So, why the "s" in parenthesis? Because Quincy has one main problem responsible for its economic malaise, which of course, results in the labyrinthine number of exasperations that currently exist in the "village" of Quincy, MA: our current (and hope to be former) mayor. I've lived in Quincy for a little over three years now and I already have become aware of the bumbling and possibly flagitious management of his city. My general observation is that Quincy, despite its size (its is the largest city in Norfolk County and the eighth largest in the commonwealth) and relative historical significance, doesn't know what it wants to be i.e., it has no cogent, definitive, or enlightened strategy for economic development and cultural growth. I suppose it's no surprise when you have an obtuse, meretricious mayor and a vexatiously complaisant council who will simply rubber stamp whatever hizzonor asks; who in turn is more than willing to bend over (and I don't mean backward) for whatever his chief donors expect.
Of course, the result is a large city with a very small town character. I mean just look at Hancock Street. I drive or walk down Hancock almost every day and see those two housing eyesores being built amid the increasing number of empty storefronts, bottom end retailers and addiction recovery facilities and wonder: Where is this exciting downtown development. The condos are bad enough (at least the inhabitants will pay some form of property taxes); but that huge apartment complex Nova is hideous. Not only is it bloody ugly (why is that these projects invariably choose the least imaginative architects?), but it contributes nothing to the tax base. And who among those future renters is going to have the disposable income when these places start at $1499 for studio? There's already a paucity of sufficiently well-heeled denizens to make Hancock Street into a legitimately vibrant commercial centre. Notwithstanding the Patriot Ledger's recent article on Quincy's turn toward commercial development, the project looks like a sprawling mish-mash supposedly focused around a medical facility with the developer's insistence (and ultimate Council's "roll-over Rover" approval) of the Whitwell apartment complex monstrosity. Both are totally wrong: first, the sprawling size and nature of "medical centre" is better suited for the outer areas of the city, not downtown, Second, the Whitwell project, like the other rental complexes, will be a drain on the city because (as we all know) renters don't pay property taxes. Oh, and why does it constantly have to be FoxRock Properties Tommy? Well, I can think of 100,000 reasons why.
