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North End Segway guy seeks seat on neighborhood council
By adamg on Thu, 05/10/2012 - 11:36am
Allan Danley, who faces a mounting number of violations of a city ordinance against the way he operates his Segway tours, hopes to win a seat on the North End Waterfront Neighborhood Council.
Danley's one of six candidates for six open seats in the May 19 election to the council, which makes non-binding recommendations to city agencies and boards on development and quality-of-life issues.
Danley, who lives in the North End, runs Boston Gliders out of a Commercial Street storefront. Last year, the City Council effectively banned his tours by prohibiting Segway tours along city sidewalks and parks and by requiring them to stay within routes designated by the Boston Transportation Department, which has yet to designate any.
Danley, however, kept running his tours along the Greenway and the waterfront, racking up a series of citations. He's currently awaiting a date for a hearing in Boston Municipal Court on the citations, which carry fines of up to $500 each.
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Comments
I Love This
Can't tell who to support here, the NIMBY neighborhood council or the one guy they were right to block.
Why would anyone call the
Why would anyone call the neighborhood council NIMBY? They are dominated by the North End Chamber of Commerce and support almost everything which comes before them. Mr. Danley, having had the misfortune to run afoul of certain politically connected people, was the rare exception. Of course, he also has the problem of being his own worst enemy. This is definitely a match made in heaven. As for me, I'll get upset about Segways when they start waking me up at 3:00 am. They are really the least of the problems in the neighborhood.
Not just run afoul
but openly taunt them and the community to their face. One easily could have seen a common sense resolution, and even the city on Mr. Danley side if he actually cared about some of the concerns of the use of a motorized vehicle on small pedestrian sidewalks. There were some valid concerns that needed addressing, but after that I'm sure the city would have mediated the more outrageous views and find a way for both to come to a understanding.
Instead he taunted them and screamed "this is America damnnit" and made no changes. Even after, as noted above, I always see his tours running down busy sidewalks in touristy areas. He might claim his policy has changed, but someone forgot to tell his tour guides.
You tend to lose any good will you would have had from business minded folk when your opening salvo is hostility towards the community you operate in. Especially when it not only effects residents, but the tourists on foot that other places rely on.
I'm sorry, but I'm not crying over this outcome. You want to be a martyr, don't cry foul when your head is put on a pike.
100% on the money...
One of the idiots running his tour groups almost got a smackdown from T cops last Sunday at Park Street when they were in the way of the buses carrying people as the T was out that day.
His attitude was moronic and if this guy can't keep his own people in line, why wait until someone gets hurt? This is the wrong town for innocent tourists to be doing battle in Segways with our maniac drivers.
Last Night's Meeting
I completely agree with you that Danley is his own worst enemy and deserves all the trouble he gets, but the neighborhood council is hardly in the Chamber of Commerce's back pocket. Just last night they blocked a request from Frank DePasquale, the president of the North End Chamber of Commerce.
That was the resident's
That was the resident's association not the neighborhood council - two very different organizations. I'm sure that the neighborhood council will approve Mr. Depasquale's request if they haven't done so already.
You do not have a clue about Neighborhood groups or Danley
Neither the Northend Waterfront Neighborhood Council (NEWNC) nor the Northend Waterfront Residents association (NEWRA) is "dominated by the Chamber of Commerce except in Frankie DePasquale's fantasies. As to Mr.Danley....his reasons for running for a seat on NEWNC have nothing to do with his interest in what is best for the Northend. If you think he gives a rat's ass about the drunks waking you and everyone else up at 3AM , I have a piece of swampland in FL I am looking to unload. This guy is only interested in himself and "his rights". If he cared about the people in the Northend, he would obey the rules for operating his business in the city of Boston and not behave like an arrogant SOB.
I think that's a great idea
I hear people - here and otherwise - complain about NIMBYism etc. and how the neighborhood groups, especially downtown, don't represent the general public. Well - we are the general public and if you have an alternate point of view - stop just bitching and join the neighborhood groups and get involved. There was an article yesterday about permitting more liquor licenses in the Back Bay. I have agreed with that for years because I see all the cool new restaurants opening in the South End that could NEVER afford to open in the Back Bay in part because of the license restrictions. I don't know if I'm the minority or not on that issue - we need to have more discussion, but it's the new and younger voices that keep these organizations up to date with things that the older members may not perceive. A lot of the old battles need to be fought in a different way and fresh blood brings that to the table.
(and the Back Bay for example is not even that exclusive as having an election - the only requirements are that you have to be a member of the Neighborhood Assn and I think you have to have attended one or two meetings of the licensing committee in order to have your voice heard on an issue - again, these committees are only advisory as a recognized voice of the community - but only those who speak can be recognized).
Can't say I disagree
Good post Stevil! People do need to get more involved, and use their vote more often.
oh boy