Mr Smith

Amid a combined city and Boston Public Schools (BPS) budget shortfall exceeding $100 million, two councilors’ emergency orders calling for greater financial scrutiny on April 1 were blocked before they could even be read into the record. The City of Boston faces a projected $48.4 million deficit for fiscal year 2026, roughly 1% of its $4.8 billion operating budget. Separately, BPS contends with a $53 million shortfall, prompting its own hiring and spending freezes. Councilors Erin Murphy and Ed Flynn submitted late-file emergency orders. One sought an independent performance audit of city finances and BPS spending to clarify resource allocation. The other called for a hearing on BPS priorities, focusing on why basic student-athlete needs went unmet. Under council rules, a single objection from a colleague can kill such items immediately. Councilor Sharon Durkan, a close Wu ally, objected before the clerk could read the proposals aloud, preventing any debate, public acknowledgment, or vote. Durkan’s office later cited procedural reasons, noting the items did not qualify as true emergencies. The optics were poor. In the same meeting, the council reportedly advanced lighter items, including a resolution declaring a day for Cardi B, while shutting down questions about fiscal management. Murphy expressed embarrassment: serious inquiries into city finances and student equipment were sidelined, while symbolic gestures sailed through. Flynn described the block as “simply due to politics.” Critics argue that an independent audit could reveal whether the deficits stem purely from uncontrollable factors or from deeper structural choices—such as major capital commitments like the $135 million White Stadium renovation.

We are definitely overachievers here in Massachusetts. Always striving to be number one But really all the credit goes to Maura Healey