Wu: Hub is safe, but more to do on guns, addiction, MBTA

The many problems facing Boston were brought up one after another this weekend, when the mayor acknowledged more needed to be done to fix MBTA, tackle drug problems and reduce gun violence, but declared the city statistically safe.

“The T’s issues go back decades and decades,” Mayor Michelle Wu said Sunday. “I think in recent months we’ve seen more urgency, more of a ‘let’s actually solve our real problems’ mindset, but it did take us too long to get to that point.”

Wu, joining WCVB’s Janet Wu and Ed Harding for their weekly politics show ‘On the Record,’ said that her short time in office has shown her the lengths of the problems facing the city’s beleaguered transportation network, but it’s also demonstrated that the problem affects not just riders, but the broader state economy.

“I’m excited that we now have a recognition across every level of government of how important public transportation is; this can make and break our economic recovery,” she said.

We reiterated a long standing point that the city needs to have a seat at the table.

“The fact that the City of Boston does not have a direct voice, when we are part of the core and the vast majority of stations that are represented by the inner rail system, has made a difference,” she said. “Things get kicked down the line when the users who are most impacted don’t have a voice.”

The intersection of Melnea Cass Boulevard and Massachusetts Avenue has been the site of open drug use and sales, violent assaults and a semi-permanent population of homeless humans since before the Mayor’s time in office, the hosts acknowledged, but they said the problems there haven’t gotten any better since she took office. Wu was quick to disagree.

“The situation today is in fact better,” she said. “A year ago we were faced with hundreds of people living in permanent, almost years long, entrenched encampments in that area. Today we have daily coordination calls, people are connected to housing where possible, and the tents that pop up are just temporary.”

On recent gun violence, Harding asked the mayor “is Boston a safe city?”

“Boston is a safe city,” she said. “Our numbers are still at an all time low, compared to last year or the last five years.”

The mayor also spoke about recent redistricting issues, which recently resolved but not until after days of infighting and hurled insults.

“Redistricting is never an easy conversation,” Wu said. “It’s been really disappointing and frustrating to the kind of tone and types of attacks that have happened.”

Wu a Harvard graduate, was also asked to comment on the U.S. Supreme Court’s anticipated decision on affirmative action, which she said opened the door to better representation for communities of color across career fields and job sectors.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/RSUJFQB