The driving rain and gusty winds left over from Hurricane Ida did not stop dozens of Boston Mayoral Candidate and former East Boston High School teacher Annissa Essaibi George supporters from turning out at the Orient Heights Yacht Club last Wednesday night.
With the campaign season winding down and the Boston Municipal Primary set for next Tuesday, supporters flocked to the yacht club’s outdoor event despite soaking rain to wish Essaibi George well as she heads into the last two weeks of her campaign for mayor.
At the event, Essaibi George said has always considered East Boston her second home and said she is just as comfortable here as she is in her native Dorchester.
“I just want to thank everyone for pulling everything together and making this event happen,” she said. “I have so many friends in East Boston and I always say that while I’m a Dorchester girl when I’m in East Boston I feel like I’m on sacred ground, a place that I belong, a place that I’ve always been welcome, a place that I really do call my second home.”
Before entering the political arena, Essaibi George taught Economics, Business Management and Health & Human Services to juniors and seniors at East Boston High School and served as the school’s assistant softball coach for 14 years.
In 2015 Essaibi George decided to run for Boston City Council and was part of a wave of change that ushered in a new era on the council. That year Essaibi George and Andrea Campbell ousted two incumbent councilors and doubled the number of women on council with their victories.
In Eastie Essaibi George was a familiar face to many students, former students and families and finished in the top four on the ballot here and was able to nudge out longtime City Councilor Stephen Murphy citywide.
“Annissa always supported each student when she was here and always supported the high school once she became a City Councilor,” said EBHS Headmaster Phil Brangiforte who introduced Essaibi Geoirge at last week’s event. “She’s been a trooper for the kids and has always supported them. She ran the prom when she was at the high school, she was a great teacher, she was a great coach and she’s going to be a great mayor.”
At the event, Essaibi George said it was the people at the yacht club last Wednesday night that made her decide to become a public servant after her tenure as a teacher.
“When I think about who’s in this room it was all of you and your support that encouraged me to run for City Council, be the best City Councilor once I was elected and now run to lead this city forward,” she said. “When I think about my job as a mother, my job as an elected official, my job as a city councilor and my job as a teacher, it’s all of you that are always on my mind. My job, my responsibility, if elected mayor of this city is really about supporting each and every one of you and the work that you’re doing every single day. There’s lots of things that we share in common and whether it’s our love for East Boston, or if you are one of my friends that are in public service, whether you’re an EMT or paramedic, or a police officer, or just a person in service to the city you know how important it is to be present. You know how important it is to be engaged in this work, because this city, especially at this moment in time, is at a very unique moment.”
Essaibi George, who is also a small business owner in Dorchester, said the pandemic has impacted our economy tremendously but she plans to focus on the local economies in every one of Boston’s neighborhoods and support small business owners as they look to recover.
‘I know that small business owners are innovative thinkers, creative thinkers, and are such an important part of our city,” she said.
Essaibi George also touched on her plans to improve education, transportation and policing but ended by saying her real motivation for running is to elevate the voices of everyone in the city.
“I will say through my work as a Councilor and hopefully through my work as your next mayor, I look every day to expand the presence of everyone here tonight and everyone in every corner of Boston,” she said. “Your presence here indicates a desire to be a part of an extended family, to be a part of the future of Boston, to be a part of the work that we do for our kids, for our seniors, for our families, students, and residents so I hope to be able to do this work with you as your next mayor.”