Boston residents are being told to brace for higher taxes as the city grapples with falling commercial property values, stubbornly high office vacancies, and a downtown tax base that still hasn’t recovered from the pandemic.

At the same time, Mayor Michelle Wu is moving to expand City Hall’s communications operation, lining up new senior hires whose combined cost to taxpayers could approach $700,000 a year once salaries, benefits, and perks are included.

The jobs City Hall is hiring for

According to current job postings, the Mayor’s Office is looking to add multiple high-level communications and speechwriting roles:

• Chief of Communications
  Salary range: $175,000 to $185,000
  Oversees City Hall’s communications strategy, press operations, digital messaging, and speechwriting.

• Director of Speechwriting
  Salary range: $106,250 to $143,736
  Leads the mayor’s speechwriting operation, producing major speeches, remarks, and official messaging.

• Deputy Director of Speechwriting
  Salary range: $88,308 to $125,291
  Supports the speechwriting team and manages day-to-day messaging and coordination.

At the top of the listed ranges, base pay alone totals $454,027 per year.

The real cost to taxpayers

Once standard municipal benefits are included — pensions, health insurance, paid leave, and payroll taxes — total compensation typically rises by 30 to 40 percent. Add downtown parking perks, and the annual cost climbs further.

Using conservative estimates, the total cost of these three positions lands well over $600,000 a year, pushing close to $700,000 annually.

It’s 2025 — and speechwriting is easier than ever

The hiring push raises an obvious question: why now?

It’s 2025. Writing speeches, talking points, and polished remarks has never been faster or cheaper. AI tools are now widely used across media, government, and the private sector to generate drafts and refine messaging in seconds.

Many organizations have trimmed communications teams and leaned on modern software to do work that once required multiple full-time staffers. Against that backdrop, critics are questioning why City Hall believes it needs to lock in hundreds of thousands of dollars in new, recurring payroll costs just to put words on paper.

What the speechwriters will actually be doing

City Hall hasn’t really explained what nearly $700,000 a year in new speechwriting hires will deliver, but taxpayers can probably guess.

These are the people residents will be paying to explain why a 13 percent tax hike is “necessary,” “responsible,” and somehow good for them — while reassuring everyone that Boston is doing great, actually, and that any frustration about higher bills is just a messaging issue. They’ll also be there to smooth things over if crime numbers tick up or quality-of-life complaints keep piling up.

In short, this isn’t about cutting costs or tightening belts. It’s about paying for better explanations of why taxes need to go up, why City Hall doesn’t need to slim down, and why residents should stop worrying and trust the script.

The timing raising eyebrows

All of this is unfolding as Boston’s finances look increasingly fragile. Downtown office vacancies remain high, commercial property values are under pressure, and city leaders have warned that residential taxpayers may be asked to make up the difference as revenues decline.

For residents staring down higher tax bills, the question isn’t complicated: if money is tight and taxes are about to rise, why is City Hall choosing now to spend nearly $700,000 a year on speechwriters?