I had some free moments so I decided to write my thoughts on my leaving the Chelsea City Council in December. Be warned it is self serving, I am leaving the City Council but am still a politician ;)

I've spent my whole life in Chelsea living among long term neighbors, family members and newer residents. The first 26 years of my life in Chelsea seemed to culminate in my election to the Chelsea City Council (District 3). I remember going to school in the basement of the old Mary C Burke school (which is now a condo development, I was on the planning board when it was finalized and have responded to issues the current residents have to the best of my ability.) I remember playing in the old Merritt Park (now the New Mary C Burke school which is across from the site where a developer wanted to build a diesel power plant but we {local environmentalists and community activists/members} managed to stop it) and watching the councilor at the time lead an election rally when I was young, I would later go to school with his son and become his city councilor. As kids we checked out the old Forbes lithograph site (condos under construction,Aerosmith filmed a video there and a hosts a windmill whose base was moved across the site without resident input, because input was not required at the time, which prompted my sponsoring of a new comprehensive windmill ordinance.) Bradlees made way for Home Depot and features sidewalks that 18 year old Matt insisted be added to the site at a community meeting, 23 year old Matt approved while on the planning board and 26 year old insisted be kept free of snow so the local elderly residents can get to the local market and young children can get to school. My tenure occurred during the end of the boom years. I found it incredible to have been involved in the community visioning , in some cases approving plans as a member of the planning board and then dealing with the constituent problems that arise from massive redevelopment in a small area. It is rather ironic that now as the dust has settled, Webster has been repaved, Jefferson has received funding to be fixed, I step down. I enjoyed the busy years and fixing the problems that would arise, I do wonder what it would be like without all of those pending issues.

The highlights of the past few years have been:

* My election by my peers as the Vice President of the Council

* My appointment to the City Manager Evaluation Committee

* My appointment the next year to be Chair of the City Manager Evaluation Subcommittee
* Being the Main Sponsor on a Comprehensive Windmill Ordinance
* Being the main sponsor on a resolution calling for a freeze on tolls on the Tobin Bridge

* Being the main sponsor on a resolution calling for the retention of the resident discount program on the Tobin Bridge
* Signing onto resolutions trying to combat foreclosure in the city
* Working with the police department to curb drag racing with a massive reduction occurring during my tenure
* Working with city officials to reduce the number of trucks on residential roads and monitoring trucks through regular outreach to local citizens
* The repaving of Webster Ave

* The imminent reconstruction of Jefferson Ave
* The redesign of a pocket park taking the concerns of residents into account and brokering a compromise concerning the location of the basketball court
*My attendance at a vast array of cultural and community events, including my outreach to the public in publicizing them before and after the fact
* My advocacy of making more use of our preexisting sub committees in order to help increase transparency in local government
* Participating in Student Government Day in City Hall, getting a ticket while doing so and promptly paying for it at the City Clerks office!

In an unofficial capacity:

*My appearence on WFNX competing against Sam Yoon in "My Song is Better The Your Song"
* My oped piece on citizen involvement in the local community in the Chelsea Record
* Sitting on a panel for the Young Democrats of Massachusetts on running for office
* My subsequent appointment to the Executive Board of said group a few months later
* My defense of Chelsea against slander from a politician from another town
* Meeting the Latimer Society Girls Science Club in Cambridge on one of their trips
* Organizing a trip of the Boy Scout Troop to City Hall to meet with the City Manager and tour our emergency management center

It has been quite a ride in more ways then one. Most of my vacation time went towards attending events or meeting with constituents. I had a policy where I would make house calls and read every single piece of paper that went past my desk. I showed up to all meetings and attended the meetings of subcommittees I did not belong to to stay abreast of what was going on. I would routinely send out emails at midnight on a Saturday and be surprised to find our City Manager responding at 1am giving me enough time to respond by 1:15 am. It has also come with some fatigue, I began feeling like I could not give it my all for another term. I work an hour away and am looking to take on other projects in the next two years. Doing a sub par job was not ever an option and I felt that leaving midterm would be insulting to my colleagues and constituents.

