Keller: Political ad targets Boston's Mayor Wu over bike lanes, White Stadium

CBS News

03-06-2025

The opinions expressed below are Jon Keller's, not those of WBZ, CBS News or Paramount Global.
An independent political action committee supporting Josh Kraft is behind the first TV ad in Boston's mayoral race. Does the ad, which is critical of Mayor Michelle Wu, pass the truth test?
What the ad says
"Too often, Mayor Wu acts as if she alone has all the answers," said challenger Josh Kraft in his campaign kickoff speech last winter.
And the first TV ad of the Boston mayoral race - purchased by an independent political action committee supporting Kraft - picks right up on that theme.
"We tried to tell Mayor Wu her ideas would only make things worse, but she ignored us," says the narrator, who rolls out Exhibit A: Wu's acceleration of bike lane installations around the city, in some cases over the vocal objections of neighborhood residents and businesses.
In support of that claim, the city's April review of its bike lane policy found "consistent feedback" that "communications and community engagement were inadequate...decisions seemed predetermined," and "neighborhood feedback was not weighed as heavily as others."
The mayor says changes will be made, but Kraft and his allies say it's proof of Wu's arrogance.
Wu targeted over traffic, White Stadium
The ad continues: "Bike lanes - all we got was worse traffic," citing a recent study of Boston's traffic woes.
But that linkage is a stretch. In fact, that traffic study cited in the ad found Boston driver time stuck in traffic actually dropped by 10% last year, and an analyst for the company that did the study credits increased bike usage as a positive factor.
More: "White Stadium? Luxury boxes and beer gardens, while Boston Public Schools are closed."
The ongoing conversion of a decrepit public stadium in the heart of Franklin Park into a facility shared with a private pro soccer team has been a source of controversy. But linking it to the closure of some city schools is a real reach.
Years of declining enrollments are behind the shutdowns, and it's unfair to imply Wu is prioritizing the party needs of soccer fans over the needs of Boston schoolkids.
The big finish: "Boston's headed in the wrong direction, and a vote against Mayor Wu is a message she can't ignore."
Are voters angry at Wu?
That's the key question of this race. Most elections where an incumbent is running for another term wind up being a referendum on that incumbent and their record.
Mayor Wu is trying to make it a referendum on Kaft by attacking his plans, experience and allies.
Whoever wins the battle over framing the choice will likely win in November.