Speaker 1: It's Night Side with Dan Ray w Bzy constance video.
Speaker 2: Thank you, Dan Watkins. I'm delighted to be joined the
Speaker 2: start of this hour at least maybe well into the hour.
Speaker 2: The candidate from Mayor. There is one candidate from mayor
Speaker 2: who chose not to get in the fight this week,
Speaker 2: Tom O'Brien, a Boston developer. However, the one candidate who
Speaker 2: is in the fight to challenge Boston Mayor Michelle who
Speaker 2: is Josh Craft. And Josh joins us here on Nightside.
Speaker 2: Josh Kraft, welcome back to Nightside. How are you, sir Bank?
Speaker 3: Thanks Dan, thank you for having me as always.
Speaker 2: Well you very welcome. Today your opponent, the Mayor, took
Speaker 2: a bit of a victory lap because the way apparently
Speaker 2: has been cleared for the demolition or the completion of
Speaker 2: the demolition of White Stadium and the construction of a
Speaker 2: new stadium in its place, a soccer stadium, which is
Speaker 2: going to cost some say two hundred million dollars, but
Speaker 2: at the end it might cost more than that, and
Speaker 2: Boston taxpayers are on the hook for at least half
Speaker 2: of that or maybe more. What's your reaction to this development.
Speaker 2: I'm sure you're you're not happy about it.
Speaker 4: Yeah, No, Dan, regardless of legal decisions, made one hundred
Speaker 4: million dollars to a project that primarily benefits a private entity.
Speaker 3: It's just not fiscally responsible for the City of Boston
Speaker 3: to take on, especially when I know that there's a
Speaker 3: project through the Emerald Necklace Conservancy for a third of
Speaker 3: that price that build rebuilds the stadium, which needs to
Speaker 3: be done solely for the use of Boston public school
Speaker 3: kids as well as for the generations of people that
Speaker 3: have enjoyed the park. I said, for generations. In addition,
Speaker 3: that hundred million is going to go up, especially with
Speaker 3: the crazy tariff situation that Donald Trump is imposing in
Speaker 3: the trade war he's starting, and it's just going to
Speaker 3: make the costs go way up. And it's just not
Speaker 3: a fiscally sound thing to do.
Speaker 2: Well. The other thing which bothers me about it, and
Speaker 2: again I'm not a candidate for mayor. I just watch
Speaker 2: the conversation back and forth, and you certainly have made
Speaker 2: a lot of senses. I have watched you talk about
Speaker 2: this over the last few.
Speaker 5: Weeks, is that there was one of the reports that
Speaker 5: I saw today they sort of minimized They said that
Speaker 5: the soccer team would only use the stadium for twenty
Speaker 5: games and a practice only once a week.
Speaker 2: But my understanding is that once the soccer season starts,
Speaker 2: which is just right at the end of winter in
Speaker 2: late March, Boston school kids aren't going to have access
Speaker 2: to the refer the new constructed white stadium until sometime
Speaker 2: in November because the turf or you know, the playing
Speaker 2: surface could not for a soccer team, can't be affected
Speaker 2: by a high school football game. So therefore, high school football,
Speaker 2: which starts in September and October and is pretty much
Speaker 2: done by Thanksgiving, high school teams won't get in there
Speaker 2: until sometime in November, which seems to me they are
Speaker 2: really getting the short end of the stick.
Speaker 3: Yeah, one hundred percent, Dan, And that's you know, it's
Speaker 3: such a traditional place to play football. It's been that
Speaker 3: way again for generations of Boston school kid school kids
Speaker 3: and their families going to watch games, and they won't
Speaker 3: be able to play a football game there till November.
Speaker 3: And by that time that means probably one game per
Speaker 3: team because by the early November and as winding down.
Speaker 2: Uh if if that and and also there's a how
Speaker 2: many trees have been cut down there. These are trees
Speaker 2: that are eighty years, one hundred years old, as I
Speaker 2: under did it, great shade trees for people who who
Speaker 2: live in the community and and and are able to
Speaker 2: take advantage. And you know, there's a lot of folks
Speaker 2: who that is their oasis, that is their summer place,
Speaker 2: and it's been taken away from from a community that
Speaker 2: is underserved here in Boston.
Speaker 3: Yeah, like we said, you know, I know generations of
Speaker 3: families that have lived in that area have enjoyed that
Speaker 3: park and believe it was one hundred and forty five
Speaker 3: trees that were taking down, taking taken down excuse me?
Speaker 2: Yeah, well yeah, I mean cut cut down and it's
Speaker 2: it's you could you can plant some saplings, but it's
Speaker 2: going to be a couple of generations or more or
Speaker 2: before those trees are are replaced. The mayor today basically
Speaker 2: said this was a historic victory. It might have been
Speaker 2: an historic victory, but my question is a historic victory
Speaker 2: for whom?
Speaker 3: Right? I know that. You know what's interesting which doesn't
Speaker 3: come up much, is that the RFP that the woman's
Speaker 3: professional team responded to.
Speaker 2: By the way, what is it? RFP? You and I
Speaker 2: both know what but maybe some.
Speaker 3: People, Yeah, yeah, thank you, Dan. There were requests for proposals.
