Josh Kraft Joins Us to Discuss His Mayoral Campaign! - podcast episode cover

Josh Kraft Joins Us to Discuss His Mayoral Campaign!

Feb 07, 202540 min
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Episode description

Philanthropist Josh Kraft has officially thrown his hat into the ring for Boston mayor. Kraft launched his mayoral campaign this week, making the issue of affordable housing one of his top priorities if elected mayor. Josh Kraft joined us on NightSide to talk about his campaign for mayor, the issues he’s most compassionate about, and his hope for Boston if elected.

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Transcript

Speaker 1

It's Night Side with Dan Ray. I'm WBSY Koston's new video.

Speaker 2

All right, welcome back everyone. I'm delighted to be joined by Josh Craft. Last week Josh Kraft announced that he was running from Mayor of Boston and so Josh, hopefully we'll have you on several times between now and whenever. But welcome for your first appearance here on Nightside.

Speaker 3

How are you, sir, I'm great, Dan, thank you, and I want to also congratulate you on four thousand shows guys.

Speaker 4

Thank you. Yeah, I know, pretty good run.

Speaker 3

Well, You've been an institution in the city and the in the region, and your show is educated and informed many and it's an integral part of the city and the community. So congratulations, thank you so much.

Speaker 2

Rob was mentioning that last night they were using some of my audio from my live shots during the Blizzard of seventy eight, which probably means I've been around much too long. But let's talk about the future, and let's talk about you. First of all, tell us a little

bit about yourself. Obviously, know we know that you come from this incredible family that owns the New England Patriots, but just tell us a little bit about yourself, because I think that you need the first of all, to introduce yourself to.

Speaker 4

Your potential constituents.

Speaker 5

Well, thank you, Dan.

Speaker 3

Yeah, So, as you said, I'm a member of the Craft family, my dad Robert, my late mom Myra, and you know I've spent However, I wasn't in the family business. I spent most of my life thirty five years working in community, and thirty of those years with Boys and

Girls clubs in Boston. And I started back in the fall of nineteen ninety in South Boston doing an outreach program with kids in the West Broadway housing development in the Old Colony development and Mary Allen McCormick and working with kids and might have been having some issues in school and other things. And really, back, like I said nineteen ninety, it opened my eyes to things that only read about or heard about, you know, on radio or TV.

And also what exposed me to was the power of community, the power of people coming together to help folks overcome obstacles or what have you. And the Boys and Girls club and I made it my career and shortly after started a club in Chelsea in the basement of the Innis Public housing development and we got a beautiful building there and then I spent my last twelve well, I spent nine years moving the club around the city of Chelsea.

We finally got a club built in two been another six years there and became CEO of Boys and Girls Club in o Way and did that for twelve years. And really community work became a calling for me, working with people in community and that's me in a nutshell. I know it's quick, but no, that's.

Speaker 4

You know, that gives us a little bit.

Speaker 2

So my question then is, obviously, I'm sure you had plenty of options other than to do that's that sort of service, and that's genuine service.

Speaker 4

What drew you to that?

Speaker 2

Was there a moment in time where you said, Hey, I'm a pretty lucky guy. I can give back here. What got you to that point?

Speaker 3

I'm definitely a lucky guy. I think, as I said in my announcement speech, I wasn't born on third base. I was born at home Plate, and I'm very much aware of that. But I think the community service work and beyond Boys and Girls Club, I was involved in a lot of volunteer you know, board service. I chair the Hate Crimes Task Force for the state with Secretary

Reading but you know, Dan, it's pretty you know. I was always told in life that if you love what you do, you'll never work a day in your life. And for me, community work, being with people, learning from different people, I loved it and I still love it, and I never really thought I worked a day in my life because of that, and that's what I enjoy.

It's what inspires me, and that's that's it, you know, meeting people, understanding different people from different backgrounds and how to bring them together to build a sense of community and to move us all forward.

Speaker 2

I very much ascribe to that, to that philosophy as well. So at some point you or some people must have said to you, or you must have looked in the mirror and said, gee, I'm going to take this one step further and I'm going to offer myself as mayor of Boston.

Speaker 4

When did you get to that point?

Speaker 2

And I'm sure it's like everyone who becomes a politician, and you're a politician at this point, candidate for public office.

