EAST BOSTON NEWS
Both the Boston Herald and the Boston Globe are reporting that District 1 city councilor Lydia Edwards will run for Suffolk and Middlesex Senator when current Senator Joseph Boncore leaves.
The timeline for a special election upon the resignation of Boncore is unclear. Edwards disclosed her intention to run for Senate as far back as mid-July when reports of Boncore’s most likely appointment as head of the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council.
Here’s the Boston Globe
“Edwards, 40, has been a powerhouse for the City Council, particularly on housing and development issues. She sponsored legislation that amended the city’s zoning code to require that fair housing and equity be considered as part of the approval process for large development projects.
Edwards has also spearheaded a ballot question that would give the City Council far greater authority over the annual city budget. That measure will go before voters in November.
Edwards said she plans to seek the seat because the Legislature has greater authority on the housing issues she has been committed to.”
Here’s the Boston Herald
“Edwards said a big reason she’s running is that the city council is limited in what it can pass as local laws without receiving state approval. The council often has to try to get home-rule petitions passed in order to change the law, and those require the Legislature and governor’s sign-offs. Edwards has filed quite a few, largely around housing, including real estate transfer fees for pricier units.”
Read more from the Boston Globe
Read more from the Boston Herald.
UPDATE 8/19/2021
Lydia Edwards will step up
Current Boston City Councilor will run to represent the First Suffolk & Middlesex District following the departure of Senator Joe Boncore
EAST BOSTON – Today Lydia Edwards issued the following statement:
“My life has been entirely defined by service – from my time as a military brat as my mother served in the United States Air Force, to my work passing the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights, to my time as a Boston City Councilor. My first campaign for office was in pursuit of the Massachusetts Senate seat representing the First Suffolk & Middlesex District, and now that opportunity has come full circle and presented itself again.
“After weeks of conversations with family, friends, and colleagues, I know that the time has come to share this news publicly. Senator Boncore has been a steadfast partner in the Senate and has served the public with strength and a keen sense of right and wrong, using his moral compass and thoughtful advocacy to stand up for the residents of this district, and it would be a great honor to follow his legacy. As he explores the next chapter of his career, I am prepared to begin mine.
“This is my path: I will be a candidate for Senate this fall. I’m proud to look back on the people I have helped, and I know that I have more in me to give. When Senator Boncore steps down, I will formally step up.”
About Lydia Edwards
As a City Councilor, Lydia Edwards has led efforts to protect Boston’s affordable housing stock through innovative and bold policy proposals. In year one, she introduced and passed a city ordinance assisting seniors who are house-rich but cash-poor pay their back taxes to stay in their homes. She has spearheaded reforms to Inclusionary Development and Linkage and passed through the council a real estate transfer fee on the sale of properties valued over $2 million, with all proceeds dedicated to affordable housing.
Representing three waterfront communities and multiple environmental justice populations, Councilor Edwards has pushed to reduce airport pollution, expand water transportation, address traffic congestion, ensure community voice in major energy projects, rebuild public housing and stop proposed highway expansion. She has solidified her role in the community as a bridge-builder, convening and organizing community meetings to take on larger conversations like Suffolk Downs in East Boston, the Bunker Hill Redevelopment project in Charlestown and climate resilience in the historic North End.
Prior to her service on the City Council, as deputy director within the Mayor’s Office of Housing Stability. She was responsible for developing and delivering innovative solutions to fight displacement and brought together all stakeholders: landlords, management companies, housing authorities, and tenants.
Lydia has worked extensively in the legal field, serving as a judicial law clerk with the Massachusetts Superior Court and the Massachusetts Appeals Court. Edwards worked as a public interest attorney with Greater Boston Legal Services focusing on labor issues such as fighting for access to unemployment insurance, back wages, fair treatment for domestic workers and combating human trafficking. She served as the statewide campaign coordinator for the Massachusetts Coalition for Domestic Workers, which advocated for the passage of the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights. In 2015, she was named a Bostonian of the Year by the Boston Globe.
Lydia Edwards was raised all over the world by her military mom but chose East Boston to build her home and raise a family. Her mother is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and retired union worker with the Veterans Administration. Councilor Edwards received her J.D. from American University Washington College of Law and received an LLM in taxation from Boston University School of Law.
As a City Councilor, Lydia Edwards has led efforts to protect Boston’s affordable housing stock through innovative and bold policy proposals. In year one, she introduced and passed a city ordinance assisting seniors who are house-rich but cash-poor pay their back taxes to stay in their homes. She has spearheaded reforms to Inclusionary Development and Linkage and passed through the council a real estate transfer fee on the sale of properties valued over $2 million, with all proceeds dedicated to affordable housing.
Councilor Lydia Edwards is a career advocate, activist, and voice on behalf of society’s most vulnerable. She is currently the Chair of the Committee on Government Operations and the Committee on Housing and Community Development in the Boston City Council.
Source of Update: LydiaEdwards.com
