On Sept. 12, voters in the newly redrawn City Council district that encompasses much of Dorchester and part of the South End have a tough choice to make. Their city councilor, Frank Baker, is retiring after a decade in office, and an unusually large and impressive field of seven candidates is jockeying to replace him. Although there are several contenders in this race who could ably represent the district, the Globe enthusiastically endorses Ann Walsh of Lower Mills, a 51-year-old former City Hall aide and education nonprofit leader who promises to break down barriers to city services for her constituents while pushing a forward-looking agenda on the council.
Walsh already knows the ropes at City Hall, having worked in various capacities, including chief of staff, for former city councilor-at-large John Connolly. She has also been a program manager at the Boys & Girls Club, softball coach, and board member of the Lee Academy Pilot School, which her children attended.
The basic theme of her candidacy, Walsh says, is ending what she terms the “secret knock” that too often seems to define who receives — or even knows about — city services in Boston.
“The secret knock is that sort of phenomenon of, if you know a guy, or you walk past the right place at the right time, or you’re friends with the right people, all of a sudden things work for you. You get into the housing lottery, or you know which schools to put on your list, or your kid gets the after-school program, or your building permit finds its way through the system. And it’s a matter of networks just working the way they’ve always worked. But folks who are not in those networks are constantly on the outside,” she told the Globe editorial board.
Instead, she wants to push out information in a “more equitable and transparent way ... multiple languages, multiple platforms, different spaces in the community where different folks are” as well as using “trusted brokers” who can serve as government partners and help disseminate information. “Whether that’s faith organizations, barbershops, grocery stores, pediatricians, all of those folks need to have the information and be ready to share it with the folks who may need it, who don’t know it exists.”
On matters of city policy, Walsh has distinguished herself with a more sophisticated and realistic vision than her competitors for dealing with the city’s skyrocketing costs. Boston needs more housing, of all kinds. Walsh calls for overhauling zoning to make it easier to build. She’s also refrained from jumping on some of the more politically popular bandwagons, such as Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s proposal to require more of each new development to be set aside for income-restricted, subsidized housing — a requirement that risks scaring off new housing development altogether or raising costs for the unsubsidized units. Walsh’s stance shows a willingness to break with the mayor, too — always an important trait for city councilors.
On education, the city’s other great challenge, Walsh’s own personal experiences give her strong insight into the struggles of families in the city. In 2010, right after her second child enrolled at the Lee School, it was announced that it was going to close — a “complete blindside,” as she put it. While the council doesn’t directly control BPS, Walsh says she would use the lessons from her own experience as a parent and from working for Connolly to “shine a light” on the district.
Walsh also promises to be an ally on the mayor’s climate and transit efforts, pushing for free and faster buses and more options to get people out of cars.
The field in the nonpartisan preliminary also includes Matthew Patton, a workers’ rights lawyer; John FitzGerald, a city official in the Boston Planning & Development Agency; Joel Richards, a pastor and BPS teacher; Barry Lawton, a former BPS teacher with a long history of community activism; Jennifer Johnson, a member of local civic groups; and Rosalind Wornum, a member of the Boston Neighborhood Trauma Team and the founder of Women On the Rise New England Inc. The top two finishers will advance to a final election in November.
The council has not exactly distinguished itself over the last years, often riven with infighting and seemingly petty squabbles. But Walsh has shown that she’s a thoughtful, engaged, and independent leader who will not only represent her district well — but will also help the council as a whole turn the page.
Editorials represent the views of the Boston Globe Editorial Board. Follow us @GlobeOpinion.