If its Tuesday there must be an election

Tuesday, October 9 there is another election coming to Allston/Brighton, though this one will likely have less impact than any of the September or November elections this year.

This will be the final election to elect a new State Senator to replace Jarrett Barrios. The Sept 11 election was a democratic primary, and Oct 9 will be a special general election. Anthony Galluccio, the winner of the primary is running unopposed on Tuesday so there shouldn't be much suspense in the outcome. To find out if you are in this Senate district and where to vote, go to the Where Do I Vote website and if Barrios is listed as your State Senator then you can cast a ballot on Tuesday.

Many people in attendance at the BRA Board meeting about Harvard's Science Complex on Wednesday were impressed that Anthony attended the meeting and spoke clearly in support of the community. You can hear his comments here or read my typed version of his comments below:

"...My experience thus far with this neighborhood is a group of very reasonable, hardworking neighborhood people who are, quite honestly, overwhelmed with what they are dealing with. I hope as you go forward with your deliberations you will consider the fact - these are not a group of people who have attempted to stop Harvard, and I have dealt with many folks like that over the years. This is a very reasonable group of folks who have welcomed Harvard into the neighborhood. And I hope that during your deliberations you will reward that thoughtfulness.

You, unlike in a place like Cambridge, where City Councilors have the opportunity to file zoning and actually stop projects in mid-stream, these folks don't have those mechanisms at their fingertips. So you are, as Rep Moran describes, the only hope. And I would just suggest that the more trust that is built in this relationship, the better this project is, the more that this body attempts to deal with the mitigation issues that Rep Moran discussed, all within the context of what Rep Honan discussed, what are very productive and visionary proposals. But the more this Board is able to step in and bring trust to this relationship really to solidify what has been requested so these folks leave with a clear understanding of how things will proceed, I think the relationship is better over the next, let's face it, we're talking 30 years here.

Unless we stop right now and start to clarify the relationship - not just the mitigation, how community benefits will work, how the community is going to be responded to when they make requests for information, how this relationship proceeds is incredibly important to both the university and community. So I would just ask that the Redevelopment Authority take this responsibility very seriously, listen to the community members here. They again, have not tried to stop Harvard, but are deeply concerned about the impact on their neighborhood, and rightly so. And at the same time, recognizing that Harvard can and certainly will play a very positive role in this community. But again, if there is no trust in this relationship it is not going to be to the benefit of either group.

So I don't confess to know every detail as I haven't been as involved as the other elected officials, but I will say to the community and to this Board, having vast experience dealing as an intermediary with the community and Harvard I intend to be very involved going into the future and hope that today's deliberations leave the community in a better place with better faith, better confidence in the process going forward. Thank you."