THE BOSTON GUARDIAN October 25, 2019 Vol. 4 Issue 23 Bok, Nassour in Final Face Off Photo: Joe Walsh Most Fortune Tellers Are Not Licensed By Joe Walsh Boston’s professional soothsayers Photo: Courtesy Jennifer Nassour With Halloween quickly approach- appear to be spreading their elusive Kenzie Bok, forum moderator Peter Nessen and Jennifer Nassour ing, some Bostonians might turn wisdom without one. It remains By Joe Walsh licensing and the proposed sale of the an approach that she says would satiate unclear whether these renegades’ lack away from cool-headed rationality Both candidates for City Council Hynes Convention Center at a forum the city’s rabid demand for housing and of city approval makes their psychic and toward the spiritual, seeking life District 8 say they are committed to Tuesday night. The winner of this year’s eventually ease prices. Bok, meanwhile, predictions any less accurate. advice from a local psychic, tarot card election, to be held on November 5, listed a broad range of strategies like According to city records, only four building more affordable housing reader or fortune teller. fortune teller licenses were issued or in Boston, but they offered differing will replace Councilor Josh Zakim to inclusionary development rules, tenant City officials are here to help. renewed in Boston last year, even approaches to contend with the area’s represent most of Beacon Hill, the Back protections and developing on public Per state law, anybody who tells though more than a dozen psychic housing crunch. Bay and the Fenway. land. fortunes for money must apply for businesses appear to operate citywide. Kenzie Bok and Jennifer Nassour Nassour focused on producing more To build more housing, Nassour a city license. However, most of Continued on Page 2 faced off on housing, marijuana housing units throughout the region, Continued on Page 2 When Older Windows Scary Cute Become Controversial By Dan Rabb A dispute over a South End family’s right to replace their historic windows has sparked debate about preservation priorities throughout the city. In May 2018, homeowners Gary Stoloff and Alice Stone sought to replace the windows on their 19th century Rutland Square brownstone. Their windows, some original to the building, had deteriorated after more than a century of New England weather. More importantly, they say, the antique glass did little to keep out the cold, necessitating storm windows that looked out of character with the historic building. While the couple knew that any We don’t monkey around when treats this year. Drivers, be change to their home required it comes to candy. mindful of street closures and permission from the South End Children of all ages can see a trick or treaters making their Landmark District Commission, list on page 9 of where to enjoy rounds. The only scares that they were confident in an approval. Photo: Joe Walsh their sweets and other Halloween night should be in good fun. Continued on Page 2 THE BOSTON GUARDIAN 2 | October 25, 2019 Landmarks their mandate is to preserve the contention in Boston preservation removal of historic material from a history.” original windows rather than the circles, and which direction the scales building is best avoided. According Windows are a particular point of Continued from Page 1 historic aesthetic of the home or tip varies from one neighborhood to Greg Galer, executive director of sensitivity among preservationists, neighborhood, even if those windows historic district to another. In the the Boston Preservation Alliance, according to Galer. He says market- Unlike the original windows, the remain obscured behind storms. Back Bay, for instance, such window replacing original windows or other ing by window companies leads visually identical replacements could “There’s people in City Hall who replacements are typically permitted, objects, even with reproductions, many owners of historic homes to be fitted with double-paned glass, take great comfort in knowing according to a former member of means the loss of a unique artifact. thoughtlessly install anachronistic allowing the storms to be removed that there’s something historically the Back Bay Architectural District “Sometimes the preservation replacements. and returning the house to its original accurate in my building that no one Commission briefed on the dispute. community gets a little overly focused “A lot of junk has gone in over the else can appreciate,” said an exasper- “We allow people to do that in on detail, but part of the ethics and years, so the preservation community appearance. Stoloff, a contractor who ated Stone. “They’re choosing to die the Back Bay,” she said. “We have standards of preservation is that if does tend to get hung up on them,” routinely works on historic homes, on the hill of preserving the historic to balance the needs of preservation you’re going to make changes, you he said. hired a well known restoration materials