Beacon Hill resident and longtime political organizer Sharon Durkan was sworn in as the new District 8 city councilor by Mayor Michelle Wu during a special ceremony on Tuesday, Aug. 15, in the Public Garden.
“I’m so grateful for this moment,” said Durkan. “I’m so grateful to the people of District 8. I see people all around who have supported me. It’s not lost on me that we’re in the Public Garden, enjoying a public good. Enjoying something people have protected over many years and generations. I’m so proud to represent you.”
family members look on during an Aug. 15 ceremony in the Public Garden.
Mayor Wu said Durkan, who had received endorsements from a wide range of local elected officials, including Wu herself, had achieved her goal “with a lot of wind beneath her wings” as she reached out to every corner of the district, which includes Back Bay, Beacon Hill, Fenway, Kenmore, Mission Hill, Allston, and the West End. The Mayor noted that she saw constituents from every neighborhood in District 8 as she looked around her at the ceremony.
Liz Vizza, president of the Friends of the Public Garden, led the crowd in reciting The Pledge of Allegiance, while Kenzie Bok, who preceded Durkan as District 8 city councilor and now serves as administrator of the Boston Housing Authority, read scripture and offered a prayer attributed to St. Francis for the occasion.
“It’s such a weight off my shoulders that my successor, Sharon, cares about District 8 as much as I do. I’m so excited about her leadership on the council,” Bok told this reporter.
Looking ahead to representing the people of District 8, Durkan said, “This moment is an important moment for this city. We’re deciding if will have a livable future and a sustainable climate, if we will be able to live here, and stay here. And whether our grandkids can imagine a future in Boston. That’s why I put my name on the ballot, and that’s why I’m here to serve you District 8.”
Durkan added, “These issues are really hard, they seem large and intractable. But when you look around this group of people, it feels like it’s possible. Every person here has a history of caring for Boston, and they’re who I’m taking with me.”