North End restaurateur Jorge Mendoza says he’s so fed up with City Hall he’s running for a council seat in Tuesday’s special election.
It will have to be a sticker campaign, but the self-described “adopted son” of Boston tells the Herald he’s willing to take the chance.
“The city of Boston is failing the people and I feel I have to do something about it,” he said Wednesday evening in announcing his last-minute campaign. “I will be a vocal challenge to Mayor Wu.”
Mendoza said his anger at Wu boiled over when she rolled out a North End-only $7,500 fee for any restaurant seeking outdoor seating. As the Herald reported Tuesday, 67 restaurants have agreed to pay the fee — but not without a lot of protests.
“This is just the beginning,” he said. “This is only a one-year term and I will run again and I will run against the mayor after that.”
Mendoza said stickers will be made available to voters on Tuesday when polls open for now-state Sen. Lydia Edwards District 1 seat.
East Boston resident Gabriela “Gigi” Coletta, 29, Edwards’ former campaign chief, is vying for the council seat along with Tania Del Rio, 36, also in the race. She’s also an Eastie resident. The council seat represents the North End, East Boston and Charlestown.
It’s a winner takes all runoff. Handing out stickers will be sticky. The rules state a candidate can’t politick within 150 feet of a polling station.
Mendoza said he’ll follow the rules and wants to thwart “riots” in the streets, crime in the neighborhoods, help Boston schools and return to the old exam school system without any weighted entrance.
He’s also against crimes and discrimination against Asians and he wants to bring back the Christopher Columbus Park statue.
“I’m seriously going through with this,” he added. “I’m an adopted son of the North End and Boston. … I escaped from Argentina in 1984 and I love my neighbors.” He owns two Monica’s restaurants and his brothers own two others.
“I don’t want the North End to be like the Seaport,” he added, “and if we don’t stand up to the mismanagement of the city we could end up like Chicago.”
