Letter from the Chairman

Greetings, and welcome to the website of A Better City. I am honored to serve as the chair of ABC, which I helped to found, in 1989, as the Artery Business Committee. Our mission then was to represent downtown business owners’ interests on the Big Dig. Greater Boston has changed dramatically since then. The elevated highway that once cast shadows on the downtown has given way to a new park, the Rose Kennedy Greenway. The underground tunnels serving the South Boston Waterfront have enabled the emergence of a major new downtown neighborhood. We have an iconic new bridge over the Charles River, a new symbol for a new century.

There is much that is new to be celebrated, but Boston remains an old city, with an old city’s problems. The Zakim Bridge may be the new face of Boston, but the bridges just up the Charles are just as important, and they are in dire need of repair. Fortunately, the Commonwealth is tackling the problem over the next few years. As we did during the Big Dig, ABC is working to make sure Greater Boston stays open for business during the construction.

It’s not just our bridges that are old. Our transit system is showing its age, and its problems are compounded by debt, much of it an unfortunate legacy of the Big Dig. With the MBTA facing a $160 million deficit in the coming fiscal year, it is likely that fares will have to go up and services will be cut. ABC’s member businesses and institutions rely on the T to move their employees, tenants, customers, patients and students. We know the value of the T, and we know it will take a serious investment for it to keep up with our city’s ambitions. That’s why ABC’s top policy goal is to encourage the Commonwealth to adopt a comprehensive, sustainable finance plan – not just for the T, but for our roads, bridges, tunnels and ports as well.

Boston’s skyline has changed since we founded ABC, and so have its board rooms. Increasingly, Greater Boston’s major businesses are not controlled locally but nationally or even internationally. In this new corporate landscape, civic engagement and leadership is at a premium; it is also more important than ever. A Better City is proud to represent members who aspire to a higher standard of corporate citizenship and involvement. We have recently harnessed that spirit with our Challenge for Sustainability, helping our members and other Boston businesses track and reduce their carbon emissions. The Challenge is an example of how ABC’s mission continues to evolve to meet the needs of its members and the city at large. We are also working to inspire the civic engagement in a new generation through our Young Leaders program.

As it has from the beginning, all of ABC’s work is informed by the insight and hard work of my fellow board members, especially those who chair our committees. Thank you for your dedication and your leadership.

Sincerely,