–
Boston DNC Convention 2004 –
Anatomy of an inevitable taxpayer mugging
– Page 6 –
Introduction
Citizens'
inconvenience and business
loss will be only the beginning of this partisan political
boondoggle, the Democratic National Committee's 2004 convention.
Direct costs of outright taxpayer subsidies, indirect
costs imposed by public
employee unions pressure, and implied or perhaps explicit quid pro quo
benefits to corporate large donors are just as inevitable as "cost
overruns" were to the Big Dig -- as we predicted back in the
mid-80s.
This is, after all, Massachusetts. The DNC couldn't
have picked a better sucker.
In the end, Democrat organizers will turn to the state
for an expensive taxpayer bail-out. In this state dominated by Democrats,
so many with presidential aspirations (JFK in '60, Ted Kennedy '80,
Dukakis and his disastrous "Massachusetts Miracle" in '88, Paul
Tsongas in '92, and now John Kerry in '04), inevitably it's like a Boston
Celtics slam-dunk right there in the FleetCenter's hoop. When the time
comes -- despite "the worst fiscal crisis since the Great
Depression" -- we Massachusetts
taxpayers will bankroll an 11th-hour bail-out of the Democrat's
national convention.
That's a FleetCenter event you can bet on.
Here's an historical time-line, so that later there can
be no excuses but lame excuses.
And we will be here to again announce "we told you
so"!
Chip Ford – December 11, 2002
The National Democratic Committee is concerned because it hasn't raised the amount of money it feels is needed to adequately host the Democratic National Convention in Boston in July.
Why haven't faithful party members ponied up all the $50 million plus for the four-day event?
Perhaps it's because they don't want to waste money on something that has no lasting value....
If all else fails, and the DNC comes looking for additional state or federal money, the answer should be a very firm no.
(Full report follows)
The MetroWest Daily News
Saturday, May 15, 2004
A MetroWest Daily News editorial
Editorial: Convention fund to leave little for city
The National Democratic Committee is concerned because it hasn't raised the amount of money it feels is needed to adequately host the Democratic National Convention in Boston in July.
Why haven't faithful party members ponied up all the $50 million plus for the four-day event?
Perhaps it's because they don't want to waste money on something that has no lasting value. For instance, in order to accommodate the press, the plan is to build a temporary structure abutting the FleetCenter. Estimated cost is $1.5 million. That's right, $1.5 million for something that will be removed at the end of the event.
In fact, several temporary structures, some of them within the FleetCenter itself will be built. The total estimated cost of construction is $10 million. That's a lot of money to spend for something with a life expectancy of four days.
Party members may be reluctant to donate after hearing the non-profit company hired to find minority-owned firms for convention work is living large on DNC money -- for instance an Audi station wagon leased for $600 per month. An audit shows $430,000 misspent.
Perhaps they're not upping contributions because the see nothing wrong with crackers and cheese at cocktail parties. Why not make conventioneers pay for their own lobster tails at area restaurants?
They may think it's wrong to shut down subways and highways to accommodate the event at the FleetCenter -- a venue that deals with crowds of 35,000 or more people on an almost daily basis without going to those extremes.
Maybe they're wondering who to believe. DNC officials said the city and its surrounding communities will reap a benefit of as much as $150 million. A recent study, however, indicates the Convention will cost Boston more than $12 million.
The DNC now hopes to tap into the financial resources of Sen. John Kerry -- who presumably will be the Democratic presidential candidate in November.
And maybe that's the crux of the problem. Voters made their choice months ago, and delegates to the convention are expected to follow the wishes of the voters, so the convention is just an excuse for a party.
If all else fails, and the DNC comes looking for additional state or federal money, the answer should be a very firm no.
In his rush to secure labor harmony in time for this summer's Democratic National Convention, Mayor Thomas M. Menino is on the verge of throwing $1.4 million of donors' contributions to the DNC down the drain.
Construction costs related to the four-day event have grown from $7.2 million to $10 million, but Menino is doggedly pursuing a project labor agreement anyway, guaranteed to keep prices sky-high....
"Why would an event with a massive deficit not take rational steps to save over $1 million?" asked Greg Beeman, the executive director of Associated Builders and Contractors, a nonunion construction trade association. "It is fiscally irresponsible."
It sure is, and it says a lot about the agenda of Menino - and nominee John F. Kerry, for that matter - that wasting so much money is just fine with them.
(Full report follows)
The Boston Herald
Sunday, May 16, 2004
A Boston Herald editorial
DNC can save money with no union deal
In his rush to secure labor harmony in time for this summer's Democratic National Convention, Mayor Thomas M. Menino is on the verge of throwing $1.4 million of donors' contributions to the DNC down the drain.
Construction costs related to the four-day event have grown from $7.2 million to $10 million, but Menino is doggedly pursuing a project labor agreement anyway, guaranteed to keep prices sky-high.
Such agreements are becoming more and more common in the public construction arena as building-trades unions continue to lose market share when competing on a level playing field.
So they look for their political pals to artificially reserve work just for them that they couldn't win on their own.
In return for this guarantee, construction unions promise "labor harmony" on a job - simply a more polite way of saying "do what we want or else."
A recent Beacon Hill Institute study of the effect of PLAs on school construction found such agreements add some 14 percent or more to the cost of a project by restricting competition. Some 80 percent of the construction industry is nonunion. That's a lot of potential bidders left out in the cold.
Menino spouts the same nonsense the unions do in justifying PLAs. Union workers are "experts and properly licensed in their fields," Menino told The Boston Globe.
"I would rather pay to have well-trained experts do the jobs and get the benefits."
Menino must know that an electrician, for example, has to earn the same license and abide by the same training standards whether he is union or nonunion. And other state laws guarantee wage rates paid on public construction match the prevailing union wage rate.
So in the interest of making some unions happy (when so many others are unhappy about unresolved contracts with the city), Menino refuses to save convention organizers a dime by avoiding a PLA for convention construction. This while the DNC is admitting it's $4.6 million short in meeting its fund-raising goals.
"Why would an event with a massive deficit not take rational steps to save over $1 million?" asked Greg Beeman, the executive director of Associated Builders and Contractors, a nonunion construction trade association. "It is fiscally irresponsible."
It sure is, and it says a lot about the agenda of Menino - and nominee John F. Kerry, for that matter - that wasting so much money is just fine with them.
Democrat's
‘manageable’ traffic nightmare final solution:
“Commuters,
stay home!”
(‘It's
our party, you can cry if you want to ...’)
The Democratic National Convention traffic nightmare feared by Boston commuters looks likely to become a reality under security measures to be unveiled tomorrow....
Some of the measures had been publicly discussed as a potential worst-case scenario. At tomorrow's sold-out briefing, business people will learn their worst dreams will come true.
One source familiar with the plans city officials will put forth said they will suggest a partial solution ...
According to another source who is close to the city's business leaders and is familiar with convention-week planning, organizers have a simple and blunt message for people who work in Boston: "Stay home."
(Full report follows)
The Boston Herald
Wednesday, May 19, 2004
Nightmare come true:
Pols to reveal DNC traffic woes
By Eric Convey
The Democratic National Convention traffic nightmare feared by Boston commuters looks likely to become a reality under security measures to be unveiled tomorrow.
Among the restrictions to be disclosed at a meeting sponsored by the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce:
l The Central Artery will close each day by 4:30 p.m.
l Major parking garages in downtown Boston will be closed for long stretches of time, rendering them essentially useless for commuters who depend on them.
l Significant portions of the commuter rail infrastructure serving the North Shore and Northwestern suburbs will be shut down and replaced with bus service.
Some of the measures had been publicly discussed as a potential worst-case scenario. At tomorrow's sold-out briefing, business people will learn their worst dreams will come true.
One source familiar with the plans city officials will put forth said they will suggest a partial solution:
Telecommute.
According to another source who is close to the city's business leaders and is familiar with convention-week planning, organizers have a simple and blunt message for people who work in Boston:
"Stay home."
Drivers who fail to heed the advice will face traffic jams that some experts now believe will extend not just throughout Boston, but to Route 128 and even Interstate 495 near its intersections with major highways serving Boston.
According to state statistics, about 180,000 vehicles per day travel from Boston north to Route 128 via Interstate 93. Traffic thins above Route 128, but even beyond I-495 near New Hampshire, 100,000 cars still use the road daily.
Tomorrow's briefing will include a panel of high-profile officials, including: Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino, Police Commissioner Kathleen O'Toole, U.S. Secret Service Special Agent Scott Schaefe, Boston Police Superintendent Robert Dunford, MBTA Police Deputy Superintendent John Martino, and Julie Burns, executive director of the Boston 2004 committee.
Jack Meyers contributed to this article.
Boston's main police union is planning to set up a picket line at the FleetCenter when construction begins for the Democratic National Convention in three weeks, and has applied for 29 additional permits to protest outside of the delegation welcome parties scheduled for the night before the convention begins in late July....
The moves are not likely to disrupt convention preparations. Trade union leaders say they would not honor a patrolmen's association picket line and plan to begin work at the FleetCenter by the scheduled June 8 start date. Most delegates from around the country, meanwhile, will probably not boycott convention activities because of a local labor dispute, according to national Democratic officials.
(Full report follows)
The Boston Globe
Wednesday, May 19, 2004
Police plan to broaden convention picketing
By Rick Klein, Globe Staff
Boston's main police union is planning to set up a picket line at the FleetCenter when construction begins for the Democratic National Convention in three weeks, and has applied for 29 additional permits to protest outside of the delegation welcome parties scheduled for the night before the convention begins in late July.
The Boston Police Patrolmen's Association will be asking convention contractors not to cross their picket line, said Thomas J. Nee, the union's president. In addition, leaders of the police union next week will begin sending letters to all 6,000 convention delegates and alternates, informing them of Boston's labor woes, and asking them not to attend the parties.
