Special to the Times-Free Press
“Boston should be a home for everyone,” Michelle Wu said, gazing forward with measured confidence as she reflected on the city’s future.
For Wu, that idea has shaped both her leadership and her vision for Boston since first taking office as mayor in 2021. But Wu’s leadership is shaped by more than policy alone. As Boston’s first woman and first Asian American elected mayor, her path to City Hall has carried both historic significance and personal responsibility.
Before becoming Mayor, Wu served on the Boston City Council, where she witnessed firsthand the challenges of navigating leadership in spaces where women were often underrepresented. She recalled that when she was first elected in 2013, she was one of only two women on the council alongside her colleague, Ayanna Pressley, the first woman of color to be elected to the body. Wu noted that for a period of time, the two were simply referred to as “the women councilors.”
Considering this, one question I raised centered on these milestones and whether the labels attached to them have ever created a unique sense of pressure in her leadership.
Wu spoke consistently of the idea of representation not simply as symbolism, but as a responsibility to ensure every resident feels seen; to make sure every room and space she is in bridges different communities into her decision-making. She emphasized that she is inspired everyday by the leaders throughout Boston’s neighborhoods who are the “firsts” in many areas, culturally, educationally, nationally, and more. And she notes that having a community where these experiences are shared amongst so many people keeps the doors open for a second, and then a third, until it becomes normal for people to see that leadership everywhere.
I also asked Wu to reflect on whether the reality of serving as mayor over the past five years has matched the expectations she held while first campaigning for the office.
Wu acknowledged that she was not new to City Hall when she first ran for mayor, having already served eight years on the City Council, including a two-year term as president. Yet even with that experience, she admitted no one could have predicted the vastly different political and social climate that would define today. From the rapid rise of artificial intelligence to the escalating realities of climate change, the challenges facing city leadership have evolved in ways few could have anticipated.
Still, Wu emphasized that while the government cannot control everything, it remains the place people turn to in times of uncertainty and need. “This is what drives me every day,” she said, explaining that public service matters because it is where meaningful action can directly improve people’s lives.
Finally, as a college student myself, I wanted to raise an issue that feels deeply personal to many students and young professionals in Boston: whether living in the city will remain financially attainable. I asked Wu what progress she hopes to make on housing affordability by the end of her term.
Wu responded with cautious optimism, pointing to ongoing efforts to expand housing supply while acknowledging the scale of the challenge. She highlighted the city’s Office-to-Residential Conversion Program, which seeks to transform empty and underused office buildings into new housing opportunities, as one example of Boston’s efforts to increase available housing stock. Wu also discussed the Co-Purchasing Housing Pilot Program, designed to help families and households pool resources to purchase homes together and improve pathways to homeownership. In addition, she noted Boston’s broader efforts to rezone key areas and streamline the permitting process in order to accelerate housing development.
As the conversation drew to a close, one idea remained constant throughout Wu’s reflections: the belief that leadership is measured not only by policy, but by people. She stressed that every single day she gets to experience the greatest sense of inspiration from throughout the city. That it is a wonderful gift that the people of Boston trust their city government to share their biggest dreams, challenges, and fears.
Whether discussing representation, public service, or housing, Wu accentuated her vision, one rooted in belonging and the hope that Boston can build the future that she knows is possible. In that sense, the words that opened the conversation felt just as fitting as its end. Boston, in Wu’s eyes, should remain a home for everyone for the many years to come.
Mia Hart is a student at Boston College.