Marty Walsh was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the secretary of the Labor Department on Monday afternoon, leaving Boston City Council President Kim Janey as the acting mayor. Walsh was confirmed on Monday afternoon, and shortly thereafter resigned as mayor of Boston, held a press conference and posted a video. Boston, serving as your Mayor for seven years has been a dream come true for this child of immigrants born and raised in our city. Thank you for everything. pic.twitter.com/fcKsaIk2Zd
— Mayor Marty Walsh (@marty_walsh) March 22, 2021
Walsh also congratulated Janey, who has not announced her intentions of whether to run for mayor this fall.
High school student Nikkia Jean-Charles recently announced that she is running for the open District 4 Boston City Council seat. “From Lorna Rd to the West Selden Apartments, and Blue Hill Ave triple-deckers D4 has always been my home,” said Jean-Charles via press release. Jean-Charles is a current elected member of the Greater Mattapan Neighborhood Council, and is vying to replace Andrea Campbell, who is running for mayor. District 4 includes a very small portion of Jamaica Plain. Jean-Charles lists her accomplishments, including fighting for more resources to keep the Lower Mills Public Library open and fully funded, and the senior lead community organizer at St.
The two declared candidates for the District 6 Boston City Council seat will participate in a virtual town hall on Monday night. Kendra Hicks and Mary Tamer will be answering questions on the online virtual event being hosted by the Greater Boston Young Democrats and Young Democrats of Massachusetts on Monday, Feb. 22 at 7 pm. Current District 6 City Councilor Matt O'Malley has stated he is not seeking reelection. Questions can be submitted ahead of time by using this form.
Would you believe that President Joe Biden thinks that a city councilor has the toughest elected job in the country? That's what he told former District 6 City Councilor John Tobin.
Tobin, currently the Vice President of City and Community Relations at Northeastern University, shared the story on his personal Facebook page. (Tobin gave permission to Jamaica Plain News to republish his post.)
Back in 2007, the late, great Larry Rasky hosted a meet and greet for US Senator Joe Biden who was running for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States. I was struck by what a relaxed and casual affair it was.
Former Boston School Committee member and past president of Boston's League of Women Voters Mary Tamer has thrown her hat into the ring for the District 6 Boston City Council seat. Tamer is a West Roxbury resident, and announced her candidacy on Facebook. "I am running for City Council because residents of Jamaica Plain, West Roxbury, Roslindale, and Mission Hill deserve strong leadership as we face a second COVID-19 spike and then proactively plan for an equitable recovery. Bostonians have been so vigilant throughout, but it is critical that our elected leaders are giving our neighbors the support that they deserve," wrote Tamer. Tamer was on the Boston School Committee from January 2010 through December 2013.
Like Frank Sinatra sang, "I did it my way!” District 6 City Councilor Matt O’Malley is leaving the Boston City Council on his own terms.
O’Malley recently spoke with Jamaica Plain News. The following is an edited version of that conversation. Q: Why did you decide to not seek re-election? O’Malley: I have been so grateful for the people of the district for electing and re-electing me for the last decade. I’m excited to write the next chapter in my book to try to pursue new opportunities to continue to serve the public in any way that I can.
When I went blind at age 10, I frequently found that the first thing I heard from others—family, friends, and strangers alike—was something along the lines of how terrible it was, how sorry they were for me, or how that person could not imagine what I was going through.
These reactions make an impact on you and make you begin to question what your life will be like moving forward and whether the dreams you once had for yourself are now possible. I found these negative thoughts hard to silence because I struggled to find examples of others like me who were blind and who had still accomplished their dreams. There were no blind athletes competing in Olympics, Super Bowls, or World Series; no blind people winning on election night; no blind people accepting Oscars, Emmys or Tony Awards; and it was rare, if ever, that I remember blind people being discussed in the news. For a group of people consisting of roughly one out of every four American adults and who are the largest demographic minority in our country, it is astonishing how infrequently the stories of the disability community are told in society. Storytelling is a powerful way to provide positive role models for people within the disability community and to educate others outside of it about the experience of what it is actually like living with a disability. This December 3 in honor of the International Day of People with Disabilities, let’s strive to share more stories and experiences of people with disabilities and let’s start with these three steps.
After 10 years of being District 6's City Councilor, Matt O'Malley has decided he's not going to seek reelection. O'Malley sent out a heartfelt letter talking about his time on the council, his accomplishments, and very personal aspects of his life. "This wasn’t an easy decision to make, but the right one for me and my family. While politics (particularly in Boston) can be rough and tumble, the support and votes of confidence this district has given me time and time again is a lot to walk away from. I am forever grateful," wrote O'Malley.
Boston City Council District 6 candidate Kendra Hicks took in an impressive $31,492 in her first month of fundraising. Hicks announced her candidacy for the district seat in September and had 414 individual donations, according to the campaign's ActBlue account that she shared with Jamaica Plain News. So she collected that total in less than a full month. Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance's (OCPF) website reported she received $24,379. But that difference is due to a lag in reporting because of USPS delays for the checks, said Hicks.
Jamaica Plain resident Alex Gray, who's dedicated his entire professional career to public service, is running to be a At-Large Boston City Councilor. Gray would be the first-ever blind Boston City Councilor. Born with a genetic condition that caused him to begin losing his vision at eight, he learned to adapt to a world not designed for all people. He had to fight for himself to stay in a traditional public school while in middle school amid protests from administrators. This experience made him understand the value of special education and how important it is to students and their family.