Speaker 5

Huh.

Speaker 4

It has to be an evolution.

Speaker 2

I mean, you didn't wake up some morning on you know, July third, whatever, twenty twenty four and say, you know what, I want to do next?

Speaker 4

How did you how did you get to that point? And again in a.

Speaker 3

Nutshell, yeah, in a nutshell, you know, and get to the endgame, you know, to be the mayor of Boston. I know it's not an easy job. But to me, as I said, I've done community work my whole life, and being the mayor of Boston or any city or town is the ultimate community job because you're dealing with so many different people, a lot of different agendas, people with different backgrounds, people with different thoughts, and to create that means of community with all of them is the

ultimate community experience. So for me, in some ways, I felt that was always trending towards not the mayor of Boston, but a large community building challenger opportunity. And to be specific about this job, I started thinking about it seriously fourteen fifteen months ago. It was probably a couple months ago, maybe six six, seven weeks ago I made the firm decision to move forward, but it was it's been on my mind for, you know, fourteen to fifteen months or so.

Speaker 4

So let's talk about some.

Speaker 2

Of the distinctions that you will have to draw with the incumbent mayor. And I've heard, I read your announcement. I read all of the material, many columns as I could. You've actually been I think treated pretty fairly by by the Boston Globe, a couple of ittorial welcoming editorials. And I think it's important for Boston to have a mayor's race. And I think that you bring a set of experiences and you know the city and you know the community. So what has driven you to say, Okay, I can

do a better job. Because as I read your speeches and I read the reports, I think that's what you're saying, that you can be a better, more effective mayor than the incumbent.

Speaker 5

Yeah.

Speaker 3

Thanks Dan, And for myself, when I look at this opportunity and the current administration, it's not about ideology. It's about getting results, making an impact. And I feel like that's something I've been able to do throughout my professional career, and I think that's the difference. I think that there's a need for this for the city administration, the mayoral administration, the current administration not not providing, not providing enough results

for the citizens of the city or impact. And that's something that I'm confident myself and our administration could do, and that's to me the number one difference. It's about not about ideology, it's about getting results.

Speaker 2

Okay, so let's let's talk One of the themes of your first few days here is the need for more housing. Uh, and you peer that with some ideas about rent control. Let's talk about housing. What can a mayor do to to create more housing? Obviously, the more housing we have, the less expensive. I mean, it's the kind of economics one on one supplying to me and the one's going to argue with you about that.

Speaker 4

But what can do that's not being done currently?

Speaker 3

Yeah, and you know, I know when I spoke about it, I said rent control, And you know I'd like to say, make a slight variation of that for us. We would call it opt in rent control, where landlords would have an opportunity to opt into a program where keeping their rents at a sustainable wage, particularly for workforce and affordable housing clients or housing folks and the and at the back end they get a tax break tax abatement at

the end of the year. And this should be a ten year commitment and then could revisit it after ten years. So it's not I know, rent control, as you know, it's seemed on on a slide deck or what have you. But it's sort of So we've changed the name more to an opt in rent control incentivizing landlords and you know, it benefits landlords and it benefits renters as well, and we're going to focus on we're not it excludes luxury units, so workforce and affordable units.

Speaker 4

Okay, So come back to the housing issue, and that is.

Speaker 2

This. Has a study been done as to how many more housing units, whether they be rental apartments, condominiums, or standalone homes or three decors that we need. Has anyone taken the time to look at that and do a survey and say, okay, here's where we are and here's where we got to get to.

Speaker 6

That.

Speaker 3

I can't answer, Dan, I don't have an answer to that. I do know that on the sideline currently, there's more than twenty three thousand permitted housing units that are sitting on the sideline in the city. And it's not just units that aren't being built, it's you know, construction jobs as well as significant amount of tax revenue that's sitting on the sidelines.

Speaker 2

So say city, when you say sitting on the sideline, shushu, I want to make sure you're not talking about properties that exist now and no, no, no.

