Tag: Beacon Hill

  • ‘This is not normal’: Brookline lawmakers outline priorities for pivotal year on Beacon Hill

    This election year will be a high-stakes one in Brookline, on Beacon Hill, and across America, according to the five lawmakers who represent the town at the Massachusetts State House.

    The effective end of the 194th legislative session on July 31 — and with it the deadline for bills proposed over the past two years to advance or die — combined with a November election featuring races for the state’s constitutional offices, every seat in the Legislature, up to a dozen ballot questions and midterm national elections focusing on immigration and federal spending  – sets up a year that will be remembered for generations, one local lawmaker said.

    “Fifty years from now, American schoolchildren will learn about this time in history and be shocked,” said Rep. Tommy Vitolo, D-Brookline, referring to what he described as the “unquestionably” unconstitutional actions of immigration enforcement under the second Trump administration. “This is not normal, and we’ve got to figure out a way to stop it.”

    Vitolo is the only member of Brookline’s state delegation whose district is entirely contained within the town. He, along with Sen. Cindy Creem  (D–Newton) and Reps. Greg Schwartz, D-Newton, Kevin Honan and Bill MacGregor, both Boston Democrats, collectively speak for Brookline’s interests on Beacon Hill.

    Rep. Tommy Vitolo

    Vitolo, first elected in 2018 and now serving his fourth term, said the urgency of the moment is shaping the “day-in, day-out work of governing,” particularly as affordability pressures continue to define life in Brookline and across the state.

    “The word you’re going to hear over and over again is affordability, and for good reason,” Vitolo said. “Too many people are working hard and doing the right things and still struggling to have the comfort they rightfully expect.”

    Among his priorities, Vitolo highlighted workforce development, particularly the House-passed bill  which would require certain large public construction projects to use apprentices 

    “The only way you become a master plumber or a master carpenter or a master welder is to start by getting your first job learning how to do it,” Vitolo said. “Apprenticeships lead to jobs where someone can own a home, raise a family, and maybe go on vacation once in a while.”

    Vitolo also highlighted energy and climate legislation as a key focus, including a measure which aims to transition buildings away from natural gas , and a separate bill which would strengthen energy codes  to promote net-zero and solar-ready construction, both of which he filed. 

    “Brookline is on the cutting edge,” Vitolo said, noting the town’s role as one of 10 municipalities authorized by state law to require fossil-fuel-free new construction. “Communities that have more privilege, more wealth, more capital — those should be the leaders.”

    Sen. Cindy Creem

    Creem, first elected in 1998 and now serving as Senate majority leader, framed the year ahead from a position of institutional power — and constraint.

    She said immigration enforcement is the most urgent issue she hears about from constituents, and that a core focus in the coming months will be advancing a bill filed by Gov. Maura Healey in late January that would restrict civil immigration arrests  without a judicial warrant in sensitive locations such as courthouses, schools, health care facilities and places of worship, among other measures. 

    “We cannot control the federal government,” Creem said. “But we can make sure people are not impersonating ICE, that due process is protected, and that we’re not complicit in actions that violate constitutional rights.”

    Besides immigration issues, Creem said her top legislative priority for the final year of the session is a Senate-passed data privacy bill  which would ban the sale of sensitive personal information, including precise location data.

    “We banned the sale of sensitive data, including location data — in other words, somebody who might come to Massachusetts for services that may not be legal in another state, such as abortion or gender-affirming care,” Creem said. 

    Rep. Greg Schwartz

    Schwartz, a first-term lawmaker elected in 2024 and a practicing primary care physician, said healthcare access is his central concern as lawmakers confront budget pressures and federal uncertainty. As a key priority, he pointed to advancing a bill he is sponsoring, which would increase the share of healthcare spending devoted to primary care.  

    “Primary care is the foundation of the entire healthcare system,” Schwartz said. He said the state’s low level of spending on primary care is contributing to physician burnout and limiting access to care. “People have insurance, but they can’t find a doctor,” he said.

    Schwartz added that budget discussions on healthcare are complicated by uncertainty about federal funding, particularly Medicaid reimbursements, which account for a substantial portion of state spending.

