Reframe the Race, Calls upon Mayor Wu to Talk about the Issues

Thank you all for coming out.

When I got into this race six months ago, I knew I’d be the underdog. Mayor Wu would have the power of incumbency and thousands of city employees promoting her, I had never run for office before. 

I didn’t come from the political world, but from the community service world – having spent more than thirty-five years of it, right here in Boston, working to create opportunities for the next generation of Bostonians. 

I got into this campaign because I am concerned about the direction the city is headed.

Concerned that City Hall isn’t listening, concerned that too often, it feels like the folks in City Hall think they have all the answers and that anyone who questions them is dismissed or treated like a threat.

And I got into this race to give the people of Boston a choice – between two very different approaches to leadership:

I’ll give you a city government that listens, collaborates, and delivers results, and is transparent and accessible.

Not one where all the answers come from the top, and where optics takes priority over progress.

I believe in a government where everyone’s voice matters, where everyone is viewed as a contributor in a collective effort.  

Not one where some are treated as opponents instead of partners.

The Choice

Over the past six months, I’ve laid out a different vision for Boston than what Mayor Wu is offering, backed by specific plans on the issues that matter most:

On housing, the number one issue driving the affordability crisis in Boston. I’ve proposed a detailed plan that will bring down the cost of housing by jumpstarting construction.

I’ve proposed a rent control plan that will reduce rent increases and can actually be put into place.

And my plan will provide more resources to help more Bostonians achieve the dream of owning a home.

On schools, I’ve laid out a plan to raise literacy rates, fix our bus system, and get more resources out of headquarters and into the classroom. And I’ll follow through on my promise to give citizens a voice in the process by adding elected members to the school committee.

On Mass & Cass, my plan was developed in partnership with experts and those with lived experience and is grounded in what works to get people off the streets and into treatment. Addiction does not discriminate. It impacts virtually every family regardless of their socio-economic status, race, ethnicity.

My plan moves away from the mayor’s failed harm reduction strategy to a recovery first—not housing first—approach coupled with long-overdue law enforcement actions to protect the residents of the South End and beyond.

On transportation, I’ve offered a real strategy to manage our curbs and streets so all our people can move safely and affordably. My plan includes the creation of a pothole rapid response team and an initiative to fix and modernize our broken sidewalks. 

And yes, it includes an immediate pause on the installation of new bike lanes. 

I’ve also offered plans to make Boston a national model for helping formerly incarcerated citizens re-enter society to protect our LGBTQ+ community and a plan for White Stadium that actually serves BPS kids.

To be clear, my focus from day one has been to offer real, detailed, and actionable solutions.  

Let me say that again: I have offered real, detailed, and actionable solutions since the day I entered this campaign.

And yes, I’ve been quick to point out all the ways I believe the mayor’s policies aren’t working because elections are about choices. 

I’m proud of the work we’ve done to tell voters what we’ll do and how we’ll do it. And that work will continue.

But let’s be clear: my campaign has already made a difference.

The mayor had walked away from even mentioning rent control after Beacon Hill rejected her proposal. Then I offered a version that could work and wouldn’t you know? Her allies on the City Council quickly moved a less effective version of my proposal.

After I said bike lanes being installed with little thought, no community input, and no data were harming small businesses, and making it harder for everyone to move around the city overnight, there was an audit.

Literally!

I raised the alarm about runaway city spending and noted that the mayor has grown the city budget by over 20% in just three years and loaded up City Hall with over 300 new management positions at an annual cost of $47 million and what do you know? Mayor Wu started talking about the need to be fiscally responsible.

I called attention to rising street crime and the complete failure of her policies at Mass and Cass and suddenly she’s prioritizing enforcement and cleanups and spending time in the South End.

So, while the media may have not covered our detailed policy plans, one person is listening very closely: 

And her name is Michelle Wu.

The Record

So, while I’ve been talking about you—the people of Boston—and offering ideas and solutions to improve your lives, you know what Michelle Wu has been talking about?  

Me.

Why? Because she is desperate to distract the voters from her record of broken campaign promises and her failure to make it easier for the middle class to afford to live in Boston.

And to be clear, what she’s been saying has been falsehood after falsehood. 

So, let me take these one by one.

The mayor says I’m new to Boston. 

Let’s be real. I’ve worked in Boston for over 35 years. When the Mayor was a thousand miles away in Chicago being walked to elementary school by her parents, I was walking truant kids to school in some of the toughest neighborhoods in this city.

By the time Michelle Wu arrived in Boston in 2007, I’d already been working in Chelsea and the neighborhoods of Boston for 17 years.

I chose a life of service 35 years ago and built a Boys and Girls Club from the ground up in Chelsea.

And led one of the city’s most important and impactful youth development organizations for more than a decade. 

When I was CEO of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston, then-City Councilor Michelle Wu, would come to events and visit and talk about the great work we were doing.  

