DAVID TABER
City Councilor John Tobin has taken out papers to run for state Senate, but he is not lacing up his track shoes just yet.
He currently represents most of JP on the Boston City Council. If he is elected to the state seat, his district would only include the Forest Hills area of the neighborhood.
Over the last month, multiple news sources have named Tobin as a possible contender for the seat Sen. Marian Walsh, who represents the Suffolk and Norfolk district, would vacate if she is appointed to a state District Court judgeship. The Boston part of her district includes West Roxbury and parts of Roslindale.
Tobin told the Gazette he has “no intention of running against” Walsh, but, “We have been hearing rumors, and pretty serious ones about Senator Walsh not running because of a judgeship.”
Walsh has not yet received an appointment, and is currently planning to run for reelection this fall, according to reports.
He did say that if he were to mount a successful campaign for state office, it would, in part, be thanks to