Speaker 3

No permited, yeah and ready to be built and for whatever uh regulations or bureaucracy, they can't get going. And I think we'd like to incentivize people in whatever way we can to get shovels in the ground because in the end, accessibility is affordability, and we need to create access to more units. And look at it. I'm not naive to think, oh, you just go in and in day one. No, you got to work with people. You got to understand people, and there's a give and take

and ending tootiation. But yeah, you got to sit down with people you might not always agree with. You got to sit down with people other people that don't agree with each other and find a pass forward.

Speaker 2

Yeah, it sounds to me like you'd like to become what I would call a red tape cutter, somebody who might be able to come some of the regulations that are holding things back exactly.

Speaker 4

All right.

Speaker 2

My guest is Josh Kraft, candidate from mayor. He held a very impressive announcement on Tuesday. We will take phone calls if you're the only lines that are open right now are the six, one, seven, nine, three, one, ten thirty line. The two five, four to ten thirty is full up. We're going to ask people to ask questions and not try to engage in debates. This is an opportunity for you to find out something about Josh Kraft.

It's got a long time between February and September of primary and then September a final election in November, so well we'll get more conversation. Should go on with Josh Graft hit upon some of the other issues that he feels are important and issues that distinguish him from the incumbent mayor Michelle Will back on night Side.

Speaker 4

My name is Dan Ray.

Speaker 1

Right after this now back to Dan Ray, Mine from the Window World Nightside Studios on w b Z, the news radio.

Speaker 4

My guess is Josh Josh Craft running from Mayor of Boston.

Speaker 2

Josh, let me hit a couple a couple of quick issues and then I want to give folks an opportunity to to talk. Well, we'll get to phone calls right after nine thirty. We have full lines. A couple of things. Bike lanes. I feel strongly about bike lanes. I was told by State Senator Nick Collins of South Boston. I think that the city has spent one hundred and twenty one million dollars installing bike lanes there everywhere. But what's your thought on bike lanes?

Speaker 3

Well, thanks, Jan, Well, let me first say I am not against bike lanes. I'm all for bike lanes. However, four bike lanes that are put down and installed in the thoughts away that does not lead to congestions for pedestrians, bikers,

cars and buses. And you know, from everywhere I go, whether it's I hear about the bike lanes from seniors, families, folks and the say, you know, disabled folks, small business owners and a lot of people and a lot of their issues that they can't move around the city the way they used to. Especially small businesses are feeling it. And you know, to see a proliferation of bike lanes without really a direction of a thought out plan on

how to put them down is concerning. And a lot of people who have expressed consternation with that or whatever they're not they don't feel really listened to or heard with it. And then one hundred and twenty million dollars and in a sort of haphazard not that out planned, it's not a great way to do it, but I want to want sorry, I just want to end up. I think I do support bike lanes, but just done in a thoughtful, correct way.

Speaker 5

Yeah.

Speaker 2

I tell you, if you ever take a walk on Center Street in West Roxbury from the Holy Dame Circle to uh, the business people out there are just beside themselves. But but that's I'm sure you'll have an opportunity to do that. Also, let's talk about White Stadium, and I know that the people are saying, wow, you know it.

Speaker 4

Was a prep family.

Speaker 2

They're maybe they're trying to build a soccer stadium in every conflict of interest. You pretty much dealt with that the other day. But want to address that issue and also address why White Stadium is being destroyed At this point, I had someone on the other end who was telling me that scores of beautiful trees are being uprooted near White Stadium in order to provide parking spaces. My understanding is a lot of the community there is pretty upset with what's going on.

Speaker 3

Yeah, I mean, and that really goes to my thoughts and feelings on White Stadium. The first, I think the project needs a pause, a hard pause, for two reasons. And you just captured one the folks most impacted, the folks that live around it. The majority have expressed real and genuine concerns with what's going on there and how it impacts them and their quality of life. You got to listen to that, you got to hear that, you

got understand it. And the second part is, you know, when you spend one hundred million dollars and maybe more than that, when a public when a city spends that much money of public money, tax dollars on a project that primarily benefits a private entity, I think you've really got to look at it balanced out, especially with the the communities concerns, the most impacted community folks concerns with it, and you really got to think it out and take

community concerns seriously and the amount of money you're spending seriously. So again, I think a hard pause is needed on the project.

