Guests Eric Esteves (Executive Director, Boston Main Streets Foundation) and Russell Holmes (Rep. 6th Suffolk District)!
WBCA Podcasts
Talk Of The Neighborhoods
Good evening. I'm Dave Halbert and for Joe Heisler. Tonight, we'll be speaking with Boston Main Street Foundation executive director Eric Estvez about the vibrancy and future of small businesses across the city. Following that, we'll be talking about the end of a very active legislative session with six Suffolk representative Russell Holmes. All that and more as we broadcast here from the B and N studios in Eggleston Square and simulcasting live on 102.9 FM WBCA here on Talk of the Neighborhoods. [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] Ladies and gentlemen, it's Wally! [Music] [Music] There's no better way to kick off a Boston summer than with live music. We started ours at Boston Calling, where we chatted with festival goers about what drew them here. Live music is genuinely what gets me through. I love it so much. Music. Live music lover. So many concerts. Three days straight. It's just like, I don't want to be anywhere else. I just enjoy the process of like seeing as many artists as I possibly can. I also very much enjoy like exploring new ones but I can. The festival was a beautiful example of how music is a universal language and brings community together. Well, I really like live music because it's just a great experience and I think it brings everybody together. It's kind of one of those things that you can do in like a large group. There's not too much of that anymore in this world. So I think we need more of it. I think it's just really cool to be with like birds of a feather especially with this is such a varied line up. That was one of the things that drew me to it is multiple of my favorite bands across several genres of music. Everyone interprets music in different ways and it means different things to them. So it's really cool to see a bunch of people gather in one place and then have different reasons why they're there. BNN had a blast getting to know some of the festival goers and we can't wait for 2020. And we're back. We're joined this evening by Boston Main Streets Foundation Executive Director Eric Estvez. He is working at the Main Streets Foundation where he focuses on making Boston's neighborhood commercial districts thriving, vibrant centers of commerce and community. He is a thinker, a doer and connector whose leadership mission is to connect people to resources and opportunities in order to transform their lives. Eric graduated from Northeastern University, Go Huskies and gets excited about trivia, hip-hop, genealogy, politics, photography and seafood. Eric Estvez, welcome to the neighborhood. Thanks man. I like that quiet stone voice you got. Wow, it's so good. It's so good to have you here. Really appreciate it. And so just wanted to start for folks who may not know you kind of what's your history and journey here in the city of Boston. My journey in history, I got here 27 years ago, came to attend school at Northeastern and never left. And coming from where by the way? Coming from South Carolina, grew up in the low country in the Charleston, Addison Island area and really became embedded in the community here, embedded in Roxbury in particular. And really fell in love with it. It was very much similar to where I grew up. But also I grew up in a transient. Not one home was one home, but it was very similar to the environments I grew up in. So made Boston my home and became embedded in the community pretty early when I was still in school. I was on the 22 and 23 in addition to being in school and working multiple jobs to make ends meet. So my journey is not dissimilar from a lot of the folks in Boston, so that's why I kind of have put my all into it. And what brought you? You know, coming from South Carolina, like you said, low country, very similar in some ways, but very different in other ways. Although on a weather day like today, probably a little more similar with that. But I'm wondering what attracted you, lots of schools all over the country, why Northeastern and why Boston? Well, Northeastern in particular because of the co-op program. So for me, I wanted that work experience. I was someone that had been working, you know, in middle school and had seen different types of work, but also hadn't seen a lot of other types of work. So basically there were a lot of things I wasn't familiar with that I needed to get familiar with. So the co-op was the big draw. For me, I was a big basketball fan in Baltimore, descended. So Reggie Lewis was a favorite player of mine also. And also Goo from Gangstarch. I was a big hip hop head and Gangstarch was one of my favorite groups. So I knew about Boston and Roxbury, you know, as a kid growing up. So it was a place that made sense to me as a destination, also known as kind of legacy and history as it relates to black history. Very true, very true. And your degree was not in the community building book, it was in engineering. Yeah, I started out as an engineer, I started out actually as a chemical engineer, switched to MIS, so really did IT and educational technology for a long time, both K-12 and higher ed. And then I switched and ended up in philanthropy. And for the last decade or more, I've been in philanthropy, but separately from, you know, what I do in the daytime, I was always kind of involved in civic life in Boston too. So that was kind of like the extra job. Going to community meetings was the extra job. Well, it was more than enough in the city. So definitely, you know, folks who've been around seeing you at many of them. So you said you transitioned into philanthropy and prior to your work at Main Street Foundation, you were at the Lenny Zakem Fund. I was. And what was the work that you were really focused on there at Lenny Zakem? At the Zakem Fund, it was really about supporting grassroots organizations, identifying them, helping them build their capacity, helping them to solve issues or think through things. So really, you know, I viewed philanthropy as a way to partner with organizations as opposed to funding them and telling them what to do. For me, you know, I really framed it as a way to partner and get to know them, but also provide help and resources to them beyond just financial. 