Marty Walsh

Marty Walsh

Martin Joseph Walsh (born April 10, 1967) is an American politician and trade union official who served as the mayor of Boston from 2014 to 2021 and as the 29th United States Secretary of Labor from 2021 to 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, Walsh resigned from his position as the US Secretary of Labor in March 2023 in order to accept a position as executive director of the National Hockey League Players' Association. Before his mayoralty, he served as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, representing the 13th Suffolk district from 1997 until 2014. As a trade union member, Walsh worked his way up to serve as the head ("general agent") of the Boston Building Trades Council from 2011 until 2013. In politics, Walsh was elected in 1997 to the Massachusetts House of Representatives, holding his seat in that body until becoming mayor of Boston.Walsh was elected mayor of Boston in 2013 and was reelected in 2017. Walsh was regarded as friendly towards real estate developers, and the city experienced a building boom during his mayoralty. In 2021, Walsh successfully added to the city's zoning code policies inspired by the federal affirmatively furthering fair housing policy. As mayor, Walsh successfully negotiated for a 40-minute school day extension in Boston Public Schools. Walsh served on the leadership of the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group. During much of Walsh's mayoralty, Boston struggled with homelessness at Mass and Cass, a matter that was unresolved at the time Walsh departed from office. While Walsh supported Boston's bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics, he ultimately reneged on his commitment to signing the Host City Contract's financial guarantee which contributed to the collapse of the bid. Walsh supported Boston retaining its status as a sanctuary city. In 2015, Walsh supported the passage of a city ordinance to provide municipal employees with paid parental leave. The ordinance was passed and signed into law by Walsh. Walsh supported an ordinance in the city council, which regulated short-term rental of housing units, and signed it into law in 2018. In 2016, Boston and General Electric struck a deal for the corporation to move its headquarters to Boston. At the end of his tenure, Walsh dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic's impacts on Boston.From March 2021 until March 2023, Walsh served in the Cabinet of President Joe Biden as United States secretary of labor. Walsh was the first former union leader to serve in the position in roughly 45 years. Walsh, a recovering alcoholic who has been sober since 1995, was the first-ever Cabinet member to openly be in a twelve-step program for recovery from addiction. In March 2023, Walsh departed the Department of Labor in order to serve as the executive director of the National Hockey League Players' Association.

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