Keller: Political ad targets Boston's Mayor Wu over bike lanes, White Stadium
The opinions expressed below are Jon Keller's, not those of WBZ, CBS News or Paramount Global.
An independent political action committee supporting Josh Kraft is behind the first TV ad in Boston's mayoral race. Does the ad, which is critical of Mayor Michelle Wu, pass the truth test?
What the ad says
"Too often, Mayor Wu acts as if she alone has all the answers," said challenger Josh Kraft in his campaign kickoff speech last winter.
And the first TV ad of the Boston mayoral race - purchased by an independent political action committee supporting Kraft - picks right up on that theme.
"We tried to tell Mayor Wu her ideas would only make things worse, but she ignored us," says the narrator, who rolls out Exhibit A: Wu's acceleration of bike lane installations around the city, in some cases over the vocal objections of neighborhood residents and businesses.
In support of that claim, the city's April review of its bike lane policy found "consistent feedback" that "communications and community engagement were inadequate...decisions seemed predetermined," and "neighborhood feedback was not weighed as heavily as others."
The mayor says changes will be made, but Kraft and his allies say it's proof of Wu's arrogance.
Wu targeted over traffic, White Stadium
The ad continues: "Bike lanes - all we got was worse traffic," citing a recent study of Boston's traffic woes.
But that linkage is a stretch. In fact, that traffic study cited in the ad found Boston driver time stuck in traffic actually dropped by 10% last year, and an analyst for the company that did the study credits increased bike usage as a positive factor.
More: "White Stadium? Luxury boxes and beer gardens, while Boston Public Schools are closed."
The ongoing conversion of a decrepit public stadium in the heart of Franklin Park into a facility shared with a private pro soccer team has been a source of controversy. But linking it to the closure of some city schools is a real reach.
Years of declining enrollments are behind the shutdowns, and it's unfair to imply Wu is prioritizing the party needs of soccer fans over the needs of Boston schoolkids.
The big finish: "Boston's headed in the wrong direction, and a vote against Mayor Wu is a message she can't ignore."
Are voters angry at Wu?
That's the key question of this race. Most elections where an incumbent is running for another term wind up being a referendum on that incumbent and their record.
Mayor Wu is trying to make it a referendum on Kaft by attacking his plans, experience and allies.
Whoever wins the battle over framing the choice will likely win in November.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
E&E News
22 minutes ago
- E&E News
Atmospheric CO2 buildup broke another record in May
Climate-warming carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere broke another record last month, breaching 430 parts per million for the first time in recorded history. The Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego, whose researchers track atmospheric CO2, publicly announced the findings Thursday morning. NOAA announced the findings in social media posts on X and Facebook, linking to the public data on its website. The agency also typically reveals the annual CO2 in a news release, like last year's announcement, but hadn't done so as of 12:30 p.m. ET on Thursday. Advertisement Kim Doster, NOAA's director of communications, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
CNN
23 minutes ago
- CNN
UnitedHealthcare accused The Guardian of looking to ‘capitalize' on CEO's murder in lawsuit
UnitedHealthcare sued The Guardian and its parent on Wednesday for defamation, claiming the US version of the British daily newspaper ran information it knew to be incorrect in order to 'capitalize' on the assassination of the medical insurer's CEO. The article in question was produced and published by The Guardian's US investigations team as part of a series titled 'Too Big to Care' and was available worldwide at publication. In the article, George Joseph, an investigative reporter for The Guardian's US publication, wrote that UnitedHealth Group, UnitedHealthcare's parent, had engaged in cost-cutting tactics by paying off nurses to cut down on hospital transfers. Citing internal emails, documents and interviews with more than 20 current and former staffers, the report claimed that the payments were made 'as part of a UnitedHealth program.' Nursing home residents in need of 'immediate hospital care under the program failed to receive it' because of 'interventions from UnitedHealth staffers,' per the report. The lawsuit from UnitedHealth Group, United Healthcare Services and Optum, the group's health services segment, filed in Delaware's Superior Court, accused The Guardian of publishing 'knowingly false claims' in the story, alleging it used 'deceptively doctored documents' and 'patently untruthful anecdotes' to produce the article. 