Speaker 1: Councilors Louis, Jun and Fernandes Anderson offered the following order for a hearing to explore municipal bonds and other fiscal options to increase affordable housing in community investments. 0296 councilors Louis, Jenn and Warrell offered the following order for a hearing regarding biannual review of the Boston Employment Commission and Boston Residents Jobs Policy and number 0297 counsel Louis Jen offered the following resolution calling on the Biden administration to cease deportations of Haitian migrants under Title 42.
Speaker 0: The chair recognizes counsel to adjourn. Counsel. Huge. And you have the floor.
Speaker 4: Thank you, Mr. President. Good afternoon, everyone. Very happy to be here to finally be giving my maiden speech. First the name. My name is Ruth Z, Louisiana, and the first name is pretty phonetic. Ruth Z maybe takes a pause between the rock root and the Z if it's easy, if it's hard to say. And the last name? Louisa. I like to tell people, you take that Louis Vuitton bag and your friend Jen. You put them together. Louis. Jen. That's how to say the last name. It's also my maiden speech, so thank you. Thanks for coming. Just kidding. I am really happy to be here today to be talking to all of you. I think the folks who are here, friends and family over here, the voters who had confidence in me to be here so that I could be one of your At-Large city councilors. It's an honor to represent this city. I want to talk today about shared prosperity. I believe that our lives are intersectional and our experiences are all interconnected. One of our greatest callings is to be each other's keeper in the pursuit of justice and in the pursuit of joy. That's what I grew up learning in my neighborhood and from my parents as a curious young girl in Mattapan. Believing in shared prosperity must mean that if this city is thriving financially, all of our residents are thriving financially. It shared prosperity means that if we have a construction industry that's booming, we have residents who are able to find housing and employment. Shared prosperity means that if our residents, if we feel safe and free, then all of our communities, including our migrant communities, should feel safe and free, whether here or at the border. Unfortunately, this isn't happening. But today I'm going to talk to you about how we can work together collectively and in solidarity to achieve these to achieve shared prosperity three ways. One leaning into our fiscal prosperity as a city to issue more bonds. Sexy topic I know. To ensuring Boston jobs for Boston residents. And three ending racist and xenophobic immigration policies. Behind each of these ideas. There's a way for us to do right by each other, for us to do right by our neighbors. And for us to do right by our neighborhoods. I grew up in a poor and working class neighborhood in Mattapan. My parents came here to create a better life and fought really hard for me and my three sisters. I grew up in a household. I don't know how to cook small portions because growing up everything was big, big portions so that everybody who needed food, my neighbors, strangers, could come in and get it. We never had locks on our doors to make sure that everyone could feel welcome to walk in and get a bite to eat. I think these were early lessons about what it means to live in a community that honor shared prosperity, to use your harvest to help others grow theirs. Whether that be for a newly arrived immigrant who needs help with job applications or for Polish-American neighbors who counted on our kitchen and our stove when their food stamps food stamps are running out. We believed that helping our neighbors was part of our existence here on Earth. He may be mad at me for telling this story, but my parents still own the first kitchen table they bought when they came here to this country. Now, today, it's wobbly. It's held together by duct tape. There's plastic everywhere on it. But my father has rejected all attempts by me and my family to buy him a new kitchen table. Lots of family, friends, neighbors and strangers have come and sat around this table throughout the years in search of advice on job applications, help with immigration papers, and sometimes in search of a bed to sleep for the night. I've come to realize and my sisters we've all come to reluctantly realized that that table represents a sort of shared prosperity. For my father and for so many. How he, despite the many challenges he faced as an immigrant, was able to help others get on their feet, survive and in some circumstances thrust. That lesson has carried me throughout life, and to this moment it informs my need to question How are we looking out for each other? Who gets a share in this city's wealth and prosperity? And certainly right now, it's not everyone. Let's look at the facts. At the end of fiscal year 2021. The city of Boston ended with a $15.5 million operating surplus in its operating budget. Meanwhile, many of our residents languish at paying rent or getting food on the table. One of the wealthiest cities in this country is one of the most unequal. Worsened by a pandemic and even worse for our black and Lynette's residents who suffer from legacies and decades of white supremacy and racism that have stymied economic mobility. What can we do to make things