Speaker 2

My guess is Josh Kraft running from mayor. Certainly the family name needs no introduction, but this is hopefully an introduction for all of you to talk and ask him a question, to make a comment. We'll take a very quick break for the news at the bottom of the hour, and Josh will be taking your phone calls. I'm going to try to stay out of it, but I'm going to ask all.

Speaker 4

Of you not to make speeches.

Speaker 2

Ask a question about something that concerns you, formulate it in your mind, and give him a chance to respond back. On Night's Side, the lines are full right after.

Speaker 1

This, It's Night Side Boston's news Radio.

Speaker 2

We're going to try to get as many questions and answers in. My guest is Josh Kraft running from mayor of Boston announced on Tuesday. Appreciate him spending the time with us tonight. Let's go to Brighton first and talk with Glenn. Glenn, you were first tonight with the candidate for mayor, Josh Craft. Your question of comment, Glenn, I had.

Speaker 5

A quick comment and a quick question. My comment is it sounds like you're trying to lible Democrat each other. I mean green schools and rent control and what's the quest question? My question is what's your view on police like I don't believe in defunding them, which is why I voted for her opponent in the last election.

Speaker 7

Or niece George, great question, Yeah, a public safety is essential to this city and I would never defund the police.

Speaker 5

You got my vote, all.

Speaker 2

Right, Thanks, thanks, thank you appreciate it. That's a that's a quick question and a direct answer. I think that's important. Thanks, I appreciate it. Glenn held on a long time, asked that question. Next up Bill in Boston, Bill, you were next on Nightsager, right ahead.

Speaker 8

Good evening, Dan Gatti, I'm the sigatore. I wanted to comment that in the previous mayor election. Then Janey into the race late three months after Walsh was named to be the Lafe secorate for Joe Biden, and that caused a split in the Black vote in Boston. Had she not gotten in late, Andrew Campbell would likely have become

the mayor. I have a question for Josh, and my question is in working with the young people and the boys and Girls clubs in Boston and Chelsea, what did you learn about the circumstances of their families as they faced living in such an increasingly expensive city as Boston, the.

Speaker 3

Circumstances where they had to rely on you know, well, I'll talk to to the Boys and Girls club. Maybe it's just both parents might be working. If there was only one parent in the house, that parent was working, and you could see, you know, they'd hustle. You know, we were serving dinners, so it made it easier for a lot of parents that were working full time, whether I said both parents or if it's a single parent, and you could see with some families how there was.

It was always a hustle. I got to get here because I got to get this done. I got to get here, got to get this done. And for whatever, you know, rushing to get things done, knowing that constant pressure and stress, and I'd hope that working through the Boys and Girls Club, we were taking some of that away, providing not just activities for kids, but access to opportunities for them in their future. So that's what I learned.

I could see the stress that some families had with it, and I hope that our organization when I was there, and other Gray organizations across the city, whether it's the Why or wherever, could help ease some of that stress.

Speaker 8

Knowing that you don't have to do this. I want to say thank you for running for mayor of Boston. Thank you very much, Bill.

Speaker 2

I appreciate you called great, gracious, thank you. Okay, we're going to go next to Paul in Boston. Paul you were next on Night Side with Meryl Kennedy.

Speaker 4

Josh Kraft, good evening.

Speaker 3

Hello, Uh.

Speaker 6

I'm calling it.

Speaker 3

I'm calling because, uh.

Speaker 9

Do you hear me?

Speaker 4

We heard?

Speaker 9

Okay, Okay, this is not a trick question or anything, Josh. You get a lot going on, and it's early in this contest. But I'm just curious if I had a conversation with a former mayor was going on to do some other things. And he's happy what he's doing.

Speaker 3

He's a friend.

Speaker 9

But uh, I we well, Carver, I thing about president politics, and I just said, I drive through the city, Maddie, and I see three No, I said, I said, I see, I see very few tower cranes. He looked right at me and said, Paul, there are three in the sky right now of Boston. Those are guy's not the mayor anymore, and he knows and takes years before a tower crane will even be erected to put a new building up. Do you have any idea of how you might be able to change this, because it's a it's a big

giant project. But and my other comment is.

Speaker 4

Why don't we take them one at a time? Please, Paul, Let's take them one Josh.

Speaker 6

Yeah, and.

