Boston City Council Places Elected School Committee Question on November Ballot

BOSTON — September 15, 2021 — Boston City Council votes to put elected school committee question on November ballot. The council, presided over by President Pro Tempore Matt O'Malley, voted unanimously September 15 to place a non-binding advisory question before voters on November 2 asking whether Boston's appointed school committee should be replaced by an elected one — reviving an effort that passed the council in 2014 before being vetoed by then-Mayor Marty Walsh. A second non-binding question, also approved unanimously, asks voters whether a high-voltage Eversource substation should be built at 400 Condor Street in East Boston near homes, parks, and a flood risk area rather than at an alternate site such as Logan Airport. The council also passed a one-sentence ordinance requiring the city to prepay return postage on all mail-in ballots, with Councilor Lydia Edwards citing residents who showed up to doors holding sealed ballots and asking, "Do you have a stamp?" Councilor Kenzie Bok said existing ARPA and CARES Act funds are flexible enough to cover the cost, estimated by Edwards at under $100,000. The council also created a Commission on Black Men and Boys — first vetoed in 2014 — and accepted a $25 million Commonwealth Builder Program grant for workforce homeownership units.