‘It’s barbaric’: Councilor Matt O’Malley takes a stand against space savers
"The whole thing is being abused."
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Matt O’Malley is apparently unafraid to speak out about one of Boston’s most divisive topics: space savers.
“This may be unpopular to say,” the West Roxbury City Councilor tweeted Wednesday night, as a nor’easter that later dropped over a foot of snow in the city barreled into the region, “but it’s high time we stop using space savers, Boston.”
This may be unpopular to say but it’s high time we stop using space savers, Boston.
— Matt O’Malley (@MattOMalley) December 17, 2020
The city of course has a time-honored practice of using just about any inanimate object — from trash cans to beach chairs — to save parking spots once they’re shoveled out by a car owner. The argument over whether to embrace or reject the tradition, however, is an arena local politicians tend to avoid.
But O’Malley, who recently announced he would not seek re-election next year after a 10-year stint on the council, seems to no longer have such hesitation.
“At the end of the day, it’s barbaric what we have been doing,” O’Malley told The Boston Globe‘s Billy Baker. “We’ve been claiming public land. The whole thing is being abused. People are putting out space savers before the first flake even drops. And my fear is that there could be violence happening as a result. People are wound up and angry right now for a myriad of reasons.”
Space savers are allowed throughout the city, with the exception of the South End, which banned the tradition. But city rules provide certain parameters: Space savers can only be used when a snow emergency has been declared and for 48 hours after the emergency has ended.
“Spaces are going to be difficult to find, but spaces are difficult to find in good weather,” O’Malley told the Globe. “It’s going to be an adjustment, but if we abandon the practice it will become unnecessary.”
Other officials, however, are not ready to line up behind the city councilor.
According to the Globe, when asked about O’Malley’s remarks, a spokesperson for Mayor Marty Walsh sent a statement outlining the current city policy and saying that the city would support any neighborhood that decides to ban space savers after completing a public process.
City Councilors Michelle Wu and Andrea Campbell, who are both running for mayor in next year’s elections, did not respond to the newspaper’s requests for comment.
City Councilor Ed Flynn, who represents South Boston — where space saving is believed to have originated — sent the Globe a statement that did not even contain the words “space savers.” Instead, Flynn urged “each of us to not lose sight of the big picture and to continue to treat all our neighbors with respect and empathy.”
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