By Michael Coughlin Jr.
Josh Kraft, a candidate for mayor, joined the Jeffries Point Neighborhood Association (JPNA) at its latest monthly meeting last week to discuss his candidacy and take questions.
“Thirty-five years ago, I made a decision not to go to work in the family business but instead do community work,” said Kraft, son of New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who worked with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston for 30 years and was its CEO and President for 12 of those years.
Kraft said that he feels the city is “headed in the wrong direction,” and is being led by an administration that “focuses on political ideology more than they focus on all of you, all of us, the residents of Boston.”
He explained that his administration would have five “core tenets”: common sense, accountability, accessibility, transparency, and competent fiscal management.
Moreover, Kraft noted that through the abovementioned tenets, he plans to make housing more affordable, especially for working families, improve schools, aid in issues with substance use, such as at Mass and Cass, with a recovery-first mindset, be fiscally responsible, and improve city services.
Some specific aspects of his plans mentioned were to bring on elected members to the city’s school committee and create a Boston recovery campus within the first six months of his administration, among other items.
Following his remarks, Kraft began to take questions from those in attendance. One resident commented that East Boston was not represented on the city’s school committee and wondered how Kraft would work to ensure equity in representation.
Kraft noted that his idea for the school committee would be a hybrid with appointed and elected members and ensured that the neighborhood would have a voice, whether that was through an appointed or elected member.
Another resident asked about Kraft’s position on bike lanes. “I am for bike lanes,” he said, but disagreed with how they have been implemented, related to studies, data collection, and taking public input.
An attendee requested more information regarding Kraft’s plans for a recovery campus and how it might operate.
Kraft explained that the idea was initially presented three and a half years ago by stakeholders in the Newmarket Business District.
“Basically, it is housing, but it’s not low-threshold housing, you’ve got to be in recovery,” he said. “There’s no substance use inside there, and it focuses on recovery and mental illness first, and then as you move along, we’ll start to talk about workforce development and potential housing stability, basics of housing.”
The mayoral candidate was also asked his opinion regarding the most significant issue facing Boston and how he would fix it.
Kraft said he thought the city was in a housing emergency, whether that be affordable housing or housing for middle-class working families.
He explained that his policy would be to kick-start permitted projects that have been unable to be built and use the tax revenue generated from those to create a first-time home buyer program, “that increases income eligibility to include working families.”
Kraft also suggests a program called “opt-in rent control.” “If a landlord opts into the program and keeps their rents at minimal increases over 10 years, they’ll get a 20% tax rebate, also partially funded by the tax revenue, by jump-starting the housing projects,” he said.
He also mentioned Mass and Cass as a significant issue. “I think finding support for those folks and also finding relief for the neighborhoods that are impacted by it is really important,” said Kraft.
Immigration policy was brought up. “I’m completely, completely, against the mass deportation plans of the federal government,” Kraft said. “I will stand strong with our immigrant communities, I will fight any deportation plans.”
Kraft was also asked about his criticism of the current administration for using public funds for White Stadium, relating to the fact that his family is proposing a soccer stadium in Everett, which could use public funds for infrastructure improvements in the area. He said he has “nothing to do with the family business” and would recuse himself from any decisions related to the stadium in Everett.
The same resident asked how he “reconciles [his] progressive political aspirations for Boston,” with members of his family’s support for President Donald Trump.
“My dad and I agree on many things. We’ve disagreed on Donald Trump since 2016,” Kraft said. “The very people that she (his mother) told me I had to always fight for and look out for are right in Donald Trump’s radar, so there’s no way I would ever support him or his beliefs or what he does.”
As the question and answer portion of the meeting continued, various subjects were covered, such as parking enforcement, street paving, and other city services, city staffing, affordable housing, and much more.
Kraft said he appreciated the time and questions before the meeting moved on to its following agenda item.
For more information about the JPNA, and to view a recording of the entire discussion, visit https://jeffriespoint.org/. The next JPNA monthly meeting is scheduled for September 8.