“Together, we have and will continue to take on the big challenges we were told would be impossible—from passing paid parental leave to standing up to big corporations to protect rental housing.”
As many people predicted, the historic race for Boston’s City Hall hit a speed bump of sorts yesterday as councilors Annissa Essaibi George and Michelle Wu topped opponents Councilor Andrea Campbell, former Boston Chief of Economic Development John Barros, and current Mayor Kim Janey to advance to the general election on Nov. 2.
There have been some delays in the reporting of results, but with 155 of 255 precincts reporting (more than 60%) Wu had nearly 32% of the vote, with Essaibi George grabbing roughly 23%. Wu was the first to call it a win despite so many uncounted ballots.
“Today, I am excited to move on to the next stage of this campaign and want to thank everyone who has been part of our movement from the bottom of my heart,” Wu said in a statement. “Crisscrossing the city throughout the day, I was reminded that the challenges and dreams of all of us across our neighborhoods are intertwined. Together, we have and will continue to take on the big challenges we were told would be impossible—from passing paid parental leave to standing up to big corporations to protect rental housing. But we have always believed that more is possible. And now is the time for all of us to lead.”
The finalist added, “I want to thank the historic field of candidates both for their campaigns and their long records of incredible work in our communities. I look forward to the next stage of this campaign and continuing our fight for the future of our city.”
Though the Dig no longer endorses in political races as a result of our regrettable support in 2013 of former Mayor Marty Walsh, who went on a reckless development tear before landing in DC to work for President Joe Biden, you can probably tell by our coverage of these candidates (and this headline) who we think is better for the job.
Regarding Essaibi George … We reached out to the Dorchester councilor earlier this year about her role on the city’s Residency Compliance Commission, since we had information that showed then-BPD Commissioner William Gross had been living outside of the city for years. Councilor Essaibi George dodged our inquiries, only to then accept the endorsement of Gross, along with that of countless other cops. We have since found out, thanks to Gin Dumcius at the Dorchester Reporter, that the SuperPAC Gross set up to harness all that blue enthusiasm is connected to a firm that worked for the Trump campaign in 2016. Go figure.
Then there’s Wu, who has a very different kind of track record. Unlike her opponent in the final who never returned messages from the Dig, even in the last weeks of her preliminary campaign, Councilor Wu took time to speak with the us at length about her plans if she’s elected.
Is attention paid to independent media enough of a reason to support a candidate? Probably not. But the ideas that Wu laid out for us may be.
Stay tuned.
A Queens, NY native who came to New England in 2004 to earn his MA in journalism at Boston University, Chris Faraone is the editor and co-publisher of DigBoston and a co-founder of the Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism. He has published several books including 99 Nights with the 99 Percent, and has written liner notes for hip-hop gods including Cypress Hill, Pete Rock, Nas, and various members of the Wu-Tang Clan.