Speaking on Boston Public Radio Thursday, Boston City Councilor and mayoral candidate Andrea Campbell lamented “a lack of intentionality and action” from the outgoing administration of Mayor Marty Walsh and presented herself as a candidate who can offer more tangible progress for the city.
"I’ve been really mindful as a mayoral candidate, to say ‘I don’t just have great plans’ … I also want people to know that I’m all about timelines and accountability, and action, and acting with a sense of urgency,” she said during the Thursday interview.
Campbell's conversation encompassed a host of issues, ranging from her proposal for a “ Teacher Vaccination Week," limits of police accountability, racial inequity in the business sphere, and why having a woman of color at the city's helm is critical for moving Boston forward.
On vaccine rollout, the Roxbury native said it’s "absolutely shameful” that groups who “need it most” have fallen to the wayside. Those groups, she clarified, include essential workers, communities of color — which have been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic — and teachers.
She also called out the state’s vaccine companion policy, which allows those accompanying residents 75 and older to also get vaccinated.
Watch: State Reps. Call For Baker To End ‘Younger Companion’ Vaccination Policy
“When we were talking about the companion policy and the development of that, this is where representation matters,” she said. "If you had certain folks in the room representing, say, communities of color, they would have said that this companion program or policy is probably not a good idea. We could tell you about the flaws.”
She continued, “let’s instead not only prioritize seniors, but let’s make sure that we start at 65, because many Black people don’t make until 75. Let’s make sure that we’re prioritizing communities of color. Let’s make sure that we are engaging in community-based organizations and resourcing them.”
On the subject of racial equity for business owners, Campbell said it was “painful” to see the complaint filed Wednesday to the U.S. Justice Department by a coalition of racial justice groups looking for an investigation into why Boston awarded just 1.2% of its contract dollars to Black and Latino-owned businesses over a five-year period.
Read More: Black And Latino Business Ownership In Massachusetts Lags Far Behind National Average
“For these community leaders to feel like they have to take this drastic action, only, I think, demonstrates how little transparency, accountability and intentionality there has been from the [Walsh] administration to ensure that the city meets or exceeds our diversity goals as the mayor defined in an executive order a couple of years ago.”
Campbell said it's especially frustrating to see the city struggle with issues of equity, considering what it could become under her vision of leadership.
"In the city of Boston, what makes us so incredible is we have everything it takes," she said "all the resources —the human capital, the expertise, the industry, you name it — to solve for every inequity that exists in the city of Boston."
She said she envisions Boston becoming an "international and national leader" on the question of equity, adding that "that’s what I’m most excited about."