'The Guardian knew these accusations were false, but published them anyway, brazenly trying to capitalize on the tragic and shocking assassination of UnitedHealthcare's then-CEO, Brian Thompson,' the lawsuit alleged. The Guardian is strongly pushing back against UnitedHealthcare's lawsuit, emphasizing in a statement that it will defend Joseph's reporting. 'The Guardian stands by its deeply-sourced, independent reporting, which is based on thousands of corporate and patient records, publicly filed lawsuits, declarations submitted to federal and state agencies, and interviews with more than 20 current and former UnitedHealth employees — as well as statements and information provided by UnitedHealth itself over several weeks,' The Guardian said in a statement. 'It's outrageous that in response to factual reporting on the practice of secretly paying nursing homes to reduce hospitalizations for vulnerable patients, UnitedHealth is resorting to wildly misleading claims and intimidation tactics via the courts,' the publication said. The health care giant's accusations echo a statement published by UnitedHealth Group the same day The Guardian released its investigation. In the statement, the company accused the publication of building a 'narrative' using 'anecdotes rather than facts.' The company noted that the Justice Department had investigated the allegations, interviewed witnesses, and combed through thousands of documents, only to find 'the significant factual inaccuracies in the allegations.' A UnitedHealth Group spokesperson told CNN that The Guardian 'refused to engage with the truth and chose instead to print its predetermined narrative.' 'The Guardian knowingly published false and misleading claims about our Institutional Special Needs Program, forcing us to take action to protect the clinician-patient relationship that is crucial for delivering high-quality care,' the company said in a statement. However, despite the claim, a spokesperson for The Guardian told CNN that it has 'received no requests for correction or retraction on any aspect of the story.' UnitedHealthcare is being represented by Clare Locke, a law firm known for taking on defamation cases against media organizations. The firm has also represented Project Veritas; and one of its partners, Jered Ede, who is working on the UnitedHealthcare lawsuit, was also Project Veritas's chief legal officer.
Fox News
23 minutes ago
- Fox News
Hooters abruptly closes restaurants in multiple states amid bankruptcy restructuring: 'Never easy'
Hooters has closed more than 30 of its restaurants in multiple states this week, according to reports. The Atlanta-based Hooters of America locations that closed were corporately owned. "Hooters will be well-positioned to continue our iconic legacy under a pure franchise business model," the company told USA Today in a statement. "We are committed to supporting our impacted team members throughout this process and are incredibly grateful to our valued customers for their loyalty and dedication to the Hooters brand." Hooters of America recently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy as part of an effort to enable a founder-led buyout and restructuring of the popular restaurant chain. Fox News Digital reached out to Hooters of America for a list of the locations that closed. USA Today reported that restaurants in at least 10 states have shut down, including in Florida and Texas. Neil Kiefer, CEO of Hooters Inc., the Clearwater, Florida-based company that founded the Hooters concept in 1983, told Fox News Digital in April that his group plans to "clean these stores up" and "change the culture." Closing certain underperforming locations was always part of the plan, according to a news release from Hooters Inc. Hooters Inc. owns and operates 22 Hooters restaurants in Florida and Illinois, with two more locations slated to open in Florida later this year. Along with another existing franchisee, the Hooters buyer group collectively controls over 30% of the domestic locations, including 14 of the 30 highest-volume restaurants, according to a March 31 news release announcing the restructuring plan. Once the restructuring has been approved by a bankruptcy court, the buyer group anticipates operating about 130 Hooters restaurants – roughly 65% of the domestic Hooters locations. "We are confident that the acquisition will be finalized later this summer and we are excited to move forward into the next chapter of the Hooters brand," Kiefer told Fox News Digital. "Decisions about store closures are never easy to make, but all parties are completely aligned in bringing the necessary resources required to make the remaining 200 domestic Hooters locations as successful as possible."