Speaker 3: So the folks that were awarded the contract or the
Speaker 3: ability to play in the stadium and get the benefit
Speaker 3: of the public dollars being invested in the stadium, they
Speaker 3: had to sign They created an application process and then
Speaker 3: they applied for it and where the soul, you know,
Speaker 3: and where the grand tease and they got the contract.
Speaker 3: And that tells me this was never about Boston Public
Speaker 3: school kids. This was always about getting a woman's professional
Speaker 3: team there. Because if it was about Boston Public school kids,
Speaker 3: there's a and we all know the stadium needed lots
Speaker 3: of work. There's a thirty million dollar proposal that that
Speaker 3: solely benefits BPS kids as well as the folks that
Speaker 3: want to use the park. And to me, that's a
Speaker 3: much more cost effective alternative as well as a usage
Speaker 3: alternative because it would be solely for the use of
Speaker 3: Boston Public school kids.
Speaker 2: My sense, and I haven't followed this nearly as closely
Speaker 2: as you, but my sense is that this has been
Speaker 2: on a fast track. How many other applicants were there
Speaker 2: for this this request for proposal, My understanding is there
Speaker 2: was just one.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I would I don't know, Dan, and if it
Speaker 3: was just one. Remember they were the ones that created
Speaker 3: the application to apply to So if I wanted to
Speaker 3: go to college and then the college said here, create
Speaker 3: the application, I would create an application that would be
Speaker 3: easy for me to do well on.
Speaker 2: Sure you'd be able to fit fit all of the guidelines,
Speaker 2: and you'd be the premier applicant. Josh, Let's let's take
Speaker 2: a quick break here. I'd like to talk to you
Speaker 2: a little bit about the race from mayor. We now
Speaker 2: have moved into the month of April, so we're five
Speaker 2: months away from the primary, uh and about seven months
Speaker 2: away from the final election. Love to know how it's going,
Speaker 2: and if there's a couple of other issues that you'd
Speaker 2: like to highlight. Let's see if folks would like to
Speaker 2: join the conversation as well. We'll take you a couple
Speaker 2: of phone calls six one seven thirty or six one
Speaker 2: seven nine three one ten thirty. My name is Dan Ray.
Speaker 2: This is Nightside. We're talking with Boston Merrill candidate Josh Kraft,
Speaker 2: who has spent most of his life or virtually all
Speaker 2: of his life, in the private sector and has worked
Speaker 2: with a lot of great charities. He has not been
Speaker 2: a member of the the football side of the Craft family.
Speaker 2: He's decided to chart his own territory and has done
Speaker 2: a lot of work with boys and girls clubs. That's
Speaker 2: when I first met him, many many years ago. And
Speaker 2: he is offering himself as a candidate for mayor and
Speaker 2: we'll see, we'll talk about some of the questions. If
Speaker 2: you have a question for him, like to offer a comment,
Speaker 2: you more than welcome. Six months seven two thirty six
Speaker 2: months seven ninety coming right back on night Side.
Speaker 1: It's Night Side with Dan Ray on Way Boston's news radio.
Speaker 2: My guess this is Boston merriw candidate Josh Kraft. We
Speaker 2: did extend an invitation onto the Mayor's office this afternoon,
Speaker 2: and as always we tend not to get quick responses
Speaker 2: and sometimes don't get a response. That was the case
Speaker 2: this afternoon. So let's go to phone calls for Josh Craft.
Speaker 2: John in Braintree, Johnny, start us off tonight. Go right ahead.
Speaker 2: You're on the line with Josh Craft. Go ahead, John. Okay,
Speaker 2: Why don't we put John on hold if he's not.
Speaker 6: Hello, can you hear me?
Speaker 2: I can hear you now?
Speaker 7: John?
Speaker 2: Yes? Yes?
Speaker 8: Oh?
Speaker 6: Okay, ll Hey, hi Josh, hi Dan, thanks to taking
Speaker 6: my call.
Speaker 2: John. Did you have US on did you have US
Speaker 2: on mute or something? I'm a little confused.
Speaker 6: I don't think so. I looked at I looked down
Speaker 6: and it wasn't on mute. No, it was weird, Okay,
Speaker 6: I did okay? At anyway, Hey, I got an interesting
Speaker 6: question that I hope you guys can help me answer.
Speaker 6: And Josh, we do appreciate all the work you've been
Speaker 6: doing with the philanthropy, with the charitable work. How is
Speaker 6: it okay for the all the cities across the country
Speaker 6: to get money to build stadiums? And I'll use the
Speaker 6: NFL in particular, but it's a billion billion dollar, you know,
Speaker 6: charitable organization allegedly, you know, the football is And how
Speaker 6: is it okay that they we give them unbelievable amounts
Speaker 6: of money to build their stadiums and it's not okay
Speaker 6: for them to do it with the high school and
Speaker 6: women's soccer.
Speaker 2: Football teams are not charitable organizations, John, this is Dan.
Speaker 2: Let me make that clear. Foot football teams are owned
Speaker 2: by individuals. It's not how is it that they get
Speaker 2: those tacks right off?
