local politics

City Councilors Andrea Campbell and Kim Janey have filed an ordinance banning credit checks for applicants seeking employment with Boston companies. Referred to the committee on government operations on Aug. 19, the ordinance refers to unnecessary credit checks during the application process as a “discriminatory practice.”

In the midst of the global coronavirus pandemic, Boston rolled out its first-ever early voting regimen before a primary. The implementation of mail-in, early ballot and primary day balloting, all while seeking to keep election workers and voters safe from infection, has put the city’s Election Department to the test.

Councilors Julia Mejia and Andrea Campbell called for a hearing to address non-lethal force restraint tactics during the June 10 City Council meeting.

Mayor Martin Walsh rolled out a $3.647 billion fiscal year 2021 budget, representing a 4.4 percent increase over last year, and a $3 billion, five-year capital spending plan that includes $500 million in investments for affordable housing.

Boston and Massachusetts may have leaned centrist, but three of Boston’s ward committees veered left, with activists running under a “fresh slate” banner sweeping Wards 1 and 18.

Of more than $664 million that the city of Boston spent on procurement contracts in fiscal year 2018, including construction, services and products, less than 1 percent went to minority- and women-owned business enterprises (MBEs and WBEs), according to data released last week by the city’s Office of Economic Development.

Observers say running an at-large council campaign requires tens of thousands of dollars to reach out to voters across the city. To win one of the four seats, candidates will likely need some 40,000 votes.

Within days of Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins’ March 25 memo outlining sweeping changes to the way her office handles misdemeanor crimes, state Secretary of Public Safety Thomas Turco fired a warning shot across her bow, charging in a memo that her policies would make communities more dangerous.

Mayor Martin Walsh introduced the first of four legislative packages he plans to submit to the Massachusetts legislature on Monday, containing 14 bills relating to housing security and economic equity.

Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins, who has caused controversy with her campaign promise not to prosecute 15 minor crimes, was sworn in last week in a ceremony at Roxbury Community College.

As state Rep. Nika Elugardo steps into her new role at the State House, she says she has already begun to turn her policy platform into a legislative agenda.