Further Adventures in Zoning Hearing Sartorial Choices
Yesterday afternoon, the Boston Zoning Commission unanimously approved a proposal that will limit the number of undergrads that can live in an apartment to four. It was all due to the hard work of our MySpace Top Friend, City Councilor Mike Ross. He attended yesterday’s epic meeting but says he doesn’t remember the kid in the orange shirt and Uggs…which still disturbs us.
But he does remember a student who was wearing a loincloth.
“It was this leather wrap thing,” Ross explains. But, then, the councilor doesn’t want to disparage loincloth-wearing Timbah Bell.
“I was really impressed with him,” Ross says. Timbah Bell was the one student who spoke in favor of the proposal at yesterday’s meeting, encouraging his fellow students to be more socially-conscious.
While Ross says his proposal aims to bring down prices for families in student-heavy areas, he doesn’t have much pity for the students who can’t afford housing near campus.
“Maybe he’ll have to move farther out from exactly where he wants to be,” Ross says about a student who complained about the new law. “We don’t have enough housing for everyone in Boston. It’s part of what you have to do.”
March 13th, 2008 at 10:57 pm
Mr. Ross asserts in the BU Daily Free Press that students haven’t really been up in arms about this ordinance, but I — as a student — called three times. I was told I’d get the courtesy of a return phone call, but alas, it was a lie. Moreover, Councilor Ross knows that not many students or working professionals are available to attend Zoning Board meetings in the middle of the day on a weekday. Don’t think for a moment that this calculation didn’t factor into Councilor Ross’s gameplan. It’s hard to mount student opposition to an ordiance when all of the students are in class!
Mike Ross seeks the help of students when it fits his political agenda and can stroke his own ego in the mainstream press.
This is a man who tried to rally students when he wanted to save the Night Owl (he was too little and too late), tried to claim to a class full of students he was teaching that he opposed the Student Accountability Ordinance when in fact he SPEARHEADED its passage.
Unfortunately, he can remain a hypocrite and continually be re-elected because students in Boston are a non-voting population. Therefore, as long as Mike Ross continues to ingratiate himself and make nice with the NIMBY’s in Beacon Hill and his new “Adopted hometown” of Mission Hill, he’ll be electorally safe. THAT reality is even more pathetic than Mike Ross’s politics.
Thankfully, the citizens of Massachusetts aren’t fans of political phonies, glad-handers, etc… which is why at least Mr. Ross’s reach will forever be contained to the City Council.
March 14th, 2008 at 10:58 am
“Thankfully, the citizens of Massachusetts aren’t fans of political phonies, glad-handers, etc…”
There goes another perfectly-good keyboard. Seriously, you had me right up to that.
And what’s with college kids living on Beacon Hill? How the bleep do they afford it? I went to college here in the 90s and there were very few undergrads living there.