Updated 5:43 p.m.
President-elect Joe Biden will tap Boston Mayor Marty Walsh to lead the U.S. Department of Labor, according to published reports.
The news, first reported by Politico, triggered a flurry of congratulatory statements, though the Walsh’s press office declined comment.
As recently as Wednesday, several people close to Walsh insisted that there was no way the mayor was leaving Boston.
Walsh's first declared challenger, City Councilor Michelle Wu, however, is bidding him a fond farewell.
“He will be the first union member to serve in this role in nearly 50 years, and his leadership will come at a critical time for the labor movement,” Wu's statement said. “There is much work to do to clean up the backwards, anti-worker policies of the Trump administration that have hurt so many here in our city, and Boston needs a partner to fight for working families at the federal level.”
City Councilor Andrea Campbell, who is thus far the only other candidate running for mayor, expressed similar sentiments, calling the position a “fitting role” for Walsh.
“The realities of division in our country and city have never been more clear than they have this year - amidst a pandemic and yesterday’s domestic attack on our democracy. For Boston, there’s so much at stake in 2021 as we look to recover from this pandemic and reimagine what our city can be without persistent inequities. I know Mayor Walsh will be a partner in that work in this new role.”
Massachusetts Democrat Rep. Richard Neal of Springfield, who chairs the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, said in a statement that he was "thrilled to hear that Mayor Marty Walsh has been chosen for our new Labor Secretary."
"Throughout his career he has been a champion for worker’s rights and I am confident that he will succeed in this new position in the Biden Administration," Neal said.
“Marty is a strong champion of American workers,” tweeted former Clinton-era Labor Secretary Robert Reich.
The news came just hours after Walsh called for President Donald Trump’s removal from office and condemned the violent siege of the U.S. Capitol the day before.
Prior to becoming mayor, Walsh helmed the Building and Construction Trades Council of Massachusetts and simultaneously served as a state representative.
Walsh personifies Biden's close ties to organized labor. The president-elect has reportedly told business leaders that unions will enjoy more power in his administration.
If Biden does appoint Walsh, Boston City Council President Kim Janey will become acting mayor until a new municipal chief is elected in November.
It's not unusual for creditable reports of a Biden cabinet appointment to surface about 24 hours before the official announcement.
