Boston mayoral candidates fight for votes at church forum

Three out of the four people who are vying to be Boston’s next mayor discussed their ideas on immigration, school infrastructure, and homeownership at the Bethel AME Church in Jamaica Plain on Tuesday night. It was one of the last opportunities for the candidates to make their pitches to voters before two mayoral hopefuls are knocked out of the race in the Sept. 9 preliminary election.

During the forum, organized by the Greater Boston Interfaith Organization, incumbent mayor Michelle Wu, former nonprofit executive Josh Kraft, and longtime activist Domingos DaRosa were asked to answer three questions. Perennial political candidate Robert Cappucci said he could not attend because of a family emergency.

When asked how they would close the homeownership gap between white families and families of color in Boston, Wu highlighted her administration’s record, but acknowledged more needs to be done.

“It's a lot of moving parts and pieces, and so I will say I will do everything in my power to reduce that gap as much as possible. But even measuring that gap is a process that can take years sometimes, and you need accountability faster than that,” she said.

Ultimately, the mayor promised to repeat her first term accomplishment of helping 1,000 families become new homeowners in Boston —  65% of them people of color.

“ We'll make sure that we do that — and at least more — in another four years,” she said.

Kraft said he’d jumpstart development and use the tax revenue for a first-time homebuyer program. He also said he’d fight predatory lenders; look at changing deed restrictions; and turn to private groups, including one that offers mortgages with no down payment and no closing costs.

“ We will work together to create accessibility to that program for Black and brown residents across the city,” Kraft said. “That may even mean finding funders to help continue to create opportunity with that program.”

But on housing, the crowd’s strongest response went to activist Domingos DaRosa.

“For home ownership, we need to be real about this. What homes [are there] to buy? We're only building condos, one or two bedrooms.  So let's stop telling people a false promise,” he said to cheers.

All three candidates committed to finding funds to renovate Madison Park Technical Vocational High School. Wu said the $700 million school project will be the most expensive in Boston’s history, but she would do "everything in [her] power" to make sure it's completed. Kraft said the city has waited too long on the project, and “families deserve better."

Kraft and Wu were aligned on support for immigrant communities; both said they adamantly oppose mass deportation efforts by the Trump administration. DaRosa, an immigrant who came to the U.S. from Cape Verde as a baby, took a different tone. The independent candidate said he knows many people who’ve been deported, and wants to “educate all of us” on how to become legal citizens.

After the forum,  Jumaada Smith, who described herself as a resident of “Roxchester,” said all of the candidates deserved credit for taking on the questions, but she couldn’t yet share who had earned her vote.

“ I'm still processing. But I think each candidate in their own way made a good ‘A,’ ” Smith said. “A good, strong grade.”

Other voters said the forum solidified their choice for the preliminary election.

“I liked the mayor's answers,” said Denise Montgomery. “I think she's on the ball. I think she's on top of it. I like how she's handling things. I like how she's fighting for things. And I'm very impressed with her.”

But Jamaica Plain resident Alcurtis Clark said she was a “little disappointed” in Wu.

“I've heard much of what she has said before. But I haven't seen much proof in the pudding with her,” She said, adding that Kraft didn’t have “enough substance in his answers. There were no definitive plans or thoughts. It was very generalized, and that's not what we need right now.”

“I'm looking for a fresh voice, and that's what I see in Domingos,” Clark said. “ I need someone who really, actually has the finger on the pulse of the residents and what the residents feel, and the despair that they feel, the distrust that they feel, and I'm not sure I got that from either Kraft or Mayor Wu.”

Early voting began over the weekend and continues through Friday. Polls open back up on Sept. 9 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.