John Barros facts for kids

Quick facts for kids John Barros
Barros in 2013
Boston Chief of Economic Development
In office February 2014 – February 2021
Mayor	Marty Walsh
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Midori Morikawa (interim)
Member of the Boston School Committee
In office 2010–2013
Personal details
Born	1973 (age 51–52) Roxbury, Boston Massachusetts, U.S.
Residences	Dorchester, Boston
Alma mater	Dartmouth College Tufts University
Profession	Businessman Civic Organizer

John F. Barros (born in 1973) is an American leader who works in business and helps communities. He used to be the chief of economic development for the City of Boston. This means he helped Boston's economy grow and created jobs.

He also led the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative, a group that helps a specific neighborhood. John Barros ran for mayor of Boston in 2013 and 2021, but he did not win. Today, he works for a real estate company called Cushman & Wakefield in Boston.

John Barros's Early Life and School

John Barros's parents came from the Cape Verde Islands. His father moved to Cape Cod in the 1950s to work in cranberry farms. Later, his parents moved to Boston, where they raised John and his four brothers and sisters in the Roxbury neighborhood.

John went to public school until he was a teenager. Then, he attended Boston College High School. After high school, he went to Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. At Dartmouth, John studied Economics and African American history. He was involved in student groups and theater. He also studied for a master's degree in Public Policy at Tufts University, which he later earned.

John Barros first got involved with the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative (DSNI) when he was 14 years old. This group works to improve the Dudley Street neighborhood. By the time he was 17, he was on its board of directors. He was the first young person to be elected to the board. His work with DSNI was shown in a 1996 movie called "Holding Ground."

John Barros's First Jobs

In 1996, John Barros started working for an insurance company called Chubb Group in New York City. He worked there until 1999. He helped new internet companies, often called "dot-com" startups, with their insurance needs.

In 1999, he moved back to Boston to become the executive director of the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative (DSNI). During his time leading DSNI, he was featured in another movie about the group, "Gaining Ground," in 2012. He left DSNI to run for mayor in 2013.

Besides his work with DSNI, John Barros also directed the Cape Verdean Community UNIDO from 2000 to 2006. In 2002, he and his brothers opened a restaurant in Boston called Restaurante Cesaria. He also helped with Barack Obama's presidential campaign in 2008.

In 2010, Mayor Tom Menino chose John Barros to be on the Boston School Committee. He was the first person of Cape Verdean heritage to serve on this committee. He left this role in 2013 to prepare for his mayoral campaign.

Running for Mayor in 2013

John Barros, a member of the Democratic Party, ran for mayor of Boston in 2013. This was a nonpartisan election, meaning candidates did not run as Democrats or Republicans. He announced his plan to run in April 2013.

He did not make it past the first round of voting, called the primary election. He finished sixth with about 8% of the votes. Even though he lost, his campaign helped him become much more well-known in Boston.

Before he decided to run, Marty Walsh asked John Barros to work on his own mayoral campaign. Walsh and Barros had been friends for a long time and grew up near each other. However, in the 2013 primary, they ended up running against each other.

After the primary, John Barros supported Marty Walsh in the general election. He actively campaigned to help Walsh win.

Boston's Chief of Economic Development

After Marty Walsh became mayor, he chose John Barros to be Boston's chief of economic development. This was a new job created by Mayor Walsh. It meant Barros would lead efforts to grow the city's economy.

His job included helping neighborhoods grow, promoting Boston to other cities and countries, creating new jobs, and supporting small businesses. He also oversaw the Boston Redevelopment Authority, which plans city development.

John Barros started this new role on February 11, 2014. He was the first person to hold this position. He said his main goals were to make sure everyone had economic opportunities, to develop neighborhoods, and to encourage new ideas.

For his first two years, Barros worked mostly behind the scenes. But in January 2016, he gained a lot of attention. It was announced that General Electric, a very large company, would move its main office to Boston. John Barros played a key part in making this happen.

The Boston Globe newspaper named Barros and three other people "Bostonians of the Year" in 2016. They were recognized for bringing General Electric's headquarters to the city. In 2018, Boston magazine ranked Barros 15th on its list of "The 100 Most Influential People in Boston."

Barros also wanted businesses to stay open later at night. He helped lead the "Imagine Boston 2030" plan, which was a vision for the city's future. He worked with groups like MassChallenge and MassRobotics to boost innovation in Boston. He also helped coordinate Boston's bid to host the 2024 Summer Olympics.

In February 2021, John Barros left his position to run for mayor again. Mayor Walsh was leaving his job because President Joe Biden nominated him to be the United States Secretary of Labor.

Running for Mayor in 2021

Barros (far right) campaigning in 2021

In March 2021, John Barros announced he would run for mayor in the 2021 Boston mayoral election. If he had won, he would have been the first Black man to become mayor of Boston.

News reports before the election said that Barros was struggling to gain support and was considered an "underdog." The Boston Globe said he was "trailing the pack" in surveys. However, Barros said he was confident and questioned if the surveys were accurate. In the end, he placed fifth in the primary election, with just over 3% of the votes.

What John Barros Does Now

In November 2021, John Barros became a managing principal for the Boston office of the real estate company Cushman & Wakefield. In January 2022, he also became the first visiting professional at Boston College's Joseph E. Corcoran Center for Real Estate and Urban Action. This center is part of the Carroll School of Management.

Awards and Special Recognition

John Barros has received several awards for his community work. These include:

• The first Community Service Award from the Boston Day & Evening Academy in 2008.
• The Robert Leo Ruffin Award from the Archdiocese of Boston in 2004.
• The Action for Boston Community Development Roxbury Community Award in 2000.

John Barros's Family Life

John Barros married his wife, Tchintcia, in 2011. They have two children. He lives in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston. He is also a lay leader at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in his community.

How John Barros Voted in Elections

Here are the results from the mayoral elections John Barros participated in: