Stephen Passacantilli, a North End civic leader, Boston Public Schools parent, and former staffer to City Councilor Sal LaMattina, has released his Veterans Platform. Passacantilli is running for District 1 City Councilor, which includes the neighborhoods of East Boston, Charlestown, and the North End.
Passacantilli said, “Our veterans have sacrificed much to defend the freedoms we all enjoy, and they deserve our greatest respect and appreciation. There are more than 18,000 veterans residing in the City of Boston. As Boston City Councilor, I will work to ensure that all veterans living in East Boston, Charlestown, and the North End have access to programs and services that reflect that commitment. I will help these heroes secure good jobs, further their education, find affordable housing, and access health services.”
Passacantilli’s Veterans Platform includes:
- Work with local officials and non-profits to increase the number of units of transitional and permanent veterans housing within the district.
- Advocate for more resources in city’s Veterans Services Department to establish dedicated VSO‚Äôs (Veterans Service Officers) for each neighborhood in the district.
- Work to create special Veterans Centers within East Boston and Charlestown Neighborhood Health Centers.
- Collaborate with the city’s Veterans Services Department to design and implement special services to improve outreach to younger veterans recently returned from service in the Global War on Terrorism.
- Work to support important Veterans’ causes like the Boston Wounded Vet Run.
- Implement Hire-A-Vet program linking veterans looking for employment and local businesses within the District.
- Coordinate with Veterans and Parks Departments and other city agencies to ensure that all historic markers and veterans memorials within the District are properly and respectfully maintained.
- Raise the Boston Welcome Home Bonus for our men and women returning home from service.
- Increase programming for our senior veterans through partnerships with local non-profits and make Veterans-specific programs a central feature of a new East Boston Senior Center.
Many know Passacantilli from his years of public service across Boston. He is a lifelong resident of the North End, where he has been deeply involved as past president of his local civic association, as a youth sports coach, and through local charities and community organizations like the North End Beautification Committee. Passacantilli has been active in supporting those in recovery through his work with the North End Against Drugs (NEAD) and on the Board of the Gavin Foundation.
Passacantilli and his wife, Renée, are Boston Public Schools parents raising their two children, Grace and Evan, in the same building where he grew up in the North End.