Councillor Connolly to Chair Three Council Committees
BOSTON, MA – It was announced today that City Councillor At-Large John R. Connolly will chair three City Council Committees this year: Education, Environment, Health and Human Services, and the newly created committee known as the Special Committee on a Livable Boston.a
Councillor John R. Connolly just completed his first year on the Council. He served as Chair of the Environment and Health Committee and Vice Chair of the Education Committee. He also served as a member on six other committees: City & Neighborhood Services, Economic Development & Planning, Government Operations, Post Audit & Oversight, Ways & Means, and Youth Affairs.
Last year, as Chair of the Environment and Health Committee, Councillor Connolly focused on helping to make Boston a greener and healthier city. His efforts included filing a hearing order to examine local and individual strategies and actions to reduce the causes of global climate change. He will be holding neighborhood summits in the upcoming year to raise awareness surrounding this issue. He also filed legislation promoting energy efficient light bulbs, also known as Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs (CFL’s) and continues to work toward establishing a bike-share program in Boston. During the 2008 budget process Councillor Connolly pushed every city department to improve energy costs for facilities and vehicle fleets and, as part of the final budget for fiscal year 2009, Councillor Connolly secured a commitment from the administration to triple the number of hybrid vehicles to be added to the City of Boston fleet. In a yearend e-mail to constituents, Councillor Connolly noted, “This commitment promotes both environmental responsibility and sound fiscal policy. A sustainable city vehicle fleet will reduce carbon emissions and save your tax dollars through better fuel efficiency. Through measures like this, I truly believe we can make Boston the greenest and healthiest city in the world.”
As a former teacher and Vice Chair of the Education Committee, Councillor Connolly has made education a top priority. Last year Councillor Connolly filed an order for a hearing on the needs of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) and their families in the City of Boston. He met with parents of children with autism, educators and medical personnel who work with children diagnosed with ASDs. He plans to hold a hearing on the issue and promote some changes in programming offered by the city in 2009. Councillor Connolly also filed an order for a hearing on how to implement a chronic truancy intervention program that focuses on parental accountability and family engagement. Councillor Connolly is planning meetings with leaders in municipalities who have successfully implemented similar programs and he is advocating for a pilot program based on this model as part of Boston’s approach to truancy intervention.
