Senator Elizabeth Warren was in Boston Wednesday, accompanying Mayor-elect Marty Walsh in a discussion centered on how government can work in tandem at the municipal and federal levels. But it was Senator Warren who stole the spotlight, unable to escape questions about a potential presidential run in 2016, even up here in our increasingly icy enclave.
Walsh spoke generally of his meeting with the Senator, noting they touched on pressing issues like housing, public safety, and education and strategies in achieving more funding from both the federal government and state.
When asked about the recent passing of an arbitration between the police union and city officials, a sum worth $87 million over six years, Walsh personally felt “the award was too high and if I had the opportunity to negotiate a lesser contract, I certainly would’ve looked to negotiate a lesser contract, as far as the money. The police officers in this city work hard. They’ve gone four and a half years without a contract” and that the City Council’s unanimous 12-0 vote in favor of the contract was a display that they rightfully earned and deserved the raise.
“I agree with that vote today,” the Mayor-elect added.
As far as the firefighters’ contracts are concerned, Walsh made mention that he’s fully aware the police union typically sets the standards while other contracts subsequently fall in line, but he’s prepared to have a sit down “on day one, or as soon as I take over” to help alleviate any financial burden the old way of doing things may have on the city.
Senator Warren then took to the podium, addressing speculations on a possible run for the oval office, her work in trying to hold big banks and Wall Street accountable for their financial flubs, and stressed the importance of working with the likes of Walsh in making government a more trusted entity.
“I am not running for President and I plan to serve out my term [as Senator],” noted Warren. “I pledge to serve out my term,” to which Walsh quipped later on, “I thought I was going to be asked to be the Senator’s running mate.”
Warren then smoothly turned the focus to her attempt to make good on her campaign promises, most notably in the form of fighting big banks as with her memorable hearings with members of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Federal Reserve and their indifference in taking banks to trial, rebuilding America’s middle class, and supporting those with the same goals.
Brushing off any notion of party politics and being a beacon for the left wing, Warren continued to reinforce the notion of her fundamental goals in Congress and that in order to truly convey a resounding message, “We need to have those conversations here in Boston, we need to have them here in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and we need to have them all across the country.”
Walsh was then posed the interesting question of a Boston Public Schools Superintendent, and whether he would consider former mayoral adversary and City Councilor At-Large John Connolly for the job. Saying the school committee will ultimately have the final say and that the search for an able candidate will be a nationwide affair, he did say “No, I haven’t spoken to John since Election Night…”
But most importantly, Walsh made it clear that his meeting with Warren was about how he and fellow mayors across the country could help curtail any dislike and distrust the American people have with Congress by sharing ideas and ideals, using gun control as a specific example. He vowed to step in incumbent Mayor Menino’s shoes and fill the void he’ll leave on the gun control front, once he’s finished serving his unprecedented fifth term at the helm of The Hub.