'Cause the Zakem Fund's financial grants weren't necessarily substantial, but it was kind of the hands-on support and intensive capacity building that we provided. It was what was instrumental to helping several of those organizations grow. Now, as we talk about growing organizations, you transitioned, and so now you're with the Main Street Foundation. Yeah. And so for those of our viewers who may not be as familiar with the Main Street Foundation, can you talk about the Foundation's work and how it differs from the Main Street's program out of City Hall? I should look at the camera for this. I don't run all the Main Streets. I'll start there. But the Main Street Foundation was started almost 20 years ago as a extension of Boston Main Streets. So essentially, Boston Main Streets is part of a national movement, so Main Street America focuses on revitalizing commercial districts all over the country. It primarily started out in small-town America, the Midwest, to bring back a downtown that is the main commercial district for a city or town. And Boston, because we know Boston is pretty big and diverse, and it has several different commercial hubs throughout it. So Boston actually was the first urban model of Main Street. So Boston Main Streets evolved to 20 different districts or programs throughout the city of Boston under the Boston Main Streets umbrella. But for instance, we're in one right now. Eggleson Square is a Boston Main Streets district, but so is Uppham's Corner, so is Russ Roxbury, so is East Boston, so is Ashmont. So there's several districts that are all connected in that they all similarly focus on supporting the businesses and the residents in that neighborhood. But also have their own flair and flavor because of the uniqueness of that neighborhood in that commercial district. Absolutely, and coming to dig a little bit deeper into that. So the foundation exists to support these organizations all across the city. What do you see as the value, and as you're going around and talking with the Main Streets leaders, directors, you know, partners, region partners, what do you see as the impact in the different districts? Yeah, so I would say the value is really being an enhancer or a supplement to what they're doing. So primarily each district gets a pot of money from the city and then they fundraise separately externally. We're able to provide small grants around impact and innovation, but that's what we call it, impact and innovation grants to support kind of additional programming or special projects. But also, you know, the real value for having a Main Streets district is to basically activate the square, whether it's activating the public square, activating the third space, but really bringing that district alive. So for instance, recently the summer in Hyde Park, Hyde Park Main Streets has been hosting the Bridgefest because if anyone Hyde Park knows, the River Street Bridge has been closed for a while now. So with that bridge being closed, it's impacted traffic flow, but it also impacted those businesses right there in Cleary Square. So Bridgefest was a way to bring the community together in that distinct location, but also activate that kind of that square, literally, bringing people to that shopping district, but providing a community space to gather. There's music, there's vendors, there's, you know, for food vendors, beverage vendors, as well as kind of goods and services vendors too. That's fantastic. And so how long is that going to be going for, do you know? I think there's one or two more. I went to at least, I've been to two of them, so there might just be one more, I think, next week. Well, and as you said, you know, this is one example, but there's so many across the city, you know, and East Boston, my former neighborhood and where I had the privilege of serving on the board for a while for East Boston Main Streets. They just had their Taste of Easty event. And that was spectacular. It was out. I ate so good that night. The Taste of Easty was really good. It's been around, I think, almost 28 years, but the Taste of Easty is really good. It's actually in this really, really dope space called the Talship Boston. So, you know, folks who are watching haven't been there, I highly encourage you to check out the Talship as a destination, bring your take your family, take a date there. They have their own built in food vendors and seating areas, but the Taste of Easty brought together, you know, there's probably 30 to 50 food vendors from around East Boston. So, you got to sample the cuisine, both, you know, entrees, appetizers, and even desserts from a wide variety of kind of cultural cuisines. There was Italian food, there was Guatemalan food, Colombian food, Mexican food. So, it was really a fun day, and the weather was not as humid as today. Just a little bit. It's funny because, you know, that event used to be in around January. Every year there was a big shift, I think. I don't think it's going back. Yeah, definitely. Definitely. Definitely. Definitely. Definitely. And so, there's a lot that's happening across the city with the Main Streets movement, but obviously it's happening in different capacities in different places. And so, I'm just curious, as you're seeing in this role, right, looking at how you can support the broad movement across the city, what are you seeing as kind of the issues around resourcing? So, when we're thinking about, you know, what's happening in East Boston, first of what's happening in Rosndale Village, where they have, you know, their very vibrant farmers market from how people participate in it. But other districts, maybe not quite the same level of vibrancy to your impact in grants and the work that you're doing, is that a key driver of the decisions that you're making? Or are there other things that are coming to play as you're assessing that? That's a whole lot to answer. So, I would start with, yes, there is built-in structural inequity between different Main Streets districts because it's based on where they're located. Some neighborhoods have higher kind of household incomes, so then there's more disposable income in some neighborhoods versus others that people are able to deploy locally. But also, in addition to that, if the commercial district doesn't have a good mix of businesses and business types, then people are going to leave their neighborhood to go shop elsewhere. So, for example, in Matapan Square, if there's nowhere to buy children's clothing, and all these children live near Matapan Square, those families are then going somewhere else to buy children's clothing. In Eggleston Square, if there's not a grocery store, those people are going to leave and go