Latest news with #JoshKraft
CBS News
5 days ago
- Business
- CBS News
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 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.
New York Times
21-05-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Boston Legacy FC to play inaugural season at Gillette Stadium
Boston Legacy FC will play its entire inaugural season at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., after delays in the redevelopment of White Stadium in Boston, a team spokesperson confirmed. 'With the 2026 NWSL season beginning in 10 months, Boston Legacy FC will play its inaugural season at Gillette Stadium before the club moves into its permanent home at White Stadium in 2027. After nearly two years of community process, including more than 70 public meetings, a landmark lease agreement and a clear victory at trial, White Stadium construction is well underway, but construction will not be finished by March of 2026. For this reason, we have selected Gillette Stadium as an alternate site for 2026 to ensure the consistent, high-level experience our fans and players deserve,' Boston Legacy told The Athletic in a statement. Advertisement The Legacy will share the stadium with MLS' New England Revolution and also has to work around seven FIFA World Cup matches scheduled for June and July 2026. The team will pay rent to the stadium's owner, the Kraft Group, led by Robert Kraft, whose son Josh Kraft is running for mayor of Boston and has publicly opposed the White Stadium project. Boston Legacy signed a 10-year lease with options for two more decades with the city and Boston Public Schools last December. However, the $200 million renovation of the historic Franklin Park venue, which was part of a public-private partnership with the City of Boston, isn't expected to be completed at least until late 2026. This timeline eliminates the possibility of a midseason move. The team still has to make a partial-year rent payment to the city next year. The demolition at White Stadium is nearly complete, with only the historic west grandstand and concrete towers remaining. Boston Legacy is responsible for more than half of the $200 million renovation costs. 'Boston Legacy's home is White Stadium. We have signed a binding agreement with the City of Boston, are contributing over half the cost of the renovation and have committed to spending at least 50 percent of those dollars with local, minority- and women-owned businesses. As part of our lease with the city, we will cover the full cost to operate and maintain White Stadium for decades, as a home for Boston Public Schools athletics and a new public resource in Franklin Park. We will be launching a year of community events, career opportunities and other partnerships in 2026 tied to White Stadium,' the team said. Since securing its expansion bid in September 2023 and gaining city approval for the stadium renovation the following year, the team and city have collaborated to design, demolish and rebuild a state-of-the-art stadium. The venue will host up to 40 soccer matches and practices annually while also serving as a year-round hub for BPS Athletics and community events. Advertisement The stadium overhaul, which includes a new grass field, an eight-lane track and expanded community access, has garnered support and sparked opposition. An ongoing lawsuit from the Emerald Necklace Conservancy and several residents who live near Franklin Park has contributed to construction delays. The group argued the project would equate to the privatization of public land that was legally mandated to remain public. Last month, a Superior Court Justice ruled that the renovation of White Stadium was not in violation of state law. The decision was perceived as a major win for the team and the City of Boston, which have supported having a professional women's soccer team and renovating the historic 10,0000-seat capacity stadium through a public-private partnership. The team is expected to officially announce the venue shift Thursday. Additional announcements, including the team's crest reveal June 7 and a head coach hire, are forthcoming.
Boston Globe
30-04-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
Robert Kraft has Josh Kraft talking about Robert Kraft and Trump
Of course, Josh Kraft would rather talk about schools, housing, and what he sees as a lack of fiscal discipline under Mayor Michelle Wu. Talking about his father and Trump is, as he said, 'a complete distraction from the issues facing the city of Boston.' But keeping his distance from Robert Kraft isn't that simple — not when he may be benefiting from those family ties. Get The Gavel A weekly SCOTUS explainer newsletter by columnist Kimberly Atkins Stohr. Enter Email Sign Up In February, Then, in March, Advertisement A spokesperson for the Kraft Group told the Globe that Robert Kraft was not involved in coordinating any donations from Paul Weiss attorneys to his son's campaign. Got it, no coordination. But just speculating here: What if Robert Kraft mentioned, even casually, that his son is running for mayor? In the hyper-transactional world of business and politics, that could signal that a check would be welcome. Asked about the Paul Weiss contributions, Josh Kraft told me they came in online, and 'Brad Karp is a huge Democratic donor.' Asked why he thinks Karp would know about or contribute to a Boston mayor's race, he said, 'I have no idea why he gave me the money. Whatever the reason is, he donated. It is what it is.' Apart from any connection it has to his father, those contributions also connect him to a law firm that capitulated to Trump. Paul Weiss is Advertisement After the firm committed to provide $40 million in pro bono legal services to support Trump administration initiatives, Trump rescinded the order. What message does it send to take money from a firm that gave in to Trump? 'The only message it sends is that four people donated to my campaign. That's the message I get,' Josh Kraft said. But in these turbulent, highly partisan times, when who stands up to Trump and who doesn't really matters, it might send a different message to others. Meanwhile, there's also the mystery of a New England Patriots' plane that was traveling near Guantanamo Bay on Monday. The plane, which according to Axios, is operated by Omni Air International under a partnership with the team, flew from Fort Worth, Texas, to off the coast of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. There are But according to a statement issued by the Kraft Group and forwarded to me from Josh Kraft's campaign, in this case, the plane 'was not used for any kind of deportation flight and there were no detainees on the plane. Under our current charter manager, neither of the Patriots' planes have ever been used for that purpose. The team planes are operated by a professional charter company when they are not in use by the team. This company manages all logistics, bookings, and operations independently.' According to the statement, the charter company does use the plane to move military personnel under a contract with the Department of Defense, 'with no financial gain' to the Kraft organization. Advertisement Asked about it, Josh Kraft said, 'As you know, I don't have anything to do with any of that. Zero.' It's not what Josh Kraft wants to be talking about. But thanks to Robert Kraft, it is what he is being asked to talk about. Joan Vennochi is a Globe columnist. She can be reached at
Boston Globe
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Robert Kraft helped broker a deal between Trump and Paul Weiss. Now, the law firm's chair is supporting Josh Kraft for mayor.
