Back Bay voters showed strong support for Sonia Chang-Diaz in the recent senate race. Incumbent state Senator Dianne Wilkerson won the Democratic Primary for the Second Suffolk seat by a margin of 767 votes over challenger Chang-Diaz. But, in the Back Bay, voters came out strong for Chang-Diaz.

Only 14.26 percent of Back Bay residents in Ward 5 voted for Wilkerson, compared to Chang-Diaz’s 77.20 percent. City-wide Chang-Diaz captured 44.06 percent of the vote, but Wilkerson won the race with 49.98 percent.

Wilkerson will face Republican challenger Samiyah Diaz in next month’s general election.

CAPTION: The city’s Inspectional Services Department removed freestanding signs from Newbury Street on October 5.



Code Enforcement police targeting sandwich board signs and freestanding advertisements along Newbury Street issued 10 $200 fines in a covert sweep last Thursday afternoon.

The October 5 inspection took place on Newbury Street between Massachusetts Avenue and the 400-block, and followed an initial June 14 sweep of the street’s other half. This most recent inspection comprised Phase 2 of the department’s campaign to remove sandwich board signs and educate store owners about the Back Bay’s signage regulations. An Inspectional Services Department building inspector who accompanied the Code Enforcement police is expected to issue an additional 10 to 15 code violations about inappropriate signage in windows or on buildings, according to department spokesperson Lisa Timberlake.

Prohibited by the Back Bay Architectural Commission’s 1987 guidelines, sandwich boards serve to attract walk-in customers from the street for stores above or below street level. Awnings, banners, flags, illuminated signs, and interior window signs are permitted, according to the regulations, but must comply with a design review during which “the commission considers the design of the sign itself, its effect on architectural details, its method of attachment to the building and its effect on neighboring buildings.”

Darryl Smith, the department’s assistant commissioner of Constituent Services, also participated in the sweep and called the operation “successful.” Phase 1, which comprised Newbury Street from Arlington Street to the 400-block, was completed on June 14. Code Enforcement police issued 15 tickets for sandwich board signs at that time.

“We were able to educate a lot of people on how they could apply for permits for display signs,” Smith said.

Smith could not say when Phase 3, which will encompass the sidewalk along the north side of Boylston Street, will take effect, but advised storeowners to remove inappropriate signage until they secure the proper permitting.

Meg Mainzer-Cohen, executive director of the Back Bay Association, said that she noticed an “absolute” difference in the look and feel of the street after the initial sweep in June. “The sidewalk was much less cluttered and I was able to see windows much better,” she said.

The Back Bay Association took responsibility for urging ISD to remove the sandwich board signs. Although Mainzer-Cohen agreed that the removal of the sandwich board signs commercially weakens Newbury Street, she said that the signs cluttered the street, detracted from its charm, and made it difficult for passersby to navigate the sidewalks.

“The removal of the sandwich boards definitely presents a challenge for retailers, but at the same time, Newbury Street is known for its high-end retail charm,” she said.

In lieu of sandwich board signs, Mainzer-Cohen said that she would like the Back Bay Architectural Commission to alter its existing signage regulations and make stores more visible to pedestrians. “There really are issues with signage on Newbury Street. To gain visibility, stores needed the sandwich boards,” she said.

The “legal, uncluttered solutions” Mainzer-Cohen hopes the commission can find could include requiring the removal of planters in front of store windows, she said. “A lot can be done that maintains the look and feel of the street. “I’d like to see some of the windows be a little bigger. Signage is critical.” she said.

The Back Bay Association wrote a letter to the commission on March 20, 2006 suggesting the changes but has not yet received a response.

Meanwhile, Mainzer-Cohen said she has observed both opposition and support from storeowners over ISD’s sweep.

350 Newbury Tan at 350 Newbury Street received a violation for having a sandwich board sign on the sidewalk between Massachusetts Avenue and Hereford Street. “The sign definitely helps attract walk-in business. The college kids walking up and down Newbury Street see it and come in,” said cashier Carlyn Zillani. The store will continue reaching out to its college clientele through coupon books handed out on campuses each fall.

