By Gayla Cawley
Boston Herald
BOSTON 鈥� The Boston City Council finally approved a $13 million federal counter-terrorism grant for the region on Wednesday, but the vote was not without fireworks, with several councilors pointing to a lack of transparency around how it was handled.
The anti-terror grant, blocked in December and again last week when it was sent to committee, was not on the Council agenda Wednesday, but it was put to a vote after it was pulled from the 鈥済reen sheets鈥� by Council Vice President Brian Worrell, as vice chair of the public safety committee it was referred to.
[PREVIOUSLY: Boston public safety officials ask mayor to release $13M anti-terror fund]
Word began to spread the night before that Worrell would be pulling the grant from the green sheets, which lists matters that are sitting in various committees, thereby bypassing a hearing that Councilors Julia Mejia and Erin Murphy had called for last week when they blocked Worrell鈥檚 last attempt to suspend and pass the grant.
When Council President Ruthzee Louijeune asked at the end of the meeting whether her colleagues would like to pull from the green sheets, no one spoke up, however, prompting Councilor Ed Flynn to question whether the grant could be put forward for a vote.
鈥淭he time for us to act on it is now,鈥� Flynn said. 鈥淚 am concerned that if we don鈥檛 pass this today, that other communities, their safety will be impacted and I can鈥檛 take that chance.鈥�
Representatives from the police and fire union were on hand, and expecting action to be taken on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security grant, which funds counter-terrorism operations for nine cities and towns in the region.
The fire union had sent out a statement earlier in the day, which doubled as a letter to the Council, saying that the vote was happening and urging the body to vote in favor of the federal funding.
鈥淲e鈥檙e encouraged that the Boston City Council did the right thing,鈥� Boston Firefighters Local 718 President Sam Dillon told the Herald. 鈥淭hey got this grant to the floor and they took a vote on it and the City Council voted to do what鈥檚 right for the City of Boston , our neighboring communities, and most importantly, public safety and the citizens we serve.鈥�
The decision to bypass a hearing led to a lengthy half-hour discussion on the Council floor Wednesday, ultimately resulting in the grant passing by way of an 11-0-2 vote, with two councilors voting present, not because they opposed the grant, but rather because they had issues with how the process was carried out.
The two councilors, Julia Mejia and Liz Breadon, both mentioned that they did not learn that the grant was being pulled from the green sheets, and would therefore be voted on, until the night before, or morning of the meeting, respectively.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 not how we do business,鈥� Mejia said. 鈥淭hat is not what colleagues do when we鈥檙e really trying to move the work forward.鈥�
Mejia had been pushing for a hearing due to the four new councilors who weren鈥檛 involved in the process that resulted in a 6-6 vote that blocked the grant at the end of last term.
She was 鈥渃oncerned鈥� when a hearing was not scheduled since last week, when she objected to, and, therefore blocked Worrell鈥檚 prior motion to 鈥渟uspend and pass鈥� the grant, and said it appeared there were some back-door negotiations between some of her colleagues and the administration others weren鈥檛 privy to.
At that time, Worrell, who voted to oppose the grant last term, stated that he was calling for a vote because the 鈥渓ingering questions鈥� from other dissenting councilors had been answered since the Dec. 13 blocked vote.
He also pointed to potential operational issues that the Boston Police Department could face should the body continue to delay acceptance of federal funds, which represents the annual funding source for the Metro Boston Homeland Security Region 鈥� an entity that includes Boston, Brookline, Cambridge, Chelsea, Everett, Quincy, Revere, Somerville and Winthrop.
Worrell was hesitant to pull the grant again this week, however, stating that, when pressed to do so by Flynn, that he wanted to give his colleagues the opportunity to have some of their 鈥渙utstanding questions鈥� answered.
He later relented after some pushback from Flynn, saying councilors were provided with answers on Jan. 22, 鈥渟o now is the time to suspend and pass.鈥�
鈥淭hese funds are funds that our public safety officers and Office of Emergency Management desperately need,鈥� Worrell said.
Breadon, who voted against the funds last term, referenced that in her call for further discussion and a hearing, stating that Worrell had suggested that councilors send any questions they had, and that the grant would be voted on next week.
She pushed for the body to take its oversight role seriously, pointing to issues that had cropped up in a prior city audit report, that reflected a 鈥渟ignificant deficiency鈥� in how the city monitored how the grant funding was spent in the neighboring communities from fiscal years 2019-21.
鈥淚 do support this grant; I want it to be spent in a timely way but this is our job to keep a good tight oversight,鈥� Breadon said. 鈥淚 totally trust that it鈥檚 being spent appropriately but it needs to be documented appropriately as well.鈥�
Other councilors honed in, however, on the city鈥檚 past history with major terror events, with Flynn pointing to the Boston Marathon bombing and the fact that planes involved in the 9/11 terrorist attacks launched from Logan Airport.
鈥淚 just can鈥檛 take the chance that we鈥檙e sitting on this grant and some potential emergency disaster could take place,鈥� Flynn said.
Louijeune, who flipped from last term鈥檚 鈥榥o鈥� vote, said that while she remains 鈥渁s critical as I can be of surveillance and the powers that we give police bodies, I also know that security and safety is important.鈥�
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