In state of city address, Wu mixes normal mayoral stuff with repeated warning to Washington: Don't mess with Boston

Mayor Wu tonight delivered a state of the city address that was equal parts warning to the current regime to back off  and highlights of more traditional mayoral achievements  - from 15,000 filled potholes to a new loan program to let households team up to buy multi-family homes.

No one tells Boston how to take care of our own. Not kings, and not presidents who think they are kings. Boston was born facing down bullies. ...

We are a city where the Irish coffee is strong and our opinions are stronger. We may not always agree or see eye to eye, but at the end of the day, we are a family. If you come for one of us, you will get all of us. We are a city that knows our strength is each other: And we will defend the people we love with all that we've got.

When the weight of the world presses down, Boston stands up.

It is because of this community - and the work we've done together - that I was able to raise my right hand [in Washington two weeks ago], swear an oath, and tell the nation the truth: That Boston is the greatest city on earth. ...

Wu then recounted victories that included more affordable housing, breaking down of racial disparities in everything from health to wealth, the first growth in BPS enrollment in a decade, a continuing decline in violent crime.

And she returned to the theme of Boston as a beacon to a country falling under darkness:

Over the last four years, we have shown the country what it looks like to build a team that reflects our communities - and build a foundation for tackling challenges no one thought possible. Together, we've shown the world that you can build a city that's safe, green, and growing - a home for everyone - if you refuse to give up.

Today, Boston is stronger, more determined, and prouder than ever to be who we are in a moment when we need each other and our nation needs Boston. So tonight, I can say that the State of our City is strong. And we have to be. 

Because all over the country, people are feeling the weight of a federal administration that's attacking our sources of strength - the same people and purpose that make Boston great: Public servants and veterans; immigrants and the LGBTQ+ community; the institutions that conduct groundbreaking research and provide lifesaving care. 

We are home to the nation's best hospitals, best colleges and universities, best labs and research facilities - they drive our economy, employ our residents, and make Boston America's engine of innovation. And today, they are all under attack. Boston is the target in this fight for our future because we are the cradle of democracy, pioneers of the public good, the stewards and keepers of the American Dream. We were built on the values this federal administration seeks to tear down.

But for 395 years, come high water or hell - no matter who threatens to bring it - Boston has stood up for the people we love and the country we built. And we're not stopping now.

She announced new initiatives: A program with Eversource and National Grid to install 5,000 heat pumps over the next three years; an expansion of the office-to-residential pilot under which colleges can convert unused space into dorms and workforce housing; an expansion of the Family Days program with more cultural sites local K-12 students and their parents can go for free and a Co-Purchasing Housing Pilot Program, under which the city will offer 0% deferred loans to households that team up to buy multi-family housing.

And then she returned to the world Boston now finds itself in - including her new daughter, Mira:

Two months ago, I welcomed my daughter into this world. The truth is, it's not the world I expected or hoped for her. I want her to grow up in a country that's admired, not feared. A country stable and safe, not one that feels like it's coming apart at the seams. 

I want her to grow up in the America that Paul Revere rode for; that Dr. King marched for; that my parents left home for. 

It's the same America that our faith leaders at St. Paul's joined hands and prayed for and that the people of Boston have rallied and fought for, every generation for 250 years. 

It's the version of America that belongs not to kings but to kin, where workers have dignity, and science is real. Where it's possible to go from living on the street to working Downtown, and eviction notices are replaced by the keys to your first home. Where energy is clean and affordable, and the best places are free for everyone; where every school has the resources and partnerships to challenge every student, and every student has space to grow and create.

The good news is: That is the America we are building in Boston. 

So while this national moment isn't the one I - and so many families - had hoped for, I am grateful that my daughter gets to call this city home.

Boston is not a city that tolerates tyranny.

We are the city that leads in the storm; that stands up under pressure, together; and finds strength in each other. We will defend the people we love with all that we've got.

I couldn't ask for more in a family.

God bless our city, God bless our people, and God save whoever messes with Boston.