Despite key endorsements from political heavies like Mayor Thomas Menino and Speaker of the House Sal DiMasi, Presidential Candidate and New York Senator Hillary Clinton was unable to claim victory in Boston.
Although Clinton was victorious in the state of Massachusetts during Super Tuesday, the junior senator from Illinois proved to be more popular among Boston voters.
Barack Obama took 61,322 votes out of Boston or 52 percent to Clinton's 51,511 votes or 44 percent.
However, among voters in Ward 3's eight precincts, which includes Beacon Hill, the North End, the West End and Chinatown, Clinton was able to claim victory.
In Ward 3, Clinton received 3,124 votes to Obama's 2,890 votes. There, Clinton endorsements from Menino, DiMasi and City Councilor Sal LaMattina proved helpful. All congratulated their pick for president.
"Hillary Clinton is by far the strongest and best candidate for President and Massachusetts voters spoke loudly and clearly that she should be the Democratic nominee," said DiMasi. "I am pleased with what we in the Legislature were able to accomplish in this primary campaign with Senator Clinton. Representatives and senators doggedly worked the grassroots across the Commonwealth and I congratulate all of my fellow members of the Legislature for their hard work and a job well done."
DiMasi added that Massachusetts voters – like the rest of the country – have had enough of George Bush and they want our country to move in a bold new direction with Clinton as President.
"We now take the campaign across the country and, in November, with Hillary Clinton, we will bring the kind of meaningful change we know America needs in the White House," said DiMasi.
Despite losing Boston LaMattina was equally as happy with Clinton's performance statewide and in Ward 3.
"I am excited about Hillary win," said LaMattina, who represents Beacon Hill and the North End. "I think the people of are looking for a candidate who can take charge on day one. I think that a lot of people were very happy with the direction that President Bill Clinton lead the country and they believe that Hillary will do the same.
LaMattina went on to say that Menino and DiMasi did a great job running the campaign in Massachusetts and they should be commended.
City Councilor Michael Ross, who represents Beacon Hill and the West End and supports Obama was not at all discouraged by Clinton's strong showing in Ward 3 and commended Obama for his victory in Boston.
"I think Barack Obama had a lot of ground to cover in Boston but his win in the city definitely made it a race in Massachusetts," said Ross. "Hillary Clinton has long enjoyed good support from Boston's political establishment but I'm impressed that Obama, basically an unknown in the city two years ago, came in and carried the city."

Jae Kim of Charles Street Cleaners looks outside his shop window during last Wednesday's rainstorm.

City Council President Maureen Feeney has appointed City Councilor Michael Ross to chair both the Committee on Government Operations and the Special Committee of the Boston Common.
For the first committee, Ross will oversee the organization and structure of city government, including departmental fees and charges. All proposed ordinances and special laws affecting the structure, duties and responsibilities of city departments, agencies and commissions pass through the committee. The committee also reviews the city's policy regarding residency for city employees.
"This is perhaps the most active committees aside from Ways and Means," said Ross. "Any piece of local legislation, collective bargaining provisions and enforcement procedures will pass through the Committee on Government Operations."
Ross will coordinate and exercise oversight with respect to the Boston Retirement Board, City Clerk, Election Department, Execution of Courts, Graphic Arts Department, Health Benefits and Insurance Program, Human Resources Department, Law Department, Management Information Services, Medicare Payments, Office of the Mayor (except those components assigned to other committees), Pensions and Annuities, Purchasing Division, Residency Compliance Commission, and the Workers Compensation Program.
For the second committee, a new committee established by Ross, Councilor Sal LaMattina and Councilor Bill Linehan, Ross and the other three councilors will focus on promoting, protecting, and coordinating the Boston Common.
"Our aim will be how to make the Common work better for residents and visitors," said Ross. "We will take a look at current policies and see if they need to be tweaked for a more positive outcome."
Ross and the committee will be in charge with the evaluation of all programs, plans, commercial activity and private uses of the Common to ensure the long-term safety, viability and continued environmental and social health of the famed open space. The committee will exercise oversight over city departments conducting city business in connection with the Boston Common, including, the Department of Parks and Recreation, the Office of Arts, Tourism and Special Events, the Boston Police Department and the Emergency Shelter Commission.
"There are a lot of issues to tackle but a response from a committee like this one is needed," said Ross.
Ross will also sit on the Committees of Arts, Film, Humanities and Tourism and Economic Development and Planning.