I have liberal tendencies but have always been an advocate of governing in a smart, responsible, logical, ethical manner. Before making any major decisions I spoke with local residents and specifically looked for viewpoints contrary to what I believed. Ultimately I always voted the way I felt was best for city and my constituents. Generally I voted in line with people I traditionally considered my allies in the city but on a few occasions I went a different way but would always be up front and honest as to why I was voting the way I was. It is my hope that whoever fills my spot maintains the same level of good governance.

One of my philosophies that I carry with me is "Just because something is legal that does not make it right." I always have had zero tolerance for people that create injustice and hide behind legal manipulations.

People keep asking me what is next and I am not sure yet. As a rule former City Councilors and employees must wait a year before being appointed to any standing boards or commissions. I also may not have a Boy Scout troop to volunteer with as our numbers have dipped very low due to the closure of the elementary school that acted as a feeder for the troop. Most of my plans revolve around later 2010 so I may have a rare lull in life during the early half of 2010. Having been elected, appointed or running for something since I was 11 it will be odd to be so still. In Scouts it was Assistant Patrol Leader, Patrol Leader, Assistant Senior Patrol Leader, Senior Patrol Leader, Junior Assistant Scout Master, Assistant Scout Master, Merit Badge counselor. In school I was on Student Council and pulled an upset over the class Valedictorian to become the school treasurer my senior year. In college it was Treasurer of the Political Science Academy followed by President and later founding member and Deputy Executive of the Salem State Democrats (I was nominated to be President but was in my last half year of my Senior year and wanted someone who would be around the next year.) Leaving school I joined the Chelsea Planning Board and then was elected to City Council. I have to go through the process of dislodging myself from my position without the benefit of having lost a race or "retiring", all of these signs and stickers and business cards will be recycled. My Facebook Group which inexplicably doubled in size since I announced I was not running again needs retooling. Contacting residents I have built relationships with to tell them who their new councilor is. Telling one of my constituents, she was my crossing guard when I was 4, for the 10th time I will not be her councilor come January etc.

I still have a few more meetings with a few resolutions I plan on passing before I leave.

Stay tuned...

50 Dollars!!??!!??

I am just stopping by here for a quick story, then back to packing.

I worked late in the square tonight so I was able to sleep in a little and then get to work by 11am. After waking up I ran some errands and dropped a few things off at my new apartment and then had to make one more stop before going back to Cambridge. I will not say who I ran into or where I ran into him (other then the fact that it was in Chelsea) but I do have to say I am amazed at the audacity of this guy's request.

While walking down the street I get stopped by a gentleman asking for some money. Normally I just say hello and keep on walking but he stepped right in front of me and put his hand out to shake my hand. Never having been one to walk away from a hand shake I shook the guys hand and went to keep moving when he started his spiel "I know what your thinking, that I just want some money but it is more then that. You've seen me around , you know where I am" well this was true I HAVE seen him around so now I am intrigued. "You see I normally work for so and so but they are in the hospital this week and I am out of work until he gets back on his feet" now you have to remember that I do not remember the exact words coming out of his mouth and my paraphrasing is making him come across as much more coherent then he actually was, I continue to listen. "so to get to my point, I am going out on Sunday and just need 50 dollars for dinner with my buddies and two packs of cigarettes." Excuse me? 50 dollars? Your asking me for a hand out, in the middle of the street and it is 50 dollars? For dinner? When is the last time I spent 50 dollars on myself for dinner? So he goes on for a little bit more and I have enough so I politely tell him I have to get to work and do not carry cash on me.

His response as I am trying to extricate myself from this situation was " Well, I know who you are and I am not going to vote for you!" I ask him his name and where he is from and inexplicably he tells me and I respond "Your not in my district, your a republican, I'm not running for reelection and you haven't voted in years!" Having campaigned in Chelsea for numerous people for over a decade and having done projects on the district breakup and voter blocks while in college I am quite well versed on where everyone is from. Not to be deterred he shoots back "well can you at least buy me a cup of coffee on your debit card?"

