Local News
The director’s position was eliminated in the fiscal year 2027 budget, and the Office of Green Infrastructure will be incorporated into the Streets Cabinet.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu delivered a speech during a summit focused on climate change at The Vatican in 2024. Gregorio Borgia/AP
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, a longtime advocate for policies that tackle climate change, is eliminating the city’s standalone Office of Green Infrastructure. Some of its staff will be incorporated into other teams, while the office’s director is being let go.
The Office of Green Infrastructure was created in 2022, shortly after Wu was elected mayor on a platform that emphasized her support for a “Green New Deal.” Green infrastructure refers broadly to stormwater management features that incorporate natural materials like plants and soil to remove pollutants and let stormwater absorb back into the ground. Examples can be found throughout Boston, from “tree infiltration trenches” on City Hall Plaza to “rain gardens” in Codman Square.
Director of Green Infrastructure Max Rome told The Boston Globe earlier this week that the city’s decision to lay him off was “very sudden.”
“The conversation was over before it began,” Rome told the Globe.
Wu’s office confirmed the news Friday. Rome’s position was eliminated in the fiscal year 2027 budget, according to a city official.
With her budget proposal for the next fiscal year, Wu is proposing a spending increase of just 2.1 percent, the smallest year-over-year spending increase since the aftermath of the global financial crisis. Frustrations over spending cuts have exposed divisions on the City Council. Meanwhile, Wu is looking to use $70 million in reserve funds to fill budget deficits before the end of the current fiscal year.
“The Office of Green Infrastructure is being integrated into the Streets Cabinet’s Infrastructure and Design team to fully incorporate green infrastructure planning into projects citywide,” a city spokesperson said in a statement.
The city recently announced the appointment of a new Parks Commissioner, who will begin work on June 1. The city is expanding her portfolio to include the integration of green infrastructure into the administration’s broader open spaces strategy, according to an official. Green infrastructure will be baked into street reconstruction projects whenever possible.
“Green infrastructure is now a foundational part of our major streets projects, such as in ongoing projects at Jones Ave, Ellis Elementary, Harrison Ave, and A Street/Congress/Sleeper,” the spokesperson said.
While Rome is departing the administration, the remaining two staff members from the Office of Green Infrastructure will continue to work with the Infrastructure and Design team.
Having the Office of Green Infrastructure as a distinct entity outside the Infrastructure and Design team resulted in delays when projects overlapped or conflicted, and the administration sees an opportunity to more effectively coordinate projects from the outset, according to a city official.
Rome was hired in November by then-Chief of Streets Jascha Franklin-Hodge, the Globe reported. Franklin-Hodge departed City Hall ahead of Wu’s second term, which began in January.
In March, the Globe reported that Wu had been taking a more hands-on approach to transit and road safety projects over the past year. Not only did this result in projects being slowed or stalled altogether, it also caused a drop in some staff morale, the paper reported at the time. This prompted calls from the City Council and others for an increase in transparency.
Last month, Wu released the city’s new five-year climate action plan, a lengthy document that contains dozens of strategies and recommendations for how Boston can reach its goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent by 2030 and completely eliminating them by 2050.
The plan contains many references to green infrastructure, with recommendations that the city expand its emphasis on these features in future years.
Ross Cristantiello
Ross Cristantiello, a general assignment news reporter for Boston.com since 2022, covers local politics, crime, the environment, and more.
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