For the first time in nearly a decade, Beacon Hill residents will have a choice when marking their ballots for state representative next week.

North End resident Kenneth J. Procaccianti, 23, is challenging Speaker of the House Sal DiMasi for his seat in the Third Suffolk District, which encompasses Beacon Hill, Chinatown, Bay Village, the North End and the South End. DiMasi, who has occupied the seat for 28 years and became speaker of the house in 2004, has been in office since before Procaccianti was born.

A lifelong resident of the North End and a father of two, DiMasi has served 14 terms and has not been contested in eight to 10 years, according to his own estimation.

“The neighborhoods of this district have really suffered as a result,” Procaccianti said in an interview with The Beacon Hill Times on Thursday. Procaccianti hopes to infuse the seat with new energy.

Of the reported prostitution in Chinatown and drug deals on Beacon Hill and in the South End, Procaccianti said, “If it were me and I’d been in office for 30 years, there’s no way I could tolerate drug deals going down in my neighborhood.”

The self-described “entrepreneur at heart” believes his candidacy sends a powerful message that residents – young or old – should not be afraid to take on politicians. He is also waging his campaign Generation Y-style, airing video commercials first on MySpace, YouTube, and GoogleVideo prior to running them on television.

In one commercial, “Running for Boston,” Procaccianti jogs through the streets of Boston and promises to lower the income tax to 5 percent for every Boston resident. “I’m on a mission to keep criminals and drug deals out of the South End. I will tackle the high cost of living to make it easier for young professionals and college students to get a good job. And I’m the only candidate in this race who will cut the state income tax to 5 percent for every Boston resident,” he said.

Another commercial “T.T.Y.L” (an abbreviation used on Instant Messenger meaning “talk to you later”) features an anonymous Instant Messenger between two people trying to figure out who their state representative is. The catchphrase? “Most people don’t know who their state rep is and he’s been here almost 30 years.”

One challenge has been gaining the recognition of his opponent. DiMasi did not respond to Procaccianti’s request for a public debate. Procaccianti said he was “very disappointed” and called DiMasi’s decision “arrogant and out of touch.”

DiMasi countered Procaccianti’s claims in a Thursday interview and said that he makes sure he is present at the polls and at community meetings. “I take every election seriously,” he said. “I’ve been lucky enough to be elected by my constituents over and over again.”

DiMasi said that he accomplished several of his goals for his district over the last term. An economic stimulus bill that created thousands of jobs, support for stem cell research, and health care reform, which he called a “landmark piece of legislation,” were among his successes, he said.

Procaccianti’s youth belies his political aptitude. A 2004 graduate of Northeastern University in politics and public policy, Procaccianti has held several high-profile political jobs. While in school, he worked within the State Department’s Bureau of European Affairs in Washington DC as well as the Pioneer Institute’s Center for Urban Entrepreneurship in Boston, where he created “how-to” guides for starting small businesses in cities like Lawrence, Springfield and Worcester.

“It opened my eyes to, Wow, there’s a lot of red tape in trying to launch a small business,” he said.

After his graduation, Procaccianti worked at the State House as a policy analyst for the House of Representatives before moving to his current position as national director of marketing for Metro Networks, a division of the media company Westwood One.

Procaccianti decided to run last February when he noticed a trend among his friends and colleagues that saw them leaving Boston to establish a career or start a family.

“It really upset me. There are so many issues that go unnoticed” in state government, he said. He wants to mitigate the factors he sees as driving people from Boston – the income tax, an outdated auto insurance policy, and public safety.

“Some people might have thought I was going out there to put my head on the chopping block.” Since then, his grassroots campaign (his brother and his girlfriend are heavily involved) has garnered support among the community associations he has frequented and the neighbors whose doors he has knocked on.

“We try to knock on every door in the district,” he said. “It’s really doubtful you’d see Representative DiMasi at 8 o’clock walking up Irving Street.”

