A NEW CITY CHARTER FOR A NEW CITY COUNCIL

*Ensure that Boston residents have more of a say in the city management through a new city charter which provides for legislative and budgetary powers in the council. Currently, the Boston City Council can not propose any municipal laws which cost money nor can it propose any budget appropriations. It can only vote to reduce or eliminate a budget, a power of litle value because the mayor's budget is automatically implemented should the council not act on it by a certain time.

There is no practical reason for the council to simply play the role of the mayor's rubber stamp. In contrast, New York has a population some 15 times the size of our own and still manages to have a city council which provides all of the more than 50 city's districts with decision making power in both the budget and legislation. We need more than a "talking heads" council in Boston to ensure that Boston residents have a real role in our city government.

City Charter audio