In my second inaugural address, I talked about the progress we have made together as a city, and the vision we have built together of an even brighter future.
Our vision is of a Boston where every person and every community participates in, benefits from, and elevates our leadership as a global city.
We can be a city whose industry and innovation make the world a better place — and provide good jobs in every neighborhood of Boston.
We can be a city that heals the environment — by opening our waterfront for all to enjoy.
We can be the global capital of learning — whose own young people know that they can change the world.
In other words, we can be a city that’s world-class — because it works for the middle class.
Why is a strong and accessible middle class so important? Because that’s what makes a city’s progress a reality for most of us.
Take my family. My parents came here as immigrants, with next to nothing. My father got work helping to build Boston’s growing skyline. He and my mother were able to make a home and raise their kids to dream even bigger dreams.
I know not everyone was as lucky as me. Some faced longer odds. But back then, it seemed like more people had a real chance to be a part of our nation’s growth. The American Dream was something we could build together.
That’s my idea of a strong middle class: not just security for those who are already in it, but opportunity for all who need it.
In my second term, I will prioritize the fundamentals of middle-class opportunity in our world-class city: strong 21st-century schools; good jobs; and affordable homes in safe neighborhoods. A better Boston for everyone.
In the last four years, we have dedicated ourselves, together, to Boston’s progress.
But like good Bostonians, we are not satisfied with yesterday’s progress. We’re going to do everything we can to make sure Boston remains an engine of upward mobility and middle-class security.
Throughout our history, from around the world and across our nation, people look to Boston for hope, opportunity, and a chance to build a better life. They make Boston their home. They become our middle class. They move our city forward.
As we move forward together into 2018 and beyond, we’re going to do all we can to make sure that never changes.
Your Mayor,
Marty Walsh