Tito throws down gauntlet to Marty in mayor's race

The mayoral race is finally on.

City Councilor Tito Jackson is hoping to unseat Mayor Marty Walsh this fall, arguing that the mayor’s lack of leadership to keep the city safe is just one of many reasons he’s the wrong guy for the job.

Tito has been jabbing Walsh for more than a year for his failed efforts to bring the Summer Olympics to town, IndyCar to the Seaport and for offering a ritzy, noisy helipad for GE execs.

Now it’s time for Walsh to fight back against this Roxbury pol who is after his City Hall office.

Walsh enjoys high approval ratings and a bustling economy. Plus, Donald Trump’s daily drama has sucked the air out of the mayoral race until now. Since Jackson announced his run a few months back, Mayor Walsh, for the most part, has been able to ignore his opponent and instead make headlines slamming Trump’s immigration policies that have so many Bostonians furious.

Everything changed when Jackson recently appeared on Herald Radio and all but said he would choose a new police commissioner if he were to win. His harsh words against the low clearance rate of shootings garnered a stern rebuttal by Walsh, who refused to sit back and let his top cop become fodder.

Now that Tito has Walsh and the media’s attention, he needs to pivot and start talking about how he will improve the city beyond just making it safer. The reality is the city as a whole is quite safe, but his district in Roxbury is one of the most violent in the city. He already has support in his backyard — now he needs to branch out and give reason for people in Charlestown and Southie to vote for him.

Tito is one of those politicians with real charisma and can tap into that younger voting bloc with ideas around affordable housing and attracting innovative industries to move to Boston. He’s also known to produce a catchy campaign song that will have the lyrics stuck in your head for days.

Mayor Walsh spent nearly his entire State of the City this year on how well the city is doing under his leadership. It gave us a look at what he would focus on during the campaign including offering more options for early educations.

The more Marty Walsh can rail against Trump the less he has to address Tito. Walsh has a campaign war chest that would scare most challengers away and the support of many lawmakers including U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch.

Tito can’t compete with his bank account or endorsements, but he can carry strong ideas that resonate with voters.