2025 Boston Mayoral Race

[themissinglink]

Fuck Josh Kraft.

Kraft would consider removing bike lanes on Centre Street in West Roxbury

At a press conference outside where the Walgreens used to be on Centre Street in West Roxbury, Josh Kraft this morning denounced what he said was the Wu administration's failed and dangerous bike lanes, speed bumps and removal of parking spaces across the city. Read more.

www.universalhub.com

 

[F-Line to Dudley]

It's almost July, and this is still a campaign almost entirely about bike lanes and White Stadium. Does he not even realize he's got a 30-point polling deficit to make up with some issues/any issues that actually resonate with the public, or does he just think cashing SuperPAC donations is going to earn it all for him automatically?

 

[RandomWalk]

Daddy is going to offer free season tickets for the Patriots for votes…

Wait. Forget that.

 

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Mayor Wu has a powerful ally in the state House’s likely next leader. Their partnership could reshape Boston politics. - The Boston Globe

Wu and Aaron Michlewitz make up something of an odd couple who share a genuine friendship that is not rooted in political expediency.

www.bostonglobe.com

Wu, 40, calls 47-year-old Michlewitz her “big brother in the business,” though he jokes that it’s hard to see the powerful mayor of Boston as a “little sister.” For more than a decade, they have been close friends and strong political allies, and when she speaks, he watches with the pride attendant to the familial role.
Michlewitz is poised, if the parlor game is to be believed, to ascend to the House’s most influential post when Speaker Ron Mariano ultimately retires. That potential promotion — the first time in nearly a generation that Boston would have one of its own in that role — could make a friendship that started 15 years ago in Boston’s South End into the most important political partnership in New England. And it could mark a momentous shift for a city unusually beholden to the whims of Beacon Hill.

 

[themissinglink]

Josh Kraft helped by dad, rich pals in bid to oust Boston mayor

Josh Kraft is a political novice seeking to become the first person in 76 years to unseat an incumbent mayor in Boston - and a popular one at that. Yet the money is flowing in.

www.spokesman.com

Kraft, 58, has already raised more money in an election year than any other mayoral campaign in Boston history - and that’s with the Nov. 4 contest against Mayor Michelle Wu months away. The super political action committee backing his candidacy is on track to smash city records for outside spending with more than $2.5 million going to fund advertisements, billboards and text messages, according to campaign finance records.

It helps that his father is Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots football team, who has a net worth of $8.9 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Donations backing Kraft’s mayoral run have poured in from wealthy individuals who run in the same elite circle - including those with few ties to Boston. Fanatics Inc. founder Michael Rubin, hedge fund titan John Paulson and Cleveland Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam have made six- or seven-figure contributions.

“That’s what fathers do. They support their kids, as kids and adults,” Josh Kraft said of his father’s effort to drum up donations from rich and famous friends. He compared it to helping one of his two adult daughters, a singer, navigate her own career. “When I know there are places where she might be able to get a gig, and I know the people there, I say, ‘Hey, would you ever…?’” he said.

 

[themissinglink]

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu stands by investigation that found Segun Idowu, accused of misconduct, did not violate city policies - The Boston Globe

“We do not tolerate harassment of any kind in the city of Boston, so it’s important to, once these allegations are raised through the media, to make sure that they were thoroughly investigated,” Wu said.

www.bostonglobe.com

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu on Thursday stood by the findings of a recently-concluded investigation into misconduct allegations against one of her top cabinet officials that found that the official, Segun Idowu, did not violate any city policies.
[...]
Wu emphasized that the review found that Idowu, the city’s chief of economic opportunity and inclusion, did not violate any workplace policies with his conduct. She appeared to imply the matter is resolved on the city’s end.
“I’m glad that this matter is now done and concluded,” she said.

 

[themissinglink]

Josh Kraft unveils prison reentry plan in bid for Boston mayor - The Boston Globe

Prison reentry is not a new issue for Kraft, who helped fund “Operation Exit,” a city program from former Mayor Martin J. Walsh.

www.bostonglobe.com

Josh Kraft on Thursday unveiled a plan to support individuals returning from prison, a new plank in his policy platform as he seeks to unseat incumbent Mayor Michelle Wu in this fall’s election.
Kraft made the announcement at a press conference in South Boston, where he was surrounded by about 10 supporters, some of whom were formerly incarcerated and said Kraft has been an immense source of support. His proposal includes a 90-day countdown reentry plan to help individuals find housing, job opportunities, and mental health support before they leave prison.
[...]
Kraft said he would reinstitute the “Operation Exit” program, calling it a “mistake” that it was discontinued. He would also establish a “Boston Reentry Network” of academic institutions, government officials, and nonprofits to address challenges faced by returning citizens. He said he would lean on partnerships with local organizations such as Justice 4 Housing, Petey Greene, and the Tufts University Prison Initiative, as well as Roxbury and Bunker Hill Community Colleges, to provide new opportunities for people who have finished stints in prison.

 

[HenryAlan]

Josh Kraft helped by dad, rich pals in bid to oust Boston mayor

Josh Kraft is a political novice seeking to become the first person in 76 years to unseat an incumbent mayor in Boston - and a popular one at that. Yet the money is flowing in.

www.spokesman.com

This guy's a real piece of work:

“When I know there are places where she might be able to get a gig, and I know the people there, I say, ‘Hey, would you ever…?’” he said.

He has no clue that hardly anybody has a parent who can simply reach out and get their kid a job in the field that happens to interest them the most like that.