BOSTON (WHDH) - Boston City Councilor Andrea Campbell is making her case to residents on why they should elect her mayor after announcing that she’ll be running in 2021 on Thursday.
Campbell, a Boston native, made history as the first African American woman to serve as Boston City Council president and is hoping to make history as the city’s first African American mayor.
She told 7NEWS she decided to run given the issues that the country and city are dealing with currently.
“I think we’re at a unique moment in time when the country is talking about systemic racism, police brutality,” Campbell said, “and I think this is a unique opportunity for our city to look at our own history and then together to say what are we going to do about it.”
Campbell was elected to the council in 2015 and is a graduate of Boston Public Schools.
Campbell plans to highlight the inequities that Boston residents face, especially when it comes to education, housing and in the criminal justice system.
Representing the neighborhoods of Mattapan, Dorchester and parts of Roxbury, she said, will impact her campaign.
She will also be sharing her story on how she went on to graduate from law school and become city council president.
“All of my life has been connected to the city and the opportunities it afforded to me,” Campbell said, “so this is a time for me to think about how to ensure that every young person in the city of Boston has the same [opportunities].”
Campbell is the second woman of color to enter the mayoral race.
City Councilor at-Large Michelle Wu launched her campaign over a week ago.
Campbell said she has tremendous respect for her colleague and challenger and looks forward to the race and meeting voters.
“This is a tough time for the city, it’s a tough time for the country,” Campbell said, “we hope to build a grassroots campaign that is positive. We want to hear from people, we want to listen to them.”
Current Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh has not yet said if he will run for reelection.
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)