11 Reasons To Vote For Marty Walsh For Mayor, As Told Through Boston Movies

Boston's next mayor will face many challenges, from growing inequality to improving our public schools. Marty Walsh is the man for the task. Let these guys tell you.

Marty Walsh has a solid record of accomplishment.

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As a legislator, Marty Walsh has taken tough votes, brought together broad coalitions, and gotten real results for Boston’s communities. His impact on his district in Dorchester has been huge - he's helped bring T stations for workers to get around and parks for families to enjoy. He’ll continue that work ethic as mayor of Boston.

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Marty Walsh is committed to public education.

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In the legislature, Walsh has been a champion for public education. “My ultimate goal is to make Boston Public Schools so good there there is no need for alternatives,” he told the Boston Globe, “In the city where public education was invented, we should be as renowned for our public schools as we are for our institutions of higher learning.”

He wants to go from this:

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To this:

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Marty Walsh knows what it's like to overcome tough odds.

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The son of Irish immigrants, Marty Walsh was diagnosed with Burkett's lymphoma, a form of cancer, as a young boy. Through incredible perseverance and the strength of his community, he survived. Read this incredible Globe article on his cancer fight.

You might say he gave cancer an uppercut. He'll do the same to Boston's challenges as mayor.

Marty Walsh understands how to spur economic development.

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The next mayor's number one priority should be creating good, family-sustaining jobs in the city of Boston. Walsh has bold ideas for job creation in Boston, from retrofitting downtown spaces and creating more "Innovation Districts" to make room for more startups to broader access to vocational education.

Marty Walsh voted to invest in public transportation.

Not only did he vote for better investments in transit as a legislator, Marty Walsh is a strong believer in the power of public transit to create jobs. "We've also got to look at additional service, bus lines, and more frequent bus lines," he told WGBH, "And the way I would do that as mayor of Boston is to work with MassDOT and the MBTA to get that additional service."

He also supports extending T hours on nights and weekends to spur nightlife and help Bostonians get home safely. Also, more time for geniuses to be introspective on the train.

Marty Walsh will hold big banks accountable.

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In recent years, big banks have engaged in unsavory foreclosure practices like robo-signing, and Bostonians have unfairly lost their homes as a result. Walsh has committed to ensuring that financial institutions follow the rules and that homeowners are treated with respect. He will use the bully pulpit of the mayor's office to promote better bank practices.

The banks will be like:

Marty will be like, "clean up your act, chowderheads."

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And there will be much rejoicing.

Marty Walsh was on the forefront of the fight for marriage equality.

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Same sex couples have been getting married in Massachusetts for almost a decade now, but it wasn't that long ago that marriage equality was a divisive issue in Boston and the rest of the Bay State. During the legislative fight, Marty served as floor whip for MassEquality. "Marty didn't hesitate when asked," wrote supporter Joyce Linehan, "despite the fact he knew there would be considerable resistance from the conservative corners of his diverse district."

So when many Bostonians were still like:

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Marty Walsh knew that supporting marriage rights for same sex couples was the right thing to do.

It was a "very gusty thing to do," said LGBT activist Arline Isaacson, who endorsed Walsh on October 3.

Marty Walsh is committed to reducing housing costs in Boston.

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You don’t have to be a mathematician to know that it’s getting expensive to live in Boston.

Marty Walsh will create more affordable housing units, develop more "workforce housing," provide resources to tenants, and help hold unscrupulous landlords accountable. He also seeks to push local colleges to build more on-campus housing for students, which takes the pressure off of the housing market.

"Walsh's plan foresees that we will have to think more strategically and more collaboratively if we are to foster growth that meets our evolving needs," writes BlueMassGroup diarist cannoneo.

Marty Walsh understands how to keep our streets safe.

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Combating street violence is a priority for Marty Walsh "We need to move forward now as far as trying to get to the root of problems," he said earlier this month. "And the root of the problem in a lot of the cases is poverty. And lack of opportunity. And we need to fix poverty and get more opportunity for folks."

Not only will he tackle inequality and advocate for expanded pre-K, he will also recruit police officers from the communities they will be patrolling in, so they understand who they are protecting.

By creating Building Pathways, Marty Walsh gave underrepresented workers a ticket to the middle class.

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In his leadership role with the building trades, Walsh created Building Pathways, a pre-apprenticeship program focused on training women and people of color for careers in the construction. By its fourth year, the program had such a strong reputation that 85 percent of participants had been placed at jobs prior to graduation.

As mayor, he'll make sure all Bostonians have opportunities to punch their ticket to Opening Day the middle class.

As a strong progressive, Marty Walsh will address Boston's growing inequality.

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The Boston metro area has greater inequality than 85 percent of metropolitan areas in the United States. You can't tackle education, public safety, or economic development without addressing Boston's growing inequality.

Through early childhood education, job training, workforce housing, downtown development, a firm commitment to public education, and other key investments, Marty Walsh is committed to delivering a thunderous progressive punch to this growing economic gap.

Psyched to vote for Marty on November 5?

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Click here to pledge to vote for Marty Walsh for mayor on November 5, or text VOTEMA to 30644.

Go Sox!

Paid for by Working America. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. www.workingamerica.org. Compiled by an actual Massperson who loves all these movies. Thumbnail image by skinnylawyer on Flickr.