Making local government work

Boston’s City Hall, opened in 1968 and whose Brutalist architecture remains hated by many.

From Robert Whitcomb’s “Digital Diary,’’ in GoLocal24.com

‘’Those cynical about government’s capacity to help people would do well to watch famed documentary-film maker Fred Wiseman’s new movie, City Hall, about municipal government in Boston. That government, now ably led  by Mayor Marty Walsh, as it was before him  by Tom Menino, has been a fine example of city officials who listen to all parts of the vastly diverse population that it’s charged with serving.

The film,  sometimes tedious, sometimes fascinating, shows city employees at all levels doing their often difficult and frustrating jobs with dedication. And the higher-ups don’t sugar-coat the city’s (one of America’s wealthiest) racial, socio-economic and other disparities while providing  specific ways to address them.

There’s a moving segment with Mayor Walsh, in front of a veterans group, discussing his past struggles with alcoholism. He’s not particularly articulate but he’s very open.

As for the partisan  remarks in the film, Mr. Wiseman says:

"City Hall is an anti-Trump film because the mayor and the people who work for him believe in democratic norms. They represent everything Donald Trump doesn't stand for."