Tempers flare, accusations fly at BC meeting

Boston College Task Force members were forced to eject a disruptive member of the public at their June 19 meeting, and tempers flared when the integrity of members of the Task Force was brought into question.

The monthly meeting of the task force with the Boston Redevelopment Association and Thomas Keady, BC’s vice president for community affairs, was supposed to provide residents with a presentation of BC’s acquisitions and their intended usage.

One member of the public, Steve Costello, who identified himself as a founding member of the Boston College Task Force, spoke loudly throughout the meeting, calling the BRA evil and referring to the task force as corrupt. The man’s behavior angered residents, and when residents questioned who he was, he became belligerent and was asked to take a seat. When he refused, a member of the task force began to contact the police, at which point a scuffle ensued outside the meeting room and the man was ejected.

Mark Alford, a candidate for the City Council seat to be vacated by Jerry McDermott, also brought BC’s presentation to a halt with an objection to the continuation of the meeting on the grounds that an agenda was not made available to the public 48 hours in advance. As a result, Alford asked that the meeting be rescheduled so that residents would have time to prepare questions and comments.

“The agenda was not advertised anywhere. The audience is entitled to have due process followed to the letter,” Alford said, eliciting clapping and “Yes”es from the crowd.

Committee members stressed that the agenda is usually advertised in the local press, but that it had been released later than usual this month.

Gerald Autler, senior project manager for BRA, rejected Alford’s suggestion and told the meeting, “There is a difference of opinion of whether the open meeting law counts. We are here so that the task force and the community can engage in a conversation with BC. We will make this as open as possible.”

Tempers flared when Patrick Galvin suggested that task force members had been receiving “gratuities” during private sessions. Task force members strenuously objected to the insinuation and some committee members became visibly upset. Task Force Chairman Jean Woods’ voice broke with anger as she addressed the accusations.

A five-minute recess was then suggested, during which any members of the public who did not want to stay were asked to leave the meeting.

Woods said after the meeting, “The task force is here to represent the community and we need to stop fighting among ourselves. We hear residents loud and clear. No one on the task force has anything to gain from BC’s plans.”

Many members of the public expressed their dismay that during seven months of meetings, no meeting minutes had been made available to residents and that communication between the community and the BRA was poor.

Alex Selvig, another candidate for City Council, told the meeting, “It would be helpful for the public to be able to see the minutes, for everybody’s sake. We’re in this together.”

According to the BRA, meeting minutes will be available on the BRA Web site on July 16, and Autler apologized for the previous lack of access to meeting minutes, promising to make them available as soon as possible.

Task force member Rose Hanlon addressed concerns that private sessions were being held to withhold information from the community, “Don’t separate the task force from the community,” she told the meeting. “It empowers BC to see disruption. There is no intent to keep minutes away from people, and there is no intent whatsoever for the task force to work privately.”

One task force member suggested that residents should “make a list” of things they would like from BC in return for enduring the planning and building process, after which one resident commented: “I don’t want to leverage with BC after they’ve built, I want to use the leverage to control expansion.” To which the audience applauded.

BC’s Keady responded to concerns that despite months of meetings, residents’ suggestions hadn’t been heard. “We have taken what you’ve said internally … Some changes will be incorporated.” Keady added that this would be the last time he showed the master plan. “I’m tired of being yelled at,” he said.

Keady said that BC would aim to file the master plan application in the next couple of months, and that once the Chapter 80 process had been initiated, the public could make comments on the record.

The next task force meeting is scheduled for July 17 at 6.30 p.m. at the Brighton Marine Health Center.