Speaker 3

I know the mayor, the ex mayor you were talking to, is the best you know, and a good guy. I learned a great guy and I learned a lot from him when I was running boys and girls clubs. And yeah, I know we we got to get cranes and cranes in the sky, but people to work, which also means somehow reimagining our downtown and bringing life back to our

downtown as well. And I will work with business folks, other folks, the chamber whoever to figure out ways to get those things moving again in the best possible way.

Speaker 4

Oh you said you had one on the quick point, make it quickly, because they got a whole bunch of go ahead.

Speaker 9

I like to say, Josh, because you know Einstein said that people can find a problem for resolution. But there's a guy that's giving up his adult working life to be a coalition builder. And I own a business at Hyde Park. I can't vote to have I don't live in the city anymore. But I think some people bussy.

Josh needs your head examined to go on a twenty four to seven job, for you could do admittedly many other things that make a lot more money and you're right here rolling up your sleeves, so I wish you'd love the best.

Speaker 2

Well, you're able to make campaign contributions, Paul, even though you don't live in Boston to the candidacy.

Speaker 4

You understand that, right, Yes, yes, sir, Okay, thanks having Paul, Thanks Paul, appreciate it. All right, let me get one in here.

Speaker 2

I'm trying to take people primarily from Boston, but I'm going to get Matt in Florida in real quickly.

Speaker 4

Matt, go right ahead.

Speaker 3

Uh yeah.

Speaker 6

My parents live in South Boston and they're too scared to ask this question, so they have a hand in this. Would you be willing to take a pledge that says your family will not build a soccer stadium while you are the mayor of Boston because a lot of people just think you're only doing this, you know, grease palms. Thank you, that's my only question.

Speaker 3

Thank you? All right, thanks.

Speaker 4

I don't understand that, but I don't know where he's coming fromwhere, God.

Speaker 3

Josh, let me just say this, when it comes to my family's business that's in front of the city, I would recuse myself from many in all decisions that impact my family's business. Or my family's business has impact on the city, I would refuse myself from that. That being said, you know I have I've had nothing to do with decisions made by the Craft Group for thirty plus years, and whether I'm the mayor of Bust or not, I'm confident that would continue on for the rest of my life.

But let me be clear that I would recuse myself from any decisions that deal with my family's business that are in front of the city. So I can't I would not take that pledge, but I would refuse myself.

Speaker 4

I would also.

Speaker 2

Add I'm not an expert here, Josh, but I believe that the soccer stadium that's on the consideration will be built in effort, which is a separate community might be built in effort, which has nothing to do with Boston.

Speaker 3

Yeah, I mean there's a portion of it that is in Boston, a small portion, so I get that. And it also impacts transportation, you know, in the Charlestown as well, so I completely understand that.

Speaker 2

But I mean, okay, good hitch, let me get one more. David in San Francisco. David, You're next on a Night's Hiker. Right ahead, You're own Josh Kraft running from Ayor to Boston.

Speaker 10

Go ahead, David, Thank you Dan, and good luck to you. Mister Krafft.

Speaker 2

No, no, he's asking me how to spell my last name. Rob will gave you the correct spelling my last name. David, do you have a question for Josh.

Speaker 3

Yes i am.

Speaker 10

I'm out here in San Francisco on Weft Coast, and I'm just so far away from Boston politics. However, I do listen to WBZ all day and I was wondering if you have intentions of really fixing the MBTA.

Speaker 4

Great good question, as Yeah.

Speaker 3

Look, first I'd say that I think the current person, mister Phil Aang, has been really doing a great job, as good a job as I can remember A and B. It's really not a city issue at the state issue. So but I'd be happy. One of the things I've learned, I'd be more than happier. I would want to work with folks in the state, especially with the MBTA impact boss and to make it better, more efficient for people that need it.

Speaker 4

I think.

Speaker 2

Also, by the way, David, you recently had a mayoral election in San Francisco where an incumbent mayor was turned out of office.

Speaker 10

Oh yes, I didn't follow that.

Speaker 2

Okay, I did, Thank you very much, David. Stay there, Robi, give you the correct spelling my last name. Maybe maybe David's going to send me, I don't know, a check in the mail.

Speaker 3

You never know, Josh your four thousand show.