    “In a roughly $62 billion budget, we’re talking about on the order of $14 billion in reimbursements from the federal government,” Schwartz said. “That’s practically 25%.”

    Rep. Kevin Honan

    Honan, first elected in 1987 and the longest-serving member of the Massachusetts Legislature, said his priorities for the final year of the session include legislation aimed at improving housing governance and increasing housing production as affordability pressures continue to grow.

    One proposal he highlighted would establish a condominium ombudsman  within the Attorney General’s Office to help resolve disputes between condo owners and associations.

    “This is an issue that comes up all the time,” Honan said. “People feel like they don’t have anywhere to turn.”

    Honan also pointed to a measure often referred to as the “Yes in my back yard”  (YIMBY) bill, which he supports, to make it easier to build multifamily housing and allow housing on underused land.

    “When you’re trying to create more housing, you need zoning reform,” Honan said. “You need multifamily housing to address the housing shortage that we’re experiencing in Massachusetts.”

    Rep. Bill MacGregor

    MacGregor, who was elected in 2022 and is currently serving his second term, said the rising cost of living is also shaping his priorities for the final year of the session, particularly child care affordability, in addition to concerns about access to mental health care.

    “I’m a father of two toddlers, so early childhood education is something that’s important to me,” MacGregor said. “For two kids in daycare, it’s over $50,000. We’re one of the most expensive states.”

    To help offset those costs, MacGregor said he has filed a bill which would create a child care and dependent care tax credit , allowing families to reduce their state tax bill by up to $500.

    MacGregor acknowledged the amount was modest, but said, “Every little bit helps nowadays.”

    MacGregor also highlighted legislation that would establish a special commission to study interstate telehealth  and ways to allow patients to maintain continuity of care when crossing state lines, particularly for mental health treatment.

    “If you’re seeing a therapist and you go to college out of state, you wouldn’t be able to see that same therapist,” MacGregor said. “That’s a real problem.”

  • Two worlds on the same street: How a violin bridges Beacon Hill with the unhoused community 

    In the small, dimly-lit community center turned chamber hall on 74 Joy St., Jennifer Stevens is brought back to her grandparents’ living room. There, she would watch the piano strings dance as her great uncle played. Sometimes she sat beneath the baby grand, enveloped in the amplified acoustics of the instrument’s underbelly. 

    “That was my playground,” she said. 

    The benefit concert held on Oct. 15 for Shelter Music Boston, performed by the organization’s artistic director and internationally-acclaimed violinist, Adrian Anantawan, aimed to provide Stevens’ experience to the thousands of homeless people living just outside the cozy confines of Beacon Hill. 

    More than 5,500 people live without shelter in Boston, according to the 2025 U.S. census.

    “For many people, connecting them to music, particularly classical music, brings them back to a simpler time, when life was less complicated,” said Mark Lippolt, who works for the organization’s development committee. 

    Now celebrating its 15th anniversary, Shelter Music Boston will perform more than 100 free concerts this year at shelters for homeless people, those recovering from substance abuse, or fleeing domestic violence. 

    “Classical music unfortunately can be seen as something that’s very ivory tower, and only for people who can afford it,” said violinist Anantawan, who was born without a right hand. Whether life’s challenges stem from a disability or other circumstances, the Canadian musician says the stigma is the same.

    “That’s always been a big mission for me,” Anantawan said, “to be able to find ways that this particular art form can be accessible and inclusive for as many people as possible, and to try to remove the stigma of what or who this music is for.”

    At 10 years old, Anantawan’s elementary school required students to pick up the recorder. With only five fingers, that simply wasn’t an option, and he and his parents began searching for a more suitable instrument. Anantawan found his calling on a Sesame Street episode featuring violin virtuoso Itzhak Perlman. It was the first time the aspiring musician saw someone on TV who somewhat resembled him.

    “He had polio, a disability as well, but played the instrument beautifully,” Anantawan said. He told his parents he’d made his choice.