Speaker 6: There's some there's some kind of very drastic thing about
Speaker 6: them that they're they're not. I wish I could speak better. Usually,
Speaker 6: don't I think you're missing something on the Dan Well.
Speaker 3: I do know this, and I can just talk for
Speaker 3: my own family, and I usually don't bring up the
Speaker 3: family business. I know to that stadium was one hundred
Speaker 3: percent privately financed. There was no public money used to
Speaker 3: build the stadium. And my issue is not the city money,
Speaker 3: not that the city is paying because White Stadium didn't
Speaker 3: need to be fixed up. But there's a proposal for
Speaker 3: a third of what the city is paying to make
Speaker 3: it exclusively for high school use and public use. And
Speaker 3: I think that's just a better path, a more cost
Speaker 3: efficient path, and a better one usage for Boston public
Speaker 3: school kids, which is better.
Speaker 2: John. I hope that answers your question. John. I'll tell
Speaker 2: you that in other sections of the country.
Speaker 9: Uh.
Speaker 2: You know, different political leaders make decisions to uh to
Speaker 2: to help finance a construction of a stadium venue because
Speaker 2: they look at it as as sort of an investment which.
Speaker 6: Will revenue generating, right.
Speaker 2: So so you know, they're not giving the money even
Speaker 2: in the worst case Sceneio, they're not giving the money away. Uh,
Speaker 2: they're they're floating a bond. And as they say, in
Speaker 2: the case of Gillette Stadium, there was no public money involved.
Speaker 6: But there are there are other stadiums that And isn't
Speaker 6: this going to be a revenue generating thing with a
Speaker 6: with a bringing in you know, I saw women's soccer.
Speaker 6: I mean, think of all the hotels that are can
Speaker 6: be the people that are coming and people come to
Speaker 6: see them. Wouldn't Why wouldn't that pick up that area
Speaker 6: in that area. When I was in high school we
Speaker 6: used to played and played in the band there. You know,
Speaker 6: I loved it. I don't know.
Speaker 2: First of all, I think that I don't know what
Speaker 2: you know. Again, this is not a question for Joshua.
Speaker 2: I'll just tell you that I don't know that a
Speaker 2: women's professional soccer team is going to draw. I think
Speaker 2: the seating capacity of the stadium would probably be around
Speaker 2: six thousand, and I don't think that it would be
Speaker 2: on the same schedule on the same scale say, you know,
Speaker 2: the Red Sox or the Patriots, or the Bruins or
Speaker 2: the Celtics for that matter. But what Josh's point is,
Speaker 2: if you listen to him carefully, is that the kids
Speaker 2: from bar will not be able to use that stadium
Speaker 2: from from late March. And of course you're not going
Speaker 2: to use a football stadium high school football stadium in December, January, February,
Speaker 2: or the winter months until early November at the earliest.
Speaker 2: So that's I hope we get got some of your
Speaker 2: questions answered. Appreciate you call, John, Thank you, you appreciate it.
Speaker 6: Guys, you're welcome.
Speaker 2: Let me go next to Matt in Boston. Matt, you're
Speaker 2: next to a nice side with Josh Kraft.
Speaker 10: Go ahead, Matt, great, Thanks a lot, guys, really appreciate
Speaker 10: the topic. Josh, you are a busy man. I've been
Speaker 10: following you on Facebook. You've been everywhere. Yeah, you know, Matt.
Speaker 3: It's just trying to get out and meet as many
Speaker 3: people as possible.
Speaker 10: That's great. Well, it's obvious. I had a question for you.
Speaker 10: I'm curious in the next four years, your four years
Speaker 10: are going to sort of echo the national four years.
Speaker 10: I was curious how you thought you could navigate Boston,
Speaker 10: the city of Boston, with you know, the the Trump administration.
Speaker 10: What your thoughts are about that?
Speaker 3: Thank man. Look, I'm always going to fight for Boston,
Speaker 3: the people of Boston. That's kinda that has been my
Speaker 3: priority in the community work I've done, and it will
Speaker 3: be my priority as mayor. And if that means fighting
Speaker 3: the federal government, Washington, d C, the Trump administration to
Speaker 3: do what is right for the people of Boston, I
Speaker 3: will always do that because they're my priority. And that's
Speaker 3: how I navigate. I put the people first, and you know,
Speaker 3: fight for whatever we need here in the city of
Speaker 3: Boston against the federal government to make it happen.
Speaker 2: The other thing, Matt, that you might think about is
Speaker 2: that Boston has done pretty well with a lot of mayors,
Speaker 2: you know, Kevin White and Ray Flynn, Marty Walsh and
Speaker 2: of course the late great Tom Andnino uh And they
Speaker 2: have been mayors through Republican administrations and Democratic administrations. And
Speaker 2: I suspect that Boston will always prosper because it's it's
Speaker 2: such an important economic engine of New England and for
Speaker 2: that matter, intellectual and medical capital of the world. Boston's
Speaker 2: never going to get short changed no matter who's mayor is.
Speaker 2: I don't think, Matt appreciate you, Carl, thank you.
Speaker 10: Great, Thanks a lot.
Speaker 2: All right, let's keep rolling here. Next up, Vinnie from
Speaker 2: East Boston. Vinnie, you were next on nightside. Say hi
Speaker 2: to Josh Craft, candidate for mayor.
