Boston District 1 City Councilor Gabriela Coletta was a guest speaker at the Charlestown Neighborhood Council (CNC) meeting Tuesday, providing a year in review of her many accomplishments in 2023 and an in-depth look at her legislative initiatives and goals for 2024.
Considered a rising star on the Boston City Council and an overseer of a Council office known for its efficient constituent services, Coletta distributed a colorful, well-designed pamphlet to CNC members and residents focusing on her office’s constituent services, her work in the community, her budget priorities for Fiscal Year ’25 (that begins July 1), and her upcoming policy initiatives.
Coletta is chair of the Council’s Committee on Government Operations, which according to information in the pamphlet, “makes her the last check of accountabililty for new legislation before it goes to the Mayor.” Coletta is also chair of the Council Committee on Environmental Justice, Resiliency, and Parks.
CNC members were given the opportunity to ask questions, and Coletta provided extensive responses, showing a wide range of knowledge of the issues affecting the residents of Charlestown.
One CNC member posed an interesting question about Piers Park in East Boston, a beautiful waterfront area in that neighborhood, comparing the usage of that land to the construction of residential properties in Charlestown and their impact on climate resiliency.
“There’s a lot of decisions and conversations that took place over the last 20 years, so Piers Park was mitigation for the ultra-fine particles that we breathe in every single day in East Boston,” said Coletta.
“As a resident of East Boston, what would you prefer to see, that beautiful park or Flatley [properties]?” the CNC member furthered inquired of Coletta.
“I would love to see a park,” Coletta answered candidly. “It gets down to the reality and the regulations. I always see the value of a park in a civic space. One could argue that affordable housing and the civic space within that housing is maximizing that area.”
Coletta was asked about Mayor Michelle Wu’s decision to move the staff and functions of the Boston Planning and Development Agency (BPDA) and create a planning department that would be under the administration of the mayor’s office.
“We have to seek state approval to be able to take the planning authority away from the BPDA and ultimately have our planning board,” said Coletta. “There are also pensions involved.
Mary Boucher, First Vice Chair of the Charlestown Neighborhood Council, thanked Councilor Coletta for her informative presentation and honoring her commitment to appear at the meeting after spending the morning and afternoon assisting residents in East Boston who were affected by Tuesday’s six-alarm blaze at multi-family homes on Meridian Street.
“I think Councilor Coletta was very informative in her presentation,” said Boucher, a lifelong Charlestown resident. “She’s very knowledgeable about what’s going on in the city. It was a very difficult day, and she came here and answered every question thoroughly. I think she really presented herself well.”