Michael Ross

The City Council tomorrow considers a proposal by Council President Michael Ross to designate Huntington Avenue between Longwood and Ruggles as Lt. Kevin M. Kelley Avenue, in honor of the fire officer who died on Jan. 9 when the brakes on his firetruck failed on a steep Mission Hill Street.

The council is also scheduled to consider a resolution by Councilors Sal LaMattina and Steve Murphy to support "the preservation of the USS Constitution’s heritage and time-honored traditions of daily gun salutes and playing of the national anthem in Boston's Charlestown Navy Yard."

The council meeting begins at noon in the fifth-floor council room in City Hall.

City Council President Mike Ross tweets the City Council unanimously passed a resolution today to boycot stays and functions at Hyatt hotels until the chain resolves the issue of those

Amy Derjue, late of Boston Magazine, is now City Councilor Mike Ross's communications director, Boston Magazine reports.

Hmm, if Ross runs for mayor against John Tobin (hey, it could happen), we'd have blog wars: She'd be competing with blogger Steve Garfield, who put together Tobin's campaign site.

Here (3.8M PDF file).

The report, by councilors Michael Ross, Bill Linehan and Sal LaMattina, calls for some major changes to the Common, including:

• An ornamental fence along Tremont to delineate the park and keep Tremont Street pedestrians off the grass while keeping it open to sunbathers;
• A "Grand Entrance" to the park at a rebuilt visitors center;
• a low-cost cafe on the site of either the old men's room or parks maintenance building; a dedicated dog run;
• A permanent carousel at the Frog Pond
• Permanent underground facilities for storing equipment needed for events at the bandstand.

In addition, the report calls for increased maintenance (everything from sidewalk to the Soliders and Sailors Monument are in poor shape) and efforts to help the homeless who congregate on the Common find permanent housing. To pay for it, the councilors propose a betterment fund paid for by neighboring landowners and gradually increasing the amount of money now raised by Boys and Girls Club kiosks on the Common dedicated to the Common.

Some initial comments by Kevin McCrea.

The Alliance of Boston Neighborhoods wonders what happens when City Hall moves to South Boston - where will all the large events the city wants to move to the plaza from the Common go? And given how many of those events have been political in nature, what does Councilor Michael Ross, who represents Beacon Hil and the Back Bay have against democracy?

... For some reason, the discussion seems to have turned from protecting the green to raking in the green, and Councilor Ross opined that "cafés, restaurants, and other commercial ventures might be a good replacement for large-scale events." Of course! Commerce is pretty much the same as democratic assembly, except for the doorman in front and the bill at the end. Customers are citizens -- even better, right? Sure keeps out the poor and homeless, and good riddance, I say! The public realm is no place for 'em! And Ross responded to Tom Kershaw's complaint that he can't make enough money on Common land with his skating business on our Frog Pond, and would now like a liquor license for a night club. The alcohol prohibition on the Common, Ross offered, should be reconsidered. ...

City Councilor Michael Ross has his own MySpace page, where we learn he is a Sagittarius, he enjoys mountain biking and he's single.