. Also known as: Richard S. White, Jr. Date of Death: 11/07/2013

the Court. You have a right to object to this proceeding. To do so, you or your attorney must file a written appearance and objection at this Court before 10:00 a.m. on 02/06/2014. This is NOT a hearing date, but a deadline by which you must file a written appearance and objection if you object to this proceeding. If you fail to file a timely written appearance and objection followed by an Affidavit of Objections within thirty (30) days of the return date, action may be taken without further notice to you.

2.

Response to Petition: You may respond by filing a written response to the Petition or by appearing in person at the hearing. If you choose to file a written response, you need to:

File the original with the Court; and Mail a copy to all interested parties at least five (5) business days before the hearing.

The estate is being administered under formal procedure by the Personal Representative under the Massachusetts Uniform Probate Code without supervision by the Court. Inventory and accounts are not required to be filed with the Court, but recipients are entitled to notice regarding the administration from the Personal Representative and can petition the Court in any matter relating to the estate, including distribution of assets and expenses of administration.

3.

Counsel for the Minor: The minor (or an adult on behalf of the minor) has the right to request that counsel be appointed for the minor.

4.

Presence of the Minor at Hearing: A minor over age 14 has the right to be present at any hearing, unless the Court finds that it is not in the minor’s best interests.

WITNESS, HON. Joan P. Armstrong, First Justice of this Court.

Date: December 30, 2013 Patricia M. Campatelli Register of Probate

To all interested persons: A petition has been filed by Richardeene Smith of Medford, MA and Doria White of Boston, MA requesting that the Court enter a formal Decree and Order of testacy and for such other relief as requested in the Petition. And also requesting that Richardeene Smith of Medford, MA and Doria White of Boston, MA be appointed as Personal Representative(s) of said estate to serve With Personal Surety on the bond.

Date: December 20, 2013

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

You have the right to obtain a copy of the Petition from the Petitioner or at the Court. You have a right to object to this proceeding. To do so, you or your attorney must file a written appearance and objection at this Court before 10:00 a.m. on 01/23/2014. This is NOT a hearing date, but a deadline by which you must file a written appearance and objection if you object to this proceeding. If you fail to file a timely written appearance and objection followed by an Affidavit of Objections within thirty (30) days of the return date, action may be taken without further notice to you.

The estate is being administered under formal procedure by the Personal Representative under the Massachusetts Uniform Probate Code without supervision by the Court. Inventory and accounts are not required to be filed with the Court, but recipients are entitled to notice regarding the administration from the Personal Representative and can petition the Court in any matter relating to the estate, including distribution of assets and expenses of administration.

WITNESS, HON. Joan P. Armstrong, First Justice of this Court.

Date: December 19, 2013 Patricia M. Campatelli Register of Probate

Commonwealth of Massachusetts The Trial Court Probate and Family Court Department

Docket No. SU13C0096CA

NOTICE OF PETITION FOR CHANGE OF NAME

To all persons interested in a petition described:

To all persons interested in a petition described:

A petition has been presented by William A Jennings requesting that William Ashwell Jennings be allowed to change his name as follows:

A petition has been presented by Christine H Little requesting that Christine Hess Little be allowed to change her name as follows:

William Ashwell Jennings-Hess

Clementine Little Jennings-Hess

IF YOU DESIRE TO OBJECT THERETO, YOU OR YOUR ATTORNEY MUST FILE A WRITTEN APPEARANCE IN SAID COURT AT BOSTON ON OR BEFORE TEN O’CLOCK IN THE MORNING (10:00 AM) ON 01/23/2014.

IF YOU DESIRE TO OBJECT THERETO, YOU OR YOUR ATTORNEY MUST FILE A WRITTEN APPEARANCE IN SAID COURT AT BOSTON ON OR BEFORE TEN O’CLOCK IN THE MORNING (10:00 AM) ON 01/23/2014.

WITNESS, HON. Joan P. Armstrong, First Justice of this Court.

Date: December 23, 2013 Patricia M. Campatelli Register of Probate

WITNESS, HON. Joan P. Armstrong, First Justice of this Court.

Date: December 23, 2013 Patricia M. Campatelli Register of Probate Request for Proposals

Docket No. SU13P2992GD In the interests of Baby Boy Nash of Unknown, XX Minor

Estate of Jean Audrey Wallace Date of Death: 10/17/2012

NOTICE AND ORDER: Petition for Appointment of Guardian of a Minor

To all interested persons: A petition has been filed by Kim A Thomas of Dorchester, MA requesting that the Court enter a formal Decree and Order of testacy and for such other relief as requested in the Petition. And also requesting that Kim A Thomas of Dorchester, MA be appointed as Personal Representative(s) of said estate to serve on the bond.