somewhere else to buy their groceries, or end up spending money at kind of convenience stores and bodegas, which typically charge more for the same groceries. So, you know, that's a second layer. A third layer is some of the commercial districts have fewer anchor institutions, like big companies or big organizations than others. And some of them have simply a bunch of small businesses that have ten or fewer employers, and that's kind of the majority of the commercial districts. For example, I mean, I think Eggleston Square is one example, Bode and Geneva is another where, you know, there's just a whole bunch of kind of mom and pop places, one or two restaurants. You know, Bode and Geneva doesn't necessarily even have like a bank or banking institution. There's a health center there that's kind of the anchor, but there aren't kind of a ton of different businesses and different business types, which I think makes in kind of a disparity in terms of who that district is able to pull from in terms of getting support. So, when you think of when this district tries to do events and programming, they're trying to pull in sponsors. So, if they're having to go externally beyond their district's boundaries for sponsors, as opposed to just pulling in people who are already businesses in their district, that's another kind of layer of how things aren't as equitable as they could be. Absolutely. And to that point, obviously, you know, you do your work in this role as executive director every day. You have counterparts to some extent and the different main street districts in their executive directors onto staffing. There's another big challenge for some of these based on compensation and the workload that's there. What are you seeing? What are you hearing from the directors across city in terms of what they'd like to see in the programs and the support that they're asking for? Yeah, I think the biggest capacity issue is that most of the districts are one person's shops. So, it's just one executive director and then their board. And then they're limited by the extent of how much their board is engaged. There are a few that have more than one person. They may have another part-time person or maybe one or two have another full-time person. The vast majority are just one single director who kind of does everything, which also lends itself to not having an economy of scale. If they're the phrase, they head-cooking bottle washer, that means they're doing everything. They're doing the programming, but they're also doing the finance and the accounting. They're also doing the marketing communication. They're doing the social media. They're doing the cleaning up of the office. So, many of the main streets directors are stretched thin for capacity. They're definitely seeking new board members. So, that's one of the things I'm really working on is trying to recruit folks of all generations to get involved with their main streets district, whether they live their neighborhood or work in a neighborhood in one of the main streets districts. Because the more actively involved we can get volunteers, then that lends itself to having more capacity for that main streets district. Absolutely. And to that point, the board, as a former board member, I know how rewarding that experience can be, so wishing you my success in that, but you're a board. So, obviously, you do this work every day as a director, but it's not by yourself in the sense that you do have a board. What is the board composed of for the foundation, and are you looking for more members as well? Definitely. My board is primarily made up of folks from the real estate and development world and financial services world. So, I'm looking to diversify my board in terms of functional areas of expertise beyond finance, development, and law. I'm looking to add more kind of small business representation. In addition to the folks that are currently on our board, we have a bait-in structure where we have a designee of the chief of economic opportunity and inclusion. And then we have two other folks that are quasi-appointed by the city. We have a seat for main streets director and also a street for a board chair of one of the main streets districts. So, that allows for representation so that it's not just the foundation making the citizens, but we have a director, we have a board chair that's involved, and we have folks from the city. So, I liken it to a three-headed flower, as opposed to a monster, because we are intentional about being coordinated and collaborative and not siloed. But, yeah, certainly we're certainly looking for new board members. Absolutely. As we think about main streets, you said 20 main streets all across the city and in the corner. Is there any conversation about expanding the program, moving into some areas where it doesn't currently exist, but it may be helpful? Yeah, so there's demand from some parts of the city for main street districts. You know, at one point, you know, Matapan was demanding a main street district within a lot of people who are pushing back, but eventually, you know, the Matapan Square main streets came into existence. But if you think about a commercial district in Dorchester, what comes to mind? Common Square doesn't have a main street district. But right down the street, four corners of us, right down the street, Ashmont does. Lower Mills doesn't have a main street district. Savon Hill doesn't have a main street district. There are other parts of the city like the seaport and the Fenway that also don't, but they don't necessarily need it. They're kind of the, they've been revitalized. And, you know, so there's that. There's also a demand just around, you know, what are, what is the city? What is main street's doing? You know, why do people get left out along the Blue Hill Avenue corridor? There's a ton of businesses, you know, beyond Grove Hall, between Grove Hall and Matapan Square that, you know, aren't covered by a main street district. So that's something that I've had conversation with folks about around how they can be supported better by the city or by main street. So there certainly is interest in that. You know, there also are conversations around what could the future of main streets look like. You know, there was a strategic planning process around reimagining main streets. There was conversation about either consolidation or expansion. You know, I started off by saying I don't, you know, they don't, they don't, they don't all report to me, but that has