What to watch for as Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is sworn in for a second term

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu will be sworn in for her second term at Symphony Hall Monday morning. The ceremony will give her a public victory lap and a chance to assure residents that she has concrete plans to address challenges ranging from rising costs to improving schools.

The 40-year-old progressive leader glided back into office this fall after her lead opponent in the mayoral election, Josh Kraft, dropped out of the race following a decisive loss in the preliminary contest. Wu has planned a week-long series of events to mark her inauguration.

But as she prepares for another four years as the city’s chief executive, Wu faces a number of hurdles. That includes Boston’s high cost of living, a steep residential property tax hike after losing a high-profile battle with state legislators, and ongoing battles with the Trump administration over immigration enforcement and federal funding.

“I think hanging over all of those issues is the budget,” Boston Policy Institute Executive Director Greg Maynard said in an interview. “The budget is cost-of-living, right? We're seeing this big increase in taxes, and it looks like those tax increases are going to continue. We're seeing big cuts in education.”

The mayor asked all city departments to propose budgets for the next fiscal year that are 2% below current spending plans. Last month, a top budget writer for Boston Public Schools said the system plans to cut between 300 and 400 positions, primarily teachers and paraprofessionals.

Wu has said she'll focus on housing and education during her second term, but her team has yet to lay out a set of goals. The mayor could use her inauguration speech to detail specific policy priorities that she wants to tackle.

Housing costs have steadily increased in Greater Boston over the past year, and homeowners in the city face a 13% increase in their property tax bills in 2026. Wu failed for a second time to convince lawmakers in the state Senate to advance her proposal to shift more tax burden onto commercial property owners instead.

The median price for a single-family home in the area in November was $925,000, up 2.7% from October and 7.6% from November 2024. But the cost was still below the record-breaking $1 million last summer, according to the Greater Boston Association of Realtors.

Wu won high marks locally and across the country in 2025 for standing up to Trump’s threats against the city and its institutions. In March, she was summoned before Congress with three other mayors, where she ably fielded questions from Republicans accusing her of coddling criminals and undocumented immigrants.

The Trump administration sued the Boston last year over a city policy that limits cooperation with immigration authorities. Federal lawyers argued the policy, known as the Trust Act, violates federal law, but city attorneys said the measure is constitutionally protected.

On a separate front, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced last month that it's investigating whether the city discriminates against white people through home ownership programs that prioritize people of color.

Wu has consistently defended Boston and its practices. But as she heads into her second term, and as the Trump administration continues its attacks on Boston and other American cities, Wu will have to balance her attention between pressing local matters and the national fight with Trump.

Locally, the mayor still faces criticism in some quarters over the cost to rebuild White Stadium in Franklin Park, as a facility to host both Boston Public Schools athletics and a professional women's soccer team.

Kraft made the project a major issue during his unsuccessful bid for mayor. Wu has not released an updated cost estimate for the stadium after pledging to do so over the summer.

Wu was the only candidate on the November general election ballot after Kraft dropped out days after the September preliminary election. Wu pulled in 66,859 votes during the preliminary election, tens of thousands more than the 21,481 ballots cast for Kraft, according to city data.

The mayor’s swearing-in ceremony starts at 10 a.m. Monday, alongside members of the City Council. A week of inauguration festivities kicked off Sunday with “Boston Family Days,” which features free access to 14 cultural institutions.

Wu’s inauguration fund has already raised $15,000 from a limited liability company with an address connected to a lawyer at the firm Goodwin Procter, according to state campaign finance records.

In a statement outlining her inauguration, Wu said the events “will create space for joy, belonging and celebration while elevating the community voices and partners who are shaping Boston's present and future.”