Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and City Councilor Ed Flynn are employing similar political strategies to appeal to new Boston residents who may be unhappy with the boozy St. Patrick’s Day parade and noisy outdoor dining in the North End.
Flynn’s suggestion to move the rowdy Southie parade downtown is a knee jerk reaction to appease the upscale yuppie families and other residents who have taken over the traditional working class Irish American neighborhood.
This is not the same neighborhood that Billy Bulger and Joe Moakley represented in the 80’s and 90’s still dominated by Irish Americans who relished participating in the St. Patrick’s parade. Thousands of Southie residents have been priced out of their neighborhood, replaced by upscale renters and condo owners in the bustling Seaport area.
Most of the parade spectators – including those who cause the problems – now come from out of town.
Flynn, from South Boston, and Wu, from Roslindale, may have their eye on higher offices as they seek to control problems in the North End and Southie and support newer Boston residents there.
It’s a smart political strategy and why they both won convincing victories in their last election. The city’s demographics have changed radically over the last few decades and Flynn and Wu are simply responding to those changes.
Flynn’s proposal to move the parade to a different neighborhood doesn’t make sense though, and in fact does not have the support of every other political leader.
Wouldn’t it make more sense just to ask police to crack down on the drinking, violence and rowdy behavior, rather than just move the problems somewhere else?
“The images, videos and stories of the violence and chaos that took place at the parade are disturbing and unacceptable,” state Sen. Nick Collins said. “With a spectator crowd twice the size of the Boston Marathon, it requires an enhanced city-state level security plan going forward. We need to prioritize the experience of law-abiding citizens coming to celebrate what is annually the largest public event in Boston and not allow disorderly and criminal behavior of visiting spectators to disgrace a tradition that’s been around for 124 years. Those who break the law must be held accountable.”
Wu’s stubborn refusal to allow outdoor street dining in the North End also is a nod to new residents who have taken over the pricey neighborhood and have long opposed restaurants’ attempts to serve food out in the narrow, crowded streets.
In meetings in 2023, North End residents turned out in force to oppose outdoor dining, complaining about crowded sidewalks, rodent problems, trash problems, late night noise and loss of parking spaces.
It’s these types of complaints that Wu cited for her reason for turning down outdoor street dining in the neighborhood.
Wu is certainly not going to change her mind – she won’t be intimidated by the 10 restaurant owners with handmade signs who turned out recently in protest of the city’s outdoor dining ban.
The suggestion from some restaurant owners that Wu is discriminating against Italian Americans seems preposterous.
She’s just practicing good politics.
