Michelle Wu is an American lawyer and politician who is a member of the Boston City Council. She is the first Taiwanese American and first Asian American woman to serve on the council, as well as the youngest current member. From January 2016 to January 2018, she served as president of the council and was its first woman of color president.
After college, Wu worked as a consultant in Boston's financial district. 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. As a fellow, Wu created the Restaurant Roadmap guide to opening a restaurant in Boston, as well as spearheaded the Boston Food Truck Challenge which resulted in three foodtrucks opening on City Hall Plaza. In 2010, Wu also graduated from Emerge Massachusetts, an intensive training program for women who aspire to seek elected office. The following year, Wu worked at the Boston Medical Center-based Medical Legal Partnership, providing legal services to low-income patients. In 2012, Wu, a former student of 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. She would announce her candidacy for Boston City Councilor At-Large a little more than a month after Warren's election.
City Council
Wu has been a member of the Boston City Council since January 2014, having been first elected in November 2013 and subsequently re-elected twice. As a City Councillor, Wu has focused on reforming the city's antiquated permitting system and passed paid parental leave for Boston municipal employees. In April 2018, Wu was targeted by Airbnb for her stance over short-term rental regulations in the city of Boston. Wu has pushed for increased restrictions, including the elimination of investor units. The short-term lodging platform accused Wu of being "aligned with big hotel interests against the interests of regular Bostonians".
Transportation issues
In January 2019, Wu called for free public transit across the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, saying Boston should set the example for the rest of the country, just as it did when city leaders built the country’s first park, or opened a school, or opening the country's second tax funded library. Wu has also called for local representation on the MBTA’s governing board. In the early summer of 2019, Wu lead a protest of the MBTA fare hikes with a goal of having riders speak up about inferior services on the subway, light-rail, and bus lines.
Recognition
In March 2018, Wu was among six finalists to be honored as a “Rising Star” by EMILY's List, an influential and well-funded national group that supports female Democratic candidates. In April 2018, Wu was listed at number 31 in Boston magazine's "The 100 Most Influential People in Boston" list.
Election results
Wu was first elected to a Boston City Council at-large seat in November 2013. She finished in second place to incumbent Ayanna Pressley; the top four finishers are elected to the council. She was re-elected in November 2015, again coming in second place to Pressley. She was re-elected to a third term on the council in November 2017, garnering the most votes among all at-large candidates; her tally of over 65,000 votes was the most since Michael J. McCormack in November 1983. Wu was again re-elected in November 2019.
Personal life
Wu became engaged to long-time boyfriend Conor Pewarski in December 2011. Pewarski proposed to her in Cambridge Common, across from Harvard Law School, and they married in September 2012. She lives in a two-family home in the Roslindale neighborhood of Boston with her husband and two sons, Blaise Francis and Cass Wu. Her mother and two sisters live with her as well.
