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Sharon Durkan

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Sharon Durkan
Durkan in 2023
Member of the Boston City Council
from the 8th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
August 7, 2023
Preceded byKenzie Bok
Personal details
Political partyDemocratic
Alma materSmith College
Signature
Website

Sharon Durkan is an American politician and political consultant currently serving as a member of the Boston City Council, representing its 8th district. She has held that office since August 2023.

Early life

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Durkan grew up in the U.S. state of Georgia. Durkan attended Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts.[1]

Early political career

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While in college, Durkan became the finance director for State Senator Eric Lesser. In 2015, shortly after graduating college, she began working for the reelection campaign of then-City Councilor Michelle Wu.[1] She came to be an experienced political consultant.[1][2] She worked as the Massachusetts Finance Director for U.S. Senator Ed Markey's 2020 reelection campaign.[3] She taught training sessions in the Emerge Massachusetts program.[1] She also took the position of chair of the Ward 5 Democratic Committee.[1]

Boston City Council

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Durkan represents District 8 on the Boston City Council. The district covers some of the most densely-populated areas of the city. It includes portions of Back Bay, Fenway, West End, Mission Hill and Beacon Hill.[2][3]

July 2023 special election and partial term

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Durkan speaking with Governor Maura Healey in August 2023

On July 25, at the age of 32, Durkan was elected to the Boston City Council in a special election to fill the remainder of the term vacated by Kenzie Bok when Bok became the head of the Boston Housing Authority. Durkan's opponent had been Montez Haywood, a longtime prosecutor at the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office. The campaign was Durkan's first campaign for public office. Durkan won more than 70% of the vote, with 29% going to Haywood and a half-percent going to write-in votes. Haywood had previously run for the seat in 2019, having performed weakly in that election. Durkan's campaign was centered on issues related to transportation, housing, mental healthcare, and climate change.[1] Durkan received a plethora of endorsements from notable politicians, including Senator Ed Markey,[2] Mayor Michelle Wu, At-Large City Councilor Ruthzee Louijeune[1] She also received the endorsement of her predecessor, Kenzie Bok.[4] Durkan strongly outperformed her opponent in fundraising.[1]

Durkan was sworn-in on August 7, 2023.[5]

At a City Council meeting early October, Durkan and Frank Baker opposed holding an immediate vote on a resolution proposed at the meeting by Tania Fernandes Anderson related to the Israel–Hamas war. Unlike a different proposed resolution related to the conflict that was being discussed at the meeting, Fernandes Anderson's resolution was not focused on condemning the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel, and instead centered on calling for a ceasefire.[6] Fernandes Anderson's resolution characterized the attack as a "military operation" rather than an act of terrorism.[7] The resolution was referred to the committee of the whole instead of being voted on.[6]

Second term

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Durkan faced Montez Haywood again in a November 2023 election for a full term.[2] The election map used for this election differed from that of the August special election, as it used a map redistricted to reflect the results of the 2020 United States Census.[3] Durkan again received Mayor Wu's endorsement.[8] Durkan won reelection, again capturing more than 70 percent of the vote.[9] Durkan serves as chair of the council's Committee on Planning, Development, & Transportation.[10]

In February 2024, Durkan proposed the idea of having the city license official Boston merchandise as a means of generating revenue both for the city government and small businesses in the city. Durkan pointed to a similar venture that New York City had launched more than a decade prior. Jim Rooney (the CEO of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce) lent his tentative personal support to Durkan's proposal, conditioning full support on small businesses being consulted.[11]

Electoral history

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2023 Boston City Council 8th district special election[9]
Candidate Votes %
Sharon Durkan 1,968 70.04
Montez Haywood 824 29.32
Write-ins 18 0.64
Total votes 2,810 100
2023 Boston City Council 8th district general election[9]
Candidate Votes %
Sharon Durkan 3,686 70.44
Montez Haywood 1,512 28.89
Write-ins 35 0.67
Total votes 5,233 100

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Guffey, Alysa; July 25, Updated (July 25, 2023). "Sharon Durkan wins special election for Boston City Council District 8 seat". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 1 August 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ a b c d Wuthmann, Walter (July 26, 2023). "Sharon Durkan elected to Boston City Council's District 8 seat". WBUR. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  3. ^ a b c DeCosta-Klipa, Nik (July 25, 2023). "Rare summer special election in Boston to decide newest City Council member". WBUR. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  4. ^ "Kenzie Bok Endorses Sharon Durkan To Succeed Her As Next District 8 City Councilor". Beacon Hill Times. May 3, 2023. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  5. ^ "Sharon Durkan". Boston.gov. 10 August 2023. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  6. ^ a b Abrams, Nicole (19 October 2023). "City councilors speak on Israeli-Palestinian conflict". The Daily Free Press. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
  7. ^
  8. ^ McDonald, Danny. "In Boston's council election, Mayor Michelle Wu tries to flex her influence". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  9. ^ a b c "Sharon Durkan". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 26 Jan 2024.
  10. ^ Reed, Russ (18 February 2024). "Boston City Council discusses congestion pricing for drivers". WCVB. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  11. ^ Rojo, Carla (15 February 2024). "City leaders consider plan to license Boston merchandise". NBC Boston. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
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