Mayoral Forum with Josh Kraft, 6/9/25

President and Host: Bill Walczak
Vice President: Eileen Boyle
Treasurer: Michelle Miller
Assistant Treasurer: Des Rohan
Corresponding Secretary: Elizabeth Doyle
Recording Secretary/Minutes: Doreen Miller
Number in attendance: 35 (in person); 28 (on Zoom)

Mayoral candidate Josh Kraft was introduced by CEO and President of the Boys’ and Girls’ Club Dorchester (BGCD) Bob Scannell, who has known Josh for over 30 years working with him in BGC and community settings.

Josh Kraft Background

1. A member of the famous Kraft family, he decided to go into community service work 35 years ago.
2. He started in the fall of 1990 working with truant middle school kids at Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs.
3. He worked for the past 12 years as president and CEO of the BGC organization.
4. He has worked with all types of people under Mayor Menino.
5. Over his term, the number of kids served has doubled from 7,000 to 14,000.
6. The budget has increased from $13 million to $27 million.
7. He believes the reentry community is key to the safety issues in Boston.
8. He has listened and learned about the power and importance of community.
9. He shared a story of a community meeting about the proposed Mattapan Teen Center.
   1. A resident confronted him about not planning to use local labor.
   1. Josh met with this person after the meeting to discuss his concerns.
   1. In the end, the center was completed on time and on budget using 70% local labor.
10. Kraft believes the city is currently heading in the wrong direction as it is not focused on the needs and concerns of the residents.
11. His administration will be based on three tenets:
    1. Transparency
    1. Accessibility
    1. Competent Fiscal and Operational Management
12. He sees the Mass and Cass issue spilling over into nearby neighborhoods as a quality-of-life problem.
13. The downturn of business in Boston is costing us $1.7 billion in tax revenue.
14. He shared a few anecdotes and stories on the importance of uplifting marginalized groups.

Questions from Membership

1. The voters approved the auditing of our legislature, but no action has been taken. How will your budget process be different from the current process?
   1. Kraft acknowledges that the budget has risen 94% since fiscal year 2013 with no cuts having been made.
   1. Fiscal management will be his number one priority – to cut duplicate services and ensure that services such as police and fire are fully funded.
   1. He believes that Wu’s claim regarding the Home Rule petition to temporarily raise taxes on commercial properties that there was nothing to pare back in the city’s multi-billion dollar budget is disingenuous. There are always ways to find savings in such a large budget.
   1. He mentioned two questionable big-ticket items added under Wu:
      1. $47 million for the over 300 city jobs added by Wu
      1. $100 million for the White Stadium project that will mostly benefit a private women’s soccer team
   1. He promised he would not raise taxes without first making cuts in the budget.
2. Property taxes have risen much faster than inflation. Zoning practices have contributed to increased property values. 91% of proposals brought before the ZBA were approved last year. Aimee Chambers claims that the ZBA ignores the Zoning Code in Boston. LLCs are buying up homes at inflated rates to tear them down and build multi-unit buildings resulting in an increase in the assessed values of all our properties and in turn an increase in rents. How will you deal with real estate speculation and the excessive approval rate of the ZBA? Do you support increasing the owner-occupied exemption rate and/or grandfathering rates of elderly and long-term residential homeowners?
   1. Yes, Kraft supports these two suggestions in the second question for reining in excessive property tax increases.
   1. He recognizes that housing is unaffordable with Boston having one of the highest rental costs in the country.
   1. We are in a housing crisis and need to create more affordable housing for everyone.
   1. The ZBA members need to understand residents’ needs and concerns. Their role should be one of a mediator not a rubber stamp for developers. Neighborhood services should be working for the benefit of the residents, not merely checking off boxes.
3. CSHCA has supported dense development where it makes the most sense, but the city continues to ignore the need for comprehensive planning. Will you support and assure us that you be committed to comprehensive planning?
   1. Kraft commits to working with residents on this issue.
   1. Residents and small businesses need to be part of the planning process from the beginning.
4. While we recognize that housing is needed, our concern is with the transformation of our small neighborhood side streets, where 1-, 2-, and 3-family homes are being razed to erect multi-unit blocks with little to no green space. Three examples were given: Pearl Street, Mayfield Street, and Romsey Street. This is damaging the character of our neighborhood. Dot Block stands at only 60% capacity as the owner refuses to lower rental costs and stonewalls the discounted unit application process. Do you have a plan for protecting residential streets?
   1. Kraft asked to have the data related to this given to him at the end of the meeting.
   1. He believes that it is the neighborhoods that make Boston unique.
   1. He believes we need to respect the historic background and look of neighborhoods.
5. a) CSHCA believes that historic preservation is essential. Do you support protecting historic buildings and our historic character?
   1. Yes. He would support maximizing the use of an historic building instead of razing it.

b) Skyscrapers are being proposed along Boston Common and the residents are not happy about it. What will you do to address this?

