Speaking from his transition office on Franklin Street this afternoon, Mayor-elect Marty Walsh announced the co-chairs of his team and their immediate plans to seamlessly move in to Mayor Menino’s City Hall office. Standing alongside Walsh was Joyce Linehan, Katherine Craven, John Barros, Charlotte Golar Richie, Felix Arroyo, and Sam Tyler who will help the Walsh administration hit the ground running come January 6.
Walsh began by announcing the aforementioned collection of budding politicos as the co-chairs of his transition team, nearly all on the basis of their policy prowess, budget balancing expertise, conveyance of the issues, and ability to candidly call out the people and items that need to be.
Walsh anticipates adding more names and faces to his transition team within the next couple of weeks that exemplify a cross-section of the city to help better understand the respective wants and needs of those who reside in differing neighborhoods.
According to Walsh, the past few days have been spent deciding on an overall structure for the transition team and subsequent personnel additions in the days and weeks to come.
“We’ve been talking with other mayors across the state and across the country on how they’re transition worked, what worked and what didn’t work, and we’re hoping to come up with a good structure and get this right,” the state Representative commented.
Part of his administration’s transition to City Hall includes his team hitting the streets in the form of town hall meeting forums to better understand how to best implement the passing of the torch while still receiving feedback from Bostonians on how to generally better the city. For those who aren’t able to attend these to-be-determined gatherings, an easily accessible website is also in the works. It’s currently live online, though, doesn’t boast the comprehensive points and plans Walsh will address, upon assuming office.
“We’re going to be setting up a series of meetings over the upcoming weeks as far as going into every neighborhood in the city, a cross-section of the city of Boston, it’s very important that we do that. We’re also going to launch a website… through social media so people have an opportunity to see this transition,” Walsh continued.
Speculation abounds as to who Walsh will appoint to his cabinet, with some even suggesting Golar Richie, Barros, and Arroyo – three former mayoral candidates in their own right who endorsed Walsh soon after the preliminary election – will be tapped on the basis of their apparent qualifications but also to diversify the municipality, something Walsh has been adamant about throughout the campaign’s entirety.
Walsh said he is planning on taking a much needed and much deserved vacation and looks forward to continuing to prepare himself to become the 54th Mayor of Boston upon his return.
