The Boston Downtown Neighborhoods Mayoral Candidates Forum is scheduled to take place via Zoom on Tuesday, June 22, from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
The forum is sponsored by myriad downtown neighborhood organizations, including the Alliance of Downtown Civic Organizations, Bay Village Neighborhood Association, Beacon Hill Civic Association, Boston Chinatown Resident Association, Downtown Boston Residents’ Association, Ellis South End Neighborhood Association, Fenway Civic Association, Neighborhood Association of Back Bay, Saint Botolph Neighborhood Association and the South End Forum, and West End Civic Association (WECA).
The event moderator will be Montez Haywood, WECA President, as well as a one-time Boston District 8 City Council candidate.
Rob Whitney, Chair of the Beacon Hill Civic Association (BHCA), stated: “Our organization is very excited to be co-sponsoring this event with other neighborhood associations. Over the years the BHCA has partnered with many of these organizations to hold candidate forums to help our respective neighborhood residents get to know the candidates better, and to encourage our neighborhoods to participate in the political process.”
Elliot Laffer, chair of the Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay (NABB) board of directors, said, “We are proud to be one of the cosponsors of this event. The candidates have been given the questions in advance so they can provide thoughtful answers, and we forward to hearing their responses to questions affecting the downtown neighborhoods. This is probably one of the most important mayoral elections in decades and a very different field of candidates than we’ve historically had, and it will be very exciting to see how [the election moves forward] as the year goes on.”
In anticipation of the upcoming Mayoral Candidates Forum, Tom Perkins, president of the Bay Village Neighborhood Association (BVNA), wrote: “Mayoral candidates haven’t historically given a lot of time or attention to topics of particular concern to the downtown neighborhoods, and this year is no exception. I hope we’ll have good attendance at the forum and that we’ll hear more about where candidates stand on issues like the loopholes in the AirBnB ordinance, the proliferation of electronic billboard proposals, the explosion of graffiti in both public and private spaces, and safety on the Common. Downtown neighborhoods will always be a gathering place for all city residents and the face of Boston to most visitors, we need to ensure that these areas continue to be safe, attractive, and welcoming to everyone.”
The Boston Downtown Neighborhoods Mayoral Candidates Forum is free to attend but persons must register through EventBrite to get the Zoom link information.
The registration link can also be found at bhcivic.org.