I'm guessing that there's a greater proportion of artists living in your district — Roslindale, Jamaica Plain, and Mission Hill — than maybe any other district. Does this pose — if you'll pardon the pun — any creative challenges for you?
I don't know if this is a special challenge. I think it's part of our strength, particularly in Jamaica Plain. I own a condo in a building of 10 units. Three of my neighbors are artists. My predecessor, John Tobin, to his credit, really made his mark in this area in his role as the chair of the Arts & Humanities Committee. And there's such great culture throughout Boston. When I was younger and interned for then-councilor Peggy Davis-Mullen, she began working with Steve Maler and some other folks and started Shakespeare in the Common, which has now been in its 15th or 16th year. We've got a great pool of talent in this city and particularly in this district, and we need to celebrate that richness. We need to foster the open studios. We need to be working on better partnerships with the schools. We need to bring some of these talented individuals into our schools to mentor a fresh crop of budding artists.
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