Will Ed Flynn run for mayor of Boston against Michelle Wu?
BOSTON - During an early May meeting with North End restaurant owners angry over the city's refusal to allow them to host outdoor dining, Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn was asked if his presence there indicated interest in challenging Mayor Michelle Wu in next year's Boston mayoral election.
"No," he said.
But in an interview Sunday with WBZ News, Flynn hedged his bet: "I haven't focused on it. I've focused on my job as a city councilor."
So that's not a flat no then?
"That's correct," he said.
Flynn says Boston has "significant" quality of life issues
And in the interview, Flynn touched on several issues where polls suggest there is considerable dissatisfaction with the Wu administration.
"Public safety and the quality of life issues are significant, they are increasing, so residents don't feel like that situation is solved," he said. "I think we can't allow people to openly sell the drugs in the city and use drugs in the city. That is a terrible message. That hurts residents, that hurts neighbors. What residents want from us is positive leadership. We can no longer turn a blind eye to someone selling drugs and using drugs, someone using drugs. They need to be in a drug treatment program, someone that's selling drugs they need to be in jail for the criminal justice system."
Flynn's concerns about Boston schools
And on the schools, Flynn says that while he supports the work of Superintendent Mary Skipper, "I am concerned about public safety in our schools. I also am concerned about the lack of academic progress in many of our schools, the high absentee rate in most of our schools, the lack of sports and after school activities."
Flynn stressed the importance of working together to solve those and other problems, and was not personally critical of Wu. Still, his clarification on a possible run - along with interest being expressed by others, including philanthropist Josh Kraft - suggests a Wu re-election bid won't be a free ride.