06.25.2024

Weekend snapshot: A roundup of stories that caught our eye

Plymouth selectman wins Bonehead of the Year award | Cambridge radical makes national headlines | Could Boston see another Mayor Flynn? | Goodbye luxury real estate tax | NYT columnist’s subtle rebuke of activist reporters | Old Media meets New Media in Karen Read case |

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Mayoral race intrigue heats up: Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn refuses to rule out a run for the Hub’s top job

Flynn, a voice of moderation on the uber progressive council, did more than just dip his big toe into the budding 2025 mayor race during an interview Sunday.

The former council president waded in right up to the top of his swim trunks when pressed about his potential mayoral ambitions by WBZ-TV’s Jon Keller.

In fact, the son of former Mayor Ray Flynn sounded every bit like a potential candidate testing out campaign themes against Mayor Michelle Wu, who is up for reelection next year.

While Wu last year shut down the tent encampment at Mass and Cass, Flynn argued that the city isn’t doing enough to curb brazen drug dealing and drug use on city streets.

Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn

Flynn took Wu to task for “public safety and quality of life issues” amid a resurgence of drug activity at the city’s most notorious intersection, as well as complaints from South End residents about an influx of addicts and the homeless.

The Herald and the Boston Guardian both have stories detailing the rise in complaints about drug use and related ills.

Flynn also took shots at the mayor’s handling of the city’s troubled schools, citing a lack of academic progress at some schools, chronic absenteeism, and a dearth of after-schools sports and other activities.

From State House aide to unhinged radical: Cambridge woman at center of anti-Israel group threatening to disrupt the presidential debate

A one-time aide to a progressive state senator, Calla Walsh grew up middle class in Cambridge.

As a teen, she campaigned vociferously for Sen. Ed Markey’s reelection, online and off, and was profiled in 2021 by The New York Times for her efforts.

But that was then and this is now. Walsh has since morphed into a raging radical and a key figure in Palestine Action US, which was involved in campus encampments and more violent activities at Harvard and other universities.

Now that group and Walsh are back in the news, and the media spotlight is no longer so friendly amid the group’s vow to disrupt Thursday’s presidential debate in Atlanta with a wave of protests.