better? Those are the hearing orders I filed today. First is municipal bonds. Our fiscal health is in tip top shape with a triple-A bond rating. I said this over and over on the campaign trail. Glad that I get to talk about it. We have an administration that is taking bold steps. We have a strong local economy of growing city with a large and diverse tax base. And because of this, we can lean into our strong bond positioning to help fund building projects like affordable housing at new levels and other ways that we can creatively use bonds. As a former housing attorney, I spent countless hours in housing court trying to stop evictions. Evictions being a traumatic event that damns people because they're poor. I do what I could for stopgaps, to help individual tenants and tenant organizations, but always knew we needed to do more to stem the crisis. The more buildings we fund via bonds, the more room we'll have in our budget. To look at innovative ideas already underway in other cities to meet residents basic needs such as social housing, such as guaranteed income. All of these creative things that we can be doing if we are leaning more into how we're using our bonds. This hearing order on our bond policy will help explore the bold, yet responsible ways we can lean into our fiscal strength. Second is jobs. Sharing the work of the city must also include good family sustaining jobs for Boston residents. Our Boston residents policy set standards for diversity and for Boston hires on development projects. But we're falling woefully short. I can't tell you how many times I've been by a construction site in our city. I've never seen one person of color or one woman. We know that. I think about all the family members and all the people that I grew up with stuck in low wage jobs who could have it made. And we have it made these good union jobs available and accessible to them. And that's on us. That's on all of us in this room. I know this is a deep source of deep frustration for so many. The hearing order I file will offer insight into how much we are falling short and bringing community voice to the table to guide the path forward, such as hiring more onsite monitors for enforcement and strengthening the Boston Employment Commission's oversight role. Third. And lastly, immigration policy. Shared prosperity must mean we promote a welcoming environment for migrants fleeing persecution and harm. As a first Haitian-American elected to Boston City Council, I can say that I'm proud of this city and the work that we're doing to support our immigrant communities. Although there's always more work to do. Our Federal Government, however, has turned its back on the least among us, specifically Haitian migrants. Two weeks ago. As Brian Orwell said, we're in Black History Month. Two weeks ago during Black History Month, the Biden administration ignored the pleas of asylum advocates, elected officials, activists, and many of us here who protested in front of the federal building last year. And decided to extend the Title 42 a racist Trump era policy that restricts immigration at the border and blocks migrants from making claims of asylum, which is their legal right under U.S. law and international law. Instead of treating Haitian migrants with dignity, our federal government has met them with whips on horseback, a cruel reminder of the savagery of slavery. Were quick to forget the Haitian soldiers who came here in the 1770s to help this country gained its independence. We have an obligation to remember this history, to share our prosperity and welcome new migrants. I call on the Biden administration to find its moral and legal compass and to end these inhumane deportations. To be clear, this is an issue for all border migrants, because it's not just Haitians who are there. They're all migrants who are there trying to enter and being expelled without making any claims for asylum. So I ask you, all my colleagues, to speak as one unified voice in support of my pending resolution to end use of Title 42. I've been organizing other municipalities across the Commonwealth and the country to do the same. Not only would passing this resolution be a sign of solidarity with migrants and countless advocates, but also with my parents here with me today. This poor black immigrants face mountains of discrimination and rejection, but persevered so that I, a little girl from Mattapan, could dream big and stand before you today as your colleague. I'll close with this. Gwendolyn Brooks, who is a poet, writer and the first black person to receive a Pulitzer here, wrote, We are each other's harvest. We are each other's business. We are each other's magnitude and bond. I think about that quote all the time and this call to service and in our collective call to service as a reminder that we are all bound together. We must show it. We must show each other what it means to be each other's harvest, to share in the city's wealth. To ensure all our neighbors are housed. To repair past policy harm. To think boldly. To make good jobs available. And to make economic possibility for all. Economic mobility possible for all, especially for our black and brown residents. We do this to realize freedom for all of us, and we do so by leading with love for all of our neighbors and believing in our shared prosperity. Thank you.
