TITO WILL TAKE ON MARTY
Mayor’s office an uphill battle for Jackson
City Councilor Tito Jackson announced he’s challenging Mayor Martin J. Walsh yesterday after months of speculation, and says he’s confident in victory despite an uphill battle against a powerful incumbent with a campaign war chest nearly 50 times bigger than his own. “It won’t only be money that wins the race, it’ll be the person that works the hardest,” Jackson told the Herald, saying he’ll map out his strategy at a press conference today. For months, Jackson has been steadily staking out prominent positions on issues seen as weak points for Walsh, hitting the Walsh administration hard on schools and public safety. At the same time, he’s been laying the groundwork for a campaign, reaching out to high-level consultants — including the campaign manager for New York Mayor Bill de Blasio — and spending $15,000 on a professional campaign video. But Jackson will face a rough road against Walsh, who with $3.5 million in the bank has almost 50 times Jackson’s paltry $65,000 campaign war chest. No other significant challengers to Walsh have emerged, and the mayor, who has actively courted constituencies across the city in his first three years, enjoys the historical advantage of incumbency — no sitting Boston mayor has lost re-election since 1949.
“The mayor’s focus is on moving Boston forward,” Walsh campaign spokeswoman Rachel Goldstein said in a statement. “He welcomes any candidate to the race for mayor.”
Jackson said he intends to beat Walsh by having “a vision for the whole city of Boston, not just part of it,” and that he would campaign on more investment in public education, safe streets in every neighborhood and housing that is affordable for all residents. Jackson said he would campaign on fiscal responsibility, blasting Walsh for his support for the failed Boston 2024 Olympic bid.
“I have been someone who fought to ensure financial wellbeing for the city of Boston with my stance on the Olympics ensuring the city’s financial standing was not squandered for a month-long party,” Jackson said.
As de Blasio’s 2013 campaign emphasized “two cities” and inequality in New York City, Jackson has spoken out against gentrification and development at the expense of longtime residents, and a higher unemployment rate among minorities. A video at titojacksonformayor.com that positions Jackson as “The progressive choice for mayor” focuses on income and life expectancy disparities in the city, crime and the schools.
“I will ensure that our government is run with integrity,” Jackson says in the video. “A city that promotes and protects people living with dignity and that invests in education for all students.”
Jackson, 41, first ran for the District 7 seat in 2011 in a special election before winning the regular election that November and then re-election in 2013 and 2015.