Editorial: Dish up solutions for North End
Mayor Michelle Wu should break bread with North End restaurant owners and serve up a compromise. Come with ideas instead of anger.
How’s this? Many of the streets around the neighborhood could be closed on weekends to allow outdoor dining. The city could help promote this and watch tourists flock to Little Italy.
Or, make Hanover Street one-way to allow for tables on weekends.
All it takes is a little urban savvy, and the sour taste leaves everybody’s mouth.
There are so many streets you can begin with, so all you need are the neighbors at the table with the agenda item “Seeking Compromise” as the focus.
But there’s a federal lawsuit hovering over all this, so everyone is picking sides and clamming up.
Mayor Wu needs to fix this. We’re not sure why she’s taking such a hard stance in the North End. Just walking around the other day, the warm weather had everyone out. Just think how beautiful it will be this spring and summer.
Paris, Madrid, and Rome (we could keep going) have turned al fresco dining into an art form. It’s time to think big in Boston, too. Have the restaurant owners pay for the police details and watch as the North End becomes the destination it has always been for generations.
Drop the $7,500 fee for outdoor dining permission while you’re at it. It’s punitive.
A new survey tells of Americans down on the economy. It’s primarily the insane cost of housing, but it’s more than that. Politicians make decisions for, well, political reasons. Many are laser-focused on their reputations at the expense of what’s good for others.
When was the last time you sacrificed a household necessity to make a political point? How about never? You need to pay bills, fix broken pipes, and prioritize a loved one’s health.
The Associated Press reports if it wasn’t for shelter costs, inflation — President Biden’s most pronounced economic problem — would be running at a healthy and stable 1.8%. Instead, it’s hovering around 3.2%.
It’s similar to what’s happening here in the North End. The many wonderful restaurants give people jobs and the foot traffic to the neighborhood helps other surrounding businesses. The pastry shops and specialty food outlets all benefit.
Attacking this outdoor dining conundrum as a team instead of staying on opposing sides would go a long way to building goodwill. Mayor Wu says she’s standing up for the neighbors concerned about late nights and other stresses associated with outdoor events. So make that a top agenda item.
Someone needs to care about what makes Boston the Hub of the universe. Stand up and demand that the North End be treated as a jewel, not a problem, that will keep foodies flocking to the neighborhood to enjoy dining outside, dining inside, walking around, and staying overnight in one of the many fine hotels downtown.
Call a community meeting. Have Mayor Wu stand in front of the crowd and start soliciting solutions instead of trying to score political points.
This city deserves nothing less! All the other neighborhoods will be watching and learning, too.
In the end, everyone could sit down for a great meal with a little wine and toast this fantastic town.
Editorial cartoon by Gary Varvel (Creators Syndicate)