CONTACT: Helen "Homefries" Matthews, Better Budget Alliance, homefries@economicdemocracy.us, 617-784-1731
WHAT: Advocates deliver postcards to Mayor Wu calling for 1% of Boston's budget for new participatory budgeting process
WHEN/WHERE: Wednesday, April 3rd, 3pm-4:30pm, meet at the main entrance of Boston City Hall
VISUALS: Dozens of residents delivering postcards to Mayor Wu's office from various Boston neighborhoods, including a giant, enlarged postcard reading "1% for Participatory Budgeting" with messages from many residents
BOSTON, MA - It's budget season in Boston, and local organizers are seizing the moment to advance democracy and justice for Boston's residents, mobilizing in working class BIPOC communities that have had to survive generations of underfunding and disinvestment.
On April 10th this year, Mayor Wu unveils her draft FY25 budget for Boston. In the weeks prior, a grassroots coalition called the Better Budget Alliance has worked with hundreds of residents to pen postcards urging the Mayor to dedicate 1% of Boston's budget to a new, democratic process called "participatory budgeting".
Set to launch for the public this summer, participatory budgeting will give the people of Boston a direct say over how a portion of public dollars are spent. But how big that part of the budget will be is yet to be determined.
On Wednesday, April 3rd, dozens of advocates will head to City Hall to deliver hundreds of these postcards to Mayor Wu, calling for the roughly $40M investment in participatory budgeting from Boston's multi-billion-dollar budget.
Organizers say that allowing direct democracy over 1% of the budget will create a worthwhile opportunity for residents to improve their communities in substantial ways. In an eye-catching public letter to Mayor Wu printed in last week's Bay State Banner, the Better Budget Alliance warned that dedicating less than 1% of the budget would result "depressed engagement and turnout", leaving residents with little power to fund solutions to their communities' needs.
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WHAT: Advocates deliver postcards to Mayor Wu calling for 1% of Boston's budget for new participatory budgeting process
WHEN/WHERE: Wednesday, April 3rd, 3pm-4:30pm, meet at the main entrance of Boston City Hall
VISUALS: Dozens of residents delivering postcards to Mayor Wu's office from various Boston neighborhoods, including a giant, enlarged postcard reading "1% for Participatory Budgeting" with messages from many residents
BOSTON, MA - It's budget season in Boston, and local organizers are seizing the moment to advance democracy and justice for Boston's residents, mobilizing in working class BIPOC communities that have had to survive generations of underfunding and disinvestment.
On April 10th this year, Mayor Wu unveils her draft FY25 budget for Boston. In the weeks prior, a grassroots coalition called the Better Budget Alliance has worked with hundreds of residents to pen postcards urging the Mayor to dedicate 1% of Boston's budget to a new, democratic process called "participatory budgeting".
Set to launch for the public this summer, participatory budgeting will give the people of Boston a direct say over how a portion of public dollars are spent. But how big that part of the budget will be is yet to be determined.
On Wednesday, April 3rd, dozens of advocates will head to City Hall to deliver hundreds of these postcards to Mayor Wu, calling for the roughly $40M investment in participatory budgeting from Boston's multi-billion-dollar budget.
Organizers say that allowing direct democracy over 1% of the budget will create a worthwhile opportunity for residents to improve their communities in substantial ways. In an eye-catching public letter to Mayor Wu printed in last week's Bay State Banner, the Better Budget Alliance warned that dedicating less than 1% of the budget would result "depressed engagement and turnout", leaving residents with little power to fund solutions to their communities' needs.
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