boston politics

Nationwide demands to defund local police departments have reached Boston. On June 10, the Boston City Council will decide whether or not to approve the $414 million allocated to Boston Police Department (BPD) for the upcoming fiscal year.

Black elected officials’ long-sought efforts to reform police practices are getting a new hearing after more than a week of demonstrations across the nation over the police killing of Minneapolis resident George Floyd.

Mayor Martin Walsh joined Police Commissioner William G. Gross and District Attorney Rachael Rollins Monday to acknowledge the largely peaceful protests and warn against violence.

Boston and Massachusetts may have leaned centrist, but three of Boston’s ward committees veered left, with activists running under a “fresh slate” banner sweeping Wards 1 and 18.

At the Feb. 26 City Council meeting, Councilor Julia Mejia proposed a hearing order regarding cutting parking ticket costs for low-income families. She issued a hearing order to discuss possibilities for the tickets to be income-adjusted.

The first Boston City Council meeting of the year followed a scripted format, with at-large Councilor Michelle Wu formally nominating District 7 Councilor Kim Janey for president of the 13-member body. In the body’s second meeting on Jan. 15, the councilors rolled up their sleeves and got to work, providing a preview of the year to come. Hearing orders and ordinance proposals came fast and furious, with several challenging the power of Mayor Martin Walsh.

Mayor Martin Walsh announced transformative new plans for housing on Tuesday night, pledging $500 million over the course of five years to ensure liveability and curb inequity.

Monday marked a historic precedent as four new Boston City Council members were sworn in at Faneuil Hall, forming the most diverse Council in the city’s history. 

With just one vote separating Julia Mejia and Alejandra St. Guillen, the Boston Election Department called the election in favor of Mejia, bringing to a close a marathon, three-day recount process that saw dozens of volunteers, attorneys and city workers poring through the 67,011 ballots cast in the Nov. 7 election.

According to the city’s unofficial results, there was only a 10-vote difference separating the two candidates — Mejia garnered 22,464 votes as St. Guillen grabbed 22,454.

The shift in the balance of power on the Boston City Council will likely bring a different politics to the body.