A Wu cabinet chief accused Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn of “false framing” in a social media post about the mayor’s contentious plan to hike business tax rates, setting up an unusually visible battle between a city administrator and councilor.
The testy back-and-forth kicked off Monday, when the mayor’s chief of economic opportunity and inclusion Segun Idowu subtweeted, or reposted, a post Flynn had made on X earlier in the day, where Flynn stated that the mayor’s proposal would increase property taxes and negotiating has been done behind closed doors.
“Although (Boston City Council) members are now prepared to vote for a new home rule petition to raise property taxes without even reading or studying the details, Boston residents and businesses do not agree,” Flynn wrote. “The public is left in the dark as negotiations take place behind the scenes.”
“This is false framing,” Idowu fired back in his response on X. “And out of respect for a colleague I have worked with, I will not call it an outright lie as I will assume good intentions and a misunderstanding on your part. Mayor Wu has been pushing a petition to prevent a massive tax increase on Boston residents.”
The high profile social media flare up comes as talks between Mayor Michelle Wu and business leaders critical of her initial proposal are working toward a potential compromise with a lower shift of the city’s tax burden on to commercial properties
Idowu went on the pen a lengthy thread defending his boss’s plan.
The mayor’s proposal, he said “comes after extensive conversations with parts of the business community, keeps taxes from rising sharply on residents if commercial real estate values drop significantly,” and also provides targeted tax relief to small businesses.
“The mayor has been focused on ensuring people are not unfairly burdened while not having to cut the critical services that make Boston the safest city with the best quality of life,” Idowu wrote. “This proposal does that.”
Taking another dig at Flynn, he added, “Odd that someone would be for higher (residential) taxes and lower quality of life.”
Idowu said the plan was developed by the mayor’s team after attending many meetings, including with residents, while “sharing facts” and gathering “important feedback, which has helped to make a better proposal,” seemingly referring to the new home rule petition the mayor drafted last week but not yet filed with the City Council.
“That’s called leadership,” Idowu said. “I hope others find it.”
It wasn’t long before Flynn, a critic of Wu’s tax plan who has proposed two alternatives and is considering a bid for mayor in 2025, fired back himself, also on X, pointing out that Idowu was engaging in a “political” battle during business hours.
“Chief, there is no false framing,” Flynn wrote. “I’m doing my job to protect constituents. I also don’t believe the mayor would want her cabinet engaging in political attacks during business hours. If you’d like to discuss my actual positions on issues, it’s more appropriate to meet (at) City Hall.”
The public beef comes as the mayor is preparing to seek approval from the City Council, and if passed there, the state Legislature, on a new home rule petition that was borne out of discussions with business leaders and fiscal watchdogs who were critical of her plan.
The business leaders and mayor have put forward similar proposals, but remain apart on the different numbers both sides have put forward.
The business groups have floated a 181.5% maximum tax shift onto commercial properties and Wu drafted a petition with a 182% maximum shift — representing a $21 difference in what the average single-family homeowner would see on their tax bill.
The mayor told reporters Monday that “we’ve made significant progress over just the last few days,” and “I’m glad to see that we’re getting close.”
However, two of the business leaders involved in the talks indicated in prior statements to Commonwealth Beacon and the Boston Globe that their offer was “final.”
A spokesperson for Senate President Karen Spilka released a statement Sunday indicating that she’s take her cue from the business community.
“It is the Senate president’s understanding that a compromise has been offered by Boston’s business leaders and economic experts,” the Spilka spokesperson said. “She is encouraged by this and hopes productive conversations continue to reach consensus, as it will be difficult to get a final bill through the Senate without the full support of the business community.”