City Council President Maureen Feeney has appointed City Councilor Sal LaMattina to chair both the Committee on Aviation and Transportation and the Committee on City and Neighborhood Services for the second time.
For the first committee, LaMattina will oversee surface, air and water transportation policies of the city, including public transportation, operations at Logan International Airport, hackney and jitney licenses, traffic calming, highway connections, resident parking program, parking freeze, imposition of tolls, and the Central Artery/Tunnel project including surface restoration and corridor master planning, including the planning for the Rose Kennedy Greenway.
“Boston is a regional hub and, as a result, there are a multitude of transportation issues that we have to deal with," said LaMattina. "What’s important is that we balance those with the quality of life of local residents. I think that people must be able to live here knowing that they can park near their homes, they can safely cross local bridges, they can count on the T to run on time, they can get a comfortable and safe taxi ride, and that tour buses aren’t sitting and idling on local
streets. Those are some of the issues we deal with on the council’s Aviation and Transportation Committee.”
LaMattina and the committee will also work on various inspectional, regulatory, and licensing activities used to implement city transportation policies. The committee exercises oversight with respect to the Central Artery Environmental Compliance Team, Office of the Parking Clerk, Public Improvement Commission, Public Works Department, and the Transportation Department.
For the second committee, LaMattina will work on how to better deliver municipal services to the city's residents and neighborhoods in order to promote improved service delivery and cost reductions. The committee also works with the city programs for family-based initiatives and oversees the Inspectional Services Department, Library Department, Office of Neighborhood Services, Boston Centers for Youth and Families, Parks and Recreation Department, Public Works Department, Registry Division, the Edward Ingersoll Browne Fund and the George Robert White Fund.
“There are no more basic jobs of city government than the functions I oversee on the council’s City and Neighborhood Services Committee," said LaMattina. "We all want clean neighborhoods, working street lights, plentiful recreation opportunities, and timely snow removal. We also want to know that the city will respond quickly when there is an issue that needs attention. Those are the expectations people have of City Hall, and they are expectations we should strive to meet every day.”
LaMattina will also sit on the Committees of Education, Financial Services & Community Investment, Intergovernmental Relations, Labor and Workforce Development, and Municipal, State, and Federal Relations.

The Clean Beacon Hill Committee wants to push for greater enforcement of and stiffer penalties for violations of the neighborhood’s trash policies. At a meeting last week, members expressed their dissatisfaction with the current state of cleanliness on the Hill, and possible measures that can be taken to counteract the problem.
The committee’s members are hoping that changes to the law might put greater pressure on landlords and tenants to keep the areas in front of their buildings clean. At the moment, said committee member Joe Green, who also sits on the Beacon Hill Business Association, violators simply ignore so-called “green tickets,” which typically carry fines of about $25 that are seldom chased after by the city.
Recently, Councilor Mike Ross drew up a legislative proposal that would put liens on properties with delinquent violations, and the proposal is currently before the state legislature.
According to Rep. Marty Walz, the legislature has proposals from a number of communities respecting code violations enforcement, including Boston. While Ross’s proposal, which was drawn up in partnership with the mayor, calls for tax liens on delinquent violators, other communities, such as Cambridge, are pursuing legislation which would add the violations amounts to the owner’s annual property tax bill.
The latter measure is thought to be a preferable means of enforcing violations by the Green Committee, whose members agree that adding violations to the property tax bill would be more effective than liens alone.
Walz said that the legislature is in the drafting stages of a single bill that would include the best aspects of several community proposals, including Ross’s, so that there was a statewide standard for enforcement.
“We’re trying to come up with the best bill we can for a problem that effects many communities,” said Walz, who added that she hopes the bill could be up for vote by the end of July. Walz said that enforcement was needed not simply for trash violations, but for individuals who were not meeting their snow removal obligations during the winter months.
Ultimately, however, the issue comes down to apathy, said Ross.
“We’re mostly battling apathy, and a city can survive on a lot of things but not apathy,” said Ross. “A city needs to have committed participants, and it’s the absentee landlords that don’t care.”
Ross said he agreed that the current violations system needs teeth, and he was open to considering any and all ideas, including fines increases. However, without enforcement, increases would be near pointless.
“When you’re increasing fines that don’t get paid in the first place, it doesn’t really make a difference,” he said.
Committee members were particularly upset by the recent state of Cambridge Street, where certain businesses were not meeting their cleanliness obligations.
Green said that the Inspection Services Department has the power to shut down business that do not adhere to trash codes, but that many business owners felt they could act with impunity in the current environment.
The trash situation is leading, expectedly, to a rodent epidemic both in Beacon Hill and city wide.
“This is our city and we want it clean,” said Green.