"Every venue they've identified, we will have picket lines there," Nee said. "We are letting delegates know we're going into our third year without a contract, and the frustration is spilling over. The values of the Democratic Party are not being adhered to in the city of Boston."
The moves are not likely to disrupt convention preparations. Trade union leaders say they would not honor a patrolmen's association picket line and plan to begin work at the FleetCenter by the scheduled June 8 start date. Most delegates from around the country, meanwhile, will probably not boycott convention activities because of a local labor dispute, according to national Democratic officials.
Still, the protest plans put added pressure on Mayor Thomas M. Menino to quickly settle contracts with city workers as the convention approaches. And protests at the FleetCenter starting in early June mean the mayor has even less time to avoid embarrassing displays of labor unrest in his city. The lack of labor agreements has slowed convention planning on several fronts. Several large international public-employee unions are declining to help Menino close a $4.6 million fund-raising gap, even as construction and security costs threaten to escalate significantly.
In addition, the Greater Boston Labor Council -- an umbrella group representing public- and private-sector unions -- is refusing to sign a "project labor agreement," a pact with convention organizers pledging labor peace during the convention. With city unions still negotiating contracts, the council has withheld its endorsement as leverage.
In an attempt to get around the council's stand, Menino approached trade unions separately and is close to signing a no-strike agreement with the unions that would begin work at the FleetCenter in June. Still, an agreement with the council, which would be sanctioned by all the city's unions, is seen as an important symbolic step in projecting labor harmony by the time the convention starts. Menino aides yesterday criticized the patrolmen's association, saying that the union's leaders seem more interested in posturing than in getting a deal done.
"Mayor Menino's message remains the same: Sit at the table, get a deal done," said Seth Gitell, Menino's press secretary.
Dennis A. DiMarzio, the city's chief operating officer, said the mayor's team last month offered to hold formal talks with the union on nine separate dates, but union leaders rejected all but one of them.
Nee denied that, however, and said his union is eager to have direct talks with the city, even though negotiations are now being conducted under the guidance of the state Joint Labor-Management Committee.
"If he called me right now, my bargaining team will be anywhere he wants to meet within 30 minutes, and we'll stay there as long as it takes to get a deal," Nee said.
Thirty of Boston's 32 labor unions are working without contracts, and many of the unions -- including the police patrolmen's association -- haven't had contracts in place since July 2002.
Two weeks ago, Menino announced having reached a tentative agreement with one of the larger unions, an affiliate of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, but final language still hasn't been agreed upon in that pact.
If trade unions reach their own no-strike agreement, the members of those unions would be required to fulfill their commitments, regardless of any protests staged by public-employee unions, said Michael Monahan, business manager for Local 103 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.
"Per the agreement, we can't honor any picket lines," said Monahan, who said he expects about 100 members of his union to work on convention preparations. "I sympathize with [the police union's] position, but when the PLA is signed by the building trades, we are obligated to go to work and perform the jobs that we were hired to do."
Leaders of the Greater Boston Labor Council distanced themselves from the police union's protest plans at the convention work site.
Richard M. Rogers, the council's secretary treasurer, said he could not support a job action that would affect union construction workers.
"The Greater Boston Labor Council's role is to promote solidarity, not strife, among its affiliates," Rogers said. "The labor council's objective is to push for settlements in advance of the construction project."
But Nee said the police union would continue to call on workers in private-sector unions to respect a picket line set up by public unions, even if they sign a project labor agreement. Since strikes by public employees are illegal in Massachusetts, such demonstrations are the only way they can draw attention to their cause, he said.
"A line is a line, and we expect that they will not go in there," Nee said. "Life is about choices."
He said the police union will make sure that diehard Democrats in town for the convention know about the city's labor problems.
So far, about 1,200 police officers from at least 18 departments around the country stand ready to come to Boston for the convention, and they will be protesting outside the hotels where their local delegations will stay, Nee said.
The motoring public will have no access to surface parking lots anywhere near the FleetCenter during the Democratic National Convention, and parking garages in the area will be sharply restricted, according to draft plans set to be discussed at a special briefing for business leaders this morning....
The closure of I-93, which passes by the FleetCenter, will begin at some outlying entrance ramps and feeder roads -- Route 128, the Massachusetts Turnpike, and the Sumner Tunnel, for example -- around 4 p.m., state officials say.
(Full report follows)
The Boston Globe
Thursday, May 20, 2004
Parking lots to be off-limits
Draft plan outlines convention restrictions on garages, deliveries
By Anthony Flint, Globe Staff
The motoring public will have no access to surface parking lots anywhere near the FleetCenter during the Democratic National Convention, and parking garages in the area will be sharply restricted, according to draft plans set to be discussed at a special briefing for business leaders this morning.
In addition, all deliveries to businesses and offices in the area will have to be made before 2 p.m. every day during convention week, the last week of July. Delivery truck drivers will have to park outside the area known as Bulfinch Triangle -- bounded by Merrimac, Causeway, and North Washington streets -- and wheel or carry in all supplies.
The proposed restrictions on parking and deliveries, as well as the full closure of Causeway Street, are all being mulled because of security concerns. Officials earlier announced the late-afternoon-through-evening closure of Interstate 93, North Station commuter rail, and the area subway stop, to thwart a possible terrorist attack.
This morning's briefing, hosted by the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston and led by Mayor Thomas M. Menino, Boston police, transit police officials, and agents from the US Secret Service, will kick off a public awareness campaign providing tips for employers, commuters, and others trying to go about business in Boston before the convention starts on July 26 and through its end on July 29.
Menino spokesman Seth Gitell would not discuss any details, but urged residents and city workers to stay tuned for information on how to deal with the extensive restrictions and detours.
"This is the first political convention since 9/11," Gitell said. "The mayor is working with all appropriate security authorities to make sure it's as safe and successful as possible."
In addition to Menino, others expected at the briefing include Boston Police Commissioner Kathleen O'Toole; Scott Shaefe, a special agent with the United States Secret Service; Robert Dunford, Boston police superintendent; John Martino, deputy superintendent for the MBTA Police; and Julie Burns, executive director for Boston 2004, the convention organizing group.
Security planners have split up the FleetCenter and immediate vicinity into "hard" and "soft" security zones. The hard zone includes the venue itself, North Station, the Thomas P. O'Neill Federal Building, and parking areas near Nashua Street on the north side of the FleetCenter. The parking garage under North Station will be closed, as will Causeway Street, almost in its entirety.
The soft zone, where people will be free to walk around without credentials but will be heavily monitored by Boston police, includes the Bulfinch Triangle and portions of the West End and Charles River Park residential areas. Generally, only law enforcement and emergency vehicles will be allowed in this zone.
Because area businesses and offices need packages, goods, and supplies delivered to them, delivery trucks will be allowed, but will have to park on Merrimac or North Washington streets and be away from the area by 2 p.m. Surface parking lots normally filled during FleetCenter events will be closed to the public, and garages just outside the Bulfinch Triangle district, such as 101 Merrimac St. or the Charles River Park garage, will be available only for monthly parkers and residents.
The closure of I-93, which passes by the FleetCenter, will begin at some outlying entrance ramps and feeder roads -- Route 128, the Massachusetts Turnpike, and the Sumner Tunnel, for example -- around 4 p.m., state officials say. Riders on the Orange and Green lines will not be able to get off at North Station, and should instead alight at Haymarket. North Station also will be closed to commuter rail beginning the Friday before the convention week; riders must transfer to buses or the subway well outside the city.
What if you set up a picket line and everyone crosses it? That's the pickle the Boston Police Patrolmen's Association finds itself in as it plans nuisance pickets leading up to the Democratic National Convention.
The union's grand strategist Thomas Nee didn't count on union "brothers" and Democratic supplicants dissing his in-your-face plan.
(Full report follows)
The Boston Herald
Thursday, May 20, 2004
A Boston Herald editorial
Police union in picket pickle
What if you set up a picket line and everyone crosses it? That's the pickle the Boston Police Patrolmen's Association finds itself in as it plans nuisance pickets leading up to the Democratic National Convention.
The union's grand strategist Thomas Nee didn't count on union "brothers" and Democratic supplicants dissing his in-your-face plan.
Alas, the strategy to ratchet up the pressure on Mayor Tom Menino to settle the Boston police contract by picketing pre-convention construction work and delegate parties around the city has misfired badly.
Building trades union leaders - in line for some $10 million worth of construction work for convention preparation - say their workers will cross the picket line.
And Nee clearly never learned this basic political lesson: Never get between a convention delegate and free food.
So, assuming he's sincere about wanting a contract, what's Nee's "Plan B"?
Well, one behemoth city union, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, reached a tentative deal by sitting at the negotiating table. Nee could give that a try, or he could go with Plan A. Maybe some delegates will share their Cheez Whiz and crackers with the guys on line.
“We’re road kill: Mayor tells us to stay away while Dems play”
(‘It's
our party, you can cry if you want to ...’)
Unprecedented security will turn Boston into a fortress during this summer's Democratic National Convention as commuters face gridlock at every turn - all for a made-for-TV event starring an already certain presidential nominee.
Every major roadway feeding the city's downtown will be affected, either with closures or limited hours and access, officials announced yesterday.
And public transportation won't be much of an alternative as trains, buses, even ferries are stopped or stalled for security purposes....
Menino - urging "flexibility" to "work around" the traffic mess - urged employers to let their workers telecommute, work off-site, stagger work hours or just go away in order to minimize the convention congestion.
(Full report follows)
The Boston Herald
Friday, May 21, 2004
We’re road kill:
Mayor tells us to stay away while Dems play
By Jack Meyers
Unprecedented security will turn Boston into a fortress during this summer's Democratic National Convention as commuters face gridlock at every turn - all for a made-for-TV event starring an already certain presidential nominee.