Weeks later, on April 18, Karp and three other lawyers at his firm contributed $1,000, the maximum legal limit, to Josh Kraft's campaign, campaign finance records show. A spokesperson for the Kraft Group said Robert Kraft was not involved in coordinating any donations from Paul Weiss attorneys to his son's campaign. The Kraft campaign said it did not reach out to any of the donors from the firm. 'Josh is grateful for the significant momentum and support the campaign has received since launching in February,' a spokesperson said. The donations to Kraft's political campaign come as the Advertisement Robert Kraft was a Robert Kraft seemed to distance himself from Trump after the Jan. 6 insurrection, Josh Kraft has said he has never voted for Trump or financially supported him, and earlier this year, called him 'unfit to be president due to his character and lack of emotional control.' He has also emphasized that he differs with his father when it comes to his views on the president. 'I love my dad,' Josh Kraft said in February Josh Kraft has said he is running as his own person, even asking voters to 'set aside any ideas they might have about me based on my Advertisement Still, his father's ties to the president stand in stark contrast to the views of incumbent Mayor Michelle Wu, who has positioned herself as a fiery counterweight to the administration as its threats to yank federal funding State Senator Lydia Edwards, a Democrat from Boston who has been an ally of Wu, said accepting funds from attorneys at a firm that 'capitulated' to Trump shows Kraft is out of touch with the city's needs and political leanings. 'If he really does care about the people of Boston, he needs to give the money back,' Edwards said. 'He is not a destitute first-time grassroots candidate that can't get the funds from someplace else.' To be sure, the recent $4,000 from Paul Weiss attorneys is just a fraction of the more than Still, the donations to Kraft are notable not just for their timing: None of the four Paul Weiss donors — Karp, Scott Barshay, Angelo Bonvino, and Gregory Ezring — live in Massachusetts, and none has ever given to a Boston mayoral candidate before, state campaign finance records show. Advertisement Of the four, only Karp, the firm chairman, has ever donated to a state-level candidate in Massachusetts. Karp has been a prolific donor to Democrats at the federal level, giving more than $100,000 last year to candidates, including Kamala Harris. But he has only rarely given to state-level candidates in Massachusetts; the most recent donation was in 2014 to former attorney general Martha Coakley, then the Democratic nominee for governor. A spokesperson for Paul Weiss and the four donors at the firm did not immediately respond to questions Monday. The firm is also known locally for its role in the Patriots' 2015 Deflategate scandal: Even as Josh Kraft has sought to distance himself from his father's politics, Robert Kraft has made it obvious he takes a keen interest in Boston's political leadership. (Josh Kraft has said he would Robert Kraft has long been stymied by political opposition in Boston, most notably when he Asked about his plans to build a soccer stadium in nearby Everett, Kraft added, 'We just need the political people and get all the agendas, putting [the] team first. And we hope it happens, but we can't force it.' Advertisement Ben Volin of the Globe staff contributed to this report. Emma Platoff can be reached at
Yahoo
23-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Josh Kraft opens campaign headquarters in Roxbury
Josh Kraft has officially opened his campaign headquarters in Roxbury. On Saturday afternoon, Kraft held his grand opening celebration. This will serve as a base for his campaign's growing field operation. Here they will support volunteer mobilization, voter engagement, and community outreach. 'Bering in the heart of Nubian Square means we are in the heart of the City of Boston,' Kraft said at the grand opening. 'Everything starts and ends in Nubian Square and that is where our campaign is gonna start.' Josh Kraft is the President of the New England Patriots Foundation and has led many of the Kraft family's philanthropic initiatives. He also spent 30 years with the Boys and Girls Club of Boston among other organizations that give back to the community. Kraft will run as a Democrat against incumbent Mayor Michelle Wu in the fall. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