• Kraft will base his decisions on the input of the residents there.
• The governance of the Boston Public School is contentious. Enrollment is down by 8,800 students while costs have risen by over 26%. Student achievement results have worsened and are very poor. There are also the questions of the cost of busing and school closings. What are your plans for BPS? What school committee type do you support?
  • Kraft would like to see a hybrid type of school committee made up of both appointed and elected members.
  • His plan for the BPS has 4 key elements:
    • Educate children of all kinds and improve literacy rates with tutoring and mental health support. He would add vocational hubs as there is a need for this.
    • Re-engage parents by creating an Office for Parents at City Hall.
    • Reinstate the power of community partnerships.
    • Demand competent management.
      • Over 130 administrative positions were added under Wu with no overall benefit to the students.
      • He would split BPS management into two positions:
        • The superintendent would oversee all things academic.
        • An operational director would oversee the mechanics like buses, building issues, etc.
  • His experience with BPS has been in outreach programs at various schools: The McCormack, Gavin, and Dearborn.
• What is your plan for coastal vulnerabilities and where would the funding come from?
  • Most money for such projects currently comes from DC, which is cutting the budget across all areas.
  • We need to find other funding sources.
  • Kraft will work with our federal delegation to find solutions.
• Elections in odd years have seen low voter turn-out since 1983. About 30% vote in a mayoral election, and only 5-15% vote when there are only city council candidates running. Changing the voting to even years with other federal elections would save money and increase turn out. Do you support getting rid of odd year elections and changing them to even years?
  • Yes.
• Although crime is down a bit overall, summer problems never seem to go away, especially disturbances at our beaches, parks, streets, and other public places. Three hot spots in our area are: Ryan Playground, the beach, and Savin Hill Park. What are your plans for dealing with summer problems?
  • A few years back, Boston had a dedicated party line separate from 911 to report such disturbances. He would reinstate it.
  • In the downtown crossing area, violent crimes are up a lot, 90% the association members there say safety is an urgent issue.
  • Kraft sees the spill over from Mass and Cass as being part of the increased crime problem.
    • We need to support our police in ensuring public safety and order.
    • We need to create substance abuse courts and mental health courts.
    • We need to take a hard line against sex and drug traffickers.
    • He would reinstitute the needle buy-back program using private funds.
    • Recovery and intervention are key to resolving this long-term problem.
    • 50% of Mass and Cass are not from Boston. The surrounding communities need to:
      • Provide areas within their communities for recovery campuses.
      • Share the costs of homeless and life services to get people functional and back into a contributing role in society.
  • When asked about rebuilding the Long Island Bridge, Kraft said it would cost $400 million to build and another $400 million to rehab the facilities on the island. It is possibly a long-term solution, but we need a more immediate, practical solution for the problem.
• With the closure of Carney Hospital, surrounding communities have lost access to emergency care and behavioral health facilities. How do you plan to regain these services? What should happen to the Carney property?
  • Kraft offered an anecdote about anthropologist Margaret Meade being asked what the first sign of civilization was. She responded, “A healed broken femur.” It shows that person was taken care of. Compassion is the cornerstone of civilization.
  • Health care is also a cornerstone of a civilized community.
  • Kraft would work to return health care services to the Carney.
• The Shattuck Hospital site in Franklin Park has been considered for a drug treatment and housing program. There are concerns that it would be too concentrated in a public area. A similar Housing First model for drug addicts in San Francisco is not working. What would you do?
  • Kraft would work with Boston Medical and the state to consider regional solutions in areas that are not in public spaces.
• Traffic in Boston has gotten worse with more aggressive drivers speeding and running red lights. How would you address this issue?
  • We need better signage and more cops handing out traffic violations, especially at key intersections that are problematic.
  • Statistics show that as traffic enforcement goes up, fewer drivers break the rules.
• Do you commit to a review of the departments in the City of Boston to decrease the budget and make the city more efficient?
  • Yes. We need to retain people with institutional knowledge as they know how things work and how best a department can be run more efficiently.
  • Hard decisions will need to be made to cut costs and make the city more efficient.
• What is your position in using troops to end peaceful protests?
  • Kraft is against government mass deportation of people with no connection to violent crime.
• Meetinghouse Hill has many large Victorian homes that developers overpay for to raze and erect multi-unit apartment blocks. While some are awaiting landmark status from the Landmarks Commission, the ZBA is approving razing them for development. These homes are unprotected while awaiting approval. It is not right. How will you address this?
  • The Landmarks Commission should be a gateway for protection. The process for protecting historic homes needs to be streamlined.
  • The ZBA should respect homes that are on cue for protection status.
• What is your view of the city’s decarbonization plan?
  • Kraft acknowledges there is a delicate balance between requiring green building codes, which increase building costs, and housing needs.
  • He would work with developers to find a compromise in achieving these goals.
  • As for the roadways and bike lanes, Kraft would work with residents to see how they prefer to get around the city and plan accordingly.
• 26,000 units of permanent housing cannot get built because it is too expensive. What will you do to address the housing crisis?
  • He would model what Mayor Walsh did to incentivize getting housing built.
  • As for allowing 4-story units to be built as of right across the city, Kraft would bring this up for a discussion with residents.
• The Shattuck property is part of 450 acres of state-owned land, and Governor Healy would like to see it developed for housing. What is your position?
  • He would work with the state to bring those 13 acres back to Franklin Park.
  • A common-sense approach is needed to preserve Franklin Park for the community.
  • We should be responsive to the concerns and needs of the residents.
• What resources will you provide for people who have served their prison terms? Will you allow former inmates to vote?
  • Yes, Kraft believes in reinstating an inmate’s right to vote once s/he has served his/her time.
  • For resources, he’d be focused on public safety for everyone.
    • Operation Exit was a successful union trade program that started under Mayor Walsh but was discontinued. He would bring it back.
    • He would also institute a street worker program.
• With regards to comprehensive planning, Dorchester Bay City has estimated an additional 70,000 – 100,000 more car trips per day in our area, not to mention all the additional cars from the Copper Mill development. How will you address the looming transportation problem?
  • We need to get out in front of the planning before the plan is developed.
  • There is no comprehensive planning or infrastructure. They are planning on reducing the boulevard from 6 lanes to 4. That is just plain crazy.
  • We need to develop strong relations with legislators to get comprehensive planning
  • And strong relations with surrounding towns with regards to building housing.
• As your campaign faces an uphill battle against incumbent Mayor Wu, how will you get Republicans to vote for you?
  • The mayor’s job is really not political.
  • It is strictly a management and practicality job whose goal is to get things done for the benefit of its residents.