During Curley's term, however, there existed an "abatements racket," whereby certain property owners were given rebates on their assessment by dubious re-evaluations. If a landlord wishes to get an abatement on his assessment in Boston, he applies to the City Assessor's office and pays the fee demanded. Whether or not the abatement is granted, that fee is attached to the property owner's assessment from that year on; the money apparently goes directly to the Board of Assessors each year. That's one sources of excess intake in the Assessment Division. But, there is a further explicitly illegal way that the Assessors make money. By paying the price demanded, an owner could have his valuation cut down; even with exorbitant fees, the owners can still save enough to make the proposition worthwhile to them. about a month ago, the Little Building had its yearly tax could cut $300,000 on a dubious assessment rebate. Both Curley's strong opponents propose to eliminate this racket.
Has Curley give the city any real compensation for all his spending? To a certain extent, yes. The police and fire departments are efficient services as far as doing their job goes. Reports by an impartial group of observers hired by the Boston Finance Commission, indicate that the services rendered by these departments are adequate but that they are both run too extravagantly. Boston pays the highest rate per capita for its fire department of any city in the country.
Health Deficit
As far as health services go, the city is somewhat lax. For instance, the death rate at the Boston City Hospital, according to a Finance Commission report, has increased 27 per cent over the past six years; the death rate for premature babiesis nearly 70 per cent whereas the average death rate for such babies throughout New England is 35 per cent. Boston has a system of health units around the city that were established by Curley but, again, according to the Finance Commission, the pay is not high enough in those units to encourage the employment of competent personnel.
Housing and city maintenance are the two big departments in which the services rendered are far too little and the cost far too great for the city. The community could stand thousands more low cost housing units and still not thoroughly fill the demand for the slum clearance. Worse than this, the city is paying now on the average of $80 per month to subsidize each of the present units. Both McDonough and Hynes have constantly attacked Curley on the housing problem--accusing him of allowing privileged families who have incomes above the specified ceiling to remain in the units. Curley, on the other hand, has promised a million dollars in aid for housing in the city; only Curley has a habit of promising things in an election campaign that he has no intention of delivering.
The maintenance department is where Curley employs the mobs who make up his large following. For the numerous small jobs that the maintenance crews do, the payroll is enormously high. the opposition candidates claim that stream-lining this department can materially effect the city's bulget.
Registration Hits New High
One thing promises Hynes and McDonough a chance against Curley. This year, 405,000 voters registered--the highest registration in the city's history. Traditionally, such a fact would suggest the downfall of a machine; as has been previously mentioned, however, Curley's organization is not the listless machine thet preys on a low vote; rather it is a personal machine that is a vigorous as its leader. And Curley seems to have plenty of vitality left.
Curley's campaign strategy has been to hold his vote in every ward, while the opponents have tended to concentrate on specific wards. McDonough, digging deep into traditional Curley territory, is working in the South Boston and Charlestown wards. Hynes is more interested in the wards from 10 to 22, Brighton, the Roxbuys, Roslindale and parts of Dorcester. The fact that McDonouglf is working against Curley may very well help Hynes. But, to balance that, whatever votes Oakes takes will come from Haynes and probably not from the other two.
Of course the candidates have favorite theories about their opponents. Both McDonough and Hynes call Curley a jailbird and point out that he's too old to do a good job. The two, also, call each other some names: Hynes accuses McDonough of being a young Curley while McDonough thinks that Hynes is actually backed by Curley to defeat McDonough. Curley calls Hynes a fusion candidate, a political dupe of the Republicans on Beacon Hill.
The Battle of the Plans
On the ballot, too, will be the referendum to change the city's charter from Plan B to Plan A. Under the new plan, the city council would be reduced from 22 to 9 members and each election year a run-off primary would be held to reduce the field of candidates for mayor, councilman and school committeeman to two. Most important, the new charter would permit the council to override the veto of the mayor on all bills except loans and appropriations, by a two-thirds vote. Since this is the only referendum on the ballot, there is a very strong likelihood that it will be passed. Both McDonough and Oakes have come out in favor of Plan A.
Next Tuesday, it will all be over. There'll be a burst of applause for the winner, in the Parker House lobby. The sound apparatus will be taken off the trucks and the city will quiet down for another two years.