Mayor Michelle Wu is testing the boundaries of Boston’s strong mayor model – overruling the City Council, quashing an outside rebellion and using her clout to endorse candidates.
Wu is making it clear she’s in charge for now – and any dissent won’t be tolerated, even last year putting her critics on a controversial list she provided to police.
She waded into the at-large council race last week, supporting candidate Henry Santana in a risky move that could backfire or increase her powers. Santana is a former Wu aide who could be a key ally for the mayor on the bickering council, but Santana’s admission to the Herald that he has never voted could hurt his candidacy and embarrass Wu.
The mayor had to pull her endorsement of Councilor Ricardo Arroyo in the race for Suffolk County District Attorney amid reports that Arroyo had faced investigations of sexual assault as a teenager. Arroyo ended up losing the race.
Wu has also endorsed a candidate, Sharon Durkan, in this week’s special election for District 8 councilor. Durkan is Wu’s former political fundraiser and her election would also pack the council with mayoral supporters.
And just days ago an attempt by disgruntled business leaders to form a new opposition group quickly fell apart after Wu got wind of it. The group, dubbed “Save Our City,” included developers and others who feel they’ve been shut out of the Wu administration.
The initial purpose was to form a super PAC and support more conservative candidates to the City Council, but it was also a direct challenge to Wu’s administration.
That angered the mayor and when it became public, a number of prominent Boston politicians like City Council President Ed Flynn quickly distanced themselves from it.
Flynn, who wants to shed the label of a white conservative from Southie, made it clear in a statement that he wants to work with the progressive Wu administration, not challenge it.
Wu is also keeping a tight rein on the headstrong council, ruling recently that it violated state law and the City Charter by making a change in her budget proposal to direct more money to municipal officers who provide security for city buildings.
She wrote that the council “cannot use the budget-making process to dictate collective bargaining.” This was a direct shot at the council, which only a few years ago got the ability to make budget decisions.
Wu’s leadership will also be showcased this week when 8,000 delegates to the NAACP convention come to Boston, dredging up memories of the city’s racist reputation.
The convention provides an opportunity for Wu to display her public relations skills and also show that the old, white male-dominated Boston no longer exists.
But it also could be a danger in case a serious crisis erupts during the convention, or attendees start to grumble about the MBTA and traffic.
