When Michelle Wu is sworn in as Boston’s 56th mayor Tuesday, she’ll have already checked off a litany of “firsts”: first elected woman of color, first Asian American, first millennial. But she is also the first mayor to lead Boston with a city council imbued with budgetary powers, thanks to voters who checked “yes” to amend Boston’s charter.
Ballot Question One lets the council change budget items by majority vote. It also creates an Office of Participatory Budgeting, which will determine resident priorities. That idea had been kicking around the council last year, and championed by then-Council President Kim Janey, who returns to that position until January.
As we saw in last year’s dustup over Mayor Marty Walsh’s budget, city councilors could only vote yes or no on the budget. When the mayor and council clash — angry soundbites are issued, letters are written, and the process drags on.
One of the key points of contention in Walsh’s budget was cutting police overtime, in the wake of the killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis. Some councilors wanted cuts to be deeper to the BPD budget.
Wu told WGBH in June of last year she was hoping negotiations could continue following the vote and include more perspectives from activists. “This is the way it works,” Wu said. “It often takes tremendous outside pressure to get to the point where the system and the status quo are finally able to change the very structures that are holding up progress.”
For activists, knowing that their pressure is welcome and voices can be heard must be good news. Especially if they are of a similar overhaul-the-police-department bent as Wu. The bromide she served in response to recent incidents in which police officers were stabbed or shot speaks volumes. But what of those who appreciate the job the BPD does in keeping Boston neighborhoods safe, and who want increased officer presence in places where violent crime is on the increase?
Will they also be heard, even if they don’t march to the progressive drum?
Wu has to hit the ground running, a formidable task. But she is not the first to do so. Her predecessor Acting Mayor Kim Janey, can equally lay claim to many “firsts,” however she was not elected to the job.
Nevertheless, Janey was no caretaker. Sworn in on March 24, Janey announced the creation of a supplier diversity program and a fund to support businesses owned by women and people of color in a bid to boost the number of contracts going out to women and minorities two weeks later.
Janey also announced the creation of a $750,000 fund to give up to $15,000 to businesses owned by women, minorities and veterans, and to small businesses in general.
She launched a fare-free pilot program on the MBTA’s 28 bus line — it’s not the whole MBTA, but it’s a doable slice for an underserved neighborhood.
And most recently, Janey spearheaded the removal of tents from Mass and Cass in a push to get the homeless and addicted into rehab and shelters.
Wu will, of course, put her own stamp on the office, and it’s a progressive one, like Janey’s.
Chief among her priorities: filling positions in City Hall.
As the Herald reported, Wu said she sees this as an opportunity to get the possibility of good city jobs in front of a diverse array of Boston residents — “some of whom might not see themselves working in city government, some who might not have known about these opportunities otherwise.”
Good jobs at good wages — she’s a pol already.
"easy" - Google News
November 16, 2021 at 12:07PM
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Editorial: Campaigning is easy, now Wu faces hard part - Boston Herald
"easy" - Google News
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