The questions

1) Do you favor the Community Preservation Act ballot initiative, which would implement a property-tax surcharge to spend on affordable housing, open space, and preservation?

2) Do you support Mayor Menino’s plan to replace news boxes in the Back Bay and, eventually, the rest of the city with uniform "condo" boxes?

3) Do you support the taking of private land anywhere in the city for a new baseball park for the Boston Red Sox?

4) Do you favor continuing with plans to build a new convention center on the waterfront?

5) How would you, as a Boston city councilor, try to engage young people in the local political process? Toward this end, what has your current campaign done?

6) What steps do you support and what suggestions do you have for bringing more vitality to the city council?

Maureen Feeney, District Three incumbent

1) While CPA is a well-written bill and I continue to listen to all sides, I have serious concerns about whether the time is right for its passage. Affordable housing is a regional issue, but CPA imposes a local solution. There are no guarantees as to whether surrounding communities in Greater Boston will pass it and, if they do, whether most of the funds will go into housing or open space. The economic downturn dictates that we do nothing that would threaten the loss of a single job. Any tax increase has this potential. I also have a general issue with enacting major public-policy change via ballot questions that impose rigidity on a process the dynamism of which demands flexibility. CPA automatically overrides Proposition 21/2, something not to be done lightly. The city has undertaken several initiatives and we need to take the time to measure their effectiveness.

2) No.

3) No.

4) Yes, with strong caution. The center is moving rapidly beyond the so-called planning stage, with the frame now visible from many directions. Circumstances compel us to review constantly the viability of the project. With the hotel tax being a major source of funding for the center, high occupancy rates will be necessary. If the economic downturn, coupled with a change in the whole concept of business conventions, limits bookings to the extent that the center’s viability is questioned, it would be better to pull the plug and look for another use for the site than to saddle future budgets with an operating deficit. The council will hold hearings to evaluate the answers to the questions now being properly raised.

5) I constantly try to create opportunities for young people in my district that engage them in the political process and inform them of how politics can play a positive role in their lives. I helped young women in my district use political activism to establish a girls’ center that has programs uniquely developed to meet their needs. I try to be always available to both private and public schools for programs that help educate young people on their civic responsibility. I participate readily in reading programs and in creating alternative opportunities for young people. As for my campaigns, I have always made an effort to have young people involved at all levels of the operation, including running certain phases of the campaign. Campaign groups such as Teens for Feeney have been a vital part of my public life.

6) Although it may not be a realistic goal, a charter change granting the council additional powers would be the most direct way to bring more vitality to the council. For the time being, more practical steps could help. We should bring our hearings to the neighborhoods, especially when debating issues having an impact on a particular neighborhood. The council does have more power than it sometimes realizes. It must not allow itself to succumb to divide-and-conquer tactics designed to deprive it of its appropriate and permissible function in city government. The council should take steps to educate the public on its role and the impact the council has on the city’s political life. Councilors are often citizens’ closest link with government. It is up to each councilor to carry on in a manner that gives Bostonians confidence in their local government.

Mark Juaire, District Three challenger

1) Yes.

2) Yes, absolutely.

3) No. And the Red Sox should take the approach that some other sports teams have taken and sell stock to citizens who want to support professional-sports endeavors. I would buy a share!

4) Yes.

5) We must strive to engage people who are not already involved. My campaign has attracted volunteers who have never been involved in campaigns.

6) Move the weekly council meetings to late in the day or evening, to allow more citizens to attend and observe. Noon on Wednesdays is not convenient for most citizens.

Charles Yancey, District Four incumbent

1) I do support the Community Preservation Act ballot initiative.

2) I believe that local community organizations should decide the issue of the location and style of news boxes.

3) I do not support the use of eminent-domain power in the Fenway for a new baseball park for the Boston Red Sox. I will consider future proposals on a case-by-case basis. The mayor and other proponents of the new Fenway Park in that neighborhood have failed to make a convincing case for eminent-domain takings.

4) I do support continuing with plans to build a new convention center on the waterfront.

5) I believe that we can engage more young people in the political process by working with our high schools and colleges in the Boston area. Student interns from both high schools and colleges gain valuable experience working in the legislative branch of city government. My campaign involves young people as volunteers.

6) I would support increasing the authority of the Boston City Council regarding the City of Boston appropriation process. Currently, the Boston City Council can accept, reject, or cut the budget as submitted by the mayor. I believe that the city council should have the authority to increase the budget.

Secondly, I believe that the media should become more involved with the city council. It is rare that the media follow city-council initiatives to the same extent as the executive branch of city government. I would support extending cable coverage of the council hearings and meetings beyond 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays only.

Vikki Middleton, District Four challenger

1) I do not favor the CPA ballot initiative.

2) I believe the news boxes should be uniform. They are becoming an eyesore, with so many and so many different kinds.

3) The city has always taken private land.

4) Since the economy is in a downturn, this issue should be put on hold for a while.

5) When I am not campaigning, I talk to young adults about voting. My attempt is to get them to register and, most important, to exercise it and vote.

6) The city council needs to work more on the budget. Priorities change with the times. One at-large councilor made a very big issue about placing the purchase of schoolbooks in this year’s budget. Yet kids are still without books. Some issues need to be audited. Once in place, some items should be revisited.

Mike Rush, District Six challenger

1) Yes.

2) Yes.

3) No.

4) Yes.

5) As a teacher at a local high school, I have always encouraged my students to take an active role in their community. As their government teacher, it is my responsibility to show my students how the public-policy process impacts their daily lives.

6) As someone who has been involved in public service at the national, state, and local levels of government, I have a very thorough understanding of our democratic process and the ways in which positive change can be effected.

John Tobin, District Six challenger

1) Yes.

2) No.

3) No.

4) No.

5) As a young person myself, I fully understand the need for fellow young persons to get involved in the political process. I’m proud to say that my campaign is made up of hundreds of people, the majority in the 18-to-35-year-old range. As a Little League and softball coach, I’ve tried to set an example to all of my players of the benefits of being involved in the civic affairs of our neighborhoods.

6) The Boston City Council has made terrific strides in recent years with the addition of young councilors like Michael Ross, Michael Flaherty, and Brian Honan. As the next district city councilor from Jamaica Plain and West Roxbury, I plan to work with all of my colleagues to bring fresh initiatives and creativity to the Boston City Council.

Chuck Turner, District Seven incumbent

1) Yes.

2) Not a pressing issue for me.

3) No.

4) Yes.

5) Two of my initial City Hall staffers were under 21 when we hired them. We have, between the City Hall office and the district office, a number of interns: two from Northeastern, one from Boston College, four from Roxbury Community College, and two from the Boston University School of Social Work. We also have — and encourage — the participation of young people in the committees that the District Seven roundtable [a monthly meeting about issues affecting the district] has established.

6) It would be good to look at strengthening the role of the council in the charter, although I haven’t looked at specific issues that would relate to that.

Michael Ross, District Eight incumbent, running unopposed

1) Yes.

2) Yes.

3) No.

4) Yes, but I’m concerned re: current economic conditions and other pressing needs.

5) I spend a great deal of time speaking to young people in local BPS schools as well as colleges in my area. I have done extensive work with BU and Northeastern students on many issues. I have never not had a college intern or volunteer working in my office.

6) Vitality is important; so is independence. The council is the city’s check and balance and must always remain such; we therefore have to keep that in mind as we elect new voices to the council.