The Politics of Boston After Two Centuries of White Men Mayors, Women of Color October 31, 2021 – White men have served as Boston mayors since its founding but on Tuesday voters will elect one of two women of color in a city scarred with a national reputation for vehemently fighting busing and housing integration. “That’s a reputation Boston maintains but it’s definitely one that the city wants to move away from,” said Dr. Erin O’Brien of the University of Massachusetts Boston political science department.