Speaker 0: Thank you. Thank you, Counsel Lujan. An excellent maiden speech, and thank you for the tremendous leadership. Mr. Clerk, going back to docket 0295 Council and John would like to add. Would you like to add any co co-sponsors to the docket?
Speaker 4: Yes, just.
Speaker 0: The the chair recognizes the council.
Speaker 4: Thank you, Mr. President. For docket 0295. The hearing order on municipal bonds, I'd like to add I would like to thank Counselor Fernandez Anderson for being a co-sponsor on this important matter. She's not going to be speaking today because this is in her maiden speech. But two weeks ago, she led an excellent and excellent first meeting as chair of Ways and Means on refunding bonds and so continuing to delve into how we can use our municipal bonds. I'm glad to have her as a partner in this. I'd also like to suspend Rule 12 and add Councilor Kenzie Bok as a third original co-sponsor.
Speaker 0: Thank you. Thank you. Counsel are seeing and hearing no objections counsel has added as a third original co-sponsor. Um. Would anyone like to speak on 0295? The chair recognizes. The chair recognizes counsel by our counsel. You have the floor.
Speaker 2: Thank you so much. President Flynn, I mainly just want to take the opportunity to thank Counselor Gen for her amazing maiden speech and threading all these things together and to say that I'm very grateful to be a third co-sponsor on this. As folks who were on the council last term all remember the question of green and social bonds and how we drive up our bond capacity with something that then counselor now Mayor Woo and I co-sponsored in the previous cycle. And we're I'm just really excited to have Counselor Lujan and Counselor Fernandez Anderson's leadership joining me on this front, because definitely there is a lot more to do and there's a lot of capacity that I think we could tap for our most urgent needs in the city. So thank you, Mr. President.
Speaker 0: Thank you, Counselor Buck. The chair recognizes. Counselor, we're all counsel. We're honored you have the floor.
Speaker 7: Thank you, Chair. We all know that creating additional housing stock and making Boston more affordable for low and moderate income households is one of the most critical issues facing our city and my prior line of work to help dozens of Bostonians buy their first home. It is one of the most important ways for a person or family to create wealth and access to upward mobility. I applaud the authors counsel Louis Gen Carter, Fernandez Andersen and Council for their creativity and look forward to learning more as we can look to increase access to housing both to preserve and protect our city's city's triple-A bond rating. Thank you.
Speaker 0: Thank you, counsel Earl. Anyone else like to speak on this matter? Would any council like to add their name? The. Mr. Clarke pleased that. Councilor Edwards pleased that. Councilor Arroyo pleased. Councilor Braden. Councilor Flannery Council Elara. Console me here. Console, Murphy console. We're all pleased. The cheer. Dakota 0295 will be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means. Got going back to docket 0296. Castle. Lou and John, would you like to add any codes, co-sponsors to the docket?
Speaker 4: Thank you, Mr. President. And thank you to Councilor Schwab out for being for co-sponsoring this with me. This is the required under municipal code bi annual review of the Boston resident's job policy. We have a long way to go to make sure we're realizing our goals and also asked to suspend Rule 12 and ask to add Tanya Fernandez Anderson as an original third co-sponsor on on this hearing order. Thank you.
Speaker 0: Thank you. Seeing and hearing no objections. Councilor Fernandez Anderson is added as the third original co-sponsor. Would anyone else like to speak on 0296? The chair recognizes counsel. We're all counsel. We're all you of the four.
