Q&A: District 2 City Councilor Bill Linehan

District 2 City Councilor Bill Linehan is hoping to add another term to his resume, running as an incumbent in Boston's upcoming municipal election.

A life-long resident of South Boston, Linehan worked in the city's Parks Department and as the Special Assistant to the city's Chief Operating Officer for a total of 20 years before running for council in 2007. He graduated magna cum laude from the University of Massachusetts at Boston.

Patch sat down with Linehan at the South End Buttery earlier this month. The interview is below.

What are the biggest issues you see facing the South End right now?

Schools [are] always an issue, the quality and caliber of schools, and public amenities and programs. We worked very hard to retain all the branch libraries. In the beginning the South End library was in the loop. 

There [are] issues in and around Pine Street Inn. Sometimes it’s really not Pine Street, it’s that Pine Street’s been used as a cover for illegal activities.

I’ve worked with the local police…along with Rep. [Aaron] Michlewitz to [address] areas underneath the highway. We cleaned that up, we put lights out there, and you can see that there are less people hanging out under the highway than there have been in the past.

Another major issue that we brought to the floor this year was . We’re still tying to figure out what we can offer people in private alleys that is consistent and doesn’t put the city in liability that it shouldn’t have. 

Hopefully this year we can come away with something that is a little more consistent for everyone. But there’s still much work to be done. 

What have you accomplished in the last four years?

Positioning the district for the appropriate resources as part of the budget is something that I have experience in and I think I’ve done a good job at making sure that the South End has received its share of improvements.

I could point to Union Park and its completed fence, something that’s been sought after for over 20 years, and Childe Hassam.

From the program perspective, the Claremont area had single stream recycling, and that was a pilot program. We not only expanded the pilot program and the new containers (I led that fight in the City Council) but also put it on the table at budget time so it was expanded throughout the city. Recycling increased by 150 percent.

We’ve expanded the geography of posted street cleaning in the South End. We also asked the DPW to focus on greater lengths of time so that the season would be expanded. They did that in the North End as a pilot [program] and the . So there’s a good chance that we’ll be getting streets cleaned right up through December, weather permitting

When I talk to constituents in the South End, normal things [like] public safety are always an issue, but cleanliness in the streets is paramount. It’s the number one issue. 

How have you dealt with the changing demographic of the area?

The South End is a totally different neighborhood than it was 15, 20 years ago. My family is originally from here. My grandfather was born and lived right in and around this neighborhood. We used to come over here and I used to sell newspapers over at the Cathedral.

It’s changed and institutions tend to go to places where neighborhoods are in stress, so now that this neighborhood is not, we want to make sure that the people who reside here can have an impact on institutional development and institutional expansion including .

They’re going to open up… space for 18 residents and originally their first number was 45, so that was a huge improvement for those who lived on Upton Street. 

My political tactic or bent or nuance is [to] successfully represent people on issues on their doorstep, around the corner [or] in their back yards - give people the chance to feel they have some impact on the direct conditions around them. That’s what I try to do. And I feel that Upton Street was a success in that regard.

Why should you be re-elected?

I think I came to the job with a lot of experience and skill and have been able to move the government for the betterment of the community. 

I feel that folks can look to me and say, ‘there’s a place and face that I can go to, to have city government work for me.’

I would hope that people in the South End would feel after four years of working here that I do represent them, even if in a political or ideological sense…they may not think we’re that aligned.

Click for Patch's interview with fellow District 2 candidate Suzanne Lee. Residents are also invited to a candidate's forum for District 2 on Sept. 13 at 7 p.m. at the Franklin House, 11 East Newton Street. 

The Preliminary Municipal Election will be held on September 27. The Municipal Election will be held November 8. For more information, visit the city's Election Department website.