boston politics

Nothing sparks political ambitions more than an open seat. In Boston’s municipal elections this year, the departure of former Mayor Martin Walsh and those of the four city councilors who are among those vying for the open mayoral seat have generated a bumper crop of candidates.

Boston’s six mayoral candidates, speaking last Thursday at a racial justice forum sponsored by the NAACP, offered competing ideas for closing the city’s racial wealth gap and compelling developers to comply with requirements for hiring local and diverse residents for construction jobs.

There are now seven candidates for the Roxbury-based seat vacated by acting Mayor Kim Janey.

Acting Mayor Kim Janey shares her vision for Boston’s recovery from the economic, public health and social impacts of the COVID pandemic in a speech delivered during her announcement of her candidacy for mayor.

Kim Janey, the daughter of Roxbury who endured hurled rocks and racial slurs as an 11-year-old riding a school bus to Charlestown during court-ordered desegregation, was sworn in as Boston’s first Black, first female mayor by the commonwealth’s first Black Chief Justice Kimberly Budd at City Hall on Wednesday.

As the official deadline for nomination papers approaches, more candidates continue to enter races for City Council seats. The open seats are District 6, District 4, District 5, two at-large seats and District 7, should acting Mayor Kim Janey make an official run for mayor.

Outgoing Mayor Martin Walsh leaves a complicated legacy on racial equity, community development and civil rights in a changing city.

Kim Janey made history this week when she was sworn in as acting mayor of Boston, becoming the first African American and the first woman to hold the office.

John Barros, who two weeks ago resigned as the city’s chief of Economic Development, kicked off his Boston mayoral campaign last Thursday at the Cesaria, the Bowdoin Street restaurant he co-founded, stressing his experience in city government, business and the nonprofit sector.

State Rep. Jon Santiago announced his campaign for mayor of Boston last week, via a campaign video and the launch of his site, Jon-Santiago.com. The emergency room doctor and former U.S. Army captain has been in office since 2018 representing the South End and parts of Roxbury, the Back Bay and Fenway.

Candidates are raising tens of thousands of dollars and putting together campaign organizations as two at-large vacancies are opening on the City Council.

Within days, District 7 City Councilor and Council President Kim Janey will almost certainly make the move from the offices of the City Council to the other side of City Hall’s 5th floor, where she will make history as the first Black and first woman to serve as mayor of Boston.