Michelle Wu will be sworn in as Boston's mayor in the City Council chamber at noon on Tuesday, Nov. 16, her transition team announced Monday.
The ceremony, Wu's team said, will be "brief."
The two weeks' time between Wu’s election and her assumption of power is shorter than the typical two months since Wu is replacing an acting mayor.
"I'm just thrilled to get a chance to roll up our sleeves right away," Wu said of the tight timeline.
Wu spoke with reporters after a pair of closed-door briefings on Monday. She noted she has been at City Hall nearly every day since winning the Nov. 2 election.
Wu campaigned on a pledge to bring fare-free transit to the city, an idea that Gov. Charlie Baker, who has expressed skepticism in the past, over the weekend said may be worth exploring if Boston pays for it.
Responding to Baker, Wu said the conversation about fare-free transit was "always going to be a back and forth about what makes sense for the city and state partnering together."
Wu’s swearing-in will follow a farewell address from acting Mayor Kim Janey, who, as City Council president, ascended to the mayoralty to finish out the term after Mayor Marty Walsh resigned to accept his appointment as U.S. Labor Secretary. The city charter dictated the line of succession.
Although not directly elected, Janey is the only Black executive in Boston’s history, bringing race and identity keenly into focus on the campaign trail. Janey finished fourth in the city’s Sept. 14 preliminary election, dashing her hopes for a full term. She endorsed Wu shortly after her defeat.
Janey will return to her previous post as City Council president next month, according to a spokesperson, where she will serve until the newly elected City Council is sworn in on Jan. 3.
A "full inauguration" with public events for Wu will happen in the new year, according to a transition team press release.