Speaker 11: George, thank you for running for mayor.
Speaker 3: Thank you, Janny.
Speaker 2: Josh.
Speaker 11: I put up your signed last night with my neighbor.
Speaker 11: We put it up on Falcon Street in East Boston,
Speaker 11: the first sign underneath the lights. We can see it
Speaker 11: even in the night. You need to have people run
Speaker 11: your doing. I mean, I don't really know. I contacted
Speaker 11: the guy who was putting up the sign. He was
Speaker 11: on Bennington's Stein and they're not too old. You probably
Speaker 11: know him. He said, he's ten years working on Tom Andino.
Speaker 11: Then he says he went to Washington, now Washington, Hollywood.
Speaker 11: You know guy, I'm talking from Dodgester. We don't give
Speaker 11: somebody was he was putting them up at night. He
Speaker 11: gave me the sign, he said, But I said, the
Speaker 11: girl told me not to help Josh because you're a millionaire.
Speaker 11: The kids said, he's not a maionnaire, he's a bionaire.
Speaker 11: Does that matter to Boston? The status as a rich
Speaker 11: guy or a poor guy doesn't matter.
Speaker 3: Well, look, then I've spent I made a conscious decision
Speaker 3: thirty five years ago not to work in my family business,
Speaker 3: and instead I committed to doing community work in the
Speaker 3: neighborhoods in and around Boston, and I did that for
Speaker 3: thirty five years. And I've always believed the phrase that
Speaker 3: if you love what you do, you'll never work a
Speaker 3: day in your life. And to me doing those thirty
Speaker 3: five years at community work, I never worked today in
Speaker 3: my life. And that's why I want to run for
Speaker 3: the mayor of Boston because in those thirty five years,
Speaker 3: I not only learned to love the city of Boston,
Speaker 3: I came to love the people of Boston, who I've
Speaker 3: learned so much for. And that's why I'm running for
Speaker 3: mayor because I feel like the city I love is
Speaker 3: headed in the wrong direction, whether housing being unaffordable, parents
Speaker 3: pulling the kids out of the schools at record rates,
Speaker 3: a fiscal lack of fiscal discipline at city Hall, and
Speaker 3: these are just a few of the reasons. And I've
Speaker 3: feel like my campaign it's not about political ideology. It's
Speaker 3: about getting things done for the people of Boston through
Speaker 3: political will and getting results for the citizens of Boston
Speaker 3: through bringing people together.
Speaker 11: So the Michelle Will people, they says Michelle has hot,
Speaker 11: Do you have hot to a good heart. That's a point.
Speaker 11: You have a good I don't.
Speaker 3: Yeah, well, I don't know if I can answer that question.
Speaker 3: I do know I've done That's committed my life to
Speaker 3: community work and I'll always put the people I've worked
Speaker 3: with first, and I've always done that, and I want
Speaker 3: to see all people do well because success for everyone
Speaker 3: is my priority. Success for the city of Boston and
Speaker 3: for every citizen in Boston would always be my priority.
Speaker 2: I think that it's one of those questions that that
Speaker 2: you ask, uh I. I think he has a record
Speaker 2: of service, and I think it's up for people like
Speaker 2: you to decide who has a bigger heart and who
Speaker 2: wants to serve Boston. That's all. How you bike lane's
Speaker 2: doing over there, Benny, by the way, in East Boston.
Speaker 2: He got a few of those over there.
Speaker 11: I wish I could. I can't say what I'd like
Speaker 11: to do the people on the scooters and the bikes.
Speaker 2: No, No, you don't want to hurt anybody. I'm just
Speaker 2: wondering if you want.
Speaker 11: The road, well, you may want.
Speaker 2: You may want to think about that one. Vinnie, I
Speaker 2: gotta run, Thank you very much, appreciate the call. This
Speaker 2: is Dan Ray that's not Josh, Josh, I got full lines.
Speaker 2: I'd like to keep you if you wouldn't mind, because
Speaker 2: I think it's always good for you to hear from.
Speaker 3: Questions.
Speaker 2: Okay, yeah, let's uh, let's let's keep going. I got
Speaker 2: to take a news break at the bottom of the hour.
Speaker 12: Here.
Speaker 2: My guess is Josh Kraft. We're coming back on Night's
Speaker 2: Side right after this.
Speaker 1: I'm bes Boston's news radio Bike, as.
Speaker 2: Is Josh Craft, candidate for mayor or Boss. Let me
Speaker 2: go to Sandra in in Boston. Sandra, you were next
Speaker 2: time Nightside. Welcome.
Speaker 7: Hi Dan, Can you hear me?
Speaker 13: Okay?
Speaker 2: Can hear you? Fine? And so can Josh Craft. He's listening.
Speaker 2: Go right ahead, Sander. What's your comment question?
Speaker 7: Well, I think it would be really good to get
Speaker 7: the kids outside more, particularly in winter, and I wish
Speaker 7: we could use our resources in the city better. And
Speaker 7: one of my things is the hockey pond along Storrow Drive,
Speaker 7: You know, the hockey pond alongside the Charles River this winter.
