Boston Mayor Michelle Wu flatly denied speculation that she is considering leaving office for a job at Harvard University.
Wu said Wednesday that she has not talked to Harvard brass about a job there, but stopped short of saying there’s no truth to the speculation, when pressed by the reporter who pitched the question at an unrelated press conference.
“No, I mean, not that I would share it with you,” Wu said, laughing before adding, “I’m always honest.”
A City Hall source told the Herald that the word flying around town is that the mayor was offered a job there, because Harvard brass knew she was considering not finishing out her first term.
The speculation is that Wu is waiting until after the election to answer questions about a potential early departure, given how it might impact the weight of her council endorsements with voters, the source said.
The chatter comes after she took back-to-back vacations last month, and City Council President Ed Flynn took the opportunity as acting mayor to capitalize on the troubled situation at Mass and Cass.
The mayor was also absent from two press conferences last week, when the police commissioner provided an update on juvenile violence and an initiative she pushed for as a city councilor was announced.
Wu was the city’s first woman and person of color to be elected mayor, taking office soon after her victory in November 2021.
A mayor’s resignation is not without recent precedent, given Marty Walsh’s decision to leave to work as President Biden’s Secretary of Labor in 2021, but it would be somewhat surprising for Wu to step down so early in her first term.
Wu would not be up for re-election until 2025. By comparison, Walsh resigned three years into his second term, and more than seven years after taking office.
In that instance, the date of Walsh’s resignation, late March 2021, didn’t trigger a city charter requirement for a special election. Per the charter, then-City Council President Kim Janey served as acting mayor, prior to Wu taking office.
If Wu were to resign, the city charter would dictate that a special election be held 120 to 140 days, or about four months, after her departure. Flynn would be in line for acting mayor until January, when the council votes on its next president.
Flynn is prohibited by term limits from running for council president. A source said Councilor-at-Large Ruthzee Louijeune is actively seeking the position, but District 4 Councilor Brian Worrell is also in the mix.
While both have started talking to their colleagues about the post, how things ultimately shake up could depend on what new faces are added to the City Council, via the November election. Seven votes are needed to select a council president.
However, according to Wu, such speculation is not warranted. She insists that she loves being mayor, and is not seeking other offers. Her office, however, did not respond to a Herald inquiry about whether she was planning to finish out her term.
“I love this job,” Wu said. “I’m lucky and excited to do it every day.”
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