BOSTON (WHDH) - Two Boston city councilors running for mayor took questions from residents Saturday as Mayor Marty Walsh prepares to leave for a federal position.
President-elect Joe Biden has nominated Walsh as Secretary of Labor, likely removing the incumbent from this year’s mayoral election. Under the city charter, current City Council President Kim Janey will become mayor for the rest of the term, but she has not said if she will run for the office in the election.
But councilors Andrea Campbell and Michelle Wu had already announced campaigns before Walsh’s nomination, and they answered questions about their campaigns during a Zoom interview set up by the Ward 15 Democratic Party Committee. Campbell talked about how she was inspired to run for office after her twin brother died while in Department of Corrections custody, and how she wanted to make the city more equitable.
“People are taking to the streets across the world and demanding systems change and I think for me if we are going to eradicate the inequities … we need leadership that understands, has lived them, bring radical empathy and action,” Campbell said “I have done much of that work ”
Wu, the daughter of immigrants, said she was spurred into government after her mother had a mental health crisis. She said she wants to close gaps in the city and direct resources better.
“Boston is one of the most segregated cities in the country and so the resources we have have been disconnected from far too many who are ready to step in,” Wu said. “So that comes not just by recognizing how are communities are connected but by how our issues are connected and City Hall should be breaking down silos inside to get it done.”
Campbell and Wu are the only declared candidates so far, but Police Commissioner William Gross said he is giving “deep consideration” to running for mayor and city Health and Human Services Chief Marty Martinez said he is “absolutely considering” running.
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