Author: Kannan

Urban farmer, ecology enthusiast, community organizer, sustainability educator, climate resiliency consultant.

Boston gets an F- for election turnout

16.5% is not an A

16.5% is not a B

16.5% is not a C

16.5% is not a D

16.5% is not even a respectable F

It’s an F-. And We Bostonians should be ashamed of it.

What a dismal turnout for a municipal election! 16.5%?! Is democracy slowly dying? Are the people in power actually more comfortable with a smaller engaged population? Isn’t their work less that way? Can we claim “Bostonians have spoken” when 83.5% of the registered voters didn’t vote? Is increasing voter turnout even on anyone’s agenda? Not sure it is — so where is this trend going? Are fewer and fewer people going to decide who and how all of us are governed?

ShrugsReally?!
If people don’t want to vote, you can’t force them.Why don’t they? Also, is everyone who wants to vote voting?
Candidates are not exciting.You’re not going to date them.
Campaigns don’t bother to reach out to all people.Did you bother to reach out to the candidates? It is a democracy.
Results are already known. Nothing changes anyway.As long as you have that attitude, yes.

Julia Mejia, City Council At Large Candidate

How can regular people have more of a say in city government? Should youth play a role, too? At what age should voting begin? What, besides affordability, does public transportation need? How much of the newly built housing should be affordable?

Listen to Council At Large candidate Julia Mejia address these questions, and more.

Julia Mejia on What’s up Eastie?

Alejandra St. Guillen: City of Boston Council At Large Candidate

“Are you going to community meetings? Are you going to school committee meetings? Don’t let anyone tell you your voice is less important. Youth engagement leads social change.” – City Council at large Candidate Alejandra St. Guillen

What is Alejandra St. Guillen‘s take on the city council‘s work ahead for the City of Boston? As a candidate for the city council at large position, what will she bring to the table? Listen to the candidate herself. The interviewers are Frank O’Brien of the Allandale Foundation and Kannan Thiruvengadam, host of What’s up Eastie?

Harvest Fest At Belle Isle Marsh

The Friends of Belle Isle Marsh and the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation put together a fun and educational Harvest Fest on Oct 20, 2019. Families attended, got free fresh organic local produce (Kale, Brussel sprouts, Pepper, Eggplant) from Eastie Farm, interacted with a Barred Owl and Starling thanks to Mass Audobon, made animal figurines from seed pods and other plant parts with Harborkeepers, decorated pumpkins, and added sign panels in the making of a life-size Right Whale, an endangered marine mammal. Mothers Out Front, Citizens Climate Lobby, and Our Climate were all there as well. The Right Whale art was conceived and coordinated by Our Climate. Bike to the Sea was also present sharing information about biking from various inland areas to our beautiful harbor. Second Nature sang beautiful melodies throughout the festival.

Pictures by Harborkeepers (Magdalena Ayed and Heather O’Brien), Mothers Out Front (Julia Burell), and Friends of Belle Isle Marsh (Kannan Thiruvengadam).