been a possibility. You know, could some of them fall under the foundation so that they could take advantage of some efficiencies. You could take advantage of what some of them are doing sharing staff. So, you know, two different main streets are sharing a staff person. Could that happen more or could be more coordinated where the capacity is being spread better or more efficiently? That's certainly a possibility too. But, you know, really I'm around to be present, be a resource, be a fundraiser, but also be a connector. So, in addition to connecting the main streets districts and the directors, also connecting businesses that either, you know, folks I know or know me or know someone I know. Or folks that just heard about main streets, but don't know about their own main street district, helping connect them to the resources that exist locally, helping connect them to resources that exist with the city, but also just also other resources. There's a whole ecosystem that supports small businesses. And really I'm trying to just play a role in helping to connect the dots and help businesses thrive. Absolutely. Well, as you said, main streets plays, you know, an important role in continuing the revitalization of so many corners of the city. But there's a lot happening in the city. You know, you're not just the executive director. But, as you said, a long time city resident, observer, been involved in many different civic spaces. So, what are you seeing right now as a resident here in the city of Boston? And some of the challenges that we're facing and where does main streets, where does a main streets foundation kind of fit into addressing those challenges? Yeah, challenges are varied. I can go into any barbershop right now. Someone's complaining about the parking. Someone's complaining about a bike lane. They're complaining about cars double-part. Someone's complaining about the housing affordability. Someone could be complaining about the slowness and inefficiency of the MBTA. Someone could be complaining about what else could they be complaining about a lot. So, there's a lot of good things going on in the city, and yet there's always room to complain about something. So, certainly as a resident, there are things that directly intersect with main street districts, you know, around parking, around public safety, around even the cleanliness of sidewalks and streets. Substance abuse is still an issue, so mass and cast is sometimes cleaned up, sometimes not, but those folks certainly migrate. So, up in this corner, Roxbury main streets certainly are impacted by, you know, kind of the outfall of that, the mass and cast area. So, there's kind of the homelessness, the substance abuse issues that impact public safety. So, that's also a concern in terms of, you know, what the district looks like at night and how active or not it is in the evenings. Absolutely. Well, here's a question for you. So, you've been here, you've been here, as you said, for close to 30 years. You know, you came up, you didn't leave, even with all those winters, which I'm assuming were a little bit different than those ones back in South Carolina. So, what is the thing that you really love about the city of Boston? I love its vibrancy, I love the food. I actually think the food here is pretty good in terms of it's a wide mix of food. I like being able to sample a wide variety of cuisine any night of the week. I'm trying to figure out where I'm going to eat tonight and I haven't made a decision yet. I like its history, so, you know, I'm someone who kind of reads a lot and also studies history. So, I really, for me, I appreciate Boston's direct link to black history in America because it's, you know, it also gets the short end of the stick around kind of the black experience. But I don't think enough people understand the Boston black experience and Boston's kind of foundational link to the American black experience. And we always ask our guests, what's a hidden gem, something in the city that you love that you wish more people knew about or think more people should know about? Hidden gem, okay. I only get one. You could have more than what if you really want. Alright, hidden gem. So, hidden gems. I really like this place Estella downtown because they serve food and the kitchen doesn't close until 1.30. But in JP, on the center street, there's this spot called the joint and they have a shrimp BLT that's off the hook. But then there's also Caesarea and they have the state tips mochambique on Bowdoin Street. And there's a Cabernet restaurant and that dish is delicious as well. Well, you said you're really in the history and we're getting closer in the time but wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't ask, what's the story behind Hell of Black Trivia? Oh, you came out of the left field with that. Hell of Black Trivia is a, well, I, Hell of Black Trivia is a company I started nearly a decade ago. I had since sold it to my friend, Jeff Rogers, so he's kind of running it nowadays but Hell of Black Trivia started because I really like Trivia and I read a lot and I study a lot so I know a bunch of random stuff. And I had picked up a lot to learn stuff and I really studied Black history. And also, I used to go to a Trivia night so I used to, just like the hidden jams, I used to be able to tell you where you could go for Trivia any given day of the week, Monday through Friday. So, Saturday to Sunday. I can no longer do that because we started Hell of Black Trivia as a way to enrich the Trivia going experience by making it relatable and hip and vibrant and down. And, yeah, it used to occur monthly at Delhi Cafe for several years, pre-pandemic. It's since shifted where, you know, they're more kind of one-off events but actually they actually just had one last week in Brockton. And, you know, almost monthly there's events going on. You may have noticed more recently there's a social media campaign where people are being interviewed on the street around Hell of Black Trivia being asked questions. And, you know, we're seeing out, they're seeing who knows their stuff out in public. So, be on the lookout there. So, as we come up to the close and of course, you know, lots more to talk about which we had a little bit more time. But if folks want to stay in touch with you, if they want to learn more about the foundation in your work, what's the best way for them to do so? Well, today's my birthday so don't call me today. Happy birthday. As you can call it, it takes me