A "GreenPrint" for Boston

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Wednesday July 29, 2009 · 12:04 PM PDT

2009/07/29 · 12:04

I am running to be the first new Boston mayor in 16 years because I love my city and I strongly believe that we can do so much better. But I also entered this race because I'm concerned. After 16 years of the current administration, Boston is stuck – with the same worn-out ideas, the same patronage politics, and the same tired leadership.

Looking across the country, cities are incubators for change – testing new and innovative policies to transform our economies, services, transportation, and environment. We need to embrace these forward-thinking ideas in Boston too. So, after 16 years of the same machine politics, but no new ideas and no fresh thinking, it’s time that we, together, bring change and creativity to the Boston mayor's office.

Take the environment. While I'm a strong supporter of capping carbon emissions, we can’t wait for a national policy to make our cities greener. Cities across the country are taking action right now – reducing their carbon footprint and transforming their economies. San Francisco incentivizes solar usage and has an ambitious recycling program. Seattle's green building standards have made it a leader in sustainable buildings and led to a rapidly growing industry (and job producer).

sam yoon

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Wednesday July 08, 2009 · 11:59 AM PDT

2009/07/08 · 11:59

Hello, everyone. Thanks for reading. I’m running to be the next Mayor of Boston - and I need your help.

Our Party – the Democratic Party – is experiencing a rebirth. We're finally winning red states, Barack Obama is our President, we could have our first Latino Supreme Court Justice, and in Massachusetts, an exciting progressive, Deval Patrick, became our Governor – in large part because of the netroots.

New models of political leadership are emerging in our country - and are sweeping our Party. But in my city, Boston, with over half a million people, we are still waiting to move our part of the country forward.

Boston is one of the most reliably Democratic cities in the country, but it is also home to one of the last machine-run, entrenched city governments left. The Mayor’s job has effectively become a lifetime appointment. The last time any sitting Boston mayor was successfully challenged was in 1949, after he had spent eight months in jail.

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A "GreenPrint" for Boston

Beating Machine Politics in Boston