BOSTON (WHDH) – Boston City Councilor Michelle Wu hit the streets of Nubian Square in Roxbury Tuesday evening after officially announcing that she is running for mayor.
Wu, 35, has spent nearly seven years as an At-Large City Councilor and has recently decided to join the 2021 Boston Mayoral race vowing to bring about change.
“This is going to be a campaign about lifting up the dream and struggles form residents all across the city,” she said.
Her announcement ends years of speculation surrounding her political intentions.
“We’re in an unprecedented time as Boston faces a pandemic, an economic crisis, and a national reckoning on systemic racism,” Wu said. “To meet this moment, we need leadership that matches the scale and urgency of our challenges.”
The Democrat became the first Asian-American woman to serve on the Boston City Council when she was elected in November 2013. She was then chosen to be the City Council president in 2016, becoming the first woman of color to serve in that position.
Wu made her mayoral campaign announcement in a video that is available in English, Mandarin, and Spanish.
As a daughter of immigrants and mother of two sons, Wu said she understands the struggles of residents in the city.
“It’s impossible to ignore issues when you’re living them. And I’ve seen as a mom in the Boston Public schools that we have a lot of work to do,” she said. “we can’t be satisfied when there are deep disparities across communities, by race, by income by *neighborhood.:13 If you look at the gaps in Boston they have only gotten bigger and bigger during this economic boom time.”
Wu said while she celebrates the successes of the city she also believes the city is at a historic moment of change — and according to her, one change needed is in the police department.
“We proposed an alternative crisis response system where the 911 calls that come in would have resources of trained individuals, unarmed individuals who would respond to cases where there’s mental health issues, substance use, a traffic stop,” she explained.
Last week, Mayor Martin Walsh confirmed to the Boston Globe that Wu had reached out to him about her intentions to run for his current position.
Wu has been one of Walsh’s most vocal critics. Most recently criticizing him for his handling of funds to address racial inequalities and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Walsh hasn’t officially announced if he’ll seek a third term as mayor.
A sitting Boston mayor has not lost to a challenger in more than 70 years.
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