But now that I’m running against her, Michelle Wu is trying to convince people I’ve never set foot in Boston. 

Frankly, it’s laughable. 

Now, another of the mayor’s falsehoods is this idea that I want to be mayor to help my family’s business.

If I wanted to help my family’s business, I would be working there but instead I chose a life of service.

For my entire professional life, I have been fortunate to be able to work to make a difference in the lives of kids and families in the neighborhoods of Boston. That has been my passion, my life’s work, and my number one priority – not my family’s business. 

In addition, my family’s business is not located in the city, does not do any business with the city, nor does it have any real estate holdings here. 

The one thing my family has done in Boston has been to consistently, unequivocally, and generously support so many important organizations and causes here including health equity, re-entry, youth development and mentoring, LGBTQ+ rights, veterans, arts, support for the unhoused, and many more.  

My Father & Trump

Like most kids, I’ve tried to take the best from my parents.

Both my parents instilled in me the concept of Tikkun Olam, a Jewish value that calls on all people to be active participants in improving the world, both through acts of kindness and by working to bring about broader social change. 

From my mother, Myra, I learned the importance of compassion and humility. She would always remind us: “Your worst day is most people’s best day,” and to “Always look out for marginalized and targeted groups, make sure that they are safe, and have access to opportunity.”  She believed that was the only way to build equitable and just communities.

From my father, Robert, I learned about how to connect and listen to people no matter who they are – and that you can learn from everyone.

He’s been a passionate advocate for criminal justice reform, and a founding member of the Reform Alliance. And he’s been a leader in the fight against antisemitism and all hate speech.

I admire his passion and commitment deeply.

But when it comes to Donald Trump, my father and I disagree.

Donald Trump isn’t just another politician. He has actively attacked democratic institutions. 

Stoked hatred and division.  

And he’s made life harder for the very people my parents—especially my mom—raised me to fight for:

Single moms and fathers reentering society after serving time; immigrants trying to make their way; and the thousands of kids from tough circumstances we gave a safe place to be after school.  

And worst of all, Michelle Wu knows that – but is trying to convince the voters otherwise.

The Challenge

So, today, I’m challenging the mayor.

Stop with the falsehoods, innuendo and join me in making this campaign about who has the best vision and ideas to help the people of Boston.

Let’s make this a competition of ideas, not personal attacks. Let’s have a robust debate about the most important issue facing our city – the high cost of living in Boston.

If we continue down the path we are on, Boston is going to be a place where families and young people are forced to leave the city and where only the wealthy can afford to live. 

So, let’s debate the future of housing, of schools, of transportation, and public safety. 

Let’s talk about what’s working, what isn’t, and how we will fix it.

And yes, let’s talk about Donald Trump.

But the question for voters isn’t who is going to give the best anti-Trump speech, or deliver the best anti-Trump sound bite.

It’s who has the best plan and who is best equipped to deal with the consequences of Donald Trump. 

Let me tell you: the way to beat Donald Trump is by proving that we can govern, build coalitions, and solve problems together.

The Case

I got into this race because Boston can’t afford four more years of Mayor Wu.

Four more years of stalled housing construction. 

Four more years of struggling schools. 

Four more years of Mass & Cass growing out of control while we’re being fed a bunch of baloney about how safe the city is.

Four more years of bike lane chaos with no plan to manage our streets.

Four more years of growing budgets while working families foot the bill.

And I hate to think of what will happen to the cost of White Stadium over the next four years, assuming the public has even been told by then.

New Leadership for a New Moment

I believe we’ve entered a new moment. All of these issues were important when I announced my candidacy in February, but let’s be honest: 

The job description has changed due to Donald Trump and the mess in Washington. We are facing a mountain of federal budget cuts, along with a billion-dollar tax shortfall in city revenue due to declining commercial real estate values, that could fundamentally change our city, change higher education, health care, and transportation. 

We don’t have time for politics that puts purity over progress, or slogans over substance.

We need leadership that is honest about what’s working and what’s not. 

We need a new leader for this new moment. A leader that collaborates, that listens, and treats every neighborhood and family as someone with something to offer.

I’m not running to play politics. I’m not running to divide people further, and pit neighbor against neighbor, drivers against bikers, landlords against developers or developers against residents, and City Hall against employers.

I’m running to do what I’ve done every day since I took my first job starting a Boys and Girls Club knocking on doors in South Boston housing developments. 

I’m running to bring people together. I’m running to deliver results. I’m running to lead.

I believe Boston is the greatest city in the world, but we are facing a tidal wave of challenges. And we need a mayor who is ready for that moment.

Because this election is a choice, about the kind of leadership, direction, and city we want to be.

Michelle Wu wants to talk about me. I want to talk about you. About this city. About our shared future for generations to come.

With your help, we will build a Boston that is stronger, safer, more affordable, more accessible and, most importantly of all, more united than ever before. 

Thank you.