BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Acting Mayor Kim Janey said she was at a pharmacy when she first found out that former Boston Mayor Marty Walsh could be heading to Washington to serve in President Joe Biden’s cabinet.
“There was a lot of speculation that this could potentially happen, and then it happened,” Janey told WBZ NewsRadio. “But, when I literally got the news, I was in a Walgreens picking up whatever I was buying at the time.”
Janey was sworn in on Wednesday as the city’s first black and first woman mayor.
As Janey settles into her new role, the acting mayor said one of her top priorities is making sure the COVID-19 vaccine is “getting out to residents.”
“We have more work to do in terms of getting the vaccine in people’s arms,” she said. This includes “lifting up vulnerable communities” and making sure they are properly informed about the vaccine.
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Janey also said wants to focus on getting students back into the classroom, “and the vaccine is just essential to that.”
“Beyond getting our students back, we know that there is a lot of work that we have to do to make up for the year plus of learning remotely, which cannot take the place of in-person learning with their teachers,” Janey said.
When asked if she plans to run in the general election this fall, Janey said she hasn’t made a final decision yet, but hopes to make an announcement about her plans soon.
“I am just so humbled and excited to be in a position to lead the city through this pandemic,” Janey said. “Certainly, bring my unique perspective, given my lived experience is very, very different than the men who have come before me to this role.”
WBZ NewsRadio's Jeff Brown (@jeffbrownwbz) reports
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