On April 29, State Representative and current Boston mayoral candidate Marty Walsh stopped by the UMass Boston Campus Center to speak with students. This event was organized by the Undergraduate Student Government, the Public Policy Minor, and the Political Science Department.
Student Trustee Alexis Marvel introduced Walsh, who has served the thirteenth district in Dorchester as a State Representative for the past 16 years. He has worked on issues concerning economic development, education, and substance abuse prevention.
“I’m a huge supporter of UMass, and I’m really excited about the construction of the new Science Center and the groundbreaking of the General Academic building,” Walsh said. “Tom Menino was Mayor for 20 years, Ray Flynn was mayor for 10 years, and there’s a good chance the next mayor will be the mayor for at least eight years. In those eight years your lives are going to change drastically. How you’re going to buy a house and where you’re going to work — that affects you as Bostonians.”
Walsh graduated from Boston College in 2009. “I was making money working in construction for a couple of years and I got a job with a labor union — and then I realized, I needed my degree… I literally took one or two classes each semester and battled until I got my degree.”
Calling UMass Boston students “the future of the city of Boston,” Walsh said, “One thing I would do as mayor is to make sure the people of Boston have a lot of educational incentives… to go back to school and get their degree.”
Walsh told students, “Ask me anything. No question is off limits because this is an important opportunity to hear what the young people are thinking about in the city of Boston.”
One student asked “What’s your take on the MBTA system? Are you planning on extending service hours? Because right now the service really sucks.”
Walsh responded, “One of the difficulties with the MBTA is that it is really underfunded. However, as a city, it’s important for us to look at extending service — or at least limited service in certain areas.”
Junior Pat Cassaza asked, “Since we’re probably going to have casinos with free alcoholic drinks in the Boston area, do you plan on negotiating with those casinos to allot some money to the underfunded MBTA?”
Walsh responded, “It’s not just the casinos that want extended service. A lot of downtown businesses including bar or nightclub owners want the trains open later… I don’t want to see them raise fares on people.”
Walsh also urged students to keep up with local politics, saying, “Whether or not you get involved in this mayoral race or in my campaign, just contact your elected officials and ask them some questions. Everything we do as politicians affects you!”