Now there's three: Developer Thomas O'Brien set to enter Boston mayoral race, sources say.
O'Brien, 61, is making the announcement with his wife Tricia and some of his children — who are all adopted from Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, and Ethiopia, according to people briefed on his plans. O'Brien chose East Boston, a neighborhood that has been dubbed Boston's Ellis Island for its rich history of welcoming immigrants. He also spent years in the neighborhood building community support for Suffolk Downs project.
O'Brien has assembled a team of senior advisors and has a poll in the field asking about issues such as residential property taxes, Boston Public Schools, and fiscal spending.
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O'Brien will be Wu's second notable Democratic challenger in this year's mayoral race, after
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Like Kraft, O'Brien is well known in Boston's civic and business arenas, though neither have held elected office before. O'Brien grew up in Scituate and Andover and now lives in downtown Boston. His brother,
There will be a preliminary round of voting in September, with the two highest vote-getters advancing to a runoff in November.
In 1997, Thomas O'Brien (second from left) was director of the then-Boston Redevelopment Authority, helping Mayor Thomas Menino to plan what would become the Seaport.
BLANDING, John GLOBE STAFF
O'Brien and Kraft both have ties to Boston's business community and
would likely be battling for similar contingents of voters: residents who are dissatisfied with Wu's leadership of the city, and have concerns about slowed housing development, longstanding challenges in Boston Public Schools, and her management of the city's budget. But O'Brien's decision to jump into the race could be an indication he senses vulnerabilities in the Kraft campaign.
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Wu has been enjoying a groundswell of political support after
She went on to take a victory lap in her
But deep frustration with Wu has been building among the city's powerful real estate industry — over her increasing affordable housing requirements and green housing codes for new buildings, as well as her yearlong battle to
Many in the real estate industry earlier this month expressed surprise that O'Brien would considering a campaign against Wu. HYM has active projects before the city right now, and the Wu administration has frequently called on O'Brien to support its policy initiatives that have been unpopular amongst developers.
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HYM, which O'Brien founded, is an influential real estate development firm that has shepherded some of the city's most high-profile, complex projects through Boston's oft-bemoaned development review process. HYM partnered with NB Development Group, the real estate arm of footwear giant New Balance, in developing the nearly 2 million-square-foot mixed-use Boston Landing campus on the Allston/Brighton border, and also kicked off the 45-acre former NorthPoint development — now called Cambridge Crossing — in Cambridge, Somerville, and Boston.
Thomas O'Brien in the Seaport in 2019.
David L. Ryan/Globe Staff
As part of a decade-long re-do of the old Government Center Garage,
HYM also developed the dual skyscrapers just outside Boston's City Hall: the State Street Corp. headquarters at One Congress and luxury condominium tower The Sudbury,
where the O'Briens own a unit.
O'Brien recently was credited with directing affordable housing funding from The Sudbury to
But many HYM projects are in varying states of delay at the moment, amid financing challenges and a difficult building environment. Work at
Suffolk Downs,
Niki Griswold can be reached at
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27 minutes ago
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Minnesota lawmaker shooting suspect Vance Boelter visited other lawmakers' homes with plans to attack, prosecutors say
The man accused of shooting two Democratic state lawmakers and their spouses in Minnesota while impersonating a police officer was taken into custody in rural Sibley County, about 50 miles away from Minneapolis, on Sunday evening, ending a massive two-day manhunt that was described as the largest in the state's history. The suspect, Vance Luther Boelter, 57, was arrested and charged with two counts of murder, two counts of attempted murder, and an array of federal offenses in the fatal shooting of former Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, and the shooting of Democratic state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, in their homes north of Minneapolis early Saturday. Boelter is due to appear in court on Monday afternoon. "One man's unthinkable actions have altered the state of Minnesota," Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said at a news conference announcing Boelter's arrest, calling the killing of Hortman a 'politically motivated assassination." Authorities reportedly recovered an apparent hit list containing the names of dozens of Minnesota Democratic lawmakers, including Walz, U.S. Sen. Tina Smith, U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar and state Attorney General Keith Ellison. At a press conference Monday, Joe Thompson, the acting U.S. attorney for Minnesota, announced that Boelter has been charged with six federal crimes, including stalking, murder and firearm offenses. The federal murder charges could result in the death penalty, but Thompson said it is 'too early to tell' whether his office will seek it. Thompson said that Boelter went to the homes of two other state lawmakers, but that they were not home. 'Boelter stalked his victims like prey,' Thompson said, calling the details of his alleged crimes "truly chilling. Authorities say the attacks began around 2 a.m. on Saturday, when Boelter shot and wounded John and Yvette Hoffman at their Champlin, Minn., home. 