Chuck Phelan (Ward 5 incumbent)

Charles (Chuck) Phelan has been a city councilmember since 2020, and had also served on the city council from 1988-1996. (This article focuses on his current term.) He worked as Chief Information Officer for the City of Quincy between 1997-2002 and 2008-2018, and for Norfolk County between 2002-2008. He lives in Wollaston and is currently retired.

Website: https://www.facebook.com/cphelan2020/

Green Flags

Racial justice:

• Co-sponsored a city council resolution “2020-147 - Recognizing October as Filipino American History Month” in 2020 along with 5 other councilmembers
• Supports teaching accurate, non-whitewashed history (including critical race theory) and applying it to government planning

Environmentalism:

• Co-sponsored a city council resolution “2021-074 – City Council Opposition to Pine Island Boardwalk” in 2021 along with 6 other councilmembers
• Co-sponsored a city council resolution “2020-166 – Continued Legal Action in Opposition to Weymouth Gas Compressor Station” in 2020 along with 6 other councilmembers
• Sponsored a city council resolution “2020-038 – Exploring purchase of 797 Quincy Shore Drive for the purposes of preserving it as open space and coastal protection” in 2020
• Opposes putting a bridge over Black’s Creek for environmental reasons
• Worked to turn the Beachcomber site into a mitigation project as a city council member in the 1990s

Miscellaneous:

• Says that he would not accept donations from developers or contractors whose projects were being voted on directly by city council

Mixed Flag

• Stated his support for the ordinance to establish the Department of Social Justice and Equity on record in Ordinance Committee meeting in 2020; however, seems to be under the impression that the proposed department was merely about exclusionary zoning and could not recall the department’s name in interviews in 2021

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Steve Christo (Ward 5 challenger)

Steve Christo previously ran for Ward 5 city councillor in 2019. He lives in Wollaston and currently works at SMC Consulting.

Website: https://christoforcouncil.com/ and https://www.facebook.com/stevechristoquincy

Green Flags

Racial justice:

• Language accessibility: provides Chinese translations of his campaign materials on his website
• Says he would serve the underrepresented Asian American community in Ward 5, particularly the Chinese and Vietnamese communities

Environmentalism:

• Says he would push for the city to be a “leader” in green initiatives and environmental programs

Education:

• Says he will fight for funding in both academics and enrichment programming

Labor:

• Supports unions and collective bargaining

Miscellaneous:

• Is against Citizens United, and says he would not accept donations from corporations who might try to influence a project or campaign

Red Flags

• His career is mainly in finance, including working at Arthur Andersen during the time leading up to the Enron scandal in 2001 which resulted in the company’s dissolution

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