Most job growth in Metro Boston has occurred in Boston suburbs, while minority populations have been growing in the central city. Black and Latino residents have faced unemployment rates 3 times the rate of white residents, and Asian residents twice that of whites. What single policy would you support that would have the greatest impact on unemployment and job disparities in Boston?
Mayoral Candidate Responses
Michael Flaherty
The emerging green sector presents an enormous opportunity to stimulate our economy and put people back to work. Most importantly, the green sector is creating a wide spectrum of jobs that require a variety of high and low skill sets and must be filled locally, not abroad. I have proposed that the city establish a Green Jobs Corps, similar to the one established by Oakland CA, where training programs are developed for those residents facing the greatest barriers to employment, including at-risk youth, immigrants, limited English-proficient populations, formerly incarcerated individuals and those with little education.
Implemented responsibly, a Green Jobs Corps will help break down social inequalities and achieve a higher degree of economic equality for all Bostonians. As Mayor, I will only champion those green jobs that provide quality working conditions, advancement opportunities and family-sustaining wages and benefits.
Thomas Menino
We need to continue to focus on education and the key to economic success, and while we received an award from the Broad Foundation recently as the most improved school system in the country, that improvement needs to move faster. We also need to see some of the federal stimulus money and future programs used to jump start our economy. We should revive the federal “Empowerment Zone” program that brought new investment to the Newmarket area, and focus it around areas such as Dudley Square, where there are “ready to go” projects.
At-Large City Council Candidate Responses
Felix Arroyo
Reforming the state’s CORI (Criminal Offender Record Information) system would have an enormous impact on unemployment and job disparities in Boston. Under the current system, ex-offenders have to wait up to 15 years for their criminal record to be sealed. As a result, they are unable to find employment. A reformed CORI system that allows records to be sealed sooner and eliminates questions about criminal background on initial job applications, making it easier for ex-offenders to re-enter society and become productive citizens.
John Connolly
Many of Boston’s future jobs will come from the expanding green job market. We must train our residents, no matter what their socio-economic background, to be scientists, lab technicians, home weatherization specialists, and electricians; and the best way to do so is the creation of a K-12, public Environmental Science Academy – a school that will set a national standard for how best to prepare our children to compete in the green economy and to live a sustainable and environmentally responsible lifestyle. This school should be open to all students and offer a rigorous math and science curriculum and paths of study for students interested in building or utility trades. The building itself should be a model of energy efficiency and sustainable building practices that should be a LEED platinum certified, zero net energy campus powered by on-site alternative energy sources such as wind turbines that can also serve as a learning opportunity for students.
Tomás Gonzalez
I would seek greater enforcement of the residency requirement law for Boston’s building projects, so the money being invested in a given community stays there and circulates.
Tito Jackson
I would support a policy that mandates that construction jobs in the city of Boston hire members of the community that are within a 3 mile radius of the job site. The local workers policy would ensure that people in the city of Boston and in particular people in largely minority communities would have the opportunity to get good paying jobs. In addition, it would be important that partnerships are created with trade unions so that we can continue to diversify the unions and ensure that minorities are receiving the training needed for them to advance in their trades.
Andrew Kenneally
We can do a lot to promote employment by consolidating job training resources in the City of Boston. In this economic climate, we must do all we can to prevent disgruntled workers from exiting the labor force. The city needs to establish a website devoted to providing individuals with information about how to access job training services, advice, and also a database of employment websites.
Steve Murphy
I am supportive of job training and mentoring opportunities that give individuals hands on experience in a chosen field. We need to do a better job insisting that on all development projects in our city that Boston jobs are filled by Boston residents.
Ayanna Pressley
I think it is important to recognize that, unfortunately, there is no single “silver bullet” policy that can tackle the disparities in unemployment in Boston. The only way to end the disparities is to implement comprehensive, long-term policies that can (1) ensure our young people of all races and ethnicities are prepared for the 21st Century job market (2) support local minority-owned small businesses (3) ensure developers adhere to regulations in regards to employing local contractors and vendors, and (4) invest in industries such as green technology which provide jobs at every level of the economy.
