Wu administration

Over the last five weeks, five candidates pulled papers to run for Boston City Council seats in this year’s election. While there’s nothing unusual about the timing — savvy candidates know an early start can be key to successful fundraising — three of the candidates share an employer who some say has played an outsized role in Council politics.

While Boston was declared a so-called majority-minority city following the 2000 U.S. Census, the Wu administration marks the first time people of color make up more than a third of cabinet positions in a mayoral administration.