Walsh: 'I Never Bullied Anybody, Any Developer'

Boston, MA - Boston Mayor Marty Walsh says there's one thing that concerns him as stories from his time as head of Boston Building Trades continue to circulate -- "my character."

"I live my life a day at a time, and I try to live it with integrity," Walsh told Boston Herald Radio Wednesday morning.

The interview was scheduled well before the Boston Globe reported a federal wiretap has caught the mayor suggesting trouble could come to a developer over union issues. The conversation Wednesday centered largely on those allegations, which Walsh agreeably but adamantly disputed.

Walsh argued anyone who knows him knows what's been printed in the papers "is just not true."

"I never bullied anybody, any developer. That's just not my style," Walsh said.

• Marty Walsh and the Wiretap: Everything You Need to Know

Walsh told Boston Herald Radio he's not been notified of a wiretap and hasn't spoken with anyone involved in what's reported to be a sweeping federal probe into union tactics.

When pressed on whether the Globe article was wholly made up, Walsh tactfully took a pass.

"I'm not going to make news by saying somebody made something up, but it does bother me," he said. "Attacking somebody's integrity... I don't know if that sells papers or what."

As the interview progressed, Walsh more than once alluded to GOP frontrunner Donald Trump's cavalier style in contending with the press. He appreciates how Trump just lets media questions slide right off him, said Walsh, who otherwise has little love for the real estate mogul and reality star.

Ultimately, Walsh said, he needs to do his job.

"These are stories I might not totally agree with, but you still have to be mayor of this city," Walsh said. "All I know is, as mayor, I don't let this bother me. I move on."

Walsh has had plenty to do this week beyond the allegations. Most notably, he called out e-commerce giant Amazon Tuesday for the "egregious mistake" of skipping Roxbury in its Prime Same-Day Delivery rollout, prompting the company to reverse course.

>> Photo credit U.S. Department of the Interior via Flickr / Creative Commons