How Boston’s economic plans intersect with DEI

MORNING WITH JANET WU. ALL RIGHT. PERHAPS YOU’VE HEARD THE NBA FINALS ARE IN TOWN. I SEE YOUR GREEN TIE I’M WEARING. I’M WEARING THE COLORS. I’M WEARING BRUINS COLORS. YOU ARE JUST IN SYMPATHY. THAT’S OKAY. WELL, THIS IS AN EVENT YOU CAN ONLY HOPE FOR AS A CITY. HOW MUCH OF AN IMPACT DOES THIS HAVE ON BUSINESSES IN BOSTON? A HUGE IMPACT WHEN YOU SAY HUGE, GIVE US SOME NUMBERS. SO WELL, FIRST AND I WILL SAY IF I, IF I WERE FLEXIBLE ENOUGH TO PUT MY LEG ON THE TABLE, YOU’LL SEE I HAVE MY CELTICS SOCKS ON. I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO GAME TWO. GAME ONE. YOU KNOW, I WAS ASKED EARLIER HOW I FELT ABOUT IT. ALL MY NEIGHBORS WILL HEAR HOW I FEEL ABOUT GAME TWO AS WELL, BUT IN TERMS OF ECONOMIC IMPACT, YOU KNOW, WE WERE TALKING WITH OUR COLLEAGUES AT MEET BOSTON THE OTHER DAY. THEY ARE ESTIMATING A $6 MILLION PER GAME IMPACT OF ECONOMIC INFUSION INTO THE CITY. AND THIS IS ANYTHING HOTELS, RESTAURANTS, BUSINESSES. IS, YOU KNOW, UM, JUST THE TRAVEL COSTS OF OF COMING IN. AND THIS IS GREAT AND IT’S A GREAT WAY TO KICK OFF THE SEASON, YOU KNOW, ANNUALLY WE SEE ROUGHLY 5 MILLION VISITORS THROUGHOUT THE SUMMER. UM, AND WHEN IT COMES TO THIS WILL MORE THAN DOUBLE THAT. ABSOLUTELY. AND, YOU KNOW, THESE ARE FOLKS THAT ARE COMING HERE FOR THE GAME, BUT THEY’RE GOING TO COME BACK LATER ON BECAUSE THEY SEE WHAT WHAT BOSTON HAS TO OFFER WORTH MENTIONING, BECAUSE WHEN I TALKED TO SOME BUSINESSES ABOUT THIS, THEY SAY DALLAS. FANS REALLY DO TRAVEL. THEY’RE THEY’RE THEY’RE, YOU KNOW, THEY’RE DIEHARD FANS AS WELL. SO. WELL, THEY DON’T HAVE 17 NBA TITLES ALREADY. SO, YOU KNOW, WE KIND OF GET USED TO IT. THEY WANTED TO COME LOOK AT THE THEY WANT TO COME LOOK AT THE CEILING. WHAT DO YOU THINK. THINK THE CITY IS DOING TO MAKE THE MOST OF THIS. OH THERE’S A LOT. WELL, I MEAN THE MAYOR HAS WE’VE SHUT DOWN, WE’VE PEDESTRIANIZED CANAL STREET. UM, AND FOR THE FIRST TIME, WE ARE OPENING TD GARDEN TO EVERYBODY. DURING THE AWAY GAME WATCH PARTIES. ABSOLUTELY. AND YOU KNOW THAT ALONE IS ALSO GOING TO DRIVE ECONOMIC IMPACT ON THE AREA. THESE ARE FAMILIES COMING TO THE AREA THAT ARE GOING TO WANT SOMEWHERE TO EAT, ARE GOING TO WANT A PLACE TO TO HANG OUT AND CHILL OUT. AND SO WE’RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT WHAT THIS MEANS. AND OF COURSE, GAMES THREE AND FOUR ARE IN DALLAS. SO YOU KNOW, YOU CAN DO THAT. THAT’S THAT’S LATER THIS WEEK. SO INCLUSION IS PART OF YOUR YOUR MISSION. STATEMENT AS WELL AS PART OF YOUR YOUR JOB TITLE. SO SINCE THE SUPREME COURT’S DECISION TO END AFFIRMATIVE ACTION IN COLLEGE ADMISSIONS, THERE HAS BEEN SOME PULLBACK ON DIVERSITY INITIATIVES. SO HOW HOW HAS YOUR OFFICE RESPONDED? I APPRECIATE THAT QUESTION. UM, HERE’S WHAT I’LL SAY. IN JANUARY OF 22, THE MAYOR CHANGED OUR NAME. WE USED TO BE CALLED THE OFFICE OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. THE REASON THAT THE MAYOR CHANGED OUR NAME TO ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY AND INCLUSION IS BECAUSE THE ONE THING SHE UNDERSTANDS IS THAT THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY. IF WE’RE NOT MAKING SURE EVERYONE IS INCLUDED. CITIGROUP RELEASED A REPORT IN 2020 THAT SHOWED THAT. BECAUSE OF AMERICA’S WARM EMBRACE OF SYSTEMIC RACISM SINCE THE YEAR 2000, THE COUNTRY HAS LOST $16 TRILLION IN ECONOMIC VALUE. HERE IN MASSACHUSETTS, THE MASS TAXPAYER FOUNDATION SAID THAT IF WE WERE TO CLOSE THE RACIAL WEALTH GAP, JUST BETWEEN BLACK AND WHITE FAMILIES, WE’D ADD $25 BILLION TO THE STATE ECONOMY OVER FIVE YEARS. SO FOR US, WHAT’S IMPORTANT IS THAT WE ARE INCLUDING EVERYBODY. WE ARE NOT CONCERNED ABOUT WHAT’S HAPPENING AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL OR IN DIFFERENT STATES, BECAUSE HERE IN BOSTON, THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY IS DOUBLING DOWN, THE CITY IS DOUBLING DOWN, AND WE ARE FAIRLY, UH, YOU KNOW, CERTAIN THAT WE ARE PROTECTED ON THE LEGAL SIDE AS WELL. SHAGUN, IT’S GREAT TO HAVE YOU WITH US. THANK YOU FOR HAVING THANKS FOR BEING HERE. GREAT TO SEE YOU. AND BY THE WAY, IF YOU LIVE NEAR SHAGUN, YOU ARE SOME CHEERING ROUGHLY AROUND 8:00 TONIGHT UNTIL ABOUT 1035 OR SO. THAT’S RIGHT. OUR THANKS TO JANET WU, THE SUNDAY ROUNDTABLE IS NEXT. NEW YORK CITY MAKES A SUDDEN U-TURN ON CONGESTION PRICING. WILL BOSTON HIT THE BRAKES ON THAT IDEA AS WELL? LOTS TO TALK ABOUT. STAY WITH US.

OTR: How Boston’s economic plans intersect with DEI

Updated: 11:30 AM EDT Jun 9, 2024

Boston’s Chief of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion, Segun Idowu, visits WCVB’s On The Record and answers questions about the financial impact of the NBA Finals and why his job also includes the city’s inclusion efforts.

NEEDHAM, Mass. —

Boston’s Chief of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion, Segun Idowu, visits WCVB’s On The Record and answers questions about the financial impact of the NBA Finals and why his job also includes the city’s inclusion efforts.