BOSTON (WHDH) - Boston Police Commissioner William G. Gross on Monday told reporters that he is giving “deep consideration” to a mayoral run now that Mayor Martin J. Walsh is leaving the city to serve as President-elect Joe Biden’s labor secretary.
Moments after Biden selected Walsh for the cabinet position, Gross said his phone started ringing off the hook with calls from people urging him to run for mayor.
“I received several calls, several tweets on my private phone,” Gross said. “I sure am considering every thought and prayer that comes my way that people want me to be a mayoral candidate.”
Gross says he is not yet ready to commit to the race for mayor but he’s very honored to be considered a potential candidate for the position that Walsh has held since 2014.
“All I said was, ‘I can’t give you an answer 100 percent,'” Gross explained. “Out of respect, I’m going to give this deep consideration…This isn’t something you can decide within three days.”
After more than 30 years on the Boston police force, Gross was named commissioner in 2018.
“We need to work on healing this city and bringing it back together because it’s going to be a hell of a time getting the businesses and everything back together,” Gross said when asked why he would run for mayor. “We need to do that together, not far left and far right. This is Boston.”
If Gross decides to toss his hat in the ring, he will likely be joining a crowded field that includes City Councilors Michelle Wu and Andrea Campbell, who have already been running for months.
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