BOSTON ─ On Wednesday, August 15, 1199SEIU members who live and/or work in Boston interviewed 15 candidates for the Boston City Council at the union headquarters in Dorchester.



The event was quite a success as union members asked hard-hitting questions ranging from violence in Boston neighborhoods to the importance of healthcare to reducing substance abuse in the city to the importance of helping non-union workers organize.



Interviewees in the at-large race included: Catherine O’Neill, Jeff Ross, Michelle Wu, Ramon Soto, Annissa George, Jack Kelly, and incumbent Boston City Councilors Steve Murphy, Ayanna Pressley, and Michael Flaherty. Interviewees in the district race included: Suzanne Lee (District 2), incumbent Boston City Councilor Bill Linehan (District 2), Mimi Turchinetz (District 5), Jean-Claude Sannon (District 5), Ava Callendar (District 5), and Tim McCarthy (District 5).



With 19 candidates running for Boston City Council at-large seats and 20 candidates running for district seats, 1199SEIU members are preparing themselves for an exciting race. The conference room at the union hall was filled with union members eager to get active and elect the candidates who will serve Boston well and be the type of leaders who have a long-lasting impact on the city.



“You’ll be able to understand their background. These forums are a better way of hearing why they’ll be a good candidate for the community at large,” said Dorothy Shakir, a personal care attendant from Mattapan who said it was her first time attending an 1199SEIU political forum. “This is a great way to see how the candidates think.”



Though the interview process for all 15 candidates was quite lengthy, the forum does not guarantee that 1199SEIU members will make an endorsement at all. Given the large number of candidates for the seat, union members may choose to abstain from making an endorsement until a later period. However, 1199SEIU members are determined to make an impact in this election as they have in many elections before on the municipal, statewide, and federal levels.



The municipal primary will be on Tuesday, September 24. The municipal election will take place on Tuesday, November 5. For more information on how to get involved in 1199SEIU political activities, please call 617-284-1146.