    With the aid of a prosthetic adapted to hold his bow, Anantawan has now played all around the world, from the White House to the Athens and Vancouver Olympics. He has performed for Pope John Paul II, the late Christopher Reeve and the Dalai Lama. 

    Amidst his piling accolades, Anantawan partnered with a hospital and after-school program to make chamber music accessible to children with disabilities. Now he says he hopes to bring his local, disadvantaged community the same sense of fulfillment he found through the violin. 

    When Shelter Music Boston plays for homeless communities, Anantawan said musicians are not only performing, they are pronouncing the audience worthy of beautiful music.

    The night of the concert in Beacon Hill, Anantawan and his piano accompanist, Jennifer Hsiao, played a lullaby by the Indian American composer, Reena Esmail. Some audience members closed their eyes, others swayed to the melody. When the song ended, Anantawan opened the floor to a discussion, and attendees shared feelings evoked by the performance. 

    In a neighborhood where the average home value exceeds $1 million, Anantawan said that night’s conversation reminded him of audience reactions at shelters. 

    “All of us come from a parent or a family, and our hope is that the music that we continue to play really resonates with you as much as someone in a shelter,” Anantawan said to the audience. 

    Even though classical music was first composed for kings and queens, he said, “they were getting at very human elements that can be accessible to any of us.”

    Anantawan said he hopes the opportunities afforded by affluence isn’t lost on Beacon Hill’s residents. “What do we do to be able to make sense of that privilege?” he asks. “And what do you do as responsible members of the community to be able to uplift and to see all people as whole people?”

    The evening closed with a three-part sonata by the French composer Claude Debussy, a piece that blends a disparate array of styles and techniques. The bow drew out the ethereal first act, abruptly followed by the sinister, dance-like rhythms of the second. The violinist and accompanist suspend the musical tension for more than 10 minutes before taking a breath in sync, releasing the final act’s rapid triumph. 

    “You’re really getting a sense of the work that we do here,” Antawan said, addressing the audience. “Which is, essentially, the human universal work of just making spaces beautiful and making our worlds as beautiful as we can through this power of art and music.” 

  • Beacon Hill Blows Up on Social Media with Halloween Decor, Draws Crowds

    On Beacon Hill, Halloween isn’t just a holiday — it’s a neighborhood-wide transformation. Cobblestone streets lined with gas lamps and historic brownstones are overtaken by ghosts, cobwebs and devilish inventions that turn The Hill into one of Boston’s most photographed spectacles.

    This year, Beacon Hill’s Halloween extravaganza has exploded on social media, turning the neighborhood into a pre-Halloween pilgrimage site for hoards of visitors – and that’s before the first trick-or-treater ever rings a doorbell.

    “It’s really become a tourist attraction,” said one resident on Mt. Vernon St., as he squeezed through a cluster of children blocking the gate to his house. “‘I’ve never seen it quite like this before.”

    It’s no surprise his yard is attracting some attention, given the three 12-foot skeletons that have taken residence among the hydrangeas, stirring a mysterious potion around a raised cauldron, their glowing eyes blinking beneath wigs and pointed black hats.

    Tracy Darabaris came all the way from Pepperell, Massachusetts, just to photograph the annual display. She’s returned each October since she stumbled across the neighborhood on Instagram a few years ago.

    The neighborhood’s profile leveled-up this year after being featured on widely circulated pages such as Boston.Com, Boston Design Guide and BucketListBoston.

    Given the chaos of current events and her hectic day job at a doctor’s office, Darabaris said capturing the neighborhood’s fun and creativity was a welcome escape. “It’s a great stress reliever,” she said.

    She stopped to photograph a home that has attracted attention on social media platforms for its whimsical take on the holiday.

    “I can’t believe what these people have done,” she said, gesturing to an army of golden skeletons hanging from trees, lampposts, and climbing up a brick facade with the aid of an ornate pulley system. “They must have hired someone.”

    Darabaris is on the money. While there is no official competition in the neighborhood, some residents go the lengths of hiring professional designers to outdo one another.

    Aaron Wight and his crew from Parterre are crouched below the gargantuan witches of Mt. Vernon St., adding finishing touches before moving on to transform a nearby home into a scene from Starwars. He said the project will be their most elaborate yet.

