Boston Mayor Wu vows to improve schools, fight Trump as she is sworn in for second term
Moments after she took the oath of office to officially begin her second term, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu promised residents that she would continue working to improve the city — and fight against forces from the federal government that have sought to slow her down.
Wu and the 13 members of the City Council were sworn in at an inauguration ceremony at Symphony Hall on Monday morning.
Only one of the slate of elected officials, District 7 Councilor Miniard Culpepper, was actually new to the job, after being elected in November.
In her inaugural speech, Wu vowed to stand against President Donald Trump, where she frequently made headlines last year over Boston's immigration policies.
Though she did not mention the president by name, she said his "federal administration has plundered our economy, ravaged our reputation, torched our institutions and destroyed the lives of our people."
"But when in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for a city to stand as the beacon for freedom and proof of what's possible, a testament to the endurance of American ingenuity and civic success, Boston will be that beacon," she said, referencing the opening line of the Declaration of Independence.
Wu emphasized wins from her first four years in office, such as bringing gun violence down "to the lowest levels on record," making about 4,200 affordable homes available with more currently in production, expanding the city's pre-K program to 5,000 families and making three MBTA bus routes free.
But she said she intended to prioritize additional quality-of-life improvements for residents in her second term, such as streamlining all city permitting processes.
She announced that she would begin holding regular "Mayor's Office Hours" in neighborhoods around Boston, so residents can bring any issues directly to her cabinet and the Office of Neighborhood Services.
In previous years, Wu held monthly "Neighborhood Coffee Hours" where residents could speak to her and her team.
The mayor also shared her intention to make Boston Public Schools one of the best in the country. The district recently announced plans to close three schools in 2027 as it seeks to consolidate its aging facilities amidst declining enrollment.
During Wu's first term, much of her focus for BPS was on creating a rigorous, high-quality curriculum across schools.
But over the next four years, she said the district will "revisit school assignment to be simpler and more predictable" in addition to making improvements to school facilities.
As examples, she offered the recently announced selection by the Massachusetts School Building Authority of Madison Park Technical Vocational High School for a full reconstruction and the redevelopment of White Stadium , expected to open next year.
"We refuse to accept that accessing high-quality education means criss-crossing our children all over the city rather than ensuring that in every corner of Boston, the best school is just down the block," she said.
Speaking to reporters after the event, Wu said the work BPS had done over the last four years was a "foundation" that would allow the district to address longstanding issues such as transportation and infrastructure.
"Many of these long-term plans that were put in place three years ago, four years ago, are now at the point in time where ... we will be able to really see the results," she said.
One area Wu did not dwell on during the event, beyond praising the city's history of innovation, was business. The mayor has been criticized by business groups, especially those in the real estate and development industries, for not doing enough to support them in a time of economic uncertainty.
In particular, her proposal to increase commercial property taxes as a way to lessen the burden on homeowners has drawn ire as commercial properties have fallen since the pandemic.
After the event, Wu said the best ways to address falling property values was by recruiting more businesses in Boston, pointing out that several large companies have moved to or increased their presence in the city in recent years, and by encouraging more workers to be in-person by creating retail opportunities and other programming downtown.
For office buildings that remain vacant, she said Boston's Office to Residential Conversion program has been a success since its inception in 2023, with more than 1,000 new homes either on the way or already open.
"Ultimately, every vacant space in a downtown building or in an office in one of our commercial areas needs to be converted to an active use," she said. "We are now in a moment where people have complete flexibility over where to live relative to where they work. Boston is going to be the best place for families and, therefore, the place that everybody wants to come live and contribute their talents to."
Boston Politics
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