Michelle Wu

Michelle Wu
President of the Boston City Council
Assumed office
January 2016
Vice President Frank Baker (politician)
Preceded by Bill Linehan
City Councilor At-Large of the Boston City Council
Assumed office
January 2014
Preceded by John R. Connolly and Felix G. Arroyo
Personal details
Born Michelle Wu
(1985-01-14) January 14, 1985
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Political party Democratic
Residence Roslindale, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Alma mater Harvard University (B.A. 2007)
Harvard Law School (J.D. 2012)
Profession Attorney
Religion Roman Catholic
Website michelleforboston.com

Michelle Wu is an attorney and current President of the Boston City Council. She is the first Taiwanese American and first Asian American woman to serve on the Boston City Council, as well as the youngest current member. In January 2016, she was elected as President of the council.[1]

Family and education

Wu was born on the South Side of Chicago, IL to parents who had immigrated to the United States from Taiwan[2] and is the oldest of four children. She was valedictorian of her high school class at Barrington High School in 2003 and was selected as a 2003 U.S. Presidential Scholar from the state of Illinois.[3] During the 2002-2003 school year, Wu was also the President of the National Junior Classical League.[4] Wu moved to the Boston area to attend college at Harvard University, where she would later also graduate from Harvard Law School in 2012.[5]

Career

In 2010, Wu worked in Boston City Hall for Mayor Thomas M. Menino in the Office of Administration and Finance, and later as a Rappaport Fellow in Law and Public Policy under Menino's Chief of Staff Mitch Weiss.[6] As a fellow, Wu created the Restaurant Roadmap guide to opening a restaurant in Boston,[7] as well as spearheaded the Boston Food Truck Challenge which resulted in three foodtrucks opening on City Hall Plaza.[8] In 2010, Wu also graduated from Emerge Massachusetts, an intensive training program for women who aspire to seek elected office.[9] The following year, Wu worked at the Boston Medical Center-based Medical Legal Partnership, providing legal services to low-income patients.[6]

In 2012, Wu, a former student of U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren at Harvard Law School, worked as the Constituency Director for Warren's 2012 campaign against Scott Brown. In this role, Wu coordinated outreach to all constituency groups, including communities of color, the LGBT community, veterans, and women.[10] She would announce her candidacy for Boston City Councilor At-Large a little more than a month after Warren's election.[11]

Wu was first elected to Boston City Council At-Large in 2013. She finished the election in 2nd place garnering votes from 42% of voters.[12] She was re-elected in 2015, again coming in second place and garnering votes from 57% of voters.[13]

While in City Hall, she has focused on reforming the city's antiquated permitting system [14] and passed paid parental leave for Boston municipal employees.

References

  1. ↑ Encarnacao, Jack (2016-01-05). "Michelle Wu takes reins as Boston City Council president". Boston Herald. Retrieved 2016-01-05.
  2. ↑ "Women Top Boston At-Large City Councilor Race". WBUR. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
  3. ↑ "2003 Presidential Scholars Program" (PDF). U.S. Department of Education. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
  4. ↑ Wu, Michelle. "Wu Welcomes You to Trinity" (PDF). National Junior Classical League. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
  5. ↑ "Michelle Wu shows promise for city's future". Boston Globe. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
  6. 1 2 "Rappaport Briefing, July 2011" (PDF). The Rappaport Center for Law and Public Service. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
  7. ↑ "Restaurant Roadmap" (PDF). City of Boston. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
  8. ↑ "THE BOSTON FOOD TRUCK CHALLENGE". edibleBOSTON. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
  9. ↑ "Michelle Wu". Emerge America. Emerge America. Retrieved 3 August 2016.
  10. ↑ "City Council Candidate Chat: Michelle Wu". The Dorchester Reporter. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
  11. ↑ "Reporter's Notebook: Warren campaign aide Wu casts eyes on an at-large seat". The Dorchester Reporter. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
  12. ↑ "November 5, 2013 - Municipal Election - City of Boston". City of Boston. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
  13. ↑ "November 3, 2015 - Municipal Election - City of Boston". City of Boston. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
  14. ↑ Meghan E., Irons (26 February 2014). "New look urged for Boston's silly old rules". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 26 February 2014.
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