The Boston firefighters union on Monday endorsed Councilor Annissa Essaibi George’s campaign for mayor. The union's nod comes two weeks after retired Police Commissioner William Gross endorsed her, suggesting Essaibi George's emerging status as the choice of Boston's public safety workers.
“Councilor George has a long track record of standing with Boston firefighters and their families,” said John Soares, International Association of Firefighters Local 718 president, announcing the union’s support. “That is why we're standing with her today, tomorrow and in November when she becomes mayor of this city.”
Soares said that firefighter “safety, health and wellness,” are the department’s biggest concerns.
“That's the part that we know that we'll be able to work with her and get that done,” Soares said.
In March, the Massachusetts Nurses Association, which in the past supported former mayor Marty Walsh, endorsed Essaibi George.
The at-large councilor rejected the suggestion that her support from big unions means she is opposed to change.
“I am never OK with the status quo, it is why I'm running for mayor, to lead the city through new opportunity, through new time, through new change. We need to, though, do that together,” she said speaking in front of Dorchester’s Florian Hall.
Responding to reporters' questions, Essaibi George vowed improve diversity among the firefighters' ranks.
“I think that the cadet program is certainly a first place to start,” she said, adding that she will also work with the union to make the work culture more friendly to women.
