Boston’s City Council voted unanimously today to elect at-large councilor Michelle Wu its next president, making her the first Asian-American and third woman to hold the seat in the body’s 106-year history.
In her first address as president, Wu said the council will take action on income inequality, criminal justice system reform, improved educational opportunities, and preparing for climate change.
“We’re sworn in today at a time of historic inequality. This lack of opportunity has to led to stark divisions in Boston,” Wu said. “It is against this backdrop that the work of city government is more vital than ever.”
The city council also welcomed two new women in a Faneuil Hall inauguration ceremony this morning, markedly changing the gender and racial makeup of a body Mayor Martin J. Walsh said “will be forever identified with a new era in Boston’s history.”
“This council that you see on the stage is a council with new faces, but also a lot of experience — that’s what’s important here,” Walsh said. “This is an exciting day in the City of Boston. We are a city on the rise, and we are a city that’s not going to look back.”
Walsh swore in the entire 13-member council, including new at-large councilor Annissa Essaibi George and District 4 councilor Andrea Campbell. Essaibi George, a school teacher and small business owner, topped incumbent Stephen Murphy to capture one of four at-large seats in November’s election. Campbell, a lawyer who is African-American, unseated 31-year veteran Charles Yancey.
The victories brought female representation on the council to all-time high.
“It’s also important that we see women and people of color step into up into the leadership role,” Walsh said. “A big part of the council is your diversity, it’s something that’s very important to our city.”
Walsh said the council made Boston “stronger and safer” in its most recent term, playing a role in reducing homicides, reinstating the police cadet program, and implementing paid parental leave for city employees.
“You’ve proven that when we work together, I’m a better mayor and you are a stronger council, and that’s something that’s very important for us to remember,” Walsh said.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who had Wu as a student at Harvard, praised the new president from the council podium.
“When I first met her, I think neither one of us thought we’d end up here,” Warren said. “I knew there was something special about her. What I learned over time is she’s not just a woman full of good ideas and a passionate heart, but a woman who gets out and does the hard work that needs to be done to make a difference.”
