Java, jelly-filled, and a helping hand to go
At doughnut shops and lunch counters, your public servant is in
Friday morning at Anna's Hand Cut Donuts: Customers line up for coffee and a sugary treat to go. Some sit on low cushioned stools at a Formica counter, sipping and chatting.
On a seat next to the front window, District 6 City Councilor John M. Tobin Jr. talks with a constituent upset about the city's school-assignment policy.
''I'll go in with you," Tobin reassures Sarah Abramson, who is hesitant to speak in front of the Boston School Committee.
As they talk, Abramson, a nearby resident, leans down to wipe chocolate frosting off the cheek of her son, Sammy, 4. Daughter Juliana, 2, sits quietly in her stroller.
This is Tobin's weekly office hour in West Roxbury, from 8 to 9 every Friday morning.
Holding office hours in neighborhood restaurants is a tradition for Boston elected officials. City and state governments do not provide them with branch offices, and most of their constituents would not make the trek to City Hall or the State House.
''You go to where the people are and try to make it accessible," says state Representative Jeffrey Sanchez of Boston, sipping strong coffee and munching a Cuban sandwich at El Oriental de Cuba Restaurant at the conclusion of his Jamaica Plain office hours. ''To me this is home base."
Sanchez holds regular office hours at Mike's Donuts in Mission Hill, Sealey's Lunch in Brookline, and El Oriental, which is centrally located in Jamaica Plain near Hyde Square.
Joan Sokoloff, director of a Brookline-based court mediation service, met with Sanchez at El Oriental recently. ''I love meeting here," says Sokoloff. ''I love meeting in the community. I used to go to his State House office. This is convenient and it's more friendly. It's not so formal."
Back at Anna's in West Roxbury, Abramson, a mother of three, is worried her son will not get in a school in the neighborhood. Tobin tells her, ''We'll get more people and go into the meeting together."
After Abramson leaves, Tobin talks to others about matters that include the city's tree pruning procedures, location of a new West Roxbury Post Office, and the possibility of putting nets above the backstop of a Little League field to prevent balls from flying through windows of nearby homes.
''This is still a place where literally everyone knows your name," says Tobin, who as a teenager worked at Anna's making doughnuts and working the counter. ''It's relaxing to meet with people here. It's not like you are sitting behind a desk in a sterile building."
On Mondays, Tobin holds his office hour in Jamaica Plain at Emack & Bolio's coffee and ice cream shop.
To most politicians, office hours, wherever they are held, are vital. They are a way to stay connected to constituents and gain valuable feedback. They are a way to meet people and enlist new supporters. And they send a message to voters that their elected official cares about them.
''A lot of time people don't come down to see me about issues," said District 5 Boston City Councilor Rob Consalvo. ''They just want to say hello."
Consalvo holds office hours in a range of venues, including the Hyde Park Branch Library, the Hyde Park Municipal Building and several restaurants. Emack & Bolio's is Consalvo's regular spot for office hours in Roslindale. ''We've kind of stuck with Emack & Bolio's because people love it," he said. ''I've even had people get an ice cream first thing in the morning."
In Hyde Park, Consalvo meets with constituents at Dottie's restaurant, River Street Grill, and Hyde
Not all Boston politicians use restaurants for their office hours. Some officials are concerned about privacy and prefer a private room in a public building. District 7 City Councilor Chuck Turner has a district office in Dudley Square and pays the rent with his own funds. District 8 City Councilors Michael P. Ross and District 3 Councilor Maureen E. Feeney hold office hours in community centers, libraries, and senior housing.
District 1 Councilor Paul J. Scapicchio finds City Hall works just fine for office hours.
''He's the only district councilor who has City Hall in his district," said Scapicchio's chief of staff Joe Arangio. ''People from the North End, Charlestown, and downtown can walk here, and the Blue Line offers quick and easy access from East Boston."
District 4 Councilor Charles C. Yancey has tried a variety of venues for his office hours, from the Codman Square Library to the Mildred Avenue Community Center in Mattapan to the Brigham's in Mattapan Square. When few people showed up for his most recent office hours at Brigham's, Yancey wound up going door-to-door to businesses in the square, dropping in and saying hello.
Tobin and Sanchez hold their regular restaurant office hours on weekday mornings. Consalvo prefers Saturdays.
''People are out and about then. They can stop by while they are doing their errands. It's one-stop shopping," Consalvo said. Sanchez said he finds restaurant office hours refreshing after long days in committee meetings or in the House chamber.
''It's like a 'Cheers' episode," Sanchez said of his sessions at Mike's Donuts on Tremont Street. ''There is a group of five guys there every morning. They go through the newspaper commenting on stories, and they'll just hammer me. Anytime I need to find my bearings, I just sit down with them."
Robert Preer can be reached at preer@globe.com.