Speaker 2: What hockey are you talking about? Are you there's a
Speaker 2: hockey rink out at the far end of Brighton Is
Speaker 2: that the one you're talking about?
Speaker 7: No, no, no, no, I'm talking about what we call the
Speaker 7: hockey pond right along the Charles River, right along Star Drive.
Speaker 2: And bon are you talking about.
Speaker 7: The Yeah, it's called the hockey pond.
Speaker 2: Well, it may be called the hockey pond. I used
Speaker 2: to live on Beacon Street and I looked at that
Speaker 2: and there were many winters when it never froze over.
Speaker 7: But there are winters when it doesn't freeze over. But
Speaker 7: it did freeze over this winter, and I've always thought
Speaker 7: I've literally skated on it, and I think it would
Speaker 7: be wonderful to use resources we have in the city
Speaker 7: like that a little better.
Speaker 2: Well, as I'm sure Joss, that's that is not Boston property.
Speaker 2: That's DCR, that's it. That's that is part of the
Speaker 2: the Charles River area. So that's DCR part property, not
Speaker 2: City of Boston property. But hey, you know, there's a
Speaker 2: little bit of problem getting people down there. There's no
Speaker 2: parking on Charles on Storo Drive, which would make it
Speaker 2: easy for people to get to. But but I.
Speaker 7: Understand, I guess, I guess. My point is just that
Speaker 7: one hundred million dollars, it won't be one hundred million
Speaker 7: dollars that we put into this project. They can't build
Speaker 7: a bus shelter in this town, you know for that.
Speaker 7: You know it'll be seventy or eighty percent over budget.
Speaker 7: You know it, and I know it.
Speaker 2: Let's let's let Josh address that. I think he might
Speaker 2: he might agree with you, Sandra. Let's let's get let's
Speaker 2: hear from Josh on that. Josh.
Speaker 3: Yeah, thank you, Yeah, thank you, Sandra. Sorry Dan to
Speaker 3: cut you off. Yeah, no, I agree, especially with the
Speaker 3: current trade war and the tariff situation that's going on
Speaker 3: now with President Trump, the costs are just going to
Speaker 3: balloon and go up, and we're going to be on
Speaker 3: the hook for a lot of money, well over one
Speaker 3: hundred million dollars, I'm sure. And yeah, money could be
Speaker 3: deployed elsewhere to engage not just kids, but improve school
Speaker 3: create access to housing, which is a new number one
Speaker 3: in the city.
Speaker 11: Yeah.
Speaker 7: I'm also sorry that they cut down all those trees.
Speaker 2: Yeah, one hundred and forty five trees.
Speaker 7: And if you live in that part of town, what
Speaker 7: sort of environmental program is that?
Speaker 2: Josh?
Speaker 9: Your question go ahead, Oh work, Well, I don't know,
Speaker 9: you know, one hundred and forty five trees that you know.
Speaker 3: Generations of families have enjoyed at the park, Franklin Park.
Speaker 3: It's it's terrible that they needed to be cut or
Speaker 3: had to be cut down.
Speaker 2: Yeah, and it certainly changes the entire environment those of
Speaker 2: us who have been to Franklin Park, and I'm sure
Speaker 2: you've been there, Sandra. You take one hundred and forty
Speaker 2: five trees out, and all of a sudden it becomes
Speaker 2: much more of a desert sort of feeling as opposed
Speaker 2: to an area that that families can go and enjoy
Speaker 2: and have picnic and spend some time, uh you know,
Speaker 2: under foliage in the summertime and get some protection from
Speaker 2: the heat.
Speaker 7: It's well right, and the whole Olmsted idea was to
Speaker 7: make it the city healthier.
Speaker 3: With trees.
Speaker 7: That was the Olmstead wanted to make it healthier.
Speaker 2: Sandra. Thank you. I got a whole bunch of calls
Speaker 2: and I'm going to try to get as many of
Speaker 2: them in as I can appreciate. It's always thanks and
Speaker 2: good and you know I'm a big hockey guy. So
Speaker 2: wherever we can find another place for kids to play hockey,
Speaker 2: I'm with you all the way. Thanks Andrew. Byeye, let
Speaker 2: me go next to Leo and Boston Leo. Next on
Speaker 2: Nice with Josh Kraft.
Speaker 14: Go ahead, Leo, Hey, Dan, Dick's taking my call, and Josh,
Speaker 14: I want to say one thing is your family is
Speaker 14: a very nice family. Whether you get a penny or
Speaker 14: a trillion, they always talk to you with respect the
Speaker 14: first time they meet you. They always make it feel
Speaker 14: very welcome.
Speaker 9: Uh.
Speaker 14: I met a couple of your brothers, but I had
Speaker 14: a couple of questions on you might I touched it
Speaker 14: is one of the these bike and bus lanes from
Speaker 14: a crash reconstruction side of it. You know, these buses
Speaker 14: are swerving into the opposite Lanta Travel because these they
Speaker 14: put them out twenty five percent into the roadway and
Speaker 14: people are having a hot times. I've seen on Northeak
Speaker 14: a street just pulling out of their driveways and everyone
Speaker 14: has to stop. I don't know how you feel about those.
