Boston Police Commissioner William Gross said Monday he's considering running for mayor of the city but hasn't decided yet.
He made the comments after The Boston Globe reported he was seriously considering a bid for mayor.
"Out of deep respect, I'm going to give deep consideration. But there is one thing that rings true, I would never be as presumptuous as to just throw my hat in the ring when the mayor was just announced, God bless him and congrats," Gross said at a news conference Monday afternoon. "And I will have to talk to my family and the mayor and my friends about this."
Gross made the comment after receiving his first dose of the Moderna vaccine with other first responders and said making the decision to run was not something he could decide in just a few days.
Boston's mayoral race is an open field following Marty Walsh's nomination for labor secretary under the incoming Biden Administration.
Gross made history in 2018 when he became Boston's first Black police commissioner.
City Councilors Michelle Wu and Andrea Campbell have already thrown their names into the race. Senator Elizabeth Warren has expressed her support for Wu.
According to the Globe, Gross's decision to run would factor into whether others, including City Council Michael Flaherty, may also choose to run.
Flaherty told The Boston Globe, Gross is “well-liked and respected across the city and he would be able to raise a lot of money quickly.”
“People are calling me across the city saying ‘If you’re not running, I’m with Willie Gross,’” Flaherty said.