He said residents unaccustomed to politicians visiting their houses and meetings appreciate his presence and the fact that he faces many of the same realities as the constituents, such as job opportunities and the cost of living.
This week, Procaccianti began featuring his commercials on ESPN, FoodNetwork, TBS, TNT, USA and Bravo. The aggressive television campaign “shows we’re in it to win it. We’re taking on a giant and we plan to win,” he said. “My sights are set on November 7.”

The number of undergraduate Suffolk University students living in off-campus housing on Beacon Hill this fall has more than doubled since last year — an increase some say shows why the school should build a new dorm here while others say it shows it should not.

Last week Suffolk officials filed the statistics with the city, as required under the University Accountability Ordinance enacted by the Boston City Council to give neighborhoods a sense of how many graduate and undergraduate students live within their borders. Colleges have 45 days after the beginning of each semester to file the numbers. Information about how many students from other universities live on Beacon Hill is not yet available, according to Sita Smith of City Councilor Michael P. Ross’ office. Suffolk is the first university to file its data.

The university has enrolled 8,028 full- and part-time students seeking to earn degrees at its Boston campus this fall. Of them, 765 students live in its two residence halls at 10 Somerset Street and 150 Tremont Street, and 7,263 live off-campus — 2,302 of whom live within the City of Boston. Of those living in the city, 272 students have addresses with 02108 and 02114 zip codes. In addition, 153 full- and part-time graduate students live in the area.

The remainder of students living in off-campus housing within the city are spread among 24 neighborhoods, with the next highest concentrations in the North End, Allston, Back Bay and Brighton.

“Part of the increase [on Beacon Hill] is due to an increase in our knowledge of tracking where students actually live,” said Suffolk Vice President John Nucci. “However, the numbers scream out for Suffolk to house more students in dormitories.”

Suffolk, which plans to increase its undergraduate enrollment to 5,000 during the next few years and to convert from a commuter to a residential college, has said its immediate need is to build more housing which would mean fewer students in neighborhood, off-campus housing. It currently plans to construct a dormitory at 20 Somerset Street to house 550 students. “The harsh reality is that the numbers will increase if we can’t build new housing,” he said. “I can’t think of anything that speaks more to this.”

In its own residential facilities, Suffolk wants to house its freshmen and sophomores, who Nucci said are most notorious for holding loud parties that disrupt neighborhoods. Of the students living this semester on Beacon Hill, 33 percent are freshmen, 30 percent sophomores, 19 percent juniors and 17 percent seniors.

But some residents fear that building a new dormitory on Somerset Street will eventually result in more, rather than less, students living in off-campus apartments on Beacon Hill. Pinckney Street resident David Thomas, who owns several properties on the Hill, thinks this year’s increase may be due to the new dormitory at 10 Somerset Street. He predicts that underclassmen who initially live in a dormitory will choose to remain in the neighborhood in their junior and senior years so that they will be near the campus and their friends still living in the dormitories.

“This is a dynamic that can’t be denied,” Thomas said. “All this is hogwash that building a dorm will take kids away from the neighborhood. The reverse will happen.”

Beacon Hill is waiting with baited breath for the Election Day referendum on the wine-at-food-stores initiative, otherwise known as Ballot Question 1, which would allow supermarkets, convenience stores and gas stations to sell wine.

If the initiative passes, Whole Foods in Charles River Plaza may be permitted to carry wine, thereby putting pressure on the smaller liquor stores that line Cambridge Street and dot Beacon Hill. State law currently prohibits any person or store from owning more than three liquor licenses.

“Big stores want to take over everything,” said Alex Marder, owner of Simmons Liquors on Cambridge Street, adding that the initiative is “their idea.”

The Massachusetts Food Association collected 65,000 signatures in December to place the measure on the state ballot.

The proposed law pertains only to “food stores,” which are defined as retail vendors that sell meat, poultry, dairy products, eggs, fresh fruit and produce.

Passage of the wine-sales ballot question would limit the number of additional wine licenses for each town or city based on population. Municipalities with more than 5,000 residents, like Boston, could issue one additional wine-only license for every 5,000 residents.