    Wight said word has spread that their company, a gardening service, started offering seasonal installations. This year he’s worked on five houses in the Beacon Hill area, with quotes ranging from $5,000 to as much as $20,000.

    “It just gets crazier and crazier every year,” he said.

    Wight said his team feels like “small celebrities” when they work, drawing curious neighbors, amateur photographers, and tourists who marvel at the displays in languages from around the world.

    An anthropologist from England, Anastasia Piliavsky, is visiting her mother in Boston. They were paying respects to her father’s grave when they came across Beacon Hill. Having never seen the neighborhood around Halloween before, they were in for a bit of a shock. 

    “I’m surprised by the ostentation,” said Piliavsky. “Beacon Hill is a place of old money and reserve and elegance and this is the kind of thing I imagine they must have resisted for a while.”

    On the contrary, residents embrace the occasionally quirky, intentionally excessive decorating tradition that has been an element of Beacon Hill’s identity for decades.

    “People go all in,” said longtime resident Lisa Mullan Perkins. “It’s way bigger than Christmas around here.”

    Exploring a different theme each year, from Barbie to the Boston Celtics, Mullan Perkins’ home stands out from the usual assembly of witches and skeletons. This year she followed her kids’’ requests for something spookier, riffing on what she sees as “the scariest thing on Beacon Hill” – the Boston rat.

    An inflatable rodent twice her height with glowing red eyes greets passersby in her driveway. Her entryway is covered in tiny toy rodents, toothy cutouts, and a desiccated rubber rat carcass hanging by its tail on her door.

    Mullan Perkins is cooking dinner for her kids, in a baseball cap that reads, “rat exterminator.” While a pot boils away on the stove, she says the family has had to replace their entire car twice on account of rodents chewing through the wires.

    “We don’t welcome them, we don’t want them here,” she said, but “on Halloween, you put all sorts of things you’re scared of outside your house.”

    While she’s wishing the worst for her furry, beady eyed neighbors this holiday, Perkins said she will be welcoming the costumed throngs of candy seekers on Friday.

    “It’s insane,” she said. “There’ll be thousands of trick-or-treaters.” Sitting in her foyer is over $1,000 worth of Halloween candy. She predicts she’ll run out by 8 p.m.

    With Halloween landing on a Friday night this year, the Beacon Hill Civic Association is expecting a record-breaking turnout. Neighborhood streets will be blocked by police barricades as usual,  with roads from Charles Street to Joy Street closing from 4 to 7:30 pm.

    “I just love how our neighborhood really welcomes people from all walks of life,” said Mullan Perkins. “It’s just a very friendly, open time.”

    She said she’s even seen former U.S. State Senator and presidential candidate John Kerry handing out candy on his Lewisburg square doorstep just like everyone else.

  • Liquor License Laws to be Updated

    Ninety-two years after a Yankee-dominated state government limited the sale of liquor licenses to prevent Irish American politicians in Boston from gaining more influence, city and state politicians are finally taking steps to fix the issue.

    Earlier this year, state lawmakers approved a law allowing cities to upgrade restaurants’ beer-and-wine licenses to all-alcohol. The Boston City Council adopted the resolution in September.  Now, the city’s licensing board will set rules for granting the license, and final approval from the state Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission is expected early 2026.

    “A lot of the restaurants affected by this [were] concentrated in the North End, Beacon Hill, Back Bay, the South End,” said North End Councilor Gabriela Coletta Zapata, the bill’s sponsor, at a hearing last month. “This provides an opportunity for them to share in the economic prosperity [of liquor sales]. Restaurants really do operate on thin margins.”

    Zapata added that the old fears surrounding all-alcohol licenses relating to an increase in public disturbance reflected “an outdated narrative” that no longer fits Boston’s restaurant scene. “These are really places centered around food and the culinary experience,” she said.

    Like many political conflicts, Boston’s battle over liquor licenses tracks to two quintessential issues – power and money.