Every major roadway feeding the city's downtown will be affected, either with closures or limited hours and access, officials announced yesterday.
And public transportation won't be much of an alternative as trains, buses, even ferries are stopped or stalled for security purposes.
The prospects for getting into the city - or out of it - during the July 26-29 convention week are so daunting that the state police official announcing the transportation plan jokingly asked Mayor Thomas M. Menino for a "cigarette and a blindfold" before addressing the Chamber of Commerce yesterday.
"On a regular night in July, if we have a pickup truck break down, we sometimes back up to 128. We are now going to close the interstate highway system," said Maj. Michael Mucci. "You don't have to be a traffic engineer to understand that this is going to severely impact the city of Boston."
The convention will draw thousands of Democratic delegates to the city for an event with plenty of flash designed to keep network television crews interested but with virtually zero impact on the presidential sweepstakes.
Bay State Sen. John F. Kerry is the certain nominee, and the lack of surprises in recent conventions have caused a wane in national TV interest in carrying them live.
Menino - urging "flexibility" to "work around" the traffic mess - urged employers to let their workers telecommute, work off-site, stagger work hours or just go away in order to minimize the convention congestion.
The major features of the security plan, which will be in effect from about 4 p.m. until sometime after midnight from July 26 to July 29, are:
Interstate 93 will be closed completely from Exit 32 in Medford, several miles north of Boston, to Exit 20, which connects to the Massachusetts Turnpike just south of downtown. Only emergency vehicles and pre-screened MBTA buses will be allowed on the highway.
l South of the closure, northbound entrance ramps to I-93 will be shut beginning at the Route 3 "Braintree Split."
l North of the closure, southbound entrance ramps to I-93 will be shut beginning at Route 128 in Woburn.
l There will be 38 checkpoints manned by the state police blocking access to the Central Artery.
l The Sumner Tunnel will be closed as will the Tobin Bridge in the inbound direction.
l Storrow Drive eastbound will be closed at Western Avenue, and Memorial Drive will be closed at the Boston University bridge.
l The Massachusetts Turnpike will have lane restrictions from the Allston tolls to East Boston.
Other restrictions will be in place around the clock, beginning several days before the convention. All carpool lanes will be closed to regular traffic as will Lovejoy Wharf where commuter boats dock.
North Station will be shuttered to commuter trains and subway trains. Orange and Green line passengers will be dropped off at Haymarket Station. Most commuter rail passengers will catch shuttle buses at stations miles outside Boston. Fitchburg Line riders will connect with the Red Line at Porter Square.
MBTA General Manager Michael Mulhern promised the T will dramatically boost capacity during the convention and will be a great alternative for many commuters.
"We're going to be able to handle any demand that's placed on us that week," Mulhern said. "It's going to be the best way to get around Boston."
The MBTA recently bought 700 new buses but has not put its old ones out of service so there will be lots of extra equipment on duty.
Traffic tie-ups the likes of which we've never seen will choke Boston at the north and south ends of Interstate 93, flooding nearby communities with motorists trying to avoid related backups on Route 128 and the Pike.
Still largely unrevealed: The Back Bay and Beacon Hill won't escape the DNC grip that many figured would be limited to North Station and Government Center....
"Our best guess is we are going to significantly impact traffic on the interstate highway system," State Police Maj. Michael Mucci said yesterday. There may be some times - Mucci said with enough humor that you knew he was serious - that a commuter's best option might be to "turn around and go home."
(Full report follows)
The Boston Herald
Friday, May 21, 2004
Unconventional honesty precedes DNC hassles
By Cosmo Macero Jr.
It's no fair saying I told you so.
But I did.
Now, nearly six months after floating the "crackpot" notion of moving the Democratic National Convention to South Boston, I'll bet every DNC planner with half a brain would do it if they could.
But it's way too late for that.
Yesterday's DNC security briefing - a much-needed dose of reality - illustrated how much planning has gone into just the traffic schemes.
And for the first time in months, I'm actually feeling positive about this thing.
Maybe that's because people are finally telling the truth: It's going to get ugly come late July.
Traffic tie-ups the likes of which we've never seen will choke Boston at the north and south ends of Interstate 93, flooding nearby communities with motorists trying to avoid related backups on Route 128 and the Pike.
Still largely unrevealed: The Back Bay and Beacon Hill won't escape the DNC grip that many figured would be limited to North Station and Government Center.
Keep an eye on how far down Beacon Street the parking restrictions extend.
Ditto for Boylston Street - a critical passageway for DNC tour buses, since so many of the city's hotels are located along it.
And I'm betting that even Newbury Street - to enhance the shopping "experience" of our 35,000 guests - will be cleared of all parking and deliveries at least for part of the time. Boston Police say that's still "under review."
Back on the gridlocked interstates, the cost in lost commerce and productivity will be huge.
"Our best guess is we are going to significantly impact traffic on the interstate highway system," State Police Maj. Michael Mucci said yesterday. There may be some times - Mucci said with enough humor that you knew he was serious - that a commuter's best option might be to "turn around and go home."
Indeed, there was a refreshing air of honesty circulating about the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston as the DNC's top security strategists briefed some 400 human resources, operations and other executives from companies that stand to be affected by the convention.
On the way into the briefing, you could pick up on some negative vibes.
"This (convention) is the worst idea since the Big Dig," said one Ropes & Gray worker, waiting to check in.
Yet I can't agree.
No doubt poor planning has led to some bad decisions, including the unreasonable cancellation of other events.
And the missed chance to inaugurate South Boston's $800 million-plus convention center with a grand political fete won't be back.
But even the crankiest skeptic ought not to ignore Boston's role in our mission of freedom.
We must "show the rest of the world that our democracy operates even under threats of terrorism," said Paul Guzzi, Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce chief.
More good signs: I didn't hear a single reference yesterday to bogus economic impact projections as justification for the DNC's admitted hassles.
That's progress.
And there's a catchy new slogan for the convention: "Let's work around it."
Other catchphrases: "Let's forget it," "Let's just get it over with," "Let's get outta here," "Let's embrace the horror."
Meanwhile, while Mayor Thomas M. Menino is asking a lot of downtown businesses in urging the use of flextime, skeleton crews and remote offices, at least he no longer sounds like he's issuing orders.
"This plan will not work without the help of everyone," Menino said yesterday - with what I swear was a sheepish undertone. "I'm asking you to give your employees the flexibility to make it work."
OK, we can live with that.
But just this once.
And, yes, we know it's only four days - not long in the life of a city or a region and its people - but the news just keeps getting worse. You would think a city that routinely hosts the Boston Marathon and threw a super-sized party for its Super Bowl winning Patriots could handle the crowds....
Yesterday the other shoe dropped - and a huge jackboot of a shoe it was....
There is no getting around it now, this is nothing short of horrifying. If the idea is to so frighten and intimidate regular commuters into simply taking vacation or working at home, then this is a great strategy. If the idea is to show convention delegates and the media how a world class city deals with a major event and still keeps its composure, then this is simply not going to work....
Convention organizers say they'll help commuters cope with a public information campaign, called "Let's Work Around It." But the plans announced so far would more accurately be dubbed, "Just shut up and stay home."
(Full report follows)
The Boston Herald
Friday, May 21, 2004
A Boston Herald editorial
DNC to commuters: Shut up, stay home
There is much wisdom to that old saying, "Be careful what you wish for; it might just come true."
Boston Mayor Tom Menino and a boatload of civic and political leaders worked long and hard to get the Democratic National Convention to come to Boston in 2004. Their initial attempt - first to snag the 2000 convention - was well before Sept. 11. And even after the world changed, the effort to bring the convention here continued.
So here we are, two months out, awaiting the arrival of 6,000 delegates, 15,000 accredited media and countless others - big shots and protesters, celebrities and hangers-on - some 35,000 total.
And, yes, we know it's only four days - not long in the life of a city or a region and its people - but the news just keeps getting worse. You would think a city that routinely hosts the Boston Marathon and threw a super-sized party for its Super Bowl winning Patriots could handle the crowds.
But crowds aren't the problem. Terrorists aren't likely to target a bunch of runners or even NFL champion running backs. A gathering to choose a presidential candidate presents a tempting target.
"The message from the Secret Service and police has been that we live in a changed world now," said Jane Garvey, the mayor's point person on traffic coordination for the convention. "But it's not the intention to shut down the city."
Well, they could have fooled us.
Yesterday the other shoe dropped - and a huge jackboot of a shoe it was. Miles and miles of Interstate 93 and its ramp system will be closed during the afternoon rush hours and likely until after delegates leave the FleetCenter at midnight.
So, too, portions of Storrow Drive eastbound. A section of Route 1 north of Boston will be reduced to one lane. The Sumner Tunnel and Tobin Bridge southbound will be closed.
Commuter rail will be running, but not all the way into North Station; inner harbor commuter boats won't run at all. If you're thinking traffic nightmare, you'd be right.
There is no getting around it now, this is nothing short of horrifying. If the idea is to so frighten and intimidate regular commuters into simply taking vacation or working at home, then this is a great strategy. If the idea is to show convention delegates and the media how a world class city deals with a major event and still keeps its composure, then this is simply not going to work.
Now far be it for us to criticize the Secret Service for doing its job. But the roadway closures announced yesterday are an exercise in over-kill. The president of the United States travels around and in and out of Washington, D.C., nearly every day - the city does not shut down. Congress meets in one of the most visible and accessible buildings in the world - and life does not come to a screeching halt.
Yes, the FleetCenter, hard by a major artery, was likely not the best choice of a venue in this post-9/11 world, but how many miles of highway need to be cut off to assure a traffic-free zone during hours when delegates gather?
Plans to close other streets to traffic and to parking, not for security purposes but to expedite bus traffic for delegates, is piling inconvenience upon inconvenience.
Convention organizers say they'll help commuters cope with a public information campaign, called "Let's Work Around It." But the plans announced so far would more accurately be dubbed, "Just shut up and stay home."
