Message of the Mayor of Boston

Hey there,

Mayor Kim Janey here – Boston’s first Black and first woman mayor. After several weeks in office, I wanted to check in and tell you more about who I am, my commitment to the people of Boston, and what I’ve accomplished in my first month as mayor.
I hope you’ll read what I have to say. But if you’re already with me, it would mean so much if you’d take a quick moment to contribute to my campaign for a full term as mayor of Boston.

WHO I AM

I’m Boston’s 55th mayor, and I bring a wealth of life experience that is radically different from that of my 54 predecessors. As a fourth-generation daughter of Roxbury, I understand the challenges our city faces like structural racism, food, and housing insecurity, failing schools, faltering public transportation, hurdles to homeownership, and fear for our families and neighbors’ safety because I’ve lived them. These experiences shape my approach to governing.

MY COMMITMENT

Because of my experience, I’m committed to leading our city with a lens of racial justice, equity and love for every Bostonian. I believe that it’s simply not an option for Boston to go back to the way things were before the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, we have to go better.

WHAT I’VE ACCOMPLISHED IN MY FIRST MONTH AS MAYOR

I’m honored to have the opportunity to lead our great city — and I’m taking advantage of this moment to implement a vision to make Boston stronger, more equitable, and juster.

Boston must do better to provide every child with a high-quality public education. I’ve dedicated my entire career to fighting for children and promoting equity and excellence in education. I’m leading the effort to decolonize our curriculum, creating diversity in our exam schools, and promoting teacher diversity. As mayor, I will continue to prioritize our young people with investments made through a racial equity lens.

Boston must do better in requiring transparency and accountability from our law enforcement officers. As a grandmother of two Black teenage boys, I worry about them growing up in our current policing environment. We had to have “the talk” for the first time when my grandson was just eight years old. As mayor, I’ve wasted no time getting to work on reimagining policing in our city. I’ve led on investment in racial equity training, appointed new leadership at the Office of Police Accountability and Transparency, and demanded the release of files to shed light on our police department’s internal discipline methods.

Boston must do better to ensure every resident can access safe, affordable housing. As a young, single mother, my first apartment was in Section 8 housing so I know what it’s like to worry about having a place to lay your head at night. That’s why, in my very first week as Mayor, I invested $50 million in rental relief to help Bostonians who are behind on rent due to COVID-19. I’m also focusing on creating homeownership opportunities as a way to stabilize our communities.

Boston must do better to provide reliable public transportation. I don’t own a car. I, like many other Boston residents, have relied on buses to get around our city. Because of a lack of equity in public transportation, Black residents spend an additional 64 hours per year on public transportation compared to their white neighbors. We must demand better state funding so we can create more equitable transportation options. In the meantime, I’m piloting a free bus program that will run through a major economic corridor of our city.

HELP US BUILD SOMETHING AMAZING

I’ve only been mayor for a few weeks, but I haven’t wasted any time getting to work on the issues that matter most to make our city work better for everyone, not just the privileged few.
But there’s so much more to be done. Boston has big challenges to address – and they’ll take longer than a few months to fix. That’s why I’m running for a full term as mayor of our great city. I know we can create a better city, but I’m counting on the support of grassroots folks like you to power this movement. I hope you’re with me.

– Mayor Kim Janey