    After Prohibition ended in 1933, the Massachusetts Legislature refused to let Boston issue its own liquor licenses. At the time, City Hall was run largely by Irish American politicians under Mayor James Michael Curley, whose working-class base clashed with the Yankee establishment at the statehouse. By keeping licensing power at the state level, lawmakers could control who was allowed to sell alcohol in Boston, limiting a major source of money and influence from Curley’s allies. Historians say the decision reflected deep political and ethnic divisions that many people believe still shape Boston’s liquor laws today.

    For Kevin Flemming, president of the North End Neighborhood Council, the reform is long overdue. He said the restrictions were “really a ploy by the old Yankee legislators at the State House to control the Irish politicians in Boston.”

    The number of North End restaurants allowed to sell liquor could more than double under the new law, according to data published by the city. Currently, only 32 of 87 restaurants with alcohol licenses are allowed to sell spirits.

    Flemming said the change could be a boom for businesses.

    “Clearly they feel like they can increase their revenues by having full alcohol,” he said. “So, I don’t really see any downside in it because at least in the North End, everyone applying for these are pretty much established restaurants. No one’s trying to open a nightclub or change their hours.”

    Testimony ran strongly in favor of allowing beer-and-wine license holders to convert to full alcohol service at a city hearing last month. Mimi Chan, co-owner of Dynasty Restaurant in Chinatown, told councilors the change would let her serve traditional Chinese spirits such as baijiu or rice wine, which are not permitted under her current license.

    “It would allow a more authentic dining experience for our customers,” she said.

    City Council President Ruthzee Louijeune also voiced support for the new bill. “By creating opportunities for these businesses to grow,” she said, “we’re investing in the future of our neighborhoods – raising the bar for equity and opportunity.”

    The Boston Licensing Board is drafting regulations for converting beer-and-wine licenses into full alcohol licenses. The city will sponsor outreach events and workshops to help eligible restaurateurs understand the process. To qualify, business owners must file a petition with the licensing board and submit required forms to the Massachusetts Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission. The first wave of upgrades could be approved within months, city officials say, meaning some restaurants may begin serving cocktails by early 2026.

    Applicants will be required to pay a $200 state fee, $100 to the licensing board and $170 to cover the cost of publishing a legal notice in the local newspaper. The board will hold a public hearing, send certified mail to neighbors, and evaluate whether there is a “public need” in the location. After local approval, the application will be forwarded to the state for final consideration.

    The new law does not sanction an unlimited pool of new liquor licenses. Under Massachusetts law, the number of full-alcohol and beer-and-wine licenses Boston can issue is still capped by the state Legislature. The reform simply allows existing beer-and-wine license holders to apply to upgrade to full-alcohol service, creating a new class of nontransferable licenses that cannot be sold on the private market. Boston’s older transferable licenses, established under the state quota decades ago, still exist and can be bought and sold with state approval. Supporters say the new non-transferable licenses make the system more equitable, even as the overall cap on liquor licenses remains in place.

    Full liquor licenses have sold for $200,000 to $600,000 on Boston’s private market in recent years, according to city records. Beer-and-wine licenses have cost about $50,000. By contrast, the new nontransferable licenses will only cost standard filing fees. The wide gap illustrates why many small business owners say they were locked out of the system until the recent changes.

    Councilor Coletta said the new policy marks a turning point for a neighborhood long known for its restaurants but has been hemmed in by outdated liquor rules. “It’s an opportunity for them to share in the economic prosperity,” she said, adding that full licenses can help businesses stay competitive and expand their profit margins.  “These are places centered around food and the culinary experience. This reform just lets them serve what their customers are already asking for.”

  • Rats! Boston Battles Rising Rodent Population in Beacon Hill

    Diego Osorno, executive chef at a Beacon Hill restaurant, The Paramount, says he isn’t afraid of anything, but the countless rats he’s seen scurrying throughout Beacon Hill are starting to get on his nerves. 

    The rats don’t seem to be afraid of anything either. 

    “They’re not scared of people anymore,” he said. When he goes out to the back stoop for a cigarette, he said his presence doesn’t deter the dusty brown Norway rats from racing to and fro in front of him, even during the day.