Editorial cartoon by Jerry Holbert l
The Boston Herald l
Friday, May 21, 2004
Plans to divert traffic away from the Hub and into surrounding communities during the Democratic National Convention has mayors of those cities fuming.
(Full report follows)
The Boston Herald
Friday, May 21, 2004
Mayors boil with road rage
By Jack Meyers
Boston gets the glory, its neighbors get - the gridlock.
Plans to divert traffic away from the Hub and into surrounding communities during the Democratic National Convention has mayors of those cities fuming.
"We have neighborhoods right on that corridor. We're the ultimate cut-through community," said Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone yesterday. "When they cut off traffic on Route (Interstate) 93 up by Medford Square ... you're going to come through Somerville one way or the other."
"The McGrath and O'Brien Highway has 65,000 cars on a normal traffic day, just on that road alone. Just imagine what's going to happen when they divert traffic with the plan they have out right now. We're going to get cut-throughs in our neighborhoods," said Curtatone, who had not been officially informed of the traffic plans as of yesterday afternoon.
"There's a myriad of alternate routes you can take but they'll all be jammed right in very densely populated neighborhoods. It's going to be a nightmare," he said.
From the north, Interstate 93 will be closed during afternoon and evening hours from Medford Square to the intersection with the Massachusetts Turnpike south of Boston's business core. Route 1 inbound from the north, including the Tobin Bridge, will be shut those same hours.
Revere Mayor Tom Ambrosino said he is concerned about the overflow traffic pouring onto his city's streets but he still doesn't know the full impact because no one has provided local officials with a definitive security plan.
"If they close the Tobin Bridge, it will require people to cut through Revere to get to the Ted Williams Tunnel," Ambrosino said yesterday afternoon.
When he was told that at a briefing yesterday morning, city and state police announced the Tobin Bridge will be closed inbound toward Boston from late afternoon until late at night, Ambrosino said, "That will mean lots of traffic diverted onto otherwise local roadways."
He said he cannot estimate what the Democrats' shindig will cost his city because the security plans have been under wraps.
"It would be easier to swallow if there were some money going along with it," Ambrosino said. He said these issues have been raised in meetings of Boston-area mayors in recent weeks but neither the state nor convention organizers have pledged any help to the affected communities.
Curtatone agreed, saying, "All we're saying is help us meet the enormous amount of vehicle traffic coming through our corridors every day. If there's any kind of transportation accident, car accident or disaster along those roadways, we just don't have the resources and manpower or money to absorb that."
For the cities, getting logistical help and more information on the plans earlier would be a boon, he said.
Shocked commuters yesterday blasted their horns at the Secret Service's plan to block off miles of Interstate 93 at rush hour during July's Democratic Convention.
"It's going to be an inconvenience to a lot of people," said Jack Salvucci of Medford. "It's not necessary. It's overkill."
(Full report follows)
The Boston Herald
Friday, May 21, 2004
Drivers: Plan’s not worth a Dem:
Commuters at braking point over convention
By Thomas Caywood
Shocked commuters yesterday blasted their horns at the Secret Service's plan to block off miles of Interstate 93 at rush hour during July's Democratic Convention.
"It's going to be an inconvenience to a lot of people," said Jack Salvucci of Medford. "It's not necessary. It's overkill."
The busy highway will be closed afternoons and early evenings from July 26 to July 29 in both directions from the Massachusetts Turnpike north to Exit 32 in Medford, roughly four miles from the FleetCenter convention site.
Beyond that, ramps to the Boston-bound lanes of I-93 will be closed from Braintree to Woburn.
The ramp closings south of the city shocked Brian Bixby, a downtown lawyer who commutes from Cohasset.
"It sounds to me like it was to make people from the north know that people from the south also will be irrationally inconvenienced," he said.
Bixby called the plan, announced yesterday at a Boston Chamber of Commerce meeting, an "overreaction." He doesn't see the point of cutting off highway traffic miles from the FleetCenter while vehicles and pedestrians will be allowed to come within blocks on surface streets.
"I think I'm going to try to schedule a vacation during that period or work out of another office I have on the South Shore," Bixby said. "I plan to advise clients not to try to come in to our office that week."
Boston cabbie Bill Ford has had his DNC-week vacation plans booked for six months.
"I think it will be a good week for Excedrin and Rolaids," Ford said. "Even if there's a lot of money to be made, I think it will be a ton of aggravation with all those road closings. I didn't want nothing to do with it."
Melissa Kramer of Reading doesn't have that luxury, though.
The medical products saleswoman has no choice but to navigate the road closings and expected traffic jams to get to doctor's offices throughout the area.
"That's going to be a big hassle," Kramer said, adding stoically, "I know it's for the best, though."
John Fitzgerald, an audit manager who commutes to Brookline from Haverhill, hasn't decided yet what to do during the convention. He had toyed with the idea of cutting through Somerville to I-93 on his way home, but word that the interstate now will be closed all the way to Medford made that option less palatable.
"Certainly, if I have to commute, it will make it difficult, to say the least," he said.
After suggesting in March that the Democrats move their convention to South Boston, Gov. Mitt Romney is now resigned to the FleetCenter - despite the draconian security plan released yesterday....
Estimates on building a seating bowl and staging for broadcast booths at the new convention center ran as high as $20 million. The Host Committee would have been on the hook for another $3.5 million to break the FleetCenter deal.
"You have to wonder why they built it like that if it's not ready for the big time," said Tobe Berkovitz, Boston University communications professor.
(Full report follows)
The Boston Herald
Friday, May 21, 2004
Southie site nixed despite Fleet flap
By Steve Marantz
After suggesting in March that the Democrats move their convention to South Boston, Gov. Mitt Romney is now resigned to the FleetCenter - despite the draconian security plan released yesterday.
"We offered the South Boston Convention Center as an option, but the Democrats made their decision and we are committed to make their convention come off as smoothly as possible," said Eric Fehrnstrom, Romney's communications director.
The new South Boston facility never was seriously considered, even though, as Romney noted in March, it is farther from commuter rail lines, subways and Interstate 93 than the FleetCenter.
"It's not as critical a nerve center as the North Station area," said security specialist Norman Bates of Liability Consultants Inc.
The biggest drawback of the South Boston facility is its lack of a bowl-shaped room with stadium seating, said City Councilor James M. Kelly, who represents South Boston.
"The convention center is a great big flat rectangular room," Kelly said. "That wouldn't work for TV cameras."
Convention organizers are hoping to maximize network coverage with multiple camera angles and a flashy podium setup that will make the event TV-friendly.
Estimates on building a seating bowl and staging for broadcast booths at the new convention center ran as high as $20 million. The Host Committee would have been on the hook for another $3.5 million to break the FleetCenter deal.
"You have to wonder why they built it like that if it's not ready for the big time," said Tobe Berkovitz, Boston University communications professor.
Visiting Democrats would have been disappointed with the Southie site, he suggested. "The South Boston waterfront is still pretty much a wasteland - conventioneers want to be close to the action," Berkovitz said.
Suburban firms will be hit hard by the shutdown of highways and commuter lines during the Democratic Convention in July.
"The impact is going to be devastating," said David McLaughlin, chief operating officer of Kellaway Intermodal and Distribution Systems Inc., a trucking company in Randolph.
(Full report follows)
The Boston Herald
Friday, May 21, 2004
Burbs biz bristle over shutdown
By Greg Gatlin
Suburban firms will be hit hard by the shutdown of highways and commuter lines during the Democratic Convention in July.
"The impact is going to be devastating," said David McLaughlin, chief operating officer of Kellaway Intermodal and Distribution Systems Inc., a trucking company in Randolph.
"You're cutting off the major access routes north and south. It's going to kill our business at least for a week."
Business leaders yesterday panned plans to close major parts of Interstate 93, as well as the Tobin Bridge, the Sumner Tunnel, eastbound lanes along much of Storrow Drive, some Route 1 lanes north of Boston, North Station and more.
"You're basically going to shut down business to and from the South Shore over a four-day period of time and that's unacceptable," said Terry Fancher, general manager of the South Shore Chamber of Commerce in Quincy.
"What I'm hearing so far is unacceptable," he added. "While we think it's vacation time in New England, the business of business continues. Trucking never stops, shipping never stops."
Beverly Armstrong, chief financial officer with Paratek Pharmaceuticals, said the Boston firm is concerned about workers' anxiety and loss of productivity because of commuting issues.
"We are definitely very concerned," she said yesterday.
Shutting down Paratek's scientific experiments is not an option. Paratek is considering modified workweeks and shift changes to accommodate some of its North Shore employees, Armstrong said.
"It will cause an interruption," he said.
Adler Pollock & Sheehan, a law firm with 35 workers in its Boston office, also is trying to figure out how it will ease commuting issues for North Shore workers.
"I'll be sitting down with the managing partner to figure how we might at least flex their schedules," said Terry Strom, office manager. "It's easier for the attorneys to telecommute than it is for the secretaries."
State Rep. Frank Hynes (D-Marshfield) is pushing for a legislative hearing to pose questions about the planned shutdowns and to iron out exactly what the plans are.
"I'm not pleased that the information being disseminated is being done in a fashion that seems to be generating some misinformation," he said.
Others were more optimistic. Robert Bradford, president of the North Shore Chamber of Commerce, said the overall benefit of hosting the DNC will far outweigh its headaches.
"We're hoping that many convention-goers will stay and visit in Massachusetts, and it will serve for economic development."
Mayor Thomas M. Menino has this message for panicked commuters, residents and business owners: Have faith....
He trumpeted plans for a PR campaign like no other, featuring TV and radio ads, newspaper stories and constant updates on SmartRoutes.
Pols say it's the savvy thing to do. "What's the old saying? Success has a thousand fathers and defeat ... well," said U.S. Rep. Michael Capuano (D-Somerville).