Docket No. SU13C0094CA

NOTICE OF PETITION FOR CHANGE OF NAME

SUFFOLK Division

Citation on Petition for Formal Adjudication

SUFFOLK Division

In the matter of Christine Hess Little of Roxbury, MA

Commonwealth of Massachusetts The Trial Court Probate and Family Court Department

Docket No. SU13P3078EA

Patricia M. Campatelli Register of Probate

In the matter of William Ashwell Jennings of Roxbury, MA

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

THIS IS A LEGAL NOTICE: An important court proceeding that may affect your rights has been scheduled. If you do not understand this notice or other court papers, please contact an attorney for legal advice.

1.

You have the right to obtain a copy of the Petition from the Petitioner or at

NOTICE TO ALL INTERESTED PARTIES Hearing Date/Time: A hearing on a Petition for Appointment of Guardian of a Minor filed on 12/12/2013 by Michelle D. Nash of Roxbury, MA will be held 03/10/2014 08:30 AM Review Hearing Located at 24 New Chardon Street, 3rd floor, Boston, MA 02114 ~ Family Service Office.

PILOT GROVE HILL APARTMENTS - Stow – Massachusetts - 01775

New Affordable (2) and (3) Bedroom Townhouses and Flats.

Developed by Stow Community Housing Corporation Managed by The Community Builders, Inc. • Stow Local Preference

Applications are available now at the following locations: Stow Town Building/ Randall Library/ Stow Post office; in person at Pilot Grove Hill 11 Warren Road Stow, MA Monday & Tuesday ....................................................................... 9am - 8pm Wednesday-Thursday-Friday ....................................................... 9am - 5pm Saturday March 29, 2014 ............................................................. 9am - 12pm

For additional details an Informational Session will be held in the Community Room located at Plantation Apartments 22 Johnston Way Stow, MA 01775 on Thursday March 6, 2014 from 7pm - 9pm.

or by calling (978) 897-0313

2014 INCOME LIMITS

# of Units

# of BRs

Rent

% of AMI

2

2

30% of adjusted income

30%

1

3

30% of adjusted income

30%

4

2

30% of adjusted income

50%

6

3

$1,396

60%

17

2

$1,207

60%

(All rents include heat-Hot water & air conditioning) Sec.8 households are encouraged to apply. Rent & income limits based on HUD guidelines and subject to change. Rent for PBV units are calculated at 30 % of the adjusted annual household income.

All units’ selection by lottery. Use and Occupancy restrictions apply.

Reasonable Accommodations will be provided upon verbal or written request for persons with disability. Preference for 2 barrier-free units to households who require wheelchair access. Preference for displaced and homeless households. Preference for Town of Stow residents for up to 50% of the Project Based Vouchers units and 70% of non Project Based Voucher Units.

# in HH

30% AMI

50% AMI

60% AMI

1

$19,770

$33,950

$39,540

2

$22,590

$37,650

$45,180

3

$25,410

$42,350

$50,820

4

$28,230

$47,050

$56,460

5

$30,510

$50,850

$61,020

6

$32,760

$54,600

$65,520

Applications must be post marked no later than 4/07/2014 in order to be eligible for the lottery on 4/ 16/ 2014.

Applications must be mailed to: Pilot Grove Hill Apartments 11 Warren Road Stow, MA 01775

The Brookline Housing Authority (BHA) is soliciting proposals for the professional services of a consulting firm to develop an initial Green Physical Needs Assessment (GPNA) of the BHA’s federally assisted housing stock. The GPNA shall comply with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requirements for Public Housing Physical Needs Assessments and shall be prepared with the current version of HUD’s GPNA Tool. The BHA has six (6) properties, comprised of 499 public housing units, that will be included in this assessment. The GPNA will identify all physical improvements that will be required over the next 20 years and shall consider green improvements and the implementation of energy conservation measures.

Proposals must be received by 4:30 PM, January 30, 2014.

A briefing session and site visit is scheduled for January 15, 2014 at 1:30 PM at 190 Harvard Street, Brookline, MA. Attendance is not mandatory.

To request the RFP package, email Carolyn Correnti, Director of Capital Improvements, at ccorrenti@brooklinehousing.org.

OFFICE SPACE

Wollaston Manor

DORCHESTER/ MILTON

Senior Living At It’s Best

91 Clay Street Quincy, MA 02170

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

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

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

Call Sandy Miller,

OWNER

#888-691-4301

Property Manager

617-835-6373 Brokers Welcome

Program Restrictions Apply.

CHELSEA APARTMENT

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

617-283-2081

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER

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Thursday, January 9, 2014 • BAY STATE BANNER • 23

Parker Hill Apartments The Style, Comfort and Convenience you Deserve!

Heat and Hot Water Always Included Modern Laundry Facilities Private Balconies / Some with City Views Plush wall to wall carpet Adjacent to New England Baptist Hospital Secured Entry, Elevator Convenience Private Parking Near Public Transportation and much more ...