Speaker 14: I've heard rumors that you're looking into maybe getting rid
Speaker 14: of some of these protection lanes.
Speaker 3: Yeah, so go ahead.
Speaker 2: No, ready ahead, Josh. I was just to make sure
Speaker 2: you heard the question. Go ahead.
Speaker 3: Oh no, no, no, I definitely heard the question.
Speaker 12: Leo.
Speaker 3: Thank you for the question. Thanks for your kind words.
Speaker 3: At the beginning, look over the last three years, the
Speaker 3: mayor has hastily laid down bus and bike lanes around
Speaker 3: the city with little community impact and no data or
Speaker 3: no long term studies on how to best lay them
Speaker 3: down the most efficient way. Since I announced my candidacy
Speaker 3: where I said I wanted to put a pause on
Speaker 3: bike lanes, she has all of a sudden changed her
Speaker 3: tune and has talked about doing an audit of the
Speaker 3: bike lanes and halting halting any new bike lanes while
Speaker 3: she audits the current bike lanes. Basically, she's adopted a
Speaker 3: lot of our speaking points from our announcement speech and
Speaker 3: my thoughts on the bike lanes. So I don't think
Speaker 3: in an election year that a lot of people are
Speaker 3: going to buy her sudden change. But really what these
Speaker 3: bike and bus lanes are an example of her inability
Speaker 3: to listen and hear people and take community feedback, especially
Speaker 3: community feedback that might be an opposition to what she thinks.
Speaker 3: And in the end, my feeling on bike lanes is
Speaker 3: we need to pause bike lanes, do the research, collect
Speaker 3: data and figure out the best way to lay them
Speaker 3: down safest way, and also the lanes that have the
Speaker 3: least impact on pedestrians and small businesses right, you know, I.
Speaker 14: Understand, and make it safe and find the right spot
Speaker 14: for the right for the right lanes. You got the
Speaker 14: awesome Brighton exit for the mass Pike off of Cambridge Street.
Speaker 14: There used to be five lanes there. Now they narrow
Speaker 14: it down to one. So in the mornings everyone's going
Speaker 14: you know, it was going ninety east and it's one
Speaker 14: language and they took they made the bike lane, that
Speaker 14: protection lane three lanes wide, and now all the cars
Speaker 14: on Cambra Street are funneling into one lane. And now
Speaker 14: the west lane is wide open, but you can't get
Speaker 14: there because it's all bortled necked up.
Speaker 2: You Leo, if you get a chance to take it
Speaker 2: right over to West Roxbury and try to drive down
Speaker 2: Center Street, Waffle they have like double.
Speaker 3: And I know they don't even pay through the roof.
Speaker 8: They don't even pay, Leo.
Speaker 2: I just want to ask Josh your question. Have you
Speaker 2: had a chance, Josh to get over in Sena Street
Speaker 2: in West Roxbury.
Speaker 3: Yes, a few times, and I know at least one
Speaker 3: or two businesses. I assume more are down fifteen percent
Speaker 3: uh because of the bike lines and the impact. So
Speaker 3: we have to find a way, you know, do the data,
Speaker 3: do the studies that has the least amount of impacts,
Speaker 3: you know, for pedestrians trying to move around the city,
Speaker 3: and of course small businesses, which are the heartbeat of
Speaker 3: all the neighborhoods of the city.
Speaker 14: No question, no, right right, I mean, I know they
Speaker 14: put down those wires like you see them put down
Speaker 14: for the for they do the data for the for
Speaker 14: the vehicles, for commercial motive vehicles, for regular vehicles, and
Speaker 14: they count the cars and the speeds of the cars.
Speaker 14: They should maybe somehow do that for the bike to
Speaker 14: see how much is being used compared to the vehicles.
Speaker 14: And you know, hey we'll share the roadway.
Speaker 8: But I mean, they.
Speaker 14: Shouldn't have thirty three percent of the roadway because coys
Speaker 14: can't even park on the roadway anymore.
Speaker 2: You got it, Leo. Appreciate your call. I got to
Speaker 2: run here. Okay, thank you guys. Have a good night.
Speaker 2: All right, thank you, Josh. I got a whole bunch
Speaker 2: of calls here. I know I didn't tell you would
Speaker 2: do an hour, but if you can stay for three
Speaker 2: more calls, I promise I'll let you go at about
Speaker 2: five minutes to ten. Is that is that a deal.
Speaker 3: Yeah that yeah, that that's fine. Okay, great man, no problem,
Speaker 3: I okay, more.
Speaker 2: Sure, absolutely well. We got Ashley, Frank and George coming up.
Speaker 2: You guys stay there. We get a chance to talk
Speaker 2: with Josh Craft, who is running for mayor of Boston.
Speaker 2: And at the end we'll give you an opportunity, Josh,
Speaker 2: to tell people how they can get in touch with
Speaker 2: you if they'd like to help your campaign. We'll take
Speaker 2: a quick break. It's nine five. Coming up right after
Speaker 2: this quick commercial break. Here on Nightside More with Meyrill
Speaker 2: candidate Josh Kraft.
Speaker 1: You're on night Side with Dan Ray on WBZ, Boston's
Speaker 1: news radio.