Speaker 2

Yeah, maybe you never know. The only lines open right now are six one, seven, nine thirty. A couple of lines there if you want to fill them up. We're going to get some more questions and comments and conversation with Josh Kraft Kennedy from mayor in Boston, he announced formally on Tuesday.

Speaker 4

Certainly at the end of this hour.

Speaker 2

Josh, I want to give you some time to sort of make a pitch and also give us the website where folks can get into touch with you and your campaign.

Speaker 3

But I have.

Speaker 2

Albertino coming up in Dorchester, Catherine in Boston, and more callers on the way. We're back on Night Side with my guest Josh Kraft right after this.

Speaker 1

Now back to Dan Ray live from the Window World night Side Studios on WBZ News Radio.

Speaker 2

My guest is Josh Kraft. A lot of phone calls, Josh, let's keep them going. We're picking up the pace here. Catherine in Boston. Catherine, you're next time Nightsiger.

Speaker 11

Right ahead, Hi Dan, Hi, mister Kraft. I have a two part question. So I'm a lifelong resident. I'm a lifelong resident of Dorchester. I'm raising my two kids here. I wanted to know do you plan on keeping Boston a sanctuary city and will you cooperate with the federal governments plans for deportations?

Speaker 3

All right, thanks Catherine.

Speaker 6

Uh.

Speaker 3

First of all, what I am not for the mass deportations of undocumented immigrants. You know, I support the current stance because I spent my life in the cities and I came in contact with many of these families that were doing their best to live the right way. That being said, you know, I know Mayor Walsh signed the Trust Act or created the Trust Act when he was in office that that permitted Boston Police to work with federal ICE agents to arrest and deport undocumented violent criminals.

So I stand by and support Mayor Walsh's Trust Act, and that's where I stand on that.

Speaker 4

Okay, Captain Hope. That helps, Thank you, Thank you very much, appreciate you here, good question. Next up.

Speaker 2

Albertino in Dorchester Albertino. Next on Nice Ob with Josh Kraft.

Speaker 3

Go right ahead, Albertino, thany Man, good night, and when's a craft? How are you today? I'm great. I have two questions for you. First, I want to tell you that Kate Ridian immigrant. I immigrated to Boston when I was fifteen, thirty nine years ago, and I love Boston and to the point where I want to I feel like you are the right person for this job. For a lot of reasons, I'm not gonna go. But my first question is about the high school that I went to,

Madison Park. I don't know if you're familiar with the project to renovate Madison Park, which it was put on hold, and a lot of people are saying that the reason they put it on hold because of the White stagent. But if you win the election, what are you going to do about that project? That's our first question? Okay, okay, all right. So I don't know all the numbers, and I don't know if the money from the Madison project. I'm not saying it's not true. I just don't have

the fact, so I can't comment on that. I can say that, you know, I think creating a more robust technical school job opportunities through Madison Park. Hopefully engaging with the unions in getting young people headed in that direction is something I support. And I know that we need to make Madison Park more impactful and stronger, and I'm all for that. I would like to sit with the folks that could help us do that, be it unions, teachers, educators, community folks and alumni like yourself.

Speaker 2

Let me, can I make a suggestin chentleman, Albertino, if you would like to leave your phone number with Rob and a daytime phone number, and Josh, if you get a chance to look into this, and maybe week two from now whatever you give you Artina a call back.

Speaker 4

That might work.

Speaker 2

Okay, perfect, Albertina will do that. We're gonna take your number and we'll get Rob will give it to Josh when he leaves, and then he'll look into this and I know he'll get back to you.

Speaker 3

Okay, Okay, I have another question for of course, Albertina.

Speaker 4

Let me do this. I gotta be fair.

Speaker 2

I've only given everybody one at a time, so I'm gonna get you some. Hopefully that's your most important question. Let me get going here real quickly. If I can I'm gonna ask Bishop right in Boston, Bishop.

Speaker 3

Go right ahead, new ye had damn that? Were you?

Speaker 4

Good? Bishop? We're tight on time, my friend, go ahead.

Speaker 12

Okay, all right here here's my question for the running mayor question about Blue Hill Avenue and the going back to the bike lane. Blue Hill Avenue in Dorchester border right there across from Morton Street. Do we really need the bike lane? Oh my goodness, I don't see no one in that neighborhood riding bikes.