If every community in Massachusetts used its maximum number of licenses, the state could award 2,800 new licenses. No person or business could hold more than 10 percent of the total number of licenses issued under the proposed law. If Question 1 passes, the city’s Licensing Board would still oversee the licensing process.

Eddie J. Jenkins, chairman of the Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission, Ted Mahoney, the agency’s chief investigator, and the Boston City Council unanimously oppose the initiative.

“Boston’s unique fabric of neighborhoods is composed of small businesses, including gourmet food stores, restaurants and wine outlets, where the owner still works behind the counter,” Council Mike Ross said in a press release last month. “Is it fair to force these members of our community to compete with large, multi-national companies like Wal-Mart?”

In the weeks leading up to the election, advocacy groups have aired commercials for and against the initiative. Vote No on Question 1 has argued that selling wine in food stores would boost drunken-driving fatalities and, that once the stores have permission to sell wine, the same stores would push for permission to sell beer and other types of liquor.

Meanwhile, Yes on 1: Grocery Stores and Consumers for Fair Competition has emphasized the importance for competitive pricing and an open market. The group has estimated that consumers would save between $26 and $36 million each year through competitive pricing.

David Lannon, North Atlantic president of Whole Foods Market, told The Beacon Hill Times earlier this year that he thought the Whole Foods Market at Charles River Plaza would be a “good location for wine sales.”

Marder said that Whole Food’s wine sales would have a “direct effect” on liquor stores on Beacon Hill. “It’s not just me. It would affect the whole street,” he said.

One block over, a Jobi Liquor clerk who did not wish to be identified by name, agreed. “We’re all in the same boat,” he said.

Judy Avery of West Cedar Street opposes the initiative but said that she would be inclined to shop at Whole Foods because most of the area liquor stores “cater to winos.”

“I fear the big chains will be the ones to reap the advantages. On the other hand, driving out a few liquor stores will be awfully nice,” she said.

Lindall Court resident Charlie Dow said that he was in favor of the initiative because it would be convenient “for many people who don’t live near a liquor store” and promote competitive pricing. He said he was not sure if he would buy wine at Whole Foods instead of stores on the Hill. “I’d have to wait and see what they’d offer,” he said.

credit: Laia Albaladejo

caption: The victorious Beacon Hill Softball team included Chad and Jill Hauff, Tom Ayres, Mark Jacklovsky, Damon Brown, Dan Alting, Kristin Frost, Sarah Kelderhouse, Paul Grote and friend, Christine White and Darren Wetzel.





The Beacon Hill team came together for a complete effort today. Stellar defense throughout the game and steady hitting from top to bottom fueled a solid win on this perfect October afternoon. The game was close through four innings, but Beacon Hill threw a shutout in the last three and scored seven more runs to win the final game of the year 13-8.

The Back Bay team was slow to start the game, going down 1-2-3 in the first two innings. The Beacon Hill outfielders, Paul, Chad, Jill, and Kristin, played a big part in stifling their offense by running down everything hit into the air. The pitcher, Damon, and first baseman, Dan, also teamed up to record several outs in the first two innings as well as throughout the entire game.

Beacon Hill took advantage by scoring five runs in the first. Paul and Darren led off with doubles, and Sarah, Tom, and Damon followed with RBI singles. Beacon Hill added another run in the second on an RBI single by Darren. After two, Beacon Hill led 6-0.

Back Bay broke out their bats in the third inning, scoring seven runs on a long series of singles and doubles. Seemingly everything they hit found a hole, and no amount of defense was going to stop them. Back Bay hit through their order and took the lead, 7-6. They held Beacon Hill scoreless in the bottom of the third and added another run in the fourth to go up 8-6.

Beacon Hill was up for the challenge and responded in the fourth with three runs. Chad, Dan, and Paul all singled to load the bases, while Darren tripled to clear them. The runs gave Beacon Hill the lead again, 9-8.

Beacon Hill turned up the defense a notch in the fifth to hold Back Bay scoreless. A highlight of the inning was Christine snaring a hot grounder towards second base for the second out of the inning. Solid play at shortstop and third by Darren and Tom cemented the defensive effort.