tomorrow. But, bostonmainstreet.org is the best way to connect with us. On that website it also lists all of the districts. So, all 20 of the Main Street districts it lists their websites, their social media pages and even the contact info for the director or the office with email and or phone number. It also has an events calendar that we try to keep updated. Each of the districts has their own kind of web presence. But, our bostonmainstreet.org website is, but we try to make it a centralized place for people to find out information so you can go there and find out about events happening in some of the districts as well. Wonderful. Well, thank you for sharing your birthday with us. Thank you for sharing some time with us and more information. Thank you for being here. Eric Estebes. Talk to the neighborhoods. And when we come back, state representative Russell Holmes. [Music] Great having you. Incredible women. I wish they had those kind of cool careers for women when we were growing up, growing up. So, Ms. Flashback, we're all the same age? No. What does everyone want to be when they grow up? If I say two jobs, do I get extra credit? No. I want to make immersive video games. I want revolutionized 3D printing. I want to analyze data from the cloud. I want to be a meteor. You mean meteorologist. No. [Music] That's great, I'll follow your dreams. For the record, I was a baby in the 70s. [Music] Have you ever seen somebody treated unfairly because of color of their skin? Do you guys know what it means to have white privilege? What is racism and what do you think about it? Talk to young children about what racism is, giving them the language to understanding. They can be disruptors. They can shape and shift culture. We may not always know the answer, but we'll try and help you learn. You don't have to have all the answers, but that doesn't mean we can't start. [Music] Do you love sports? Then you should know about STEM. Because maximizing nutrition, analyzing peak muscle performance, calculating the perfect shot, and more are all made possible by science, technology, engineering, and math. In fact, there are more careers than ever in sports science. So if you have a passion for sports, then think about getting involved in STEM and improve everyone's game on and off the field. Get inspired at SheCanSTEM.com. [Music] And we're back. We're joined right now by six Suffolk State Representative Russell Holmes. Representative Holmes is a Mississippi native who spent his childhood split between there and here in Matapan with his father, eventually graduating from Hyde Park High. A certified financial planner since 2004, he also graduated from Boston University and holds an MBA from Northeastern University. Rep Holmes is a long history of civic engagement, including serving as the chair of the Matapan Economic Development Initiative and the Matapan Library Task Force. In 2010, he was elected to represent the Sixth Suffolk District, which includes parts of Dorchester, Matapan, Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain and Rosendale. Representative Russell Holmes, thanks for being with us on Talk to the Neighborhoods. Thank you, David. Here what a constituent. [Laughter] Constituent service at its finest. Thank you, appreciate that. So, representative, you know, obviously it was a long time and a period of your life prior to being up on Beacon Hill. Sort of, what was your pathway to the legislature? So, my pathway was really kind of straight. I was, as you mentioned, in the bio there. I was on the Matapan Economic Development Initiative. I helped to bring the new library over to Blue Avenue. And, quite frankly, we went through a major and difficult discussion when we were talking about what to do with Blue Avenue with the American Recovery Investment Act. From my perspective, the only black president in the history of this country called the black governor at the time and said, "Hey, let's put money down in the heart of the black neighborhood. And let's rip up Blue Avenue and let's put a bus away." And so, that was very confrontational at the time. And there was, it gets difficult when you get to Grove Hall to make it so that the bus way would stay consistent. So, the folks who represented Roxbury at the time said, "No way we're going to do it." And then the folks who represented Matapan would, of course, take in some of their cues from the people in Roxbury. But then there was a group of us who were community people who said, "We thought it was a good idea to do that." And it was clear, the folks from Matapan, which historically had a trolley running down the middle of the road. There was plenty of space on Blue Avenue that seemed like it was much more possible, said, "Yes." And we split quite little. I think the vote was five to five from community people. And so, there was a letter sent from the elected at the time to say to the federal people, "We don't want this money," 127 million. That might have gone to about 150, 170. And from my perspective, I think the job of those of us, or at the time, still, the people who we sent to office, was to bring resources to our neighborhood, not to turn them down. And so, the person at the time decided she would retire. And we had a couple phone calls really within minutes of her announcing her retirement that, "Hey, we've seen you quite a bit around. What do you think about running for state prep?" And there it was. I said, "Okay, well, can I keep the job I already have?" Which was, as you mentioned, I'm a financial planner. And they said, "Yeah, many people have multiple careers." And at the time, quite frankly, I didn't even know what they got paid. I said, "Do they get paid to do these jobs?" And they said, "Yeah." And I said, "Let me go talk to my wife." And I got home, and Shari was like, "Dude, you're out every single night already. You guys will go and get paid to do the same things you're doing." So, 14 years we've been doing, she and I say, "We, she, my mom, and I, the family, and everyone else who, obviously, your month for office, and everyone has to buy in, friends, family, and the like." And we've been doing it for 14 years because, quite frankly, it never feels like work. It's great to help people. There you go. So, as you said, you know, 14 years ago, you get started, you walk in the building. In 14 years, how has your perception on life and the legislature changed? Well, you just take lights, you know, nights like last night. You have it so that we literally are supposed to end the