Tag: transportation

  • ACA Hosts Meet-the-Candidates Event Ahead of Municipal Elections

    Ten candidates for the Boston City Council gathered at the Honan-Allston library for a two-hour meet-and-greet hosted by the Allston Civic Association (ACA) on Wednesday.

    Both candidates running for District 9 City Councilor, incumbent Elizabeth Breadon and Pilar Ortiz, and all eight prospects for City Councilor At-Large were present at the event. 

    Kin Chow and Mike Dorgan, both longtime residents, came to learn more about candidates’ stances and priorities before the Nov. 4 elections. Both said they were looking for people who could deliver fresh ideas. “I would also say somebody that is willing to challenge, but in a positive way,” Dorgan said. “It’s a challenge not for the sake of getting on a soapbox and making noise. It’s somebody that’s challenging because maybe there’s a better way of doing it.”

    Speakers inspired others to consider a future in local politics. “I was really appreciative of the fact that they all dedicated their time to speak to their constituents and talk about issues that matter,” said Jesse Liu, an aspiring public servant. “It just shows that these candidates care about their job in the city of Boston.” 

    Candidates said they appreciated the smaller scale and location of the meet-and-greet. “We got to spend a little bit more one-on-one time with folks,” said City Councilor At-Large Julia Mejia. “And I think that afforded us a better opportunity to connect with people.”

    City Council President Ruthzee Louijuene said libraries bring her joy. “Libraries are a public good,” she said. “Everyone can use them, whether you’re rich, or you don’t have anything.”

    The ACA sponsored the event, which has become a tradition in the community. “One of the missions of the ACA, of course, is to build community […] and it’s challenging,” said D’Isidoro, the association’s president. “There are a lot of people that come and go in our community, and so it’s very difficult, from a civic standpoint, to try to get people engaged and take interest in the community.” 

    Chow, a 30-year Allston resident, said that after the ever-present issues of housing and transportation, the idea that captured her interest was something more fundamental — elevating Allston-Brighton’s place in city government. In terms of city spending, the neighborhood placed last in the most recent budget, despite having the second largest population. The disproportionate investment in Allston has been a rallying cry in the neighborhood’s campaign for a new children and family community center.

    “I don’t want Allston-Brighton to be in the back seat anymore,” said Chow. “We have never been the priority in the city council, and I would like us to be a priority.”

  • Town will install on-street EV charging stations thanks to new grant

    Matthew Helwig charges his car at a Greenspot Charging Station at 1361 Beacon Street, near Coolidge Corner on May 24, 2025. Photo by Muayad Al-Barwani

    Brookline has received a state grant of up to $500,000 to install on-street electric vehicle charging stations.

    The town is among 15 municipalities getting funds from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center for on-street charging stations. The grant will cover design, procurement, equipment and installation, with no cost to Brookline.

    The Brookline Department of Public Works expects to install four to 10 charging ports at each of up to three sites by the end of 2026. The locations have yet to be determined, but Alexandra Vecchio, the town’s director of sustainability and natural resources, said efforts will target North Brookline because of its dense population.

    Community input will also determine future charging locations. As part of Brookline’s climate action resilience plan, the DPW has released a community survey  to learn residents’ climate priorities, and it includes a section on electric vehicles.

    “In there, we’ve added basically a live interactive map so people can click in different areas that they would like to upvote as a spot they would like to see EV charging,” Vecchio said.

    Most of Brookline’s 56 EV charging stations are in public parking lots. Vecchio said this initiative will focus on curbside solutions in an attempt to further develop the charging network.

    The need for more charging stations is evident in Brookline, where gas-powered vehicles frequently occupy the spaces designated for charging and where EVs and plug-in hybrids make up 9.3% of vehicles registered in town – more than 40% higher than the statewide ownership rate of 6.6%.

    “I have gotten into a situation where someone was just parking their car in an EV spot, and I can’t just move their car,” said Lio Cheristio, who has owned his plug-in hybrid Honda for about a year. “I would have to call the police to tow, and it just became too much, so I just had to go somewhere else.”

    EV owners in Coolidge Corner say charging their vehicles can become competitive. Thamanai Jeremie said she regularly schedules her day around the task. Although she goes to Coolidge Corner Theatre or runs errands to pass the time while her car is charging, bad planning can throw a wrench in her day.

    “It’s really like a game of chance – you really just gotta plan ahead,” she said.

    EV owners say Brookline needs more fast chargers, which can drastically reduce the duration of charging.

    “The fast charger takes two hours, but the regular charger like this takes endless hours,” Cheristio said. “It could take seven to nine.”

    Brookline plans to install level 2 chargers at the new stations, which can charge an empty electric vehicle battery to 80% in 4 to 10 hours . Level 3 chargers can complete the same amount of work in less than an hour. The town currently operates 52 level 2 ports and just four level 3 ports.

    People in town are using the existing stations. The number of unique drivers — individuals who have plugged into the network — increased from 425 in 2024 to 700 in 2025.

    The EV initiative and grant take Brookline one step closer to its goal of being a net zero carbon emission community by 2040. To achieve that goal, the town has identified two sectors of substantial energy use: buildings and transportation. The DPW views vehicle electrification as one way to incentivize and make it easier for residents to shrink their carbon footprints.

    “Providing these would possibly increase the adoption of electric vehicles and also improve access to charging for EV owners that are currently out there,” Vecchio said.