In the face of Wu’s (72 percent) popularity, friends, critics decry ‘listening’ issues

Josh Kraft, center, spoke at the Ironworkers Local 7 union hall on Election night, Sept. 9. Kraft attracted a core group of Mayor Wu's vocal critics to his campaign, but dropped out of the race after only winning roughly 23 percent of the vote in the preliminary election, compared to 72 percent for Wu. Cassidy McNeeley photo

When asked by The Reporter before the preliminary election to grade Mayor Wu’s administration, at-large City Council candidate Alexandra Valdez, who directs the city’s Office of Cultural Affairs, gave it a B-minus, citing “significant challenges” in community engagement, among other areas. At-large candidate Will Onuoha, executive director of the Mayor’s Office for Fair Housing, gave a similar assessment in the survey, which was co-sponsored by the Boston Municipal Re