Speaker 7: Thank you chair and great maiden speech. Council louis-jacques. Awesome. Covered a lot of great issues. One of the most important policies implemented in Boston City government in the past 50 years is the creation of the Boston Resident Resident Jobs Policy created by Mayor Kevin White. Strengthened by Mayor Ray Flynn and further expanded by Mayor Walsh. A robust in and adhered to Boston residents jobs policy is one of the most effective tools in ensuring equity in Boston's booming construction industry and keeping development dollars in our city. There's nothing more frustrating than driving by a multimillion dollar job site and seeing license plates from New Hampshire and Rhode Island and seeing bumper stickers for schools and sports programs outside of the city. While meanwhile, we know dozens of constituents trying to access economic opportunity, employment right in our neighborhoods. As I mentioned in my maiden speech, creating economic opportunity, access to wealth and closing employment and opportunity gaps in Boston are among my top priorities. Boston needs to be needs to do more to bring dollars back into our communities. Strong Boston residents job policy is one of those key tools to achieve these goals. But. But the policy is only as strong as how aggressively we enforce it, how we measure it, and how and how developers and general contractors accountable demand and demand. An accurate and robust, biannual reporting will ensure that all Bostonians are benefiting from the construction and development boom, that we are generating wealth and upward mobility for our residents. That and that we are connecting city cares with these careers. Looking forward to the hearing.
Speaker 0: Thank you, counsel. We're world. Would anyone else like to speak on it? The Chair recognizes. Counsel me here. Counsel me here. Okay. Okay. I would also just like to add that. Thank you to the council overall. But I also want to recognize the tremendous work also of some of our past colleagues on this issue, including Council of Boeing a long time ago, and Councilor Chuck Turner, that also played a critical role. So thank you, counsel. We're also. The important work you are going to be doing on this issue. And you have a lot of support here. So thank you for counsel. We're all. Would anyone else like to add their name, please? Councilor Arroyo. Councilor. Councilor Braden. Councilor Edwards. Councilor. Finally. Councilor Lara. Council. Let me here. Councilor Murphy. Councilor, we're all pleased that you.
Speaker 5: I that I had.
Speaker 0: Yes. Yeah. In concert. Tanya Anderson is the original co-sponsor. Council Docket 0296 will be referred to the Committee on Labor Workforce Economic Development. Mr. Kirk going back to 0297. Council would offer the following resolution. Council. Would you like to add any one on docket 0297?
Speaker 5: I just would like to say that I want to see.
Speaker 4: I'm still here. I want to thank my colleagues for expressing support. I'm hoping that we can suspend Rule 12 and pass this resolution. As you all heard, stirring is incredibly important to me. And I would be honored if you all join me in adding your names and supporting Haitian migrants everywhere and discontinuing the illegal, immoral use of Title 42 for deportations. And I also just want to say to the migrants and to folks who are, you know, into our Haitian community here came long, some of whom are pleading for my begging, maybe even contacting you. But I'm confused from Karla, whom your moon Lukaku ago was on task to open CAG in one cabinet room. So Barcelona police have I might have I put you on some corner killing you try on some new on Bill. Thank you everyone for your support.
Speaker 0: Thank you, counselor. Would anyone like to speak on this docket or would anyone like to add their their name and support? Please add Counselor Arroyo. Please add counselor. Counselor Braden. Counselor Edwards. Counselor. Fernandez A.ND Counsel. Florida counselor. Laura counselor. Me here. Counselor Murphy. Counselor. We're all. Please the chair. And, um, counsel, help me here. Would you like to speak on this matter? Okay. Council illusion seeks suspension of the rules and passage of doctrine 0297 All those in favor say aye. Aye, I opposed nay. The ayes have it. Docket 0297 has passed. We will now come back to docket 0293. Mr. Clerk, please read docket 0293.
Resolution calling on the Biden Administration to cease deportations of Haitian migrants under Title 42.