Pressley sets agenda for At-Large seat

After coming out on top in the race for At-Large City Councilor in last week’s municipal election, Boston City Councilor At-Large Ayanna Pressley said she is grateful for the opportunity to continue her political work.

“I am very humbled by the endorsement of the residents of this city,” Pressley, who had the largest percentage of the At-Large vote with more than 21 percent, said. “But moreover, this is an affirmation of my agenda, and that is an agenda that thousands of people care about.”

Originally from Chicago, Pressley  she said she graduated college in order to support her mother.

Before swearing into the City Council in 2010 as a resident of Dorchester, Pressley devoted more than 16 years to working a political career on the federal level as well as being active in the nonprofit community.

She served as senior aide to Congressman Joseph Kennedy II and Sen. John Kerry before she was recruited to run for an At-Large position, Pressley said.

Working as Kerry’s political director, Pressley said she agreed to enter the race although she had not been planning to run for anything. While she found her work rewarding, she said it continued the work she had already been doing as an aide.

“I knew it was great gamble and the odds were against me,” Pressley said. “I felt it was the right position, the right opportunity and the right time.”

Winning an At-Large seat in 2009, she became the first black woman to serve on Boston City Council.

Pressley said her life experiences have also contributed to her connection to local government.

As the daughter of a single parent and a victim of sexual assault, Pressley said she understands the impact that the government can have on people’s lives.

“I really love being a City Councilor because it is the form of government closest to the community,” Pressley said. “I didn’t run because I have all the answers, but I have some ideas and appreciate the opportunity to work with and for the community.”

Pressley said her agenda consists of efforts to eradicate poverty, to strengthen and stabilize Boston families and to empower and advance women and girls.

She is the chair of a new-standing committee, the Committee on Women & Healthy Communities, in addition to her positions as vice chair of the Arts, Film, Humanities & Tourism Committee and the vice chair of the Public Safety Committee.

When Councilor Maureen Feeney, of Dorchester, retired, Pressley became the sole city councilwoman.

In order to ensure that the City Council represents women and young girls, Pressley said she wants to continue her advocacy with issues that “uniquely” impact them.

These include teen pregnancy, human trafficking, domestic violence, sexual assault, advocating for more women in building trades and eliminating barriers for female entrepreneurs, she said.

“These are not women’s issues because there is no such thing as that,” Pressley said. “Any issue that is impacting grandmothers and daughters and sisters and mothers is impacting their families and entire communities.”

She said she is fortunate for a City Council that is “receptive and embracing of that agenda.”

Although there is not an equal representation of gender, Pressley said that she would never ask anyone to vote for her because she is a woman, but rather because she is the right person for the job based on her record, activism and experience.

“As an elected official, you run for reelection seeking endorsement from labor unions, but the greatest endorsement one can receive is on Election Day,” she said. “I wanted the opportunity to continue to do this work, and I’m grateful and honored that I get that chance.”

EDITOR’S NOTE: In an earlier version of this article, published in the print edition on Nov. 14, the writer incorrectly stated that Pressley graduated from Boston University.