Looking Forward to 2009

Dear Friends and Supporters,

I hope this e-mail finds you well. As I begin my second year on the Boston City Council, I am writing to update you about my priorities for the Council’s 2009 session. I will chair three committees this year, which I hope will allow me to continue work on our shared vision for a safe, affordable, and sustainable Boston.

At our first council meeting this year, I was named Acting Chair of the Education Committee. As a former teacher who campaigned on the importance of a world-class public school system, I am energized by the opportunity to lead this committee. With Boston facing difficult budgetary times, the Council will work hard through the Education Committee to ensure that our schools are not adversely impacted by the recession. Additionally, I look forward to advancing my proposal for a new model to combat truancy. We will also continue promoting innovative proposals aimed at fostering schools that effectively close the achievement gap and offer a highly challenging education to every student across Boston.

I was also named Chair of the newly formed Special Committee on a Livable Boston. This Special Committee has a one year mission to examine the impact of the recession on Bostonians and to examine Boston’s ability to attract and retain people from all walks of life who will call Boston home for a lifetime. Quite simply, this committee will do its work out in the neighborhoods by holding community forums aimed at hearing from you on how we can ensure that Boston is livable and stays livable. I would welcome your thoughts and ideas and I hope to see you at one of our forums.

Finally, I am thrilled to retain my role as Chair of the Environment & Health Committee where I will continue to push to make Boston the greenest City in the world. We should strive to reach this goal both out of a shared responsibility to protect our environment and to secure Boston’s place in the emerging “clean and green economy.” Leading the way in a green economy is the key to restoring job creation and economic growth in our City and region. In the coming year, I hope that the Committee can play a vital role in Boston’s greening through a number of proposals including my call to engage neighbors and neighborhoods in reducing our carbon footprint as well as bringing a shared bike program to Boston.

I wish you the best in the New Year and I hope that you will not hesitate to contact me if I can be of service or if you have any thoughts or ideas on how we can work together to improve Boston.

As always, thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve in a job I love.

With best wishes,

John R. Connolly

Boston City Councillor At-Large

You can visit www.ConnollyforBoston.com to learn more. Our web site reconstruction will be finished very soon so we hope that you will check back often.