Speaker 2: We're talking with Josh Kraft, candidate from mayor and Austin.
Speaker 2: Let's get right back to the calls. George is in Westwood.
Speaker 2: Georgerew next on Nisiger. Right ahead, you're on with Josh Craft.
Speaker 8: Hey, Dan, Hey Josh, I have a question for Josh.
Speaker 8: Right ahead, Josh, and and you reply to a previous callege,
Speaker 8: you're sauldn't going to be fighting for the people of Boston.
Speaker 8: Ice is targeting convicted criminals who may be located in
Speaker 8: the city of Boston. Are you going to be fighting
Speaker 8: for them too.
Speaker 11: No.
Speaker 3: I believe in the Trust Act, which was creating twenty
Speaker 3: eighteen by Mayor Walsh, and that directs be Boston Police
Speaker 3: to work with ICE agents and federal agents to remove
Speaker 3: and deport all federal criminal criminals. That's what I believe in.
Speaker 3: At the same time, I'm against the mass deportation plan
Speaker 3: of President Trump Secretary Homan. I think it's scary that
Speaker 3: people that are in the house, you know, in a
Speaker 3: house warship or in school can be rounded up and
Speaker 3: removed even though they have no connection to violent crime.
Speaker 2: So to be clear your in favor, let me just George,
Speaker 2: I want to make sure I understand Josh's position is
Speaker 2: that criminal aliens who ICE picks up and who have
Speaker 2: committed crimes, you're okay with getting them out of the country.
Speaker 2: What about with like MS thirteen gang members and Trent
Speaker 2: Deagua gang members? Is violent crime out of Venezuela. I
Speaker 2: don't know how you feel.
Speaker 3: Again, Yeah, No, I support and believe in the Trust
Speaker 3: Act that Marty Walson acted in twenty eighteen. That mandate
Speaker 3: directs be Boston Police to work with federal agents to
Speaker 3: remove violent criminals. So as far as I know MS
Speaker 3: thirteen those are violent criminals, but I don't you know.
Speaker 2: Yeah, well they are, they're they're they're one of the
Speaker 2: most dangerous groups of criminals. And the US attorney in
Speaker 2: Boston who's been in my show, Leah Foley, they are
Speaker 2: doing a great job trying to find the people who
Speaker 2: are who are who are literally killing and raping, uh,
Speaker 2: you know, innocent people in Boston. So, George, uh, I
Speaker 2: think I understand the purpose of your question. I tend
Speaker 2: to agree with you, George, and I think Josh is
Speaker 2: also pretty much on the same page as as as
Speaker 2: you and I am.
Speaker 8: And absolutely Dan, I totally agree with Josh. We cannot
Speaker 8: take people that we probably know personally that will probably
Speaker 8: work with be taken away from our society. I totally
Speaker 8: agree with Jush on that I got one more little
Speaker 8: thing to bring up. He brought up tariffs. I believe tariffs.
Speaker 8: What the President did yesterday is an investment in America,
Speaker 8: and basically that doesn't really give an example. We may
Speaker 8: pay six dollars for our lackey. I don't lattes, Dan,
Speaker 8: but we do for a latte in Starbucks. But do
Speaker 8: you know how much the coffee grinds cost for that latte,
Speaker 8: they cost fifteen cents. Yeah, not fifteen cents. It's gonna
Speaker 8: go up to eighteen cents. So I don't think Starbucks
Speaker 8: is gonna change their price on the alattes if they
Speaker 8: cost close up three cents.
Speaker 2: Yeah, bas they might blame they might blame that on that.
Speaker 2: I'm a I'm a Duncan guy. I don't know about Josh.
Speaker 3: I was speaking in tariffs and reference to material raw
Speaker 3: building materials for White Stadium Rini project.
Speaker 2: Yeah. Absolutely, Okay, I'm a Duncan guy. I don't know
Speaker 2: about Josh, but.
Speaker 6: You are.
Speaker 2: Okay. Well that's good. I mean, if you live in
Speaker 2: New England or live in Boston, you gotta love Duncan's,
Speaker 2: that's for sure. Seattle's okay for Starbucks, but it's dunk
Speaker 2: in his Boston.
Speaker 8: Hey, George, I'm a Duncan's guy too. I'm a Dunkist
Speaker 8: guy too. But I might Duncan at the supermarket and
Speaker 8: I make it at home.
Speaker 2: Too, That's exactly what I do. George. Okay, thank you,
Speaker 2: all right, thank you. Let's go to Ashley in Roxbury. Hi, Ashley, welcome.
Speaker 2: You're all with Josh.
Speaker 13: Kraft Hi, Dan, Hi, mister Kraft.
Speaker 14: How are you.
Speaker 2: We're doing great?
Speaker 12: Great?
Speaker 14: Thank you, thank you.
Speaker 13: I was just calling a dear I've been on here
Speaker 13: a few times. Then my son Damien was murdered down on.
Speaker 3: Mass av Yes, I know you and.
Speaker 14: S thank you, thank you.
