By Jackson Chadwick | “Little League Opening Day, 4.18.15” is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
President Joe Biden’s nominee for Labor Secretary has been confirmed by the Senate.
Boston Democratic Mayor Marty Walsh was confirmed by the Senate on Monday by a 68-29 vote. His confirmation comes after an important procedural vote last week, in which the Senate advanced his nomination by a 68-30 vote.
Walsh is the first Labor Secretary in over forty years to be an active union member. He was elected as Boston’s mayor in 2013 and was previously a state representative. Walsh has pledged to advocate for a $15/hour federal minimum wage in his new role at the Labor Department.
After Walsh resigned his position, Boston City Council President Kim Janey was sworn in as the acting mayor. Janey is the first person of color and the first woman to hold the position since the city was founded 390 years ago. She previously represented the Roxbury area on the City Council.
Janey will most likely serve as acting mayor until the beginning of 2022, upon the inauguration of the next mayor. Janey has not said whether she will run for a full term.
The 2021 mayoral race is already underway with multiple declared candidates, including City Councilors Andrea Campbell, Michelle Wu, and Annissa Essaibi George. John Barros, the former chief of economic development for Boston, also announced his candidacy in early March.