Mayor Walsh should be looking over his shoulder

The election of a new crop of women and progressive activists to the Boston City Council could be a dangerous harbinger for Mayor Martin Walsh, a white male chief executive whose constituents are more and more willing to pull the lever for diversity.

Walsh faces re-election in two years but the roster of potential opponents includes several minority councilors, Michelle Wu and Andrea Campbell, and one congressional superstar: U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley.

Wu topped the ticket in the at-large race on Tuesday with more than 41,000 votes and hasn’t ruled out challenging Walsh. Campbell, who coasted to re-election in District 4 and as council president, hasn’t been afraid to take on the mayor’s office.

Pressley is a former Boston city councilor who shocked the political world two years ago by ousting longtime incumbent Rep. Michael Capuano, and is now one of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s “squad.” She would easily be the most formidable challenger to Walsh if she decided to return to her roots in Boston politics.

Pressley in 2009 became the first-ever black woman on the city council. Ten years later, the 13-member council will be made up of eight women and seven minority councilors.

Walsh has not announced whether he will run for a third term and it’s possible he could read the writing on the wall and decide to run for state office instead.

In a statement, the mayor deflected questions about his future, saying “I’m focused on today, and making sure that everyone in our city has a fair shot at the opportunities we are creating.”

Walsh has increasingly been pushed to the left by the progressives on the council and has sought to position himself as an antagonist to President Trump on issues like immigration.

The council has long had the reputation of being powerless rubber stampers afraid to challenge the mayor’s authority.

But now with four new councilors, it’s likely that the council will be more willing to rebuke Walsh on issues like schools and housing.

There are a couple of factors that could keep Walsh in power for at least another term or longer.

One is that despite the election of a more activist council, turnout was dismal across the city on Tuesday. Just 16.5% of all registered voters showed up to the polls, and that number was even lower in some majority-minority areas of the city and in precincts with a high student population.

In order for Wu, Campbell or another challenger to win, they would need a much better turnout, especially in neighborhoods like Roxbury, Mattapan and Dorchester, or in areas with high concentrations of young people like Allston-Brighton.

And don’t forget it was just two years ago that Walsh romped over his opponent, city councilor Tito Jackson. So predictions of Walsh’s demise may be premature.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/2Cn1ZrH