session at midnight, legally, like we're done at, legally at midnight. And then we literally spend the entire night up and down, making votes, well past midnight, until 9, 15 this morning. So, any one of us could have just called and said, "Hey, we're past midnight. We have to have unanimous vote to keep us past midnight." No one did because we all had this hope. There were 15 pieces of legislation that was important to us that were in conference committee. House had passed a piece of legislation, Senate had passed a piece of legislation. We had put together conference committees. And for us in the black and Latino caucus, black maternal health was very, very important. You know, all along the income stratter, whether or not you are poor, middle class, rich, a black woman is dying twice as the rate of white women at the same income stratter. That's unacceptable to us. And so all the pieces that we can put in around doulas or maternal health strategies, trying to get rid of some of the structural racism that happens even amongst doctors that have this sort of black woman that is still dying at twice the rate didn't pass. And so all of us were hoping, whether it be the economic development bill, whether it be the housing bond bill, which obviously is a problem in this state that we don't have enough housing. We're all hoping that would happen. But then just a few people, Senate president, Speaker, and their more senior staff, made decisions for all of us of 200 people that is the wrong structure for how government could work. So when I arrived 14 years ago, I thought I was going to have this place that was the beacon and great place of democracy, but then it comes down to less than 10 people. And that's not the market seat is best. Absolutely. Well, as you said, there was a lot of activity that my understanding is correct. There were hearings where bills were being introduced at the beginning of this week. Sure. Heading into -- Oh, there was some -- there was some -- there was part of the process. They yanked out some components for project labor agreements out of already building it, that already passed out, and sent it to try to get that through just that language yesterday, last night, and then trying to get it over to the Senate. Too many games have been played. And as you know, I ran for Speaker, because of the fact that I strongly disagree with the way things happen in the building. I still get criticized by the leadership to say, hey, why don't you come and basically play the good board network and do the things that would make you part of senior leadership team. And I'm still adamant. No. Because all of those things, to me, runs counter to what it is that I believe my values and my integrity says that I should be fighting for money. That's a uphill battle so much. But there are sometimes where you're cresting that -- Yeah, many times. Many times. And to that point, there was a bill introduced and then passed and signed by the governor, not too long ago, in terms of gun safety, which we know has achieved. Had to go this week. Yes. A disproportionate impact on urban communities, on communities of color, on districts like the six. And I'm wondering, what did it mean to see that bill cross the governor's desk and get signed? And were there other bills this session that you were happy to see get advanced in terms of your work and how they're impacting your district and the city? So first, I am always pleased that I don't worry about the building. So when you're saying about progress, I focus on constituent services and delivering for the district, which is the phone calls that happen, which is someone calls and says there's a car parked in front of my house that's broken down. That's what's important to me. Someone calls and saying, you know, it comes to put a speed hump or whatever that may be. So my -- when you say there are wins, there are many wins and they're possible because in fact the year partners in executive branch and the governor or at the -- at City Hall. But when it comes to the gun bill, it was important because of the fact that there was a challenge on Talwood Ab year -- last year where we had the mass shooting essentially at the festival where someone came and just took the pistol and shot all the rounds inside of it by using a switch, you know? So we wanted to eliminate switches so that you actually have to pull the trigger every single time. We wanted to eliminate the ghost guns, which is part of the legislation that -- And for those who may not be familiar with what a ghost gun is. This is the guns that are being printed that make it so that they're not traceable. We wanted to make sure that we put some legislation around being able to trace the gun. But also, you know, in this wave of great things happening around public safety here in the Commonwealth where thankfully this time we have less than 10 murders, obviously one is way too many, just trying to make sure that we're having conversations because it was called the Bruins. We're going to see a lot of -- we're going to see an awful lot of changes that are going to need to happen because our Supreme Court today is not one that is in alignment with what has been happening historically. And last year they passed or they voted 63, which is not going to probably be unusual for years to come, that Massachusetts is one of the states that they felt as though we infringed on people's gun rights. But the second amendment, because of the fact that all gun laws were so tough that they felt like people did not have rights to access the guns. And so we put some language in to make sure that we adhere to what the Supreme Court said, but the rest assured we and I and many others feel like the reason Massachusetts is seen as the safest state in the country when it comes to gun violence is because we have very difficult laws and we're not about to relax those laws. Absolutely, and so that's a highlight, a high point and good to see that and thank you for your work and the work of your colleagues on that and so many others from the gun violence prevention community. But I'm wondering on the flip side of that, there's a lot of bills that didn't pass. And I'm wondering were there any ones in particular that as you came to the end of session you were hopeful for or that you thought would have a significant impact, as you said, maternal health and others on your district, on the city and why, why didn't they pass? So the one that's most important, like you need to pass a