Speaker 5

So that's my question.

Speaker 3

Do Bishop right, so you said we really need one or we don't.

Speaker 4

No, he asked, do we really need one? Meeting, I don't think he's very much happy about that bike lane.

Speaker 12

No going in that neighborhood riding bikes.

Speaker 3

Okay, Yeah, Well, as I said, I'm not inti bike lane, but I think we need to do a hard talk on bike lane construction until we understand where they can be the most efficient and help the most bike riders as well as pedestrians and cars. So that also means that there's places that are congested and unsafe, then we have to look about, you know, removing them potentially in those areas.

Speaker 4

There's a great question, but I got two more.

Speaker 2

I'm gonna try to sneak in here, okay, And I'm with you, by the way, Bishop, I know that this is Dan Ray. I'm with you one thousand percent on that issue, my friend.

Speaker 3

You know that.

Speaker 4

Okay, Yes, sir, Thanks Bishop, talk to you soon. Okay.

Speaker 2

We're gonna try to get two in very quickly. I'm gonna ask Michael and Boston. Michael, please be as direct and quick as you can with Josh Kraft.

Speaker 4

Go ahead, Michael, sure.

Speaker 2

Uh.

Speaker 13

Do you have anything in mind, mister Craft to relieve the burden on taxpayers escalating taxis here in this a number two four or against reparations?

Speaker 5

Okay?

Speaker 3

For the first question, the tax relief, I think the first thing we have to do before we go for a home rule petition to shift tax burden is look at the budget ourselves an administration. I think over the last three years, the budget's grown twenty percent, three hundred new jobs ad it at six figures, and we need to you know, any I don't care if it's a

municipal government, of business or a nonprofit. You always start before you do anything by looking at your budget, even in good times, and finding places where you can make savings, working with department heads to have them drill down and find out where they can make savings. Maybe it's with somebody's new jobs three hundred new jobs if Dan and as Dan said, one hundred and ten plus million dollars on bike lanes. Just looking at savings ourselves is one way to do that.

Speaker 2

That's a question on reparations. I assume he means reparations for the black community.

Speaker 3

Yes, yeah, and I've spoken to some folks about that. I know there's so many different ways of looking at it, but one of the things that I think is important is finding pathways to generational wealth. And that's something you know, I didn't mention early back at the beginning of this the twenty plus thousand new units we want to get moving that are permitted, creating a fund with the tax revenue that could create first time home buyers for workforce and affordable folks.

Speaker 2

Excellent, Well, thank you for your question. One final quick question, Amy, I'm going to get you in under the wire here.

Speaker 4

You gotta be quick. Amy is in Michigan.

Speaker 5

Go ahead, Amy, What is the deal.

Speaker 11

With the homeless population and what is your.

Speaker 3

Campaign going to.

Speaker 11

To help them?

Speaker 3

If anything?

Speaker 2

Okay, look, Josh, need a quick answer there. How concerned are you about the homeless population in Boston? That's Amy's question and what can be done?

Speaker 3

I'm concerned about it. One homeless person is one too many, and it's about bringing service providers, community leaders, health experts, mental health, substance abuse experts together to create a plan. And I know I could get more specific. I know we're running out of time, but.

Speaker 4

We certainly are. Josh.

Speaker 2

Look, let me just say this, You've given great answers. You were hit with questions from across and UH and you were honest enough to say you got to do some more research. So I hope you get back to Albertino in that.

Speaker 3

How can you get me Albertino's money? We can, we can money.

Speaker 4

Excuse me, his number, get his number, don't hang up first.

Speaker 2

First, I need your website where people can get in touch with you or help your campaign.

Speaker 3

Gosh for Boston dot com.

Speaker 4

Easy Josh from Boston dot com. Josh, Hopefully we.

Speaker 3

Will do this again, definitely, Zan and congratulations on your awesome career and four thousand shows.

Speaker 4

Thank you very much. Stay right there.

Speaker 2

Rob has Albertino's phone number for you, and we have the ten o'clock news coming, and we get back on and talk about his President Trump getting out over skis talking about Gossam. We'll be back on night Side right after the ten o'clock news. So the call is in the line, we should call it early, apologize,

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