Speaker 13: So I've heard a lot about like I'm sorry, I
Speaker 13: don't mean to sound rude, but a dear friend of
Speaker 13: mine that I met through my grief down on mass
Speaker 13: As is a man named Domingos ter Rosa is. Yes,
Speaker 13: yes he is, and this is his fourth time running
Speaker 13: and he hasn't even I'm on this show. Have all
Speaker 13: the mayoral candidates been invited to be on your show
Speaker 13: like this?
Speaker 2: Eventually they will, Lastly, eventually they will. I think that
Speaker 2: you know Domingo or any candidates. It's easy to say
Speaker 2: you're a candidate, but we like to make sure that
Speaker 2: people have shown him so well the one that they're
Speaker 2: a candidate, and that they're going to be a serious candidate.
Speaker 14: If candidate, yeah, okay, we'll have him.
Speaker 2: Have him contact me. I've had him on my show
Speaker 2: several times, particularly when he was working with the kids
Speaker 2: in youth football and they had problems with hypodermic needles
Speaker 2: over in the football field, so I know Domingo very well.
Speaker 2: Have him give me a call. Thanks, Ashley, I'm glad
Speaker 2: you mentioned I done, But well, go ahead if you
Speaker 2: got a quick question.
Speaker 13: Just a question, So what specifically, if you become mayor,
Speaker 13: mister Kross, what are you going to do about the
Speaker 13: fact that there are people right now getting stabbed in
Speaker 13: a two block of our city?
Speaker 3: Okay?
Speaker 13: And and I don't understand why, you know, we're talking
Speaker 13: about ice as ands and stuff, but what about just
Speaker 13: regular cops being able to handle the level of violence
Speaker 13: down there? And what what you would do specifically about it?
Speaker 2: Good questions? Go ahead, Josh oh yeah.
Speaker 3: I would work with the police and take the lead
Speaker 3: on the police and the community folks to understand, you know,
Speaker 3: when is it the worst? You know what, what are
Speaker 3: the peak times? How can we best work together to
Speaker 3: solve the problem and make the area safe? And I'm
Speaker 3: a firm believer in the police, and without without high
Speaker 3: quality public safety, folks, we don't have a city at all.
Speaker 3: And I would take follow the police's lead on how
Speaker 3: how they both how they best think the problem could
Speaker 3: be solved, and I would support them to do their job.
Speaker 2: All right, thank you for that question as well. I
Speaker 2: would like to get one more in. Okay, thanks Ashley, Yeah,
Speaker 2: thank you, all right, good night, all right, last call
Speaker 2: for Josh Craft. Frank Is in Boston. Frank, you're next
Speaker 2: to a nice that with Josh Kraft. Go right ahead.
Speaker 2: You got about a minute and a half or so.
Speaker 12: Go ahead, Okay, here, let me the Craft. What what's
Speaker 12: your idea? Pretty good? What's your what's your idea on
Speaker 12: replacing the stadium down there at the White Stadium? And also,
Speaker 12: how do you what would you do about the proposed
Speaker 12: bus lane going down Blue the Avenue that a lot
Speaker 12: of people in that community oppose.
Speaker 2: Okay, let's take the stadium first. I think I know
Speaker 2: what Josh first is.
Speaker 3: Look, I think that one hundred million dollars spent on
Speaker 3: a project that primarily benefits a private entity when there's
Speaker 3: a proposal for a third that cost that would be
Speaker 3: one hundred percent for Boston public school kids and families
Speaker 3: to use the park is a better alternative. And I
Speaker 3: feel like one hundred million dollars committed to that project
Speaker 3: the benefits of private entity is just way too much
Speaker 3: money to be spending. And plus there's been pretty vocal
Speaker 3: and consistent, uh, community backlash against the project that has
Speaker 3: not really been heard.
Speaker 2: About.
Speaker 3: The other question about the busson, I'll have I would
Speaker 3: I would follow the community's lead on that. If it's
Speaker 3: something they were opposed to, then I wouldn't want it
Speaker 3: to then I would fight with them not to make
Speaker 3: so it didn't happen.
Speaker 2: All right, Josh, how can folks get in touch with
Speaker 2: your campaign? What is the website whatever?
Speaker 3: Josh for Boston, Thank you, Dan, Josh for Boston dot Com.
Speaker 3: And there's we'd love volunteers, we'd love support in any
Speaker 3: way shape or form. Get our signs out, and if
Speaker 3: you go to the website you can there's different ways
Speaker 3: to get involved. And of course, the momentum in response
Speaker 3: we've gotten throughout a bunch of neighborhoods, all the neighborhoods
Speaker 3: in the city has been great and we want to
Speaker 3: keep that up. And appreciate anyone's support of my campaign.
Speaker 2: All right, Josh, appreciate your time today, and I know
Speaker 2: that these days tend to be long days, and appreciate
Speaker 2: you taking the time talking to my listeners. Josh Josh
Speaker 2: from Boston dot COM's the website You're more than welcome. Josh.
Speaker 2: We'll talk again. Thank you so much, have you too,
Speaker 2: Bye bye. When we get back, we're going to talk
Speaker 2: about tariffs, and we're going to talk with a professor
Speaker 2: who teaches at the teacher professor who teaches at the
Speaker 2: Boston University School of Business. Back on Nightside. He's been
Speaker 2: a guest before. You'll enjoy him.