and sacrificing the unifor- with the needs of residents and want to make them reversible,” Galer It’s a sticking point that a frustrated company to perform the work. mity and the historic look of the homeowners.” said. “Storm windows can come and Stoloff says he knows all too well. Yet the Landmark Commission neighborhood and that’s not right.” Members of the South End go and can be upgraded or modified, “They really have a hair across rejected the project. In commission This question of whether conserv- Landmark Commission said they but once you remove the original their ass with windows,” Stoloff minutes submitted as evidence in the ing historic building materials trumps could not comment on the case due fabric, it’s gone forever; especially said of the Landmark Commission. homeowners’ ongoing lawsuit against maintaining a building’s original to the ongoing litigation. Yet some old glass that can be funky and says “Meanwhile, my original sash is the city, commissioners argued that aesthetic has long been a source of preservation experts agree that any something about the building’s hidden behind a storm window.” Fortune Tellers drastically from nine years ago, when Requirements for a license are few. quartet of licensed fortune tellers. She and lost money, the fortune telling 17 fortune tellers were on city books. Applicants must submit to a battery explained that a license allows her to industry might have some credibil- Continued from Page 1 Officials were unable to divine the of hearings, list out the services they advertise her business and place signs ity issues. Some psychics believe reason for this change. plan on offering, pay a nominal fee outside her downtown storefront professional licensing, as strange as it This suggests that the vast majority of “I do not have any insight into why of $50 and prove at least a year of city without risking tickets from the might seem, could address this lack of the city’s psychics, palm readers and the number of licenses has decreased residency, a rule apparently meant to police or complaints from neighbors. public trust. discourage fly-by-night carpetbag- Mitchell believes it is reasonable cardsmiths are unlicensed. over the years,” said Lesley Hawkins, One psychic who strives for gers. These licenses must be renewed for the city to keep track of fortune Even more mysteriously, the the executive secretary for Boston’s professionalism is Rosemary The annually. tellers, though she blamed the steep number of licenses has dropped Licensing Board. Celtic Lady, the pseudonym for a Still, enforcement against decline in the number of licenses on Colorado medium who runs the unlicensed oracles is limited. In a recent exodus of longstanding local American Association of Psychics & recent years, the Boston Police psychics. Psychic Mediums. Rosemary tries Department’s Licensed Premise Unit “Rents got too high,” she said. “A to distance herself from disrepu- does not appear to have written a lot of psychics got out of Boston.” table fortune tellers and their false single citation for telling fortunes Nonetheless, scores of Boston without a license, according to fortune tellers continue to advertise promises, instead preferring to listen Hawkins, though The Guardian their services without the veneer of to clients’ problems and offer advice, found a 2001 ticket for unlicensed government approval that a license she explained. She believes licensing fortune telling in city records. offers. Most of these unlicensed could distinguish honest operators So if most of Boston’s fortune psychics either declined to comment like her from scam artists. tellers can get away with plying their or did not respond to requests. “It is a good thing if people can mystical craft without permission, Evidently, they failed to foresee The prove that they’re legit and everything, why did four local psychics bother to Guardian’s calls. and they’re not crystal ball people,” renew their city licenses this year? Truth be told, after centuries of Rosemary The Celtic Lady said. “We Gail Mitchell, owner of Lilah’s false predictions, botched tarot card have to separate ourselves from that Palm & Card Readings, is part of this readings, misleading crystal balls kind of energy.” Forum neighborhoods become capital storage “It’s supply and demand,” she said. units,” Bok said. “I want them to remain “We need to work with our communi- Continued from Page 1 as communities.” ties and work with our builders.” Bok also supported the city’s new The candidates also discussed the pitched a $250 million development restrictions on short-term rentals, fate of the Hynes Convention Center, fund, fueled by contributions from the noting that rental listing services like another neighborhood touchstone. area’s largest nonprofit and for-profit Airbnb could take scores of inexpensive State officials hope to sell the Hynes, employers. She said the city’s Payment apartments off the open market.