Boston City Council Adopts Stretch Energy Code 8-4 Over Labor Objections

BOSTON — April 5, 2023 — Boston City Council passes net-zero stretch energy code 8-4, with labor concerns dividing the chamber. Council President Edward M. Flynn, Councillors Erin J. Murphy, Julia M. Mejia, and Michael Flaherty all voted against Docket 0606 — Mayor Wu's ordinance adopting the state's Specialized Stretch Energy Code — arguing that gas fitters, pipe fitters, plumbers, electricians, and steelworkers had not been given a seat at the table before the vote was called. Councillor Ricardo Arroyo, chair of the Committee on Government Operations, declined to delay: "I'm not reconsidering. I'm still calling for a vote." The council also unanimously cleared Statements of Interest for MSBA funding for two Dorchester-Mattapan elementary schools, adopted Fair Housing Month and Second Chance Month resolutions, and read into the record District 8 Councillor Kenzie Bach's irrevocable resignation effective April 28 — a vacancy that will require the city to fill a seat covering Mission Hill, Fenway, Back Bay, Beacon Hill, and the West End.