The Boston City Council doesn't always feature a lot of drama. At the end of the late Mayor Tom Menino's tenure, and again under his successor, former Mayor Marty Walsh, the council did launch some high-profile political careers, including Rep. Ayanna Pressley, Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell and current Boston Mayor Michelle Wu. But sharp, sustained, public conflict wasn't the norm.
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This iteration of the council is different. During the pandemic, the council's meetings became a go-to destination for opponents of the city's COVID-19 mandates who were looking to make their displeasure known. The council also got pulled into last year's acrimonious race for Suffolk County district attorney, in which Councilor Ricardo Arroyo was a candidate. And the council's bitter redistricting fight highlighted and exacerbated tensions on the body and in the city.
Through it all, Boston City Council President Ed Flynn has been trying to keep the council operating as a somewhat cohesive and collegial body. He joined Adam Reilly on Talking Politics to discuss the council's recent dynamics, his push for an anti-bullying policy, his attempt to force councilors to participate in-person in council meetings, and the body's current push (which Flynn opposes) to cut the Boston Police Department budget.
What does the council's recent history tell us about the state of politics right now, locally and nationally? Email us at TalkingPolitics@wgbh.org or share them via the Talking Politics page.
You can watch the discussion below right now, or catch the full show at 7 p.m. on GBH 2. Subscribe to the GBH News’ YouTube channel to get alerted to future episodes.