And, if all else fails, Menino could well be back at church quite a bit between now and July 26.
(Full report follows)
The Boston Herald
Friday, May 21, 2004
Mayor puts faith in promoting plan
By David R. Guarino/ Analysis
Mayor Thomas M. Menino has this message for panicked commuters, residents and business owners: Have faith.
Maybe that's why we caught up with him after church last night.
"Initially, people will be outraged, but I think when we get closer to the convention and people are educated, it will be fairly acceptable to them," Menino said, after attending Ascension Thursday services at a local church.
But while he might be seeking divine intervention, the mayor knows whose legacy is on the line.
"That's the reality of being mayor. The buck stops with me," Menino said. "Others can hide, but mayors can't hide. That's my job."
And so, Menino and his high-powered team of convention planners figure, better to have angry motorists than angry and surprised motorists.
"The mayor always, always believes in the political maxim there are three kinds of news: good news, bad news and surprise news," said David Passafaro, longtime Menino pal and head of the Boston 2004 organizing committee. "He knows you can handle good news and you can handle bad news. But surprise news you can't."
That's why convention planners floated the terrifying traffic plans yesterday, before a group of business leaders, planners said.
The mayor was first to defend Secret Service and state police plans to close or restrict access on convention nights along Interstate 93, Storrow Drive, Route 1 and other roads.
Menino secured help from former Federal Aviation Administration head Jane Garvey to help coordinate the government agencies involved and high-profile spin doctors such as Micho Spring, former chief of staff to Mayor Kevin H. White - all pro-bono.
He trumpeted plans for a PR campaign like no other, featuring TV and radio ads, newspaper stories and constant updates on SmartRoutes.
Pols say it's the savvy thing to do. "What's the old saying? Success has a thousand fathers and defeat ... well," said U.S. Rep. Michael Capuano (D-Somerville).
And, if all else fails, Menino could well be back at church quite a bit between now and July 26.
The staggering scope of the security measures for the Democratic National Convention became clear yesterday, as state and federal authorities detailed changes that surpassed the worst fears of many residents and businesses: nearly 40 miles of major roadway closures, a vehicle-free zone around the FleetCenter, and parking bans that will extend through the Back Bay....
"It's a harsh reality," said Joseph Curtatone, the mayor of Somerville, where drivers seeking alternative routes home are expected to flood streets. "We understand the security concerns, but the traffic, the congestion -- it's going to be a nightmare."
(Full report follows)
The Boston Globe
Friday, May 21, 2004
Massive closing of roads set for convention week
City encourages firms to give vacation time
By Anthony Flint, Globe Staff
The staggering scope of the security measures for the Democratic National Convention became clear yesterday, as state and federal authorities detailed changes that surpassed the worst fears of many residents and businesses: nearly 40 miles of major roadway closures, a vehicle-free zone around the FleetCenter, and parking bans that will extend through the Back Bay.
Mayor Thomas M. Menino formally asked employers to allow workers to take vacations during the convention, from July 26 to 29, or let them telecommute or work earlier in the morning so they can leave before the road closures start at 4 p.m. State Police said they need lighter-than-usual traf?c for vehicles to ?ow smoothly through the detours and warned that they could expand the closures even farther outside the city.
Although authorities announced in March that Interstate 93, which runs directly by the FleetCenter, would be closed during the convention for security reasons, details of the transportation plan -- and the extent of the roadway closures in particular -- drew gasps, grimaces, and gallows-humor laughs as state, city, and public safety of?cials spoke at a packed brie?ng for businesses and media at the Federal Reserve bank auditorium yesterday morning.
"It's a harsh reality," said Joseph Curtatone, the mayor of Somerville, where drivers seeking alternative routes home are expected to flood streets. "We understand the security concerns, but the traffic, the congestion -- it's going to be a nightmare."
Nearly every corner of the transportation system in the city will be affected and several business executives said yesterday that they are exploring options such as flex time for employees or setting up remote work sites. Commuters, meanwhile, were left contemplating drive times that could triple or staying home. And with so many workers likely to avoid the city, the economic impact will have a ripple effect throughout the retail and service industries, from large stores to small restaurants that cater to the lunch crowd.
City officials advised restaurants to stock up on supplies to reduce the number of deliveries that need to be made. Police will be randomly stopping trucks and sport utility vehicles to inspect them for explosives. Many commuter trains will stop well outside the city, because North Station will be closed, forcing riders to transfer to buses and the subway. All high-occupancy vehicle lanes will be restricted to use by emergency and authorized vehicles only starting Friday July 23.
The easternmost end of the Charles River will be closed to all boat traffic, as well as 50 feet of Boston Harbor near the Charlestown Bridge. Also closing during the convention are the North Station commuter rail service, the North Station stop for the Orange and Green lines, and the Lovejoy Wharf water transit service. Some 200,000 vehicles travel on I-93 every weekday, 24,000 people use the commuter rail from the north, and 200 people use the water transit.
The effect of the road closures will be particularly dramatic close to the city. Route 1 southbound near Chelsea will be closed, as will the Tobin Bridge southbound, the Sumner Tunnel, Storrow Drive eastbound from Western Avenue to Leverett Circle, and Memorial Drive from the BU Bridge to the Longfellow Bridge. The McGrath-O'Brien Highway will terminate at Land Boulevard and drivers will have to turn right to go into Cambridge or left over the Gilmore Bridge into Charlestown. There will also be lane restrictions on the Massachusetts Turnpike from the Allston-Brighton tolls into Boston.
The shutdown of I-93 will extend from Route 128 in Woburn to Route 128 in Braintree. Drivers will be encouraged to use alternate routes inbound to Boston at those intersections. All local entrance ramps to I-93 north from Braintree to Boston will be closed, and all local entrance ramps to I-93 south from Woburn to Boston will be closed.
Any northbound drivers on the interstate who ignore signs to seek alternate routes between approximately 4 p.m. and midnight on the four nights of the convention will be diverted at Exit 20 for Frontage Road, where they can head west on the Massachusetts Turnpike, take the Ted Williams Tunnel, or continue into Boston at the South Station area via Atlantic Avenue. Southbound drivers on I-93 will be diverted at Exit 32 for Route 60 in Medford, where they can travel east to Route 1-A and the Ted Williams Tunnel, or pick up Route 28 and Route 16 and use local routes to get to Boston.
At the briefing, State Police Major Michael Mucci strongly advised drivers to use Route 128 and avoid central Boston altogether. "If you're going from Reading to Marshfield, use Route 128," he said "Circumvent the city if at all possible."
In Boston proper, Boston Police Superintendent Robert Dunford said at the briefing, nonemergency vehicles would be banned from the Bulfinch Triangle district, the city blocks bounded by Merrimac, Causeway, and North Washington streets. Causeway Street will be closed to all vehicles. Delivery trucks will have to park outside that triangle and drivers will have to walk or wheel goods and packages into businesses before noon. They will not be permitted in after noon during convention week.
No parking or stopping will be allowed on a stretch of Beacon Street between Charles and Arlington streets, on Boylston Street from Massachusetts Avenue to Arlington Street, on Massachusetts Avenue in the area of Boylston Street. That is to keep traffic flowing on those thoroughfares, especially shuttle buses taking delegates from the Back Bay hotels to the FleetCenter, Dunford said.
Convention organizer Julie Burns said an intensive public awareness campaign would continue through the 67 days remaining until the start of the event, labeled "Let's Work Around It," encouraging people and businesses to adjust their travel plans. She said updated information on roads and transit would be available at the website www.boston04.com and by calling the SmarTraveler traffic monitoring company at 617-374-1234.
"What is about to happen in Boston is the continuation of the democratic process and the American way, at a time when the country is at war," said Scott Sheafe, special agent for the United States Secret Service, which led the planning in coordination with the city of Boston, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority police, the Boston Police Department, the Massachusetts State Police, the Executive Office of Transportation and Construction, and the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority.
Last month, Mayor Thomas M. Menino stood before a bank of television cameras to encourage all Boston-area residents to take part in Democratic National Convention events. The convention host committee captured the theme in the name of its public relations campaign: Celebrate Boston 2004.
Yesterday Menino was back in front of the cameras but with a very different message. Stay home for the week ...
Still, convention organizers acknowledge the four-day event will drastically affect thousands of commuters. That's why they are asking employers to let workers take vacations or work earlier in the day, and why they have taken extraordinary steps like asking hospitals not to schedule elective surgeries during convention week.
(Full report follows)
The Boston Globe
Friday, May 21, 2004
PR DILEMMA
Boston's 'party' gets a new spin
Celebration theme gives way to security needs
By Rick Klein, Globe Staff
Last month, Mayor Thomas M. Menino stood before a bank of television cameras to encourage all Boston-area residents to take part in Democratic National Convention events. The convention host committee captured the theme in the name of its public relations campaign: Celebrate Boston 2004.
Yesterday Menino was back in front of the cameras but with a very different message. Stay home for the week, telecommute if you can, and leave work early to avoid the traffic snarls, he told area residents. The host committee's new PR effort is titled: Let's Work Around It.
As convention planners seek to excite the public about Boston's first-ever national political convention, transportation planning has become the touchiest of subjects. Until yesterday, details had been scant and local leaders sought to assuage commuters' worst fears about convention week.
Now that the extent of road closings has been made public, an inherent tension is emerging for local convention planners. The desire to make the convention a community celebration is rubbing up against security precautions ordered for the first political convention since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
"This is going to be a serious traffic condition that we're trying to manage," said Major Michael Mucci, who is managing State Police traffic preparations for the convention. "If everybody decides to have traffic as normal, we will back up to New Hampshire. It's as simple as that."
Local convention officials bristle at any suggestion that they're seeking to keep people away from Boston. Asked if the message of yesterday's briefing was for people to stay away from downtown during the convention, host committee president David A. Passafaro adamantly disagreed.
