In the hot seat, senators defend opposition to Boston City Hall’s tax shift bill

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Rev. Miniard Culpepper, who will take a Boston City Council seat in January, had been trying for days to catch up with Sen. Nick Collins and press him on Mayor Michelle Wu’s property tax shift proposal.

So Culpepper seemed delighted to be sitting next to the senator Tuesday night at a meeting of the South End Forum, a civic group. Wu’s proposal was a hot topic at the gathering, which drew an array of local elected officials who represent the Boston neighborhood.

Saying he had been hearing from seniors, Culpepper pushed Collins to allow Wu’s proposal to be released into a committee so a debate could happen on Beacon Hill. “As long as Nick blocks it, you can’t even consider it in the committee,” Culpepper said, prompting Collins to grimace and throw up his hands. “That’s the one ask I have. That’s what I’ve been chasing Nick for.”

“The reverend knows how to put some words together and do some misdirection from time to time,” Collins said, before quickly adding, “Not in the pews, though.”

The exchange’s overall tone seemed somewhat jocular, and both Culpepper and Collins were seen smiling afterwards, according to a video of South End Forum made available to MASSterList. Culpepper, who will fill Tania Fernandes Anderson’s Roxbury-based council seat when he’s sworn in next month, noted that he had known Collins’ family before the senator was born.

But the exchange also underscored the ongoing back-and-forth between city officials and the Senate, which has kept Wu’s proposal in limbo. For months the Senate hasn’t agreed with the House to refer it to a committee, after Collins killed an earlier version in 2024. Similar to last year’s proposal that twice cleared the House and City Council, Wu’s legislation would temporarily shift more of the tax burden onto commercial properties to avoid a shock to residential homeowners.

This week, while under fire from Wu for their inaction, senators advanced counter-proposals involving tax rebates and credits from Collins, who represents South Boston, and Sen. William Brownsberger, whose Belmont-anchored district includes a part of Boston.

Talking about Wu’s proposal at the South End Forum, Collins noted that during an informal legislative session, one lawmaker can object and slow down legislation: “You don’t have to worry about me. You have to worry about everybody else.”

“That means you’re not objecting any more?” Culpepper ventured.

“I haven’t objected to it being admitted” to a committee, Collins said, as Rep. Aaron Michlewitz, the House Ways and Means chairman and a Wu ally who was three seats over, noticeably shifted in his chair, and with a facial expression, indicated some skepticism.

Collins said state legislators have previously involved themselves with city budget matters, pointing to a group of Boston lawmakers successfully blocking Mayor Tom Menino from closing several libraries in their neighborhoods.

In a written statement later, Collins expressed surprise at how Culpepper “framed his comments about me” in front of the civic group. “We spoke several times last week, and he never expressed himself that way,” he said. “But that is the beauty of the South End Forum: he gets to speak his piece, even in a way he hadn’t shared before. I think he learned a bit more about the issue and the process ahead of his swearing-in.”

On Thursday, Brownsberger worked to advance the legislation he and Collins proposed. The bills were sent to Ways and Means, but Brownsberger said he did not expect more action before tax bills went out on Jan. 1, and he declined to speculate on the appetite for the legislation in the House.

Before she launched her renewed push for the tax shift, Wu privately indicated she is interested in backing challengers to Collins and Brownsberger when they’re up for reelection next year, according to sources. POLITICO this week reported that Daniel Lander, a senior adviser to Wu’s 2021 mayoral campaign, could be the one to go up against Brownsberger. 

When reporters asked Brownsberger if he had recently talked with the mayor, Brownsberger said they shook hands at a tree lighting in the Fenway neighborhood Wednesday night. “This is the holiday season,” he said. “Let’s be in good cheer.”

What’s your prediction for how this whole thing ends? Fast forward in your mind to November 2026 and let me know what you see: [email protected].

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