housing bill. We did it. And you need to pass economic development bill. We need to have this commonwealth continue to be as strong as it is. And we didn't get the economic development bill across the finish lines and that's what we get as you heard, Eric, that's how we helped to support somebody's small businesses. We wanted to, of course, pass the liquor license. There has been a push to make it so that our neighborhoods, Madapan, some of the neighborhoods that don't have sit-down restaurants, that we go back to having sit-down restaurants where people can actually serve liquor. And so there was a tough thing for me to agree to initially when Ayana Pressley, when she was on the Congresswoman, Pressley was on the city council. But we passed it where we were able to get more local licenses across the city. So there was another proposal by, as you know, councilor Orwell and state director Orwell to get some of these liquor licenses where-- Senator Miranda as well. And Senator Miranda on the Senate side. But I wasn't trying to call names. I was just simply saying, all of us work on all of these bills, so it's not trying to exclude anyone from working on it. But we were just on the House and Senate trying to get these things across the finish line and the liquor license bill did not get across the finish line. So we still sit in Madapan with, to me, a restaurant desert. You and I live two blocks, three blocks from each other. And as you heard Eric say, we have to go into different neighborhoods to have a sit-down meal. And some of that, of course, is because those liquor licenses are prohibitively expensive, $600,000, $500,000, and these local licenses for these select communities was going to be possible. Still, I've heard leadership sitting on track is some of this done, but everything they get done in an informal session, meaning after last night is in an informal session, allows only one person to be able to come and then stop that bill from moving. But then there are 200 of us who are not in the room to have a conversation about what we may have agreed to about what we thought was important. And so to that end, to that point, you have a two-year session in the legislature. You have, as you said, a paid, a fully professional legislature, staff, and everything. And I think there's a lot of frustration and curiosity from many folks that I've talked to about why these things tend to continue to happen, the budget tends to come in after the deadline, there's this rush of activity to get bills completed at the deadline with so much time and so many bills, you know, I was reading somewhere that we introduce more bills than almost any state in Massachusetts and we pass fewer than almost any other state. Why is that? Again, I ran for speaker for a reason because I hate the process. We have, from my perspective, made it so that we pay too many people. What do I mean by that? Now when I first arrived, there were only a few vice chairmen that got paid. Now I think there are 87 people who get paid an extra stipend in addition to the pay that each one of us get as representatives. And then you pay some people quite a bit more. Speaker gets paid $80,000 more, I think when I first arrived, Speaker got paid $35,000 more. And I say that because of the fact that now you have just a small group of people who are deciding who gets stipends, who are literally deciding where people get the park, who are literally deciding how much you say staff they get. And so as a consequence, you concentrate all the power and the influence by a couple people that they decide to have the leadership. And so the example was last night. You have 15 bills moving through this building, and you only have a couple of people who are making decisions about, yes, there might be a chairman or chairwoman who is supposed to be leading this effort. But we know it goes to just a couple of people. And when you have that much happening here at the end, it's too many, you can't manage it. And so it is a building that power needs to be decentralized again, it's a building where we need to be treated as equals. I arrived in a building not knowing any of these people. And now all of a sudden, I'm supposed to come to you and kowtow to you and say, yes, Mr. Speaker or Mr. Chairman, how can I come and make sure I'm loyal to you? I'm loyal to my people. And not enough, I believe, not enough people in that building a loyal to the constituents that send them. Well, as you said, you prioritize your district as I can speak to as a constituent and a resident. I'm wondering, what are your thoughts on the six suffix district in terms of some of the challenges that it's facing? Well, I can tell you, we live in a wonderful neighborhood. I am trying my best to make it so that we build more housing, which is why I was talking about the housing bond bill. The biggest challenge I have in my office, the one that is far and beyond everything else, 7 out of 10 calls are going to deal with housing, whether or not someone's being evicted, whether or not someone can afford to rent, whether or not they need raft money. And so the challenges, I think, are good from a perspective that so many people want to live in Boston. So I don't see it just as a horrible thing. I think it's a great thing that people want to live in our city. The challenge, though, is the people who live here don't want other people to move in. And so I go to try to build a house anywhere and everyone is crying about parking. And so trying to get folks to understand that we need to move from out of our individual cars, because many of us are driving around our cars by ourselves, in the rows of packed, and then we have Uber and Lyft, and there's lots of desires to park cars everywhere. My biggest challenge is still around housing, and I am doing the best I can to make it so that we build a housing for people at all income stradders. So it's not just affordable housing, just as those who might need enormous amount of housing support, like those who are on Section 8, but looking to buy, make it possible for middle-class folks. And, of course, the market, and those who are more wealthy, they don't need that assistance. But trying to get the community to understand that, yes, we have neighborhoods that are beautiful, and folks might want to come in and build a house, or demand that the house that is built next to them is the one that they, similar to what they had. And now we're building these very large complexes, people saying, "Why are you building