Farewell, Marty
Senate confirms Walsh as labor secretary
So long, Marty Walsh. The U.S. Senate confirmed Walsh to the post of Labor secretary on Monday by a count of 68-29. Walsh told reporters a few minutes later that he would resign as mayor effective 9 p.m., making City Council President Kim Janey the acting mayor for the next seven months — and the city’s first chief executive who’s not a white man.
Walsh, 53, is a Dorchester native who overcame childhood cancer and later alcoholism to lead the Laborers 223 local union, be elected state representative and run the Boston Building Trades before becoming mayor in 2014.
President Biden picked his personal friend Walsh for the position in January.
“I want to thank every city worker,” Walsh said in the press conference in Faneuil Hall after the vote, choking up. “I love all of you.”
Walsh said, “I love Boston with all my heart.” He added, “There’s no such thing as a ‘new Boston’ — there’s an evolving Boston.”
As head of the Department of Labor, Walsh — who will be 11th in line for the presidency — will have control over the implementation of policies involving workers, job seekers and retirees.
Walsh was a broadly popular mayor, and was seen as the odds-on favorite for a third term. He presided over a significant expansion of development and the local economy before the pandemic, and is considered to have responded to the public health crisis solidly.
Still, his administration has had its share of scandal. The IndyCar race and Boston Olympics pushes he supported completely melted down, and multiple people connected with his administration were brought up on federal charges — two in connection with disputes over union labor, and another over bribes for projects in front of the zoning board.
To reporters, Walsh touted the declining crime rates and arrest numbers and the increasing graduation rates from the city’s public schools. He talked about reforms to the Boston Redevelopment Authority and the AAA bond rating the city has maintained.
“I’m proud of the accomplishments that my administration has done in the city, because it’s not my accomplishments — it’s the people I work with’s accomplishments,” Walsh said.
Janey, the district councilor from Roxbury, took the reins as acting mayor at 9:01 p.m., after Walsh’s departure. Janey is the first Black person and first woman to serve as the city’s chief executive.
Walsh said he texted to Janey on Sunday night, “‘Think about this: A little girl from Roxbury is about to be mayor of Boston.’ And her response was, ‘Think about this: A little boy from Dorchester is about to become the United States Labor secretary.”
Janey will serve as acting mayor — a role with more limited powers than an elected one — until the November election chooses a new chief executive for the following four years.
She’s hosting a “swearingin pre-celebration” event at 7:30 p.m. tonight, though any swearing-in would be purely ceremonial, as the city council president just automatically is elevated when the sitting mayor resigns, according to the city clerk’s office.
Janey in a statement congratulated Walsh, saying, “He will serve the working people of our country with passion in Washington, D.C., and I know he will bring our city with him. Now, we look ahead to a new day — a new chapter — in Boston’s history.”
Five major candidates are currently in the race to replace Walsh: former city economic development chief John Barros, state Rep. Jon Santiago and City Councilors Andrea Campbell, Annissa Essaibi-George and Michelle Wu. Janey is mulling an entry into the race; so is state Sen. Nick Collins.
Walsh said he’d stay out of the mayoral race.