City Councilor-At-Large Sam Yoon joined mayoral candidate Michael Flaherty’s ‘Campaign for Courage’ as intended deputy mayor after Flaherty’s invitation last week, Flaherty said at a press conference Tuesday.’
Flaherty said the partnership was not established prior to the preliminary elections last Tuesday and was very spur of the moment. Flaherty said he called Yoon 24 to 48 hours after the preliminary election and they met on Friday to solidify the partnership.
‘We cannot wait for change to happen. This city is stuck in neutral and in order to move we need the next generation of leadership,’ Flaherty said at the press conference. ‘I am proud to invite Yoon so we can take Boston to the next level.’
Before responding to Flaherty, Yoon said he discussed the partnership with his family since they had just finished a grueling campaign.
‘I agreed because Flaherty said that ‘together we can change Boston,” Yoon said.
Flaherty said that there have been deputy mayors before, and they serve under the mayor’s guidance.
‘It is not healthy to be under just one person,’ Flaherty said. ‘We have had deputy mayors before and they serve at the will of the mayor.’
‘Deputy mayor means like the vice president is to the president, it is not a new concept but never before has a deputy mayor campaigned with the mayoral candidate,’ Yoon said.
Flaherty said it was important to announce the decision in a timely manner because they want to be transparent to their voters. He said the next step is to integrate their respective field organizations.
Although Yoon’s name will not appear on the election ballot, they will be combining resources to campaign together, Flaherty and Yoon said.
Boston University students said they have mixed reactions to the announcement.
‘It is good strategy to get more votes, but I am not sure about the morals behind it,’ College of Arts and Sciences freshman Bertie Wright said. ‘It reminds me very much of when [former presidential candidate U.S. Sen. John] McCain asked [former Alaska governor Sarah] Palin to join as VP to get the women votes.’
Former Massachusetts Sen. Bill Owens, who has supported the Yoon campaign since the beginning, said this partnership is like a marriage that people enter into to elevate themselves for the better.
‘It’s a brilliant move and has been replicated in the federal government as well,’ Owens said. ‘There was absolutely no reason to not do it, and I think they will beat Menino.’
College of Communication graduate student Erin Kelly said she thinks it will be hard for anyone to win against Boston’s longest serving mayor, incumbent Mayor Thomas Menino, who has held office for 16 years.
‘It seems like Menino has a very big lead and it will take a lot of engagement in the community to beat him,’ Kelly said.
Representatives for Menino’s campaign were unavailable for comment at press time.
Flaherty and Yoon said Boston politics have been too much about getting credit and not enough about collaboration, which is what this partnership offers to the voters.
‘This is a historic opportunity for the next generation of leadership,’ Flaherty said. ‘We were pretty polite to each other during the preliminary election campaigns and even then it was not about running against each other but more of running against the system.’
Yoon aide David Halbert said Yoon is very excited about the move.
‘ ‘I think that everybody [at the press conference] wants to do what is best for the city and this is it,’ he said.
COM junior Robin Greenbaum said Flaherty and Yoon are making the campaign look like a fight against a one-man tyrant ‘- Menino.
‘It’s just a stupid idea,’ Greenbaum said. ‘Isn’t the whole point of running for office and winning to take the credit?’
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