these very large houses?" Because the house that would cost me to build your house would cost $800,000, and that's not really affordable for many, many people. And so I think it's a good problem to have, and I brought that up, I bring that up because of the fact that one of the biggest challenges that I see coming is the conversation that we're going to have to have about what to do with Jubilee and Crane's ledge, for those who don't know, next to Walgreens, over in Rosendale, JP area, Rosendale, Jubilee's own that property for a very, very long time. They pay taxes for a very, very long time, and now they've sued the city to say, "We should be able to build as of right," because that was how it was owned. And so, of course, there's been a major hundreds of emails I've received to say, "No, we should not build, and we should at least take over that property and make it a park." And so, these are tough conversations, and I think having a reasonable person in the role that I'm in to try to come in and say, "Hey, demand affordable housing, affordable ownership, and demand in a park as well," which is what they're thinking they want to do, is really the right solution. And so we ask all of our guests about hidden gems in the city. So the sixth suffix, it was over a number of different neighborhoods, a lot of different things happening. There's something in the district that you wish more people either knew about or experience where you think they should come and find out. Well, I'm not going to -- you asked -- I knew the hidden gem question was coming, so I wanted to actually not necessarily put it in my district, so I apologize for not answering exactly what you asked. I think the hidden gem that we all need to think about is the African-American Meeting House. It's very downtown on George Street. We have a new executive director who's come from Memphis, from the Lorraine Hotel. She is looking to grow that to be at the same caliber and thought of as Lorraine, and I've worked very hard to get the African-American Museum some funding, ear marks each and every year. But you think about who we used to speak there. You think about the importance of what that community was for the Black community as we know it today. And my family was here from -- my mom was celebrating her birthday, 7th birthday over the weekend, and they were here from Tennessee, Mississippi. All across the country, let's say. And the fact that they just don't know, as Eric said, the history of this city, and how important it was to have the Black Heritage Trail, and how important it is to have the school and the museum. So if I were going to think about the hidden gem, unfortunately, it's still downtown, not in my district, but I think everyone needs to go there. And the other thing I wanted to say about hidden gems, I know I got to go, is our two golf courses. I don't play that handicap, I just go play golf, which is what I'm going to do right after this is over. Let me just tell you why I think that's a hidden gem. Even though it's the most seen thing that many people in the community see is the golf course. I think it's a hidden gem because of the fact that I remember saying to someone, hey, why are you guys walking across the golf course? I see that happen often. And the young lady said to me, she says, I don't understand why you guys get mad. She's like, we get to go walk around the golf course, and you all go get to play. Y'all don't pay, just like we don't pay. And it was just a wake-up call to me that folks don't understand how great those two courses are, both George Wright and Franklin Park, but how much it is, those are not inexpensive courses to people who do not live in the city, and not necessarily even inexpensive to us who live in the city. But they help to facilitate a beautiful park, that are coming up, both at Franklin Park and George Wright, and all the other amenities. And I continue to just say to people, it's at the edge of my district, Franklin Park. But I would love the hidden gem to be right across the street, and that is Scarborough Pond, that is in Franklin Park. Still people leave the district to go over to Jamaica Pond. I would like to get it to the point where we can get Scarborough Pond, which is a little pond inside of Franklin Park, that we get it to the point where we get it cleaned up, and we get it to the point that we're actually putting fish in there and go there and fish. So that's my hidden gem around just, necessary or not, in the district, but adjacent to the district would be Scarborough Park. I mean, Scarborough Pond. Well, we're coming up on our last few minutes, so just before we have to break for the evening, I wanted to know what's your vision for the future, for the future of the Sixth Suffolk District, for the future of Boston, in terms of your work and the work that you're trying to do and what you're seeing, in terms of the needs that are out there. So I envision a city that is continuing to be more inclusive. And I also just look at what I see happening, how we see our city, and how the west of the world sees our city. I give you an example, there's a new hotel that came, and we're not down the old Commonwealth. I used to, my financial practice used to be in Copley, now we've owned a seaport, but before I moved from Copley to the seaport, we knocked on the old hotel Commonwealth and put in a hotel called Raffles. And you go if you look at the Raffles, Suffolk built it, but if you look at it, they could have put their hotel anywhere in this country, but the first place they put it was here in Boston. And I think about the fact that who we see our city as and who the rest of the world sees our city as are two very different things. I see people like, hey, I grew up in Boston, it was like this. We need to understand that we are becoming an international city, and we need to be able to handle international thoughts, and be able to do that with all the people who are currently here without moving us out. Well, so much more to talk about, hopefully we'll have another opportunity, but for folks who want to stay in contact with you, how do they do that? 617-722-2220, my office number. Thank you so much. State Representative Russell Holmes, and thank you again to Boston Main Streets Foundation Executive Director Eric Estubez. If it's happening from Charlestown to Hyde Park, West Roxbury to East Boston, we'll be talking about it here on Talk of the Neighborhoods. Thank you for joining us, and we'll see you next time. [Music]