District 1 City Councilor Lydia Edwards, who represents East Boston, Charlestown and the North End said that Michelle Wu is a ‘bold, brave woman who supports bold, brave women’ and that is why she has endorsed her fellow colleague Michelle Wu’s candidacy for Mayor of Boston.
At a press event last Wednesday at Lopresti Park, Edwards said in her time serving alongside Wu on the City Council she bore witness to her unflagging leadership for all Bostonians, of every neighborhood, background, and lived experience.
“That’s why today, I wholeheartedly and proudly endorsed Michelle Wu, to be our next mayor,” said Edwards. “We need Michelle’s leadership. Boston is emerging from a pandemic and each and every single one of us is in some form of recovery. No one can say that they weren’t impacted by 2020. Fewer and fewer of us can actually say that we’ve been made whole, or that things were fine. We watched George Floyd get murdered and we saw a racial reckoning emerge around the country. We were isolated from each other. We were angry. Some are financially crippled and many people still to this day have no idea how they’re going to care for their children. We have the right to question all systems and how things are going. So we need a leader today that can see the moment and create a movement that brings us together. That leader is Michelle.”
Edwards said Wu has spent her eight years on the Boston City Council standing up for residents, families, and workers.
“She has a clear plan to end the ongoing housing crisis — one of the worst in Boston’s history — and amidst record-breaking heat waves and floods, understands the urgency of tackling the climate crisis,” said Edwards. “All that Michelle has done is based on her love of Boston. She is protective of our city. Protective of our city from Airbnb; protective of our city from irresponsible developers; protective of our city from those who want to threaten our clean air and water. She, like no one else I know, believes in what the government can do especially at the local level. So much of what the city is doing today is based on her legacy and ideas.”
Edwards continued, “To those people who look at our government and wonder, “Are you hearing me? Are you seeing me? Do you value me?” and to those who are struggling with addiction, mental health, or struggle with childcare Michelle will never forget you. She will empower you. She will be there for you. Michelle is the best candidate for this moment, to create the movement that we need to bring us together.”
Edwards’ endorsement adds to the Michelle for Mayor campaign’s coalition of multigenerational, multicultural grassroots supporters including leaders Senator Elizabeth Warren, State Senator and Assistant Majority Leader Sal DiDomenico, former State Representative and Assistant Majority Leader Byron Rushing; unions Teamsters Local 25, New England Joint Board of Unite Here!, Alliance of Unions at the MBTA, MBTA Inspectors Union Local 600, OPEIU Local 453; environmental organizations Sunrise Boston, Sierra Club, the Environmental League of Massachusetts, 350 Mass Action; Progressive West Roxbury/Roslindale; and fellow municipal elected officials from across Greater Boston and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
“I’m honored to have the support of my friend and partner on the Council, Councilor Lydia Edwards,” said Wu. “In the years that we’ve known each other, even before serving together on the Council, I’ve always respected her tenacity, empathy and leadership. It’s been a delight to organize alongside her for economic justice, housing stability, and workers’ rights, and I look forward to continuing our partnership to make Boston a city for everyone. So I couldn’t be prouder today to stand with someone who I treasure, and to be in a community that I’ve worked with for so many years. We need to bring a sense of community building and a fierce relentless passion for what we could do together into City Hall and into the mayor’s office.”