Meet Michelle Wu, Boston’s ‘woke’ mayor known for her progressive policies

Michelle Wu, 39, made history when she was elected mayor of Boston in 2021. As the first woman, person of color, and Asian American to hold the office, she “broke a 199-year streak of white, male elected city leaders,” according to NPR.

Wu is a staunchly progressive mayor whose platform is about creating “a more resilient, healthy, and equitable Boston, and then having the courage and political will to fight for all of our families,” according to her website. She advocates for affordable housing, education equity, public health and safety, and economic and climate justice, among other issues, but has been roundly criticized for an approach that some see as too liberal.

So who is the Boston politician whose progressive policies have earned her the label “woke”?

Michelle Wu Had a Controversial Voting Plan in Boston

Wu caused a stir earlier this year when she announced a plan to make voting laws more inclusive. Under her plan, more city residents would have a say in how some of their tax dollars are used as part of a participatory budget voting process for Boston. According to the city’s website, participatory budgeting aims to provide “a democratic process in which community members directly decide how to spend part of the public budget.”

Wu wanted to expand the vote to “children as young as 11 and undocumented immigrants” to let them decide how $2 million in city funds would be used. Her administration would handpick 15 community priorities for the ballot process. Voters would then decide which of the 15 causes the money would be spent on.

In a letter to the director of the Office of Participatory Budgeting, City Councilor Ed Flynn called Wu “tone-deaf,” adding that public officials need to show “the taxpayers of Boston that we take our fiscal responsibility seriously.”

She is said to be lenient towards criminals.

Wu has also come under fire for her soft approach to certain criminal behavior. According to Fox News, Wu filled out a questionnaire for a progressive nonprofit indicating she wants to abolish Boston’s gang registry and enforce non-prosecution orders for certain minor offenses, including shoplifting, disorderly conduct and driving with a suspended license. The list also includes several drug-related charges, such as underage possession of alcohol, possession of marijuana and possession with intent to distribute.