    Rats may have resided in Boston since the 1700s but it has only been a year since Mayor Michelle Wu launched the Boston Rodent Action Plan (BRAP), a cross-departmental effort to track and measurably decrease the rat population. 

    Now the plan is beginning to roll out in Beacon Hill, which is designated as a priority neighborhood due to its high call volume of rodent-related complaints.

    “Citywide data suggests the population is on the rise, which is why this coordinated, cross-departmental effort from the city is so important,” Councilor Sharon Durkan said in a recent statement.  

    Since BRAP’s launch in the summer of 2024, Boston’s Inspectional Services Department has responded to at least 2,639 rodent-related 311 calls.

    What prompts all the calls? The answer may not surprise anyone who’s lived in a big city. In addition to warming climates and rats’ rapid breeding rate, the city’s rodent report, written in coordination with New York City’s renowned rodentologist Bobby Corrigan, narrows in on one key factor: food waste. 

    “Improperly stored trash, overflowing barrels, and open bags create a buffet for rodents,” said Durkan. 

    Due to its density, aging infrastructure, and limited alley access, city officials say waste management poses a greater challenge in Beacon Hill than in other neighborhoods.

    “We do not have trash cans because people don’t have a driveway or garage to store them,” said Patricia Tully, executive director of the Beacon Hill Civic Association. 

    Monday and Friday are trash days in Beacon Hill. The afternoon before, many residents put their rubbish on the street in plastic bags, where it is vulnerable to overnight rat rampages until trash pickup the next day. 

    Tully said the ideal solution, if not the practical one, is for residents to separate their food waste and drop it off at one of two compost centers near Beacon Hill. Otherwise, she urges residents to put their trash out as close to pickup time as possible, although she said getting up before 6am to take out the trash is a tall order, especially in the winter months.

    “The Civic Association has always hoped to change the trash pickup time,” Tully said.

    To address the issue, Durkan sponsored a public hearing at City Hall to hear resident testimony and explore the possibility of same-day put-out and pickup of residential waste and sealed bins for commercial trash. 

    One strategy underway began as a suggestion from a Beacon Hill resident, Durkan said. Working with Beacon Hill’s tree warden to ensure greenery remains healthy in the process, the pilot program layers a wire mesh fabric on tree beds to prevent rats from entering and burrowing. 

    Over the past year, Durkan said she has also partnered with the Beacon Hill Civic Association and the city’s neighborhood services to walk Charles Street and survey missing bricks, which have nearly all been fixed. The team is also working with the city to eliminate every documented rat nest. 

    John Ulrich, assistant commissioner of the inspections department, said the city’s campaign to control rats has recently finished collecting baseline data on rodent activity using new technologies such as sewer traps. While the project is at too early a stage to draw conclusions, he said the coordination of all city departments on rat mitigation is “promising.”

    “This is a quality-of-life issue,” Ulrich said. “Rats cause damage to infrastructure, tree beds. They live in our sewers and burrow in breaches in the sewer lines.”

    “Their teeth constantly grow, so they’re gonna constantly chew,” he said, explaining that adult rat teeth never stop growing, an adaptation that once allowed them to gnaw through nuts and roots in the wild, but now allows them to chew through electrical wires and damage  vehicles. 

    In addition to their supernatural teeth, rats can be difficult to manage due to their prolific breeding abilities. According to a Facebook post the inspections department made as part of a public awareness campaign, “A single pair of rats can produce up to 2,000 offspring in just one year.” 

    Beyond physical damage, Durkan said there’s an “ick” factor that influences how people feel about their neighborhood. “If residents regularly see rats running across sidewalks or near their homes,” she said, “it takes away from the sense of cleanliness.” 

    Durkan said the city will continue to do its part, but it’s important residents stay vigilant in eliminating food sources for rodents. She recommends the use of heavy-duty trash bags if people do not have space for closed-top bins, and putting out trash as close to the collection time as possible. Refraining from feeding birds and cleaning up dog waste is also critical, she said. 

    “With everyone working together, including residents and community groups,” she said, “I’m confident we’re moving in the right direction.” 

    Rodent activity can be reported to 311.