BOSTON (WHDH) - Boston City Councilor Annissa Essaibi George conceded victory to Michelle Wu in front of a crowd of her supporters Tuesday night.
“I want to offer a great big congratulations to Michelle Wu,” she said. “She is the first woman, the first person of color and as an Asian American, the first to be elected mayor of Boston. I know this is no small feat. You know this is no small feat. I want her to show the city how mothers get it done.”
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She took the time to thank everyone on her team and the groups that came to stand behind her over the last several months. She singled out her mother, husband and children for their patience and support throughout her campaign.
“I want to thank all of you for the phone call, the texts, the emails of support. For holding signs, for knocking on doors in the rain, for cheering me on day and night,” said Essaibi George. “You got me here and I will always be grateful.”
Essaibi George, 47, a lifelong Boston resident and former public school teacher, describes herself as a first-generation Arab-Polish American. Her father was a Muslim immigrant from Tunisia. Her mother, a Catholic, immigrated from Poland.
During her speech, she recounted a story from her teens where she expressed an interest in running for mayor to her late father to which he replied, “no Arab girl with an Arabic name will do anything in this city.”
Essaibi George proved him wrong.
“You know I love this city more than anything and I know that you do too. And you don’t just show up and you don’t just show that love every once in a while or every four years during a mayor’s race. We know that we must be engaged and fight for this city every single day because we know Boston deserves nothing less.”
She often spoke about painting the community pink — a slogan she has used throughout this and past campaigns. For her and her supporters, it symbolizes getting things done and she challenged those in attendance to continue doing just that.
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