Election Day 2009

In case you haven’t heard, today is Election Day. While not a presidential election year, there are still a lot of very important elections in many municipalities that can make a big difference. 30 cities in the Commonwealth have mayoral elections, including Boston, which is also electing city councilors today. Is Mayor Tom Menino going to hold on for yet another term, or will Michael Flaherty overcome the power of incumbency?

It will be an exciting day…don’t underestimate the importance of the smaller local elections.

Incompetency Plaguing Boston City Hall

Last week, Manuel J. Rivera abruptly backed out of becoming Boston’s superintendent of schools, and Menino declared, “This was a shock to me as mayor. We were not prepared for this.”

Not prepared? How could they not have been prepared?

Sadly, things have not gotten better since.

After a deal to make Manuel Rivera the city’s next superintendent of schools fell through last week, several city councilors today are filing paperwork calling for a more open selection process — and for school committee chairwoman Elizabeth Reilinger’s resignation.

Meanwhile, Mayor Thomas Menino said yesterday the city was days away from finalizing the contract when Rivera backed out.

Councilor Michael Flaherty, who gave Reilinger a letter Friday asking her to step down, said yesterday the city needs a “fresh start” to restore confidence in the new search process. He and other councilors, including Chuck Turner and Felix Arroyo, want more community participation in that process.

“We’re disappointed he didn’t come here,” Flaherty said. “But, at the other end of the spectrum, who was responsible for this process and why did we allow it to go on as long as we did without requiring a document with his signature?”

This situation is something they should have been better prepared for, but unfortunately, they’ve handled it terribly.

Boston City Council Looks At “Imette’s Law”

It’s been almost a year since her murder.

Now the Boston City Council is beginning to look at “Imette’s Law.”

Bouncers and other security staff at the city’s bars and nightclubs would have to undergo training and a background check under a law being considered by the City Council after the slaying of a Boston woman who was last seen alive at a New York City bar.

“Imette’s Law,” which was the subject of a hearing Monday, is named for Imette St. Guillen, the 24-year-old Boston woman who police say was killed by a bouncer with a long criminal history.

City Council President Michael Flaherty said he began working on the proposed law before St. Guillen was killed, after seeing a pattern of alleged incidents between bars’ security and patrons. The Boston Licensing Department received 84 reports of bouncer on customer violence between 2004 and June 2006.

Under the proposed law, all bouncers, doormen and floor staff of the city’s bars, clubs and other establishments that serve alcohol would have to undergo a background check looking for violence histories and undergo training on how to prevent problem patrons from entering their businesses and on how to deal with them if they do. A timetable has not been set for a vote on the law.

Click here for more of a past coverage of this story.