2 bed - $1264-$1900; 1 bed $1058-$1500

AFFORDABLE RENTAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY

The Studios at St. Peter’s

SUBSCRIBE

OFFICE SPACE FOR LEASE RIVERWAY PLAZA

90 RIVER ST, MATTAPAN, MA 02126 1,672 Sqft

307 Bowdoin Street, Dorchester, MA 02122-1834

to the banner

4 affordable studio units with rents at 30% of income with maximum monthly rent of $1,024 Maximum Income per Household Size

call:

617-261-4600 baystatebanner.com

Call Today for more details and to schedule a visit...

888-842-7945

HH size

70%

1

$46,250

2

$52,850

3

$59,450

Applications may be picked up in person from Pine Street Inn Housing Office 82 Green Street, Jamaica Plain MA 02130 Thursday, Friday, Monday, Tuesday January 23, 24, 27, 28, 2014 9:30am-4:30pm 151-155 Geneva Avenue, Dorchester 02121 Saturday January 25, 2014 9:30am-1:30pm Tuesday, January 28, 2014 4:30pm-7pm Or call 617-892-8714 to request an application be sent by mail/email.

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER

@baystatebanner

GREAT SPACE 2nd FLOOR with Elevator Access/Stairs • 1,672 sqft open floor plan • Great office space/showroom • Monthly rent includes all CAM fees • 1 –month security deposit preferred • Property is surrounded by many restaurants/retailers and local business • Ample parking Trinity Management has a great space for lease at 90 River St. The Space is located on the 2nd floor with elevator access/ stairs. Open floor plan with two private offices.

Women and Men’s bathroom. Easily accessible to public transportation with Central Ave trolley stop next door and major highways mins away.

Deadline for completed applications at 82 Green Street:

In Person by 4:30pm, Friday, February 7, 2014 or mailed and postmarked by that day.

Selection by lottery.

Asset, Use & Occupancy Restrictions apply.

Preference for Boston Residents.

Handicap Households have preference for one studio unit.

For more information or reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities, call Charlotte DiLorenzo Pine Street Inn 617-892-8714 Equal Housing Opportunity

Phone: 617-265-5800 Fax: 617-265-5888 dgoldwait@trinitymanagementcompany.com Doug Goldwait, Property Manager 1916 Dorchester Ave. Dorchester, MA 02124

ATTENTION BOSTON RESIDENTS Commercial glazing contractor seeks qualified Boston residents with 5 years’ experience in commercial window installation to work on the Dudley Square Municipal Office Facility and the Edward W. Brooke Charter School projects.

PLEASE SEND RESUME TO: LOCKHEED WINDOW CORP. Commercial Sales Department PO Box 166, Route 100 Pascoag, RI 02859

Affordable Apartments in Chelsea, MA BRAND NEW Studio and One Bedroom Apartments On-site parking, in home W/D, fitness center, on bus lines, storage space, on-site management & 24-hour emergency maintenance Projected occupancy: Winter 2014 Monthly Rents: Studio $1,057 | 1 Bedroom $1,114 *HUD published effective 12/11/2012, Revised FY 2013.

Subject to change annually.

Max. Monthly Gross Annual Income Limits: 1 person $47,150 | 2p $53,900 | 3p $60,650 | 4p $67,350* *HUD published effective 12/11/2012, Revised FY 2013.

Subject to change annually.

Applicants will be chosen through a lottery. All applicants must meet the community’s Resident Selection Plan criteria.

Applications will be taken from 12/9/13 - 2/9/14.

Applications must be fully completed and received by 2/9/14.

Please mail or drop off your completed application to: Gerrish Compliance, 88 Gerrish Avenue Chelsea, MA 02150 Lottery will be held on 2/10/14. *Attend our free information session today!* Thursday, January 9th, 5:30 - 7:00pm 88 Gerrish Avenue, Chelsea MA 02150

For more information on the lottery and to receive an application: CALL: (888) 238-2168 | TDD: CALL 7-1-1 E-MAIL: BOXDISTRICT@HALLKEEN.COM www.FlatsAt44.com Temporary Management Office Located at 88 Gerrish Avenue, Chelsea, MA 02150

We Help People Get and Succeed at Good Jobs Free job-search and career development help:

• Most people who complete our 60-hour job-search workshop qualify for free, individual job-search help.

• We refer people to jobs that pay $20,000 — $30,000 and offer benefits.

• We mentor people who accept jobs through our referrals for two years.

If you are a low-income adult who is: • • • • •

Looking for a full-time permanent job; Willing to participate in our two-year mentoring program; Age 22 to 55; Legal to work in the U.S.; Able to succeed in an English-speaking workplace, then…

Orientation Every Thursday, 1:00 PM Call us to see if you qualify at (617) 424-6616.

• You will need to bring your résumé • If you do not have a résumé, bring a list of: - Jobs and military service since high school; - Education and training.

- Be sure to include month and year; be sure that all dates are correct.

ADVERTISE YOUR CLASSIFIEDS WITH THE BAY STATE BANNER

(617) 261-4600 x 7799 • ads@bannerpub.com Rate information at www.baystatebanner.com/advertise