"No, that's not the message," Passafaro said. "This is a great thing and if people want to participate, they should. They just need to make smart choices on how to get in and out."
Still, convention organizers acknowledge the four-day event will drastically affect thousands of commuters. That's why they are asking employers to let workers take vacations or work earlier in the day, and why they have taken extraordinary steps like asking hospitals not to schedule elective surgeries during convention week.
Organizers noted, however, that commuting hassles won't stop area residents from enjoying the parts of the convention that are open to them. Most public events that are part of the Celebrate Boston campaign will be held in the three weeks prior to the event, when traffic is expected to be far lighter and no major road shutdowns are planned.
Menino said websites, print and broadcast media, and leaflets will keep residents apprised of plans for convention week, in late July.
"We have to work together on this, and we'll get through this," he said.
Police Superintendent Robert Dunford said the main advantage of early information about road closings is that commuters will have plenty of time to plot alternative routes.
"There will be inconveniences, there will be some delays, but nothing of the magnitude I think that some people expect," he said.
Anthony Flint of the Globe staff contributed to this report.
Businesses were jolted into reality yesterday by a briefing on the impact of road and mass-transit shutdowns in downtown Boston during the Democratic National Convention at the FleetCenter....
"No one will get into the inner perimeter once we close it," said Major Michael Mucci, head of convention traffic for the Massachusetts State Police. "Our best guess is we are going to severely impact traffic on the interstate highway system." ...
Despite employers' best efforts, city and police officials left no doubt that rush hour will be an enormous challenge for the city's employers and commuters. At yesterday's briefing, Mucci said the plan presented was "revision 421" and he expects more revisions before the convention.
(Full report follows)
The Boston Globe
Friday, May 21, 2004
Firms see traffic-plan headaches
By Kimberly Blanton, Globe Staff
Businesses were jolted into reality yesterday by a briefing on the impact of road and mass-transit shutdowns in downtown Boston during the Democratic National Convention at the FleetCenter.
For the first time many businesses heard firsthand about details of city and police traffic plans in a presentation sponsored by the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce and Boston 2004, the convention's official host. Employers whose plans were still up in the air are now feeling pressured to decide soon on how to minimize commuting and confusion for their employees during convention week, which begins July 25.
"It's going to be interesting -- I don't know how else to say it," Jeff Lockwood, spokesman for Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research in Cambridge, said after attending the briefing.
"It's a big deal," said Barry White, a senior partner at Foley Hoag, which has about 750 employees in offices near the Seaport Hotel. "There's going to be a lot of impact on people in terms of the various hours they're going to be restricted from using the roads. If people don't take vacation or flex hours, there are going to be a lot of traffic jams."
White said the management committee at his law firm will sit down soon to make plans for their employees.
Public officials did not sugarcoat what is expected to be an unprecedented rerouting of traffic to address heightened concerns about security in a post-Sept. 11 world. Traffic on major arteries and large sections of thoroughfares into the city, from Memorial Drive and Storrow Drive to Route 1A and bridges and tunnels, will be rerouted.
"No one will get into the inner perimeter once we close it," said Major Michael Mucci, head of convention traffic for the Massachusetts State Police. "Our best guess is we are going to severely impact traffic on the interstate highway system."
It was more difficult to predict the impact beyond the inner city, along Route 128, which intersects Interstate 93, or in the suburbs. J. Abra Degbor, spokesperson for Verizon Wireless New England, said the company expects some spillover from convention-traffic delays. Verizon Wireless salespeople based in Woburn, who travel into Boston frequently, "will probably telecommute as much as possible" during convention week, Degbor said.
One executive at the briefing was concerned that commuters as far away as Interstate 495 might be affected by tie-ups downtown. "We're hoping that's not going to be dramatically impacted," Mucci responded.
With concrete information in hand, Novartis will soon begin making decisions about how to manage convention week. Novartis has 550 employees working in Kendall Square, just across the Charles River from Boston. Those employees are expected to face delays, Lockwood said.
City and safety officials at the briefing "pulled no punches and the information was clear, and they're right on the beam when they're trying to get it out early," he said. "I think that's helpful to employees and employers and hopefully there won't be any surprises."
At Citizens Bank of Massachusetts, spokeswoman Melodie Jackson said the company has assembled a team to explore its options during convention week, including flex time and remote work sites for its 800-plus employees in Boston, primarily in the Financial District. A plan will be released to employees "in the next couple of weeks," she said.
In the most dramatic move, Interstate 93 will close in "late afternoon" each day, starting Monday, July 26, through the early morning on July 30, police said. Southbound drivers on I-93 will be diverted at Exit 32, with access to Route 60, while northbound drivers will be diverted at Exit 20, with access to the Massachusetts Turnpike. Police and transit authorities also mapped out in dizzying detail the routes for thousands of North Shore commuters who usually take trains or subways into North Station. With North Station closed that week, many will be shuttled by special buses into the city from various stations along their routes.
"Are you kidding me?" was the reaction to the briefing by one executive, who refused to be quoted by name.
"A lot of this is new to" businesses, said Julie Burns, executive director of Boston 2004. Yesterday's briefing begins a campaign, announced yesterday by Mayor Thomas M. Menino, to provide comprehensive maps of rerouted traffic and other information in a new program, "Let's Work Around It." Other briefings will be scheduled for businesses in the weeks prior to the convention, officials said.
Menino urged Boston employers do their part to minimize commuting into the downtown business district. He suggested they provide employees with flex time; set up telecommuting or remote office locations; organize car pools; or reschedule shift times to, say, 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. so commuters can return home before Interstate 93 closes.
"Law enforcement and transportation officials tell us we need to reduce the number of commuters coming into the city," Menino said. "I am asking you to give employees the flexibility they need."
Some establishments were forced to make early, concrete contingency plans. Xerox Corp., which will provide office equipment and handle document production for the convention, said it has clearance to bring trucks in that week to continually supply the event. Massachusetts General Hospital said it will reschedule some surgeries and appointments, if possible, so patients and visitors can leave early to beat afternoon road closings. Officials said restaurants should stock up on nonperishable food.
Despite employers' best efforts, city and police officials left no doubt that rush hour will be an enormous challenge for the city's employers and commuters. At yesterday's briefing, Mucci said the plan presented was "revision 421" and he expects more revisions before the convention.
"The one thing I took most comfort from," said Foley Hoag's White, "is they all had a sense of humor." During convention week, he said, "you'll certainly need it."
Not all workers will be part of the exodus, however. Public safety, hospital, and hospitality workers are among those who can expect to be on the job that week, regardless of the traffic tie-ups and confusion....
At Massachusetts General Hospital, emergency room doctors have been told: no vacations the week of the convention. With up to 50,000 visitors expected in Boston the week of the convention, hospital officials said most of MGH's 15,000-member staff will be on duty in the event of accidents or a terrorist attack.
Bonnie Michelman, director of police security and outside services, said the hospital has set aside rooms at a Holiday Inn for workers who will not be able to get home.
(Full report follows)
The Boston Globe
Friday, May 21, 2004
DNC spells vacation for some
But safety, hospitality,
hospital workers will be required to be on job
By Diane Lewis and Mac Daniel, Globe Staff
Even before city officials and the US Secret Service revealed new details yesterday about the massive detours and predicted gridlock resulting from the Democratic National Convention's four-day visit to Boston, Adam Rosen was planning to flee.
He's scheduled his vacation, although he has no plans yet for the week of July 25. What he's sure he's not doing is going anywhere near Boston, an MBTA station, or Interstate 93.
"I just decided to do what many others are doing by avoiding the whole thing," he said yesterday, "and feeling sorry for the people who are stuck in the middle of it."
The national political convention may be two months away but some Massachusetts workers have already planned an escape from the hubbub, headaches, and hellish commute: They're taking vacation.
Melissa Briscoe is an insurance analyst who works downtown and takes an express train from Lowell to North Station. When she heard the station would be closed during the convention, she requested the week off. "Most of my friends will be off," said Briscoe, 37. "A lot of people who either drive in or rely on public transportation are aware that it will be a real pain to get into town. Nobody wants to really deal with that."
Not all workers will be part of the exodus, however. Public safety, hospital, and hospitality workers are among those who can expect to be on the job that week, regardless of the traffic tie-ups and confusion.
Two months ago, the Fairmont Copley Plaza Boston issued a memo to its staff on a "blackout" on vacations the week before and the week of the convention, according to Alex Pratt, regional director of human resources. He said the 383-room hotel is hosting the Massachusetts legislative delegation during the convention, and all of its rooms are booked. The hotel employs about 350 full-time staff, and 50 additional workers who are brought in for special occasions.
"This is a great chance to showcase the city, and showcase the hospitality industry," said Pratt. "We might encourage people to take alternative routes, and we plan to give them their schedules in advance so they can plan ahead. We will be advising them to leave home early."
At Massachusetts General Hospital, emergency room doctors have been told: no vacations the week of the convention. With up to 50,000 visitors expected in Boston the week of the convention, hospital officials said most of MGH's 15,000-member staff will be on duty in the event of accidents or a terrorist attack.
Bonnie Michelman, director of police security and outside services, said the hospital has set aside rooms at a Holiday Inn for workers who will not be able to get home. MGH is also encouraging staff to use public transportation. "We are making sure that we will have a sufficient cadre of people if there is a disaster," said Michelman, director of police security and outside services. "If we have to house people, we would do that at the hospital also."
Michelman said Boston Emergency Medical Services, which provides ambulance services to and from the hospital, will be granted express travel on a single open lane on I-93 northbound. The lane will be open 24 hours each day of the convention to accommodate ambulance drivers.
But those who can are making plans to get away, and their numbers are likely to swell. Yesterday, employers were urged by Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino and other officials to use flextime, telecommuting, and other measures to ease traffic congestion to and from the city. Some may opt to encourage nonessential employees to take the week off.