The Taj Boston celebrated its First Anniversary on January 10th with a gala reception for 200 guests, including representatives of many of Boston's cultural organizations and civic leaders. The classic 1927 Dining Room was transformed into a stylish supper club with curtains of cascading orchids, ice sculptures, lounge sofas and buffets of sushi, lobster, Indian specialties and creative desserts. Pictured above are Pinckney Street resident Michael Neagle and Paula Fullerton.

Some say you can’t put a price on love – but the retail industry has put a price on Valentine’s Day. According to the National Retail Federation, boyfriends, girlfriends, wives and husbands are expected to shell out $17.02 billion to make their honeys happy this holiday. According to the study, the average retailer is planning to spend $122.98 on Valentine’s Day, up slightly over last year’s total. Valentine's Day is the third largest retail spending holiday of the year, and it seems Cupid may be recession-proof.
It’s one of the busiest times of year at French Dressing, Beacon Hill’s premier lingerie shop. Owner Brenna Graham says business has been brisk so far, and employees are ready for a last-minute rush Wednesday and even Thursday.
“It’s such a fun holiday,” she says. “But it tends to be a guys’ holiday, so it tends to be a little more last-minute.”
She says the shop has been receiving many calls asking for evening hours so than men can swoop in after work. And this year, sheer pink camisole and boy short sets have been big sellers. Also popular have been the store’s pieces with hearts and lace, and anything in red and raspberry has been moving quickly off the racks.
Men also are playing it smart – and a little safe – by purchasing gift certificates.
“I see a lot of gift certificates this year, more than last year for sure,” Graham says.
As a little extra something special, French Dressing is selling rose-shaped arrangements of red thongs by the company Hanky Panky.
“It’s a fun, extra gift to give,” she says.
And women have also been coming in to pick up something special for a romantic evening, Graham says. Pretty bra and panty sets have been most popular.
“A lot of times during the rest of the year women will come in and buy something for everyday wear that they will get good use out of,” she says. “That seems to be thrown out the window at Valentine’s Day.”
She says it’s a holiday for both men and women.
“This is a great holiday for us because it cuts both ways,” she says.
Over at Wish on Charles St., manager Kristen Tahirak says the staff is ready to help men pick out a special gift that the women in their lives will truly love.
“If their girlfriend or wife is local, we are able to look up their past purchases and look up their sizes, the designers they like and their style,” Tahirak says. “We try to work one-on-one with our customers to make it comfortable.”
She says that many men are not intimidated by buying a special dress or outfit for their significant others, and they find they actually enjoy picking out clothes. And many of the clothes from the spring collection being currently showcased are in hues of red and pink.
For those who don’t want to pick out a designer clothing piece, Wish also has a great selection of jewelry from local designers such as Erin Roth and Betsy Frost. Wish also carries beautiful pieces from Virginia design team Ley Love. And like French Dressing, Tahirak says at Wish they are prepped for a rush later in the week.
“We are ready for the last minute shopper,” she says.