Maria Andrade, district manager at Bush Cleaners, which occupies the garden level at 219 Newbury Street, said that the lack of freestanding signage does not seem to affect business. She said that a customer ran into the store on Thursday to alert her to the sweep.

“It was kind of chaotic that day. It didn’t make sense why they were doing it,” she said. “For the rent and the space that [store owners] are paying, they should be able to advertise.

The store is allowed to keep two sandwich boards, a clothing drop box, and other display signs on its own property in the garden area in front of the store.

Andrade said that Bush’s sandwich board signs bring more trouble than benefit. The signs are frequently stolen – “because it says ‘Bush’ on it, I guess” – and “weigh more than the employees in here,” she said.

A Boston man was arrested on charges of possessing child pornography at the Boston Public Library on September 26.

Robert Charles Blanchette, 63, was arraigned at Boston Municipal Court the next day and held on $100,000 cash bail. He is expected to return to court on October 18 for a pre-trial conference.

District D-4 officers responded to a call from a librarian who suspected Blanchette of viewing pornographic images of children at a public computer. Upon their arrival, police found Blanchette at the computer, printing photographs that “appeared to depict children posed in a pornographic fashion,” according to Jake Wark, spokesperson for Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel Conley’s office.

Blanchette faces a maximum sentence of five years at a state prison.

credit: Karen Cord Taylor




P. J. Blankenhorn (center) welcomed Bill and Ann Ghormley of Commonwealth Avenue to last Thursday's Bella Italia, an evening of wine, food and opera at the Boston Center for Adult Education. The food was prepared by Joyce Della Chiesa, and Ron Della Chiesa guided guests through a musical tour of Italian opera sung by young husband and wife duo Matthew DiBattista and Megan Tillman, who sing frequently with Opera Boston

What Wilkerson can do
Dianne Wilkerson won her Second Suffolk state Senate primary race fair and square. The votes were counted twice and there is now no question about the outcome. (See front page story.)

Wilkerson faces a Republican challenger, Samiyah Diaz, in the general election.

But let’s say Wilkerson wins in that election. She still has a problem with her Back Bay constituents.

The numbers tell the story. In the Back Bay Wilkerson never got more than a paltry15.3 percent of the vote. This is pretty much a disaster and an embarrassment for her, despite her win.

It is up to her — not just between now and the November election, but after the election, should she win — to regain voters’ trust. Naturally, we have some advice for her.

First, she needs to meet with voters — at the library, with NABB, with the Back Bay Association and the Newbury Street League, in neighbors’ private homes. During those times she needs to hear from her constituents about the issues they care about and promise to carry those concerns to the State House.

She needs to finish the job on the matters that affect Back Bay voters and businesses the most, which right now is the report on the Hynes Convention Center. It looks as if the hearings over which she ably presided resulted in the consensus that the Hynes should continue its present function as a state-owned property. The Hynes also looks as if it will continue in its present role and ownership because Governor Romney, who spearheaded the effort to privatize it, has lost interest in its fate. But Wilkerson needs to complete the job, which she told the Back Bay Sun’s endorsement panel in September would be finished more than a month ago.

She also needs to clear up her alleged campaign finance law problems with the attorney general’s office, which have yet to be resolved.

Finally, Wilkerson needs to manage her private financial life in such a way as not to embarrass herself and her constituents. She could hire a financial advisor to help her learn to manage her finances, or she could take advantage of the free financial programs that State Treasurer Timothy Cahill and the YWCA sponsor periodically. Financial scandals may not be as hurtful to other people as most sex scandals but they still make the perpetrator look pretty foolish.

Wilkerson has attributes that could make us proud of her. She is smart, well spoken, runs a good meeting and has often worked hard for legislation that Back Bay voters would enthusiastically support. Those are the qualities that she should put front and center. She should use her intelligence and work hard to put the rest of her life in order.