Were you expecting me to say I bought him the coffee? Who am I Tip O'Neil? Of course I did not buy him the coffee I told him to have a great day and walked away. I just canceled my cable subscription to save money and I'm going to give you 50 dollars to go out on the town?

Views of Chelsea, and the Duckling Hospital

Today was the first day of the Chelsea Art Walk, it wraps up tomorrow if you have not already been out to all the stops make sure you get out here by 6pm on Sunday!!! I took some pictures of my travels, and the views I took in. I avoided pictures of most of the art, you need to visit the galleries to see that...

One of my first stops was at the "Chelsea Foundry" otherwise known as the New England Sculpture Service. Most major sculptures you see all over New England are "born" here including Make Way for Ducklings, and the new Tortoise and Hare over in Copley Square (the pictures here are for the version heading down south, I think it was Atlanta.) When one of the ducklings was "injured" these guys were ready to have another one ready to go, and in fact were in the early stages of casting a new duckling when it was found. Instead NESS went into medic mode and were able to repair the duckling and reset it. So yeah, this is where the ducklings are born, and this is the place that responds when one gets injured, nice.

At the foundry I met Nancy Schon, the artist responsible for the said ducklings and for the Tortuise/Hare sculpture. Just one of the many interesting people roaming around the Chelsea Art Walk she was a very nice person, and does more then children's fairy tale type items, in fact the foundry even had some of her smaller items for sale (which I would find out on the shuttle bus that one of my constituents from the Spencer Lofts actually did buy one.) I also had the pleasure of taking a tour of the industrial part of town with other sculptors from all over New England, well it was an impromptu tour as the shuttle driver took a wrong turn and tried to drop them off in the middle of Marginal Street, if your from Chelsea you know that essentially means the middle of nowhere. I was happy to direct the driver back to the proper stop, getting accolades from constituents on the shuttle and from the sculptors who were all great people (if this had happened in, oh I don't know late October I would imagine some would have been caling it a campaign gimmick lol.)

Every stop was more interesting then the last, with the last being a fully unexpected surprise. There were all sorts of paintings, photos, poem readings, plays across the city, which just shows how many artists we have in Chelsea. As new comers their love for the city exceeds that of many people who have been here for decades, with fixtures like the Tobin Bridge, and Soldiers Home Water Tower being especially popular sources of inspiration. I am also very thankful for the presence of a shuttle service as I was losing steam towards the end of the day. I was also ecstatic that I ran into so many people I knew.

I took the shuttle back to my neighborhood, a few short blocks from where I started my journey to investigate the Industrial Lofts and could not believe what I saw. The Industry Lofts people, being the savy marketers they are, brought in artists from all around Boston and hosted them inside newly completed empty lofts. It created a magnificent open house/art house that spanned three stories of massive loft spaces. The lofts themselves were breath taking, the windows were just massive, and the roof deck gave me views of my longtime neighborhood I had never imagined existed. The art was quite exquisite as well, especially the young lady selling stained glass and the artist next door who featured large paintings with an far east influence.

Temple Emmanuel has photos representing Chelsea's Jewish past, Roca had art and jewelry representing Chelsea's immigrant present, at City Hall we saw photos representing Chelsea then/now, the foundry showed Chelsea helping others, Industry/Pearl/Spencer lofts all look at the future of old industrial uses, and the list goes on with all the other participants.

This is Chelsea: All at once you had old time photos, industrial art, old houses, new loft condos, immigrants, an under current of committed community members banding toghter for the common good. Someone told me the art walk was a page in Chelsea's history turning, I disagree Chelsea has always been about transition and the blending of worlds, it's a change of tint not a change of color.

Picked up by Universal Hub on 06/01/2009
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... but can I still eat bacon???

The City of Chelsea has issued a public health announcement in regard to the Swine Flu cases in Massachusetts. The following message was issues by our Reverse 911 system (kudos to Somerville for innovating this handy outreach tool!) The main take away points are 1) Do not panic and 2) Wash your hands. For my commentary and more resources please continue after the italics:

First, there is no reason to panic.