Employee concerns about traffic tie-ups and packed commuter trains and buses already appear to have prompted a flurry of vacation requests at Keane, the Charlestown IT consulting giant. Ten percent of the 400 professional and administrative workers at the firm's headquarters will be on vacation the week the DNC comes to town, said Russell J. Campanello, senior vice president of human resources.
Keane is still formulating a plan for that week, Campanello said. The company might pare its staff down to a skeleton crew of about 100 essential workers, with some opting to telecommute or work from satellite sites. It is continuing to monitor reports from city officials about what to expect.
"When we first heard about the shutdown of Route 93, we looked at our workforce and saw that people would be coming from as far away as southern New Hampshire and the Cape," said Campanello. "So, we did a survey of staff at our headquarters to assess whether people were taking vacation and a lot of them were."
Carl DiRocco, 40, is a graphic designer in Keane's marketing department. He says it takes 35 to 40 minutes to get to work from Reading. But with the shutdown of I-93 from around 4 p.m. until after midnight July 26 to 29, DiRocco's commute could more than triple, he fears. So, he is taking his three sons camping in Maine.
"I didn't want to put up with the headaches caused by 93 being closed," DiRocco said. "I commute 12 miles from Reading to Boston. If Route 93 is going to be closed from Woburn to Canton, it could take me well over three hours."
For Ron Newman, 46, yesterday's new details were a double blow. A member of the Somerville Democratic City Committee which recently passed a resolution calling on transit and city leaders to allow the city to operate as normal during the event, Newman admits the resolution changed nothing.
Now Newman, who will be working that week, is faced with biking from his Davis Square home to his work in the North End, something he'd normally be pleased to do. But because of additional traffic on secondary roads through Somerville, Cambridge and downtown Boston, he said, biking is "not going to be fun. It's just going to be better than doing anything else," he said.
The extent of these road closures makes clear that the FleetCenter presents security challenges more severe than anyone could have appreciated when Boston was bidding to be the convention host. Even so, a fuller explanation is needed to show that traffic restrictions are dictated by security, not convenience.
(Full report follows)
The Boston Globe
Friday, May 21, 2004
A Boston Globe editorial
Detours and dangers
There may be sound reasons to close miles of Interstate 93 and other roads during the July 26-29 Democratic National Convention, but they were not made clear by planners yesterday.
From the north, restrictions begin at Interstate 95. Unless the plan is changed, all southbound traffic will be diverted off of I-93 in Medford during late afternoons and evenings. For travelers from the south, restrictions will begin at the Braintree split. Toss in closures of the Tobin Bridge inbound, the Sumner Tunnel, the Leverett Connector, and other key roadways and ramps and Boston starts to resemble a gated community. Massachusetts residents are ready to accommodate reasonable restrictions to assure that secure and free political speech is exercised at the first national party convention since Sept. 11, 2001. But it will take more to convince commuters that long delays make sense when roads are closed miles from the FleetCenter.
Public safety officials must do everything in their power to prevent any terrorist from approaching the FleetCenter via I-93 with a mobile bomb. Months of consultations with traffic engineers have sought to prevent just such an occurrence. Minimizing congestion in the city may support the security effort.
But public safety officials still need to explain why the plan is so restrictive. For example, why is security increased at the Fleet Center by restricting travel on key arteries more than a mile away? In the plans released yesterday, ease of movement for delegates seems to have been elevated above commuters' ability to make a living.
Jane Garvey, a security consultant for the convention's host committee, says the traffic plan is designed to give confused commuters maximum access to familiar state highways. It is also designed to give them maximum ability to reverse direction. The dominant message is to stay out of town.
The extent of these road closures makes clear that the FleetCenter presents security challenges more severe than anyone could have appreciated when Boston was bidding to be the convention host. Even so, a fuller explanation is needed to show that traffic restrictions are dictated by security, not convenience.
MetroWest will be a dumping ground for traffic heading to and from Boston during this summer's Democratic National Convention as state officials impose a rush-hour security clamp on the city's central artery.
The commuting nightmare could be compounded by last-minute exit closures along the Massachusetts Turnpike and other access roads heading into the city, a possibility that sparked disagreement among the state's transportation and safety officials yesterday. The DNC will be held at the FleetCenter in Boston between July 26 and 29....
"We've had no review of any of these issues," said Turnpike board member Christy Mihos. "I always see the glass as three-quarters full, but what I'm envisioning here could be all of the worst combined for people who just have to get to work."
Jordan Levy, who also sits on the Pike's board, voiced frustration over the highway department's wait-and-see attitude and downplayed the apparent gaps in directing traffic from I-93 to Rte. 128 and roads along MetroWest. Still, even Levy's assurance that the security and transportation plans will dovetail before the convention was mixed with trepidation.
"If that's the best that MassHighway can do for planning, then they've got big problems over there," he said. "This thing's turning out to be a total nightmare."
(Full report follows)
The MetroWest Daily News
Friday, May 21, 2004
Officials finalize plans for DNC
By Craig M. Douglas / News Business Writer
MetroWest will be a dumping ground for traffic heading to and from Boston during this summer's Democratic National Convention as state officials impose a rush-hour security clamp on the city's central artery.
The commuting nightmare could be compounded by last-minute exit closures along the Massachusetts Turnpike and other access roads heading into the city, a possibility that sparked disagreement among the state's transportation and safety officials yesterday. The DNC will be held at the FleetCenter in Boston between July 26 and 29.
Sections of Interstate 93, Boston's central highway connecting its northern and southern suburbs, will be closed between 4 p.m. and 1 a.m. during the last four days of July. The barriers will be enforced by the state police and will likely push traffic westward along Rte. 128, where commuters can redirect themselves toward Boston on any number of roads and highways, including the Pike.
But officials from the Massachusetts Highway Department, which oversees several of these access points (including routes 128, 9, 30, 20 and 2 in MetroWest), say traffic plans have not been determined for its "secondary" roads heading east into the city, adding that the U.S. Secret Service has reserved the right to make last-minute transportation changes on the days of the convention.
Jon Carlisle, a highway department spokesman, said detours and special provisions for secondary roads heading into Boston are also "dependent on what happens at the Pike, and they haven't made Pike closures clear at this point."
To eliminate potential headaches, Carlisle also said the highway department "is going to encourage people to stay home" from work during the convention.
Likewise, officials from the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority said they have not been updated on how the security plan might affect the Pike.
"We've had no review of any of these issues," said Turnpike board member Christy Mihos. "I always see the glass as three-quarters full, but what I'm envisioning here could be all of the worst combined for people who just have to get to work."
Jordan Levy, who also sits on the Pike's board, voiced frustration over the highway department's wait-and-see attitude and downplayed the apparent gaps in directing traffic from I-93 to Rte. 128 and roads along MetroWest. Still, even Levy's assurance that the security and transportation plans will dovetail before the convention was mixed with trepidation.
"If that's the best that MassHighway can do for planning, then they've got big problems over there," he said. "This thing's turning out to be a total nightmare."
The Secret Service has said the Pike's downtown exit onto I-93 will be closed during the convention with one eastbound lane reserved for emergency vehicles. Because the DNC has been designated a "National Special Security Event," the Secret Service has taken a leadership role in deterring possible terrorist actions.
During a phone interview yesterday, officials at the federal agency distanced themselves from the mounting confusion over where and when commuters can enter the city from the west.
"That isn't our jurisdiction," said Ann Roman, a Secret Service spokeswoman. "We're going to be involved with the security plan, not with traffic flow."
Similar to the highway department, officials at the state's Executive Office of Public Safety confirmed that changes to MetroWest's commuter routes will depend on the amount and severity of traffic during the convention. The state agency acknowledged that the decision will be "very last minute in nature."
To Sudbury's Doug Barth, founder of Free the Pike Coalition, an organization committed to abolishing the Turnpike's tolls, the pending chaos highlights the state's need for a more efficient and cohesive transportation authority.
"The fact that these entities continue to be separate and continue to foster bad communication is a problem that won't go away. And it's only exacerbated during times like this," he said. "It's insane."
Barth said he supports Gov. Mitt Romney's efforts to merge the Turnpike authority and highway department under one roof.
Kerry thumbs his nose at DNC convention,
citizens’
unsolicited hardships
Sen. John F. Kerry may stall his presidential nomination until after Boston's convention to boost fund raising, a threat that left stunned locals wondering why the traffic-snarling security nightmare is even necessary.
The unprecedented delay tactic could make the four-day Democratic National Convention meaningless. And it immediately raised a wave of legal questions - including whether the Homeland Security designation will be lifted and if the organizing committee would be wrongly spending taxpayer dollars on the event....
"I feel bad for the hundreds of thousands of commuters who are going to be inconvenienced simply for a political pep rally," said Darrell Crate, chairman of the Massachusetts Republican Party....
"Only John Kerry could be for a nominating convention, but be against the nomination," Bush campaign manager Ken Mehlman said....
A Democratic source said officials are investigating a plan to change party rules to allow delegates to recess the convention before delegates vote - allowing them to vote by Internet or proxy sometime before Sept. 1....
A spokesman at the Federal Election Commission said money can be spent only for "nominating conventions" defined as meetings by major political parties that "choose" a nominee.
If Kerry isn't nominated here, all the Boston spending could be called into question.
(Full report follows)
The Boston Herald
Saturday, May 22, 2004
DNC mess could be for nothing:
Kerry may not accept nomination in Boston
By David R. Guarino and Noelle Straub
Sen. John F. Kerry may stall his presidential nomination until after Boston's convention to boost fund raising, a threat that left stunned locals wondering why the traffic-snarling security nightmare is even necessary.
The unprecedented delay tactic could make the four-day Democratic National Convention meaningless. And it immediately raised a wave of legal questions - including whether the Homeland Security designation will be lifted and if the organizing committee would be wrongly spending taxpayer dollars on the event.