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When police in nearby Brooklyn Park learned that a lawmaker had been shot, they sent patrol officers to proactively check on the Hortmans' home. Around 3:35 a.m., they encountered an SUV with emergency lights on in the driveway and Boelter posing as a police officer as he shot Mark Hortman through the open door of the home. The suspect and officers exchanged fire, and Boelter fled. Police recovered a ballistic vest, mask and a 'gold police-style badge' at that scene. On Sunday, authorities located Boelter's vehicle abandoned in Sibley County, near his Green Isle, Minn., home. An officer then spotted what he believed to be the suspect running into the woods, setting off a frantic search. According to authorities, a large perimeter was established, and nearly 200 law enforcement officers — including members of 20 regional and local SWAT teams — as well as helicopters, drones and K-9 units were involved in the manhunt. Police received another tip that a man was running in the woods, allowing officers to hone in on the suspect. Hours later, Boelter was located by law enforcement and crawled out to surrender. Lt. Col. Jeremy Geiger of the Minnesota State Patrol said Boelter was armed, but no shots were fired, and he was handcuffed and taken into custody. Boelter was booked into the Hennepin County Jail where he was awaiting the court appearance on state murder charges. Boelter is a married father who worked for a security services firm in the Twin Cities area. According to ABC News, Boelter 'touted an extensive background in security and military training' online. According to CNN, he was also an outspoken evangelical Christian who 'traveled to Africa to tell his faith story and, in at least one sermon, pointedly questioned American morals on sexual orientation.' 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The Hill
36 minutes ago
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Trump fires Democratic member of nuclear energy safety commission
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Yahoo
39 minutes ago
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Democratic Lawmaker And Her Husband Killed In What Tim Walz Called A 'Politically Motivated Assassination'
Governor Tim Walz has spoken out after his colleague, Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman, and her husband, Mark, were shot and killed in the early hours of Saturday, June 14. According to multiple sources, the Democratic politician and her husband were targeted by a suspect who was impersonating law enforcement. Walz also addressed the shooting of Senator John Hoffman and his wife, which occurred approximately 90 minutes before the Hortmans were murdered in another Minnesota suburb, condemning the attacks as an "act of targeted political violence." During a press conference, Governor Walz confirmed that one of his colleagues, Rep. Hortman, and her husband were murdered in a brutal attack inside their home in Brooklyn Park. "We're here today because an unspeakable tragedy has unfolded today in Minnesota,' Walz, 61, began. 'My good friend and colleague, Speaker Melissa Hortman, and her husband Mark, were shot and killed earlier this morning in what appears to be a politically motivated assassination.' According to NBC News, authorities said the suspect gained access to the Hortmans' home by impersonating a law enforcement officer and wearing a badge, and that the assailant remains on the run. Walz also shared an update about Senator John Hoffman and his wife, who were shot and wounded almost two hours before the Hortmans, in Champlin. 'We are cautiously optimistic they will survive this assassination attempt,' the governor said, adding that 'this was an act of targeted political violence.' "Peaceful discourse is the foundation of our democracy. We don't settle our differences with violence or at gunpoint," he continued. The attack on Sen. Hoffman and his wife occurred first, at around 2 a.m. local time, according to Drew Evans, superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. Another call came in at 3:35 a.m. at the Hortmans' home, where Brooklyn Park police officers encountered an individual who "immediately fired at them." According to NBC, police exchanged gunfire with the suspect who fled out of the back of the Hortmans' house before escaping. Another report from PEOPLE describes the suspect as a white male with brown hair, wearing a blue shirt, blue pants, and black body armor. The suspect has not yet been captured, but federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies are all "actively engaged in a manhunt" for the individual, said Evans. Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley spoke with the AP after the shooting and revealed that his officers found writings mentioning the names of several lawmakers in a fake police car believed to have been used during the shootings. 'When we did a search of the vehicle, there was a manifesto that identified many lawmakers and other officials. We immediately made alerts to the state. We took action on alerting them and providing security where necessary,' Bruley said. He explained that the suspect operated a vehicle that "looked exactly like an SUV squad car. It was equipped with lights, emergency lights, and looked exactly like a police vehicle." Public Safety Commissioner Bob Johnson also shared his thoughts about the suspect pretending to be a police officer. 'Suspect exploited the trust of our uniforms, what our uniforms are meant to represent. That betrayal is deeply disturbing to those of us who wear the badge with honor and responsibility,' he said. After condemning the shootings and urging everyone "across the country" to "stand against all forms of political violence," Walz honored Speaker Hortman, calling her a "formidable public servant." "She woke up every day determined to make this state a better place. She is irreplaceable and will be missed by so many," he said. "Minnesota's thoughts and prayers are with her family, her loved ones, her children and her parents," he added. 'We're committed to keeping Minnesotans informed as the situation continues. I assure you that those responsible for this will be held accountable, and each and every one of us are committed to making sure that a tragedy like this never repeats itself in Minnesota or across this country," the governor finished.