 

There are several confirmed cases of Swine Flu in and around Chelsea .

 

For now, you are advised to use proper hygiene, like washing your hands often with soap and water or with a hand sanitizer and sneezing into a disposable tissue or into your sleeve instead of into your bare hands.  If you are experiencing flu-like symptoms, you should consider limiting your contact with others and call your health provider.

 

We will continue to follow State and Federal guidelines, will continue to monitor the local situation and will continue to update you if more action is recommended or required.

Being the analytical guy I am I am also supplying you with additional reading, information is power, and the more you know the better.

This link supplies you with a fully interactive map of the WORLD. If you are focusing on Massachusetts, and Suffolk County/Chelsea in particular please keep in mind that the official numbers are mostly at the county level, so no there is not a massive outbreak over the water outside of Logan Airport! That number is for all of Suffolk Country. The same goes for Middlesex County, that random corn field in Concord that bubble is over most likely has no cases of Swine Flu, Middlesex County is a very large geographic county (by New England standards.) For more information click on the bubble when you zoom in and follow the link they list, it will bring you to the Massachusetts Health Department website. 

To answer the question I posed in the headline, pork products ARE not affected by the outbreak. Most doctors would recommend we limit our bacon intake, but not because of Swine Flu.

Slate.com has the most expansive list of articles on Swine Flu, well the most expansive READABLE list...

Finally for all of us who Twitter, we need to be careful not to spread hysteria , and lets keep things in context.

On the mystery of bronze statues from the 80's

There used to be a time when Chelsea was compared to... 

Moving on, yesterday was definitely a Chelsea day, at least for me, and most of it happened outside of 02150. The most interesting of these little events was meeting Renata Von Tscharner from the Charles River Conservancy in the office in Harvard Square. Renata started the CRC , and has managed to do quite a bit in the last decade. I had been in a community meeting in Chelsea a week ago, Chelsea Greenspace, and representatives from the Charles Watershed Association made a great presentation to us and are helping us with the Chelsea Creek and our local watershed. Community groups in Chelsea are looking to Cambridge and these two non profits for innovation and on ways on how to clean up our waterways from the ground up. While I find that all fascinating I was more intrigued when I found out that Renata Von Tscharner was on an urban renewal planning team that shaped parts of Chelsea 25 years (or so?) ago. In addition to wall painting installations and other projects, there was the addition of the bronze items, which has mystified a number of children and passerbys over the years.

I wish I had a picture on hand, but I don't , and can not seem to have any online, and a Saturday afternoon is not the right time to get good shots of these items as its very busy in Bellingham Square in the Spring on a Saturday afternoon. On a side note, it is amazing how many people have lived in or worked in Chelsea, and how fond their memories are. I guess its true, seeing is believing. 

These items include a bronze handbag permanently attached to a bench, a coffee cup on a fence an orange half opened on the ground and a pair of ladies gloves on the ground all strewn about but within about 20 feet of each other. The handbag and gloves are placed in such a way that it appears as is a woman was sitting on the bench and had to jump up to catch her bus, leaving the bag and gloves behind. In fact the first time I ever saw the bag I thought that is exactly what happened, I went to grab the bag and tell the woman she had forgotten her bag, to my surprise it was bolted to the bench! They are a homage to a bygone era when women wore fancy gloves, and coffee was served in cups void of any logos. There is a feeling they were waiting for the old trolley to come by and were in such a rush ended up leaving their belongings behind. The woman may have been shopping in the old Chelsea shopping district, while whoever was eating the orange and drinking the coffee was most likely heading down to factories, the same factories that contributed to polluting the very creek we are now trying to clean, and have recently turned into lofts. I have always wondered about the bronze items, left behind by their owners, why are they here, what does it mean? 

Sitting in the offices at Harvard Square, with one of the designers right in front of me I had a chance to ask. It turns out there is no meaning, they were designed to make people think, jump start peoples imaginations, and get people talking to each other... Mission accomplished, and here I was thinking I was looking at it the wrong way all these years.

Picked up and reposted by Universal Hub:

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