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At-Large City Council candidate Ayanna PressleyWednesday Aug 26, 2009 The daughter of a single mother, Ayanna Pressley grew up in a rough neighborhood of Chicago before coming to study at Boston University. When her mother lost her job, Pressley left college to work full-time to help support her. She began her political career 14 years ago working for Congressman Joe Kennedy as a constituent services aide, and later served as Senator John Kerry’s political director. She has also been a member of or still serves on the Massachusetts Women’s Political Caucus, the Young Professionals Preventing Child Abuse, the NAACP, and the Children’s Trust Fund, and mentors for the Young Black Women’s Society and the Big Sister Association of Greater Boston. She currently lives in Dorchester.
-Brandon Simes
What separates you from the pack?
While some people may focus on my being the only woman in the field, what really separates me from the pack goes far beyond the simple fact of my gender. I have 14 years of public service experience, working as a Constituent Services Representative for Congressman Joe Kennedy and later as Senator John Kerry’s Political Director. At a time when the city faces tremendous economic challenges, I am the only candidate with the long-standing relationships and connections at the city, state and federal level to advocate directly to key decision-makers for increased funding and support for Boston. I can pick up the phone and push for more state and federal money for Boston’s schools, transportation projects and police and fire departments.
Why do you want the job?
I have decided to run for an At-Large seat on the Boston City Council because I believe I have the background, experience, and vision to help provide strong, creative leadership during these difficult economic times. With working families struggling to make ends meet daily and young people facing a future of few opportunities, Boston needs a leader who can bring accountability, accessibility, and advocacy to the Council.
I have more than 14 years of experience serving the people of Boston. I have dedicated my life to public service. I look forward to continuing my service in this great city and to having the opportunity to advocate for the citizens of Boston in this critical municipal role.
How long would you like to stay in this position if you’re elected?
My only focus, at the moment, is on actually making it through the Preliminary Election on September 22nd. I will say, however, that the only job I want, the only job I aspire to hold is At-Large Boston City Councilor. If the voters honor me with their support on September 22nd and later on November 3rd, my focus would be on working hard, rewarding their faith in me and being an effective advocate for them and their families. At this point, I’m working to be elected and am years and about 40,000 votes away from contemplating being re-elected.
What is your agenda in office?
With our city facing numerous challenges, if elected, I would pursue a necessarily aggressive agenda to help put people back to work, attract and retain jobs, protect your tax dollars, improve our public schools and create more opportunities for our young people. I support a return to neighborhood schools that enrich both the student and community, foster improved school pride and allow for greater parental involvement. I would work to focus our public safety resources on community-specific solutions. Equally important, we must fully include the community itself-neighborhood associations, religious institutions, community-based organizations-into the discussion of solutions for crime and public safety issues facing each specific neighborhood.
I would support appropriate, locally-focused development only if there was legitimate community input and involvement. Different neighborhoods require different development solutions and it is essential individual neighborhoods’ unique qualities and traditions are taken into account. Finally, I would protect your tax dollars by ensuring efficiency through performance-management assessment and the elimination of redundancies.
What can you do specifically for the South End?
I would work with South End residents, community and business groups and neighborhood associations to ensure the neighborhood’s unique attributes are protected and respected by developers. I would work with officials at the city, state and federal level to advocate for more support for women- and minority-owned small businesses, which are essential to the economy of the South End. I would be a voice for sensible, community-appropriate transportation options that ideally both fulfill the needs of residents while also reducing the congestion and traffic on South End streets. Finally, as a strong supporter of mentoring, I would fight to increase academic and professional opportunities for the South End’s young people.
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