Boston City Council tenure of Ayanna Pressley

Ayanna Pressley was first elected to the Boston City Council in November 2009, and served as an at-large member from January 2010 until joining the United States House of Representatives in January 2020. Upon being sworn in as a city councilor on January 4, 2010, she became the first woman of color to serve in the Boston City Council up to that point.

Pressley was one of the more liberal members of the council. She placed a strong focus to women's and children's issues during her tenure. She also focused on liquor license reform, protections against anti-transgender discrimination in municipal employee healthcare coverage, and matters related to schools.

Candidates seeking one of the four a-large seats on the Boston City Council all run in the same multi-seat election. In her 2011 election, Pressley placed fourth. In her 2011, 2013, and 2015 re-elections, Pressley was the top vote-getter in the at-large race. In her 2017 re-election, she placed second. In 2014, unsuccessfully made a last-minute bid for the city council presidency.