Editorial: Far from a dynamic duo on Boston Council
Boston City Councilors are set to receive a significant salary increase, with their annual pay rising to $125,000. This change comes amid pressing issues facing the city, including the ongoing opioid crisis and the need for effective governance. The recent election results have led to Councilor Gabriela Coletta Zapata securing the necessary votes to become the next Council president, with her first appointment being Councilor-at-Large Henry Santana as vice president. However, Santana’s history of attendance issues raises concerns about the effectiveness of this leadership duo, especially as Boston prepares for a year filled with challenging decisions.
Critics argue that the council’s current trajectory resembles a rubber stamp for Mayor Michelle Wu’s agenda, which leans left of liberal and could have significant financial implications for Boston taxpayers. With the median household income in the U.S. around $85,000, the new council salary puts members well above the poverty line, yet the high cost of living in Boston, where homes often exceed $1 million, complicates the fiscal landscape. The article emphasizes that the city requires proactive councilors who are willing to challenge the status quo and advocate for the community’s needs rather than simply supporting the mayor’s initiatives.
Moreover, the choice of Santana as vice president, given his limited experience and attendance record, raises questions about the council’s commitment to accountability and effective governance. The piece calls for a more balanced leadership team that can provide the necessary oversight and challenge the mayor when needed. As Boston navigates complex issues, including public safety and public health, the expectation is for councilors to earn their substantial salaries by actively engaging in their roles and prioritizing the city’s welfare over political allegiances. The article concludes with a call to action for the council to step up and fulfill their responsibilities, ensuring that taxpayer money is well spent and that the city is effectively represented.
Boston City Councilors will soon be paid $125,000 a year; they should start earning it.
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As the
Herald reported Tuesday
, Councilor Gabriela Coletta Zapata said she has secured the seven votes required to become the next Council president. There’s more to that story, but here’s the kicker: Her first hire, she says, is Councilor-at-Large Henry Santana.
Santana, who held off a comeback bid from former Councilor Frank Baker in last week’s election and finished fourth in the at-large race, would serve as vice president of the council.
The Herald was told that Santana has attendance issues, to put it mildly. But that doesn’t seem to matter on a board more interested in being a rubber stamp for Mayor Michelle Wu. We condemn that line of thinking. It isn’t serving Wu nor the taxpayers of Boston.
The mayor needs to surround herself with an equal dose of skeptics as supporters. Who is going to challenge her?
“There is no other way to guard yourself against flattery than by making men understand that telling you the truth will not offend you,” wrote Nicolo Machiavelli in “The Prince.”
Machiavelli wrote that pearl 512 years ago as a playbook for nobles in a time when rival city-states ruled Renaissance Italy. It still holds true today.
Why would Coletta Zapata turn to a junior member of the Council who barely hung on to his job when Boston is heading into a year where tough decisions will need to be made? It’s a blatant nod to the mayor.
Wu smoked Josh Kraft so badly the son of Patriots owner Bob Kraft sulked away days after his preliminary election thumping. Now the city is seeing what happens when politicians are unopposed.
Mayor Wu, to quote President Donald Trump, is a “smart” mayor, but she’s left of liberal and that’s going to hit taxpayers hard as she rolls out her agenda. So, where’s the stopgap? Coletta Zapata and Santana are not Batwoman and Robin.
The city deserves a dynamic duo and these two are far from it. Plus, this choice could come back to haunt the Council if Mayor Wu decides to skip the last years of her second term and, say, run for U.S. Senate? Go back to Harvard? Try her luck in Washington, D.C.?
Anyone paid $125,000 a year is at least living four times above the poverty line. It’s also $40,000 above the nation’s median household income of about $85,000, according to U.S. Census statistics. And try making that math work in Boston, where houses are sold for $1 million — and up!
This city needs hard-charging councilors who show up and push for answers, not act as puppets. The opioid crisis is a pox on our house and needs to be solved before the winter freeze hits. We need councilors to stay out of the police blotter and support law enforcement, not question every move officers make.
Coletta Zapata can count her votes and hope for the best, but she’d be doing the city a favor by seeking balance and turning to someone else to be her deputy.
Santana needs to put more years under his belt and show up more for every committee he’s assigned to. Anything less warrants a refund of his soon-to-be $125,000 large take-home cheddar.