Partisan critics pounced on Kerry for considering such a move given what area commuters learned Thursday about road closures likely to cripple the region.
"I feel bad for the hundreds of thousands of commuters who are going to be inconvenienced simply for a political pep rally," said Darrell Crate, chairman of the Massachusetts Republican Party.
President Bush's campaign used the explosive possibility to belittle Kerry as a waffler.
"Only John Kerry could be for a nominating convention, but be against the nomination," Bush campaign manager Ken Mehlman said.
Kerry staffers stressed the delay is only one of many options being weighed to counteract the president's advantage heading into the general election sprint.
The Bay State senator is due to receive the nomination July 29 at the FleetCenter, five weeks before Bush takes the Republican nod in New York.
Under campaign finance rules, both candidates are prevented from spending beyond a $75 million federal allocation from the convention until Election Day.
"The reality is that with the high stakes of this election, the Democratic Party can't afford to fight with one arm tied behind its back," Kerry spokesman David Wade said.
By delaying his official nomination, Kerry would be able to spend freely from his collected money for at least another month. It was unclear how the nomination would be conducted.
A Democratic source said officials are investigating a plan to change party rules to allow delegates to recess the convention before delegates vote - allowing them to vote by Internet or proxy sometime before Sept. 1.
Either way, aides said, Kerry would give an acceptance speech but stop just short of formally accepting the nomination.
Democrats backed Kerry on the potential move, calling it "smart politics" and saying bruised egos hurt less than losing to Bush.
But the possibility caught Boston officials unaware yesterday.
Sources said Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino and organizers at two separate convention planning committees found out from a wire service report - not from Kerry campaign officials.
The local Democratic National Convention Committee hosted an emergency meeting to buck up its workforce. Still, the DNCC could face more difficult problems ahead since the DNCC is funded with $15 million in taxpayer money.
A spokesman at the Federal Election Commission said money can be spent only for "nominating conventions" defined as meetings by major political parties that "choose" a nominee.
If Kerry isn't nominated here, all the Boston spending could be called into question.
A DNCC spokeswoman said the issue hadn't even been considered. "That's one of the things that is going to be point of the consideration," said Peggy Wilhide, spokeswoman for the DNCC.
For John Kerry, leaving Boston at the altar would be all about the money.
A $75 million dowry, to be exact.
(Full report follows)
The Boston Herald
Saturday, May 22, 2004
Time means money for Dems' nominee
By David R. Guarino and Noelle Straub
For John Kerry, leaving Boston at the altar would be all about the money.
A $75 million dowry, to be exact.
Federal campaign finance rules say candidates who accept taxpayer financing - $75 million each for Kerry and President Bush this year - can only spend that cash between the nomination and the election.
Kerry is set to be nominated in Boston on July 29. Bush will be nominated in New York a full five weeks later on Sept. 2.
That means Kerry will have to spread his $75 million pot for advertising, salaries, travel and meals over 13 weeks while Bush has only eight weeks in which to spend his $75 million - a huge disadvantage, aides and allies said.
"The fact is five or six weeks is a long period of time to have one candidate who can spend an unlimited amount of money and another candidate who can't," U.S. Rep. Marty Meehan (D-Lowell) said.
Kerry does have a distinct money disadvantage vs. Bush.
The Democrat started this month with a mere $28 million in his coffers, compared with Bush's $72 million.
While Kerry has done a good job trying to keep pace with Bush's fund-raising machine, he's still far behind - collecting $117 million so far compared with Bush's $201 million.
But, aides insist, stalling the nomination isn't the only option to help keep Kerry afloat in the general election sprint.
The campaign said it could rely more heavily on the Democratic National Committee or local Democratic committees to raise and spend more cash to help boost Kerry.
Many Bay State voters forced to put up with a week of gridlock because of the Democratic National Convention will consider themselves slapped in the face if Sen. John F. Kerry doesn't accept the nomination here.
"I think (that would be) a cheap shot from the junior senator to all of his supporters in Massachusetts," said Henry Santoro, who is preparing for the worst as he commutes daily from Brookline to Lynn. "It's just one of those cases of 'Get your ass here and get the job done.' This is an anybody-but-Bush-state. Do not put us on hold."
James Murphy, who runs a painting and contracting company out of Swampscott, said he can't believe Kerry would snub his homestaters.
"How does a senator of a state - when the DNC is here - not honor his state by declaring his nomination here?" said Murphy, 38. "I would wonder if whether this, in the long run, is going to work against him. I very well think it could." ...
If Kerry decides not to accept the nomination during the Boston convention, one small business owner on Causeway Street has a piece of advice.
"They should cancel it," said Skip Perry, owner of Cyberphoto Inc., which is across the street from the FleetCenter. "This kind of just turns it into a Kerry-Kennedy-Menino 'hurrah' type of thing."
Santoro said he was fuming about Mayor Thomas M. Menino's "get over it" response to the traffic.
"Who the hell is Mayor Menino to tell us to take the week off?" he said. "How does he explain that to people who live paycheck to paycheck?"
(Full report follows)
The Boston Herald
Saturday, May 22, 2004
Voters tell senator: 'Don't put us on hold'
By Franci Richardson and Jay Fitzgerald
Many Bay State voters forced to put up with a week of gridlock because of the Democratic National Convention will consider themselves slapped in the face if Sen. John F. Kerry doesn't accept the nomination here.
"I think (that would be) a cheap shot from the junior senator to all of his supporters in Massachusetts," said Henry Santoro, who is preparing for the worst as he commutes daily from Brookline to Lynn. "It's just one of those cases of 'Get your ass here and get the job done.' This is an anybody-but-Bush-state. Do not put us on hold."
James Murphy, who runs a painting and contracting company out of Swampscott, said he can't believe Kerry would snub his homestaters.
"How does a senator of a state - when the DNC is here - not honor his state by declaring his nomination here?" said Murphy, 38. "I would wonder if whether this, in the long run, is going to work against him. I very well think it could."
However, whether Kerry accepts the nomination in the Hub won't make the ultimate difference to Murphy in terms of his vote.
"That itself wouldn't do it," he said. "There's a lot more that will go into my final decision than something like this, but maybe that would be a small piece of the pie."
If Kerry decides not to accept the nomination during the Boston convention, one small business owner on Causeway Street has a piece of advice.
"They should cancel it," said Skip Perry, owner of Cyberphoto Inc., which is across the street from the FleetCenter. "This kind of just turns it into a Kerry-Kennedy-Menino 'hurrah' type of thing."
Santoro said he was fuming about Mayor Thomas M. Menino's "get over it" response to the traffic.
"Who the hell is Mayor Menino to tell us to take the week off?" he said. "How does he explain that to people who live paycheck to paycheck?"
North Station business owners, many of them bracing to get economically clobbered due to tight security at the Democratic National Convention at the FleetCenter in July, reacted yesterday with stunned disbelief that U.S. Sen John Kerry (D-Mass.) might not even accept the nomination for president at the event....
"This highlights what a mockery conventions have become," said Jason Adkins, a partner at Adkins Kelston & Zavec PC, a 20-employee Canal Street law firm that expects its business to be "dramatically" disrupted.
"It sounds like it's turning into one big, expensive party," he said....
Don Hooper, a designer at Lee Kimball Kitchens Inc. on Canal Street, said for Kerry not to accept the nomination at the convention - a strategic move suggested by the Kerry campaign yesterday - makes it a "wasted" event....
"Who's going to pay my rent?" asked a frustrated Pam Troung, owner of Canal Street's Perfect Nails, which plans to close during the convention. "Someone should pay my rent for the week."
(Full report follows)
The Boston Herald
Saturday, May 22, 2004
Biz owners livid over Kerry plan
By Jay Fitzgerald
Saturday, May 22, 2004
North Station business owners, many of them bracing to get economically clobbered due to tight security at the Democratic National Convention at the FleetCenter in July, reacted yesterday with stunned disbelief that U.S. Sen John Kerry (D-Mass.) might not even accept the nomination for president at the event.
"You're kidding me," said Marc A. Vos, co-owner of the Design of Boston salon on Causeway Street, when told that Kerry might delay accepting the nomination for a few weeks after the convention in order to qualify for extra federal campaign funds.
"It's insane, completely ridiculous," said Vos. Like some other North Station-area shop owners, Vos plans to close his business during the week of the four-day event, figuring clients won't be in town then and fearing possible street disruptions by protesters.
"This highlights what a mockery conventions have become," said Jason Adkins, a partner at Adkins Kelston & Zavec PC, a 20-employee Canal Street law firm that expects its business to be "dramatically" disrupted.
"It sounds like it's turning into one big, expensive party," he said.
Adkins, whose firm is allowing many employees to take vacations during the convention week, said Kerry's possible nomination delay might be "strategically smart" - for him. But it drains the meaning from the event - and from the sacrifices of Bostonians, he said.
"Someone once said 'Guests and fish stink after three days,' and this event lasts four days," said Skip Perry, owner of Cyberphoto Inc. on Causeway Street, across from the FleetCenter.
Perry, who said the DNC will "kill my business" during the week, said the convention should be canned if Kerry isn't coronated at it.
Asked what he thought of the convention in general, Perry responded: "I think it should be moved to Walla Walla, Washington."
Don Hooper, a designer at Lee Kimball Kitchens Inc. on Canal Street, said for Kerry not to accept the nomination at the convention - a strategic move suggested by the Kerry campaign yesterday - makes it a "wasted" event.
"That's the whole purpose of the event," said Hooper, whose design-and-build firm expects to lose walk-in business during the week due to tight security measures surrounding the FleetCenter.
"Who's going to pay my rent?" asked a frustrated Pam Troung, owner of Canal Street's Perfect Nails, which plans to close during the convention. "Someone should pay my rent for the week."
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