Last week Mayor-elect Marty Walsh hit the road for Washington D.C. along with 14 other mayors of major U.S. cities to discuss America’s economic growth and progress for years to come with President Obama. After speaking with the president, New York Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio held a press conference in front of the White House in which he formally introduced Walsh to the nation.
De Blasio summarized the mayoral meeting with the Commander in Chief, noting they touched upon subjects like retirement benefits, youth education, and fostering a more dextrous job market. He then turned over the mic to Mayor-elect Walsh, introducing him as “The new Mayor of Boston, who is someone I have to say I’m impressed with by his strong vision and message.”
Check out Mayor-elect Marty Walsh in Washington D.C.:
(Jump to the 2:15 mark to hear Walsh)
In his archetypal Boston accent, Walsh reaffirmed the success of the president’s meeting of the mayors. Mentioning his relief that Congress recently came to terms on a budget in a bipartisan effort that’s been strikingly absent over the past year, he also expressed his discontent for high unemployment nationwide.
“I, like my colleague in New York, am very concenerd about unemployment,” he mentioned to the press “1.1 million people in this country are going to lose their unemployment benefits around Christmas… That directly impacts our budgets here.”
Overall, though, Walsh said he felt very positive and good about the meeting and mentioned his gratitude for the president in taking the time to talk shop with each of them.
Earlier in December, Walsh co-hosted a press conference with Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren in which they discussed similar matters as the cohort of mayors did with President Obama. Notably the issues concerned the federal budget but also in how government on both the federal and municipal levels can work in tandem to spur prosperous and contagious economic growth, and to aid those in positions to take advantage of such.
Currently, Walsh is hosting Issues Working Groups meetings in order for his transition team to better grasp the needs of the average Bostonian. Monday night at 5:30 p.m. at Atlantic Wharf, the topic of discussion will be transportation and how better to improve it for Boston residents, Boston-based workers, and tourists alike.
[Image via New York Daily News]
