The Ties That Bind Boston's Mayoral Candidates: The HUB

The HUB is a daily newsletter designed for what you want — to be caught up on the most interesting, important news in 5 minutes or less. It's a little bit of this, a little bit of that, but if there's something you want more or less of, email me at alex.newman@patch.com.

Today is Wednesday, October 20. Let's get started.

It's crunch time for Annissa Essaibi George, who is down more than 30 percentage points in two recent polls with just weeks to go in the mayoral race.

In a televised debate Tuesday night, Essaibi George came out swinging at rival Michelle Wu, accusing her of inconsistent messaging on exam schools and unrealistic policy proposals like making the T free, a cornerstone of Wu's campaign.

The debate also dredged up each candidate's business dealings – Wu's ties to prominent Republican Terry Considine through her close friendship with his daughter, and Essaibi George's husband, who owns 55 properties across the city and has a history of late tax payments, code violations and butting heads with inspectors, the Boston Globe reported.

Those watching the race closely anticipated a more aggressive Essaibi George and said all Wu has to do now is play defense.

Wu is "going to coast to protect her lead, so you’ll see a whole bunch of aspirational sound bites," political consultant Paul Simmons told the Globe. "Essaibi George will...try to go up to the edge but not quite over it, in terms of old-style Boston populism."

Read more from the Boston Globe.

Top stories

A director of the nonprofit Violence In Boston is facing federal pandemic unemployment and mortgage fraud charges. Clark Grant, husband of Violence In Boston president and founder Monica Cannon-Grant, is accused of incorporating fraudulent Pandemic Unemployment Assistance claims into a mortgage application for a Taunton home. (Boston Herald)

Acting Mayor Kim Janey signed an executive order enforcing existing laws to prevent tents and other temporary shelters at Mass. and Cass. The plan is to find shelter for people living in encampments, and Janey said tents will not be removed until the city finds suitable housing for the owner. (WBUR)

Four teachers at the Mission Hill K-8 Pilot School in Jamaica Plain have been placed on leave as the district investigates multiple bullying complaints at the school. Parents said they "consistently reported the persistent bullying to educators and school leaders and that those complaints were unaddressed." (Commonwealth Magazine)

In case you missed it

(And you probably did.)

Sen. Ted Cruz's super serious plan to fix the country's immigration system includes establishing a dozen ports of entry across parts of New England – including Cambridge, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket – for people seeking entry along the southern border to be relocated for processing.

The proposal, called the "Stop the SURGE Act," contains little substance, including transportation for immigrants to the Northeast and funding for new port directors and other expenses.

But it did make for a great Fox News sound bite, which – seeing as the plan hasn't gone beyond his website – is probably all he cared about anyway.

"Rich Democrats can be sitting there and suddenly see 10, 20, 30, 50,000 illegal immigrants, like we’re seeing in Texas on a daily basis," Cruz said. "And I can just envision them in Nantucket just sitting there, 'Oh goodness they want to come to our clubs.' They would be horrified."

Read more from the Boston Globe.

A lighter touch

The wheels may have come off at Fenway Tuesday night, but a World Series berth is still very much in reach for the Sox.

To mark this year's improbable playoff run, Boston Magazine looked back at the music, dance moves and traditions that have defined postseason baseball in Boston, from "Cowboy up" to the "Bearded Brothers."

What I'm reading today

Would you pay more than the cost of a 2019 Ford Fiesta (with 60,000 miles) for a t-shirt? An original Grateful Dead tee from 1967 sold for $17,640 on Friday, breaking the record for the most expensive vintage rock shirt sold at auction.

The shirt, originally expected to go for $367, smashed the record set by a Led Zeppelin concert tee from 1979, which was sold for $10,000 in 2011.

Weather: The National Weather Service says mostly sunny, with a high near 70. Northwest wind 7 to 10 mph. Mostly clear at night, with a low around 53. Light west wind.

– Alex Newman

About me: Alex is a Jersey transplant covering Arlington, Malden, Medford, Reading and Somerville for Patch. A graduate of Northeastern University, Alex has lived in the Boston area since college (though he still hasn't been able to bring himself to root for the Sox). He is an avid football and baseball fan, amateur woodworker and film geek. Alex lives in Chelsea with his fiancée, their dog and a revolving door of foster puppies.