The bottom half of the inning was much like the fourth with Beacon Hill scoring another three runs. Damon led off with a double and Christine followed with a single. Jill hit a double over the center fielder’s head to score Damon, and Chad followed with an RBI single to score Christine. Following Dan’s fly out to left field, Mark grounded to short to bring in Jill for the third run. The insurance runs put Beacon Hill ahead 12-8 going into the sixth.

The sixth and seventh innings were dominated by Beacon Hill defense. The outfield recorded several more outs, and strong throws from third kept Back Bay off the base paths in the sixth inning. The seventh inning ended with a web gem by Tom at shortstop. With runners on first and second, Tom backhanded a rocket hit deep in the hole and, from his knees, spun around and tossed it to third for the last out of the game. Beacon Hill tacked on one more run in the sixth to complete the scoring and win the final game of the Fall Softball Series.

Scary Stories

Halloween is one of those holidays that seems to have intensified over the years. One Acorn Street resident reported that she expects to give out 900 pieces of candy this year. We’re doing our part for the holiday by inviting children who live or go to school in the neighborhood to write a scary story. We award prizes, but the best prize for budding writers is to see their name in print under the title of a story they have written.

Since journalists understand that satisfaction, what better place to have a story contest than in your neighborhood newspaper.


New leaders

Boston city government is facing a situation unique in its recent history. Its most important departments have new leadership. Edward F. Davis comes from Lowell to take on the job of police commissioner. Manuel Rivera is leaving Rochester, New York, to become Boston’s superintendent of schools. Dennis Royer has taken a newly created job in Mayor Menino’s cabinet, which enables him to supervise both the public works department and the transportation department. Tom Tinlin has moved from interim to permanent head of the transportation department. We’ll have a new governor no matter who wins.

These changes are welcome. So many times in this old provincial city — somewhat isolated by occupying a small piece of a far corner in a big country — there is the feeling that Bostonians know it all because we’ve done it so long with important people who have grown into national influence. That attitude can be counterproductive.

We hope these new people will bring new ideas that will build on Boston’s strengths and rectify its weaknesses. We need more housing at all price points, cleaner streets, better maintenance, a more vigorous economy, more convenient transportation and, probably most important, better schools to make sure our young people are prepared to lead in the future. Our new leaders have their work cut out for them, and we wish them well.

Beacon Hill’s northern edge

Even though Cambridge Street’s renovation still plods along, there are big changes along Beacon Hill’s northern edge.

The Charles Circle construction is rapidly taking shape. The pedestrian island’s contours are now visible. It is interesting to watch drivers try to figure out which lane they will take. Some residents have complained that the station is too big. The sound walls that line the tracks take up even more visual space.

It is hard to see, given what had to go into the station, how it could have been smaller, and at least the new materials complement the old copper exterior that has been preserved.

The writer of this piece needs to make full disclosure about the sound walls: The garden behind her house is fairly close to the tracks. Her garden and the rooms with open windows at the back of her house will be quieter. So thank you, everyone else, for putting up with some visual clutter so that my family can have some peace and quiet.

It’s not just the station, however, that brings changes. The hotel adjacent to it will offer a couple of new restaurants to the neighborhood, as well as meeting rooms residents will probably make use of.

Hotel guests will enjoy walks down Charles Street and the outdoor restaurants that we hope will ultimately occupy Cambridge Street’s sidewalks. Their presence should help boost the incomes of our neighborhood businesses, which helps keep them in the neighborhood for us.

High-rise


Plans for the new building that has been proposed for the former Filene’s site were recently unveiled. The building is attractive enough. But high-rise construction would have a lot more advocates if developers and architects paid more attention to the tops of the buildings. One building alone might look fine with a flat top, but when you put them all together, they look boring and ugly. Boston’s tall buildings are particularly awkward in that from a distance they layer poorly. This new building unpleasantly brings Boston one more flat top.

Not all buildings should look like the Chrysler building or the Empire State building, but those are two examples of high-rise buildings that add interest and beauty to a skyline. If more buildings were designed from those models, Boston’s residents might be more interested in seeing another gargantuan structure get built.