Keller: Mayor Wu's wise course correction

To stop skyrocketing energy costs, MA needs battery storage.

It was the speed-hump nightmare on Allandale Street that really tore it.

In early February of last year, barely a month after gung-ho bureaucrats from Boston’s Streets Cabinet jammed 13 speed humps into a quiet stretch of Allandale near Faulkner Hospital (reducing traffic to a crawl and assuring patients in ambulances of a spine-jarringly bumpy ride), the backlash against the city’s street-traffic makeover reached critical mass. The humps were dumped. Mayor Michelle Wu ordered a 30-day review of the bus and bike lane expansions that had infuriated many residents and business owners, conducted by a team that notably did not include hyper-aggressive Chief of Streets Jascha Franklin-Hodge.

The review’s findings were scathing: “We heard consistent feedback that project communications and community engagement were inadequate, that decisions seemed predetermined, and that processes too often did not achieve consensus, contributing to a loss of community trust. Many felt that their feedback was given insufficient attention and that temporary measures were allowed to remain for too long without further analysis of impacts and outcomes. We heard feedback that the tone of some engagements was very heavy-handed and relevant information was not shared, questioning the veracity of the process. Many believed neighborhood feedback was not weighed as heavily as others when decisions were made.”

Thanks to a March 15 Globe report, we know that period triggered a dramatic slowdown of the city’s efforts, which now require the mayor’s “personal approval on most transit and road safety projects.” Franklin-Hodge is gone, along with many others from the Streets Cabinet. Disappointment with Wu is rampant among the current and former cabinet employees who vented to the Globe, not to mention the car-deploring activists over at StreetsBlog Mass, who headlined their coverage: “Globe Report Implicates Mayor Michelle Wu In Street Safety, Transit Project Cancellations.”

To stop skyrocketing energy costs, MA needs battery storage.

9:15 | Boston Mayor Michelle Wu convenes city planners, business leaders and historians to discuss "the future of Faneuil Hall Marketplace." The event will feature a series of panel discussions and a speech from Mayor Wu about "the district's importance, expectations for long-term stewardship, and the City's broader ambitions." | Great Room, Faneuil Hall, Boston

11:00 | The Joint Committee on Ways and Means holds a hearing focused on education and local aid funding included in Gov. Healey's $63.38 billion fiscal 2027 budget proposal. Representatives of the following agencies are scheduled to testify: Executive Office of Education, including the Department of Early Education and Care, Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and Department of Higher Education. | Lawrence High School Performing Arts Center, Lawrence | More Info and Access

11:00 | The Special Joint Committee on Initiative Petitions holds a public hearing on the measure (H 5005) that would steer sales tax revenue from sporting goods like golf clubs, RVs and camping gear into a new "Nature for All Fund.” | Room A-1, State House, Boston | More Info and Access

1:00 | The Mass Cultural Council holds an event to celebrate investments made in Hampden County's cultural sector. The program includes remarks from the council's Acting Executive Director David Slatery, Chair Ché Anderson and Vice-Chair Jo-Ann Davis, MASSCreative Executive Director Emily Ruddock, and MassHumanities Executive Director Brian Boyles, among others. | El Mercado Local, 413 Main St., Holyoke | More Info and Register

2:00 | The Special Joint Committee on Initiative Petitions holds a public hearing on the measure (H 5002) that would repeal adult-use recreational marijuana. | Room A-1, State House, Boston | More Info and Access

6:00 | The Professional Fire Fighters of Massachusetts holds its annual A. Michael Mullane Legislator's Night. Treasurer Deb Goldberg attends. Auditor Diana DiZoglio is slated to speak. | Florian Hall, 55 Hallet St., Dorchester

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Attorney General Andrea Campbell, who is running for a second four-year term, has picked up the endorsement of the Environmental League of Mass. Action Fund as the group gears up for another election cycle.

“Attorney General Andrea Campbell has shown what it means to lead with both conviction and results,” Elizabeth Henry, the president of the environmental group, said in a statement. “She has been on the frontlines defending Massachusetts’ climate leadership by taking on federal overreach, protecting offshore wind, and fighting to  lower costs for ratepayers across the Commonwealth.”

In her own statement, Campbell said “the climate crisis is a defining challenge of our time” and noted that she sought to protect offshore wind development from the Trump administration.

Campbell has drawn a GOP challenger, Lynnfield attorney Michael Walsh, who has been involved in several legal fights involving the MBTA Communities law.

The ELM Action Fund has an accompanying super PAC focused on “mobilizing moderate and Latino voters, highlighting the economic benefits of clean energy and the leadership of our endorsed candidates.” The super PAC boosted Dylan Fernandes when he successfully ran for a Plymouth-based Senate seat in 2024.

Separately, Dan Koh, the former Marty Walsh aide who is running for Seth Moulton’s congressional seat, picked up the support of Shannon Watts, the founder emerita of gun safety group Moms Demand Action. She called Koh, an Andover Democrat, a “dedicated public servant.” 

“We need leaders in Congress who will put lives over gun lobby paychecks,” she added. “For every minute we spend waiting for change, innocent lives are lost.”

AI GENERATION: It’s not just the Massachusetts governor’s race. Campaigns all over are using AI to boost their bids for public office. – NBC News

MEDIA MATTERS: For $500, media outlets can get a booth at the MassGOP’s April convention. The booth overlooks the convention floor. Reporters can still get free media passes to cover the convention. – Boston Globe

CAMPAIGN CASH: Campaigns can use their cash to pay dues at Invitation-only social clubs, but not parking tickets. A review of Boston City Council campaign finances showed one councilor spent money on both. – WBUR

TROOPER OVERTIME: A review of state salary data showed 50 members of the State Police made more money in overtime pay than their base salaries in 2025. That’s actually a decrease from the previous year, when 62 saw hefty overtime checks. – MassLive

TRAIN MAKER’S CARS: Train car shells seized by U.S. Customs have now been released, and MBTA Red Line car production at a Springfield plant is set to resume. Workers in Springfield who had been furloughed as a result of the hold-up are now expected to be recalled, said a spokesperson for the company, CRRC MA. – GBH News

SHERIFF BUDGETS: Paul Heroux, the Bristol County sheriff, said he agrees that the budgeting process for the state’s sheriffs is “chaotic,” he pushed back on the idea that they’re overspending and said “there’s nowhere for us to cut.” – New Bedford Light

CITY HALL SPENDING: Boston City Hall department heads received a memo from Wu administration officials calling for a spending freeze that covers food, travel, and office supplies. The memo comes after a delay on new hires announced in December. – Boston Globe

WAKEFIELD LAYOFFS: A packaging company plans to lay off 91 employees, including members of the Teamsters and SEIU 32BJ, inside its Wakefield facility. The packaging company has operational facilities in Bellingham, Springfield and Devens. – Boston Business Journal

T’S CRIME DROP: The MBTA system saw a double-digit decrease in crime. Reported robberies, in particular, were down 33% between 2024 and 2025. – MassLive

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Training and Event Coordinator, Massachusetts Office for Victim Assistance

Campaign Manager, Committee to Elect Tom Hopcroft

Director of Government Affairs, Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston

Chief Administrative and Financial Officer, City of Holyoke

City Auditor, City of Holyoke

Director of Senior Services, Town of Amherst

Chief People Officer, Boston Public Health Commission

Director of Finance and Operations, Massachusetts Advocates for Children

Director of Decarbonization and Energy Transition, Boston Green Ribbon Commission

Director of Advancement, Strategies for Children

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