Politics

Read: Marty Walsh’s resignation letter as he leaves City Hall for Washington D.C.

"I will be forever grateful to the people of Boston for shaping who I am and granting me the privilege of serving as your Mayor."

By Christopher Gavin

March 22, 2021

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Marty Walsh officially resigned as mayor of Boston Monday night, hours after the U.S. Senate confirmed him to serve as the nation’s secretary of labor.

“In my new role as our nation’s Secretary of Labor, I will draw deeply on the lessons I have learned in Boston these last seven years and throughout my life in our city,” Walsh wrote in his resignation letter to the city clerk. “I will be forever grateful to the people of Boston for shaping who I am and granting me the privilege of serving as your Mayor.”

With his resignation, City Council President Kim Janey became acting mayor, making history as the city’s first Black chief executive.

Read Walsh’s full resignation letter:

March 22, 2021

The Honorable Maureen Feeney

Office of the City Clerk

1 City Hall Square, Room 601

Boston, MA 02201

Dear Madam Clerk,

Having been nominated by President Biden and confirmed by the United States Senate to serve as Secretary of Labor, I hereby resign the Office of Mayor of the City of Boston, effective at 9:00 p.m. on March 22, 2021.

Serving as Mayor for the past seven years has been the honor of my life and a dream come true for a child of immigrants who grew up in our city. When I was first inaugurated, I said I would listen, I would learn, and I would lead together with the people of Boston, and that’s what we’ve done.

Together we created good jobs and affordable homes in every neighborhood, and we made our city safer. We invested in our young people, funding universal, high-quality pre-kindergarten; new and fully renovated school buildings across our city; and free community college for low-income students. We led the nation in climate action to protect our city and our planet. We strengthened health and quality of life in our communities with historic investments in parks, libraries, streets, sidewalks, bike and bus lanes. We created the nation’s first municipal Office of Recovery Services and expanded access to mental health and trauma treatment. We provided permanent housing for over 2,300 formerly homeless individuals, and ended chronic homelessness among veterans. We restored Boston’s reputation as a leader in arts and culture. We began to heal old wounds by addressing systemic racism, so we can truly be a city where everyone can thrive. We brought greater diversity to City employment at every level, and we made community engagement more inclusive and accessible. We modernized services and took good care of our finances, putting the City in a strong position to take us even further in the years ahead.

In this past year our strength was tested like never before, and I could not be more proud of how Boston responded to the global COVID-19 pandemic. We set an example for the nation by following the science, putting the safety of our residents first, and working around the clock to help vulnerable residents and small businesses. We showed that our strength as a city is rooted in our compassion and our belief in equity for all people.

Over the past several weeks, my team and I have worked closely with Council President Kim Janey and her team on a smooth transition. Bostonians can have confidence there will be no interruption in city operations or services.

In my new role as our nation’s Secretary of Labor, I will draw deeply on the lessons I have learned in Boston these last seven years and throughout my life in our city. I will be forever grateful to the people of Boston for shaping who I am and granting me the privilege of serving as your Mayor.

Sincerely,

Martin J. Walsh

Mayor of Boston

This evening, I officially resigned as Mayor of the City of Boston. I am deeply proud of the work we have done together to advance our city and all its people.

Follow @USDOL for updates as we build back the American workforce and our economic recovery. pic.twitter.com/OJKIUnPtd3

— Mayor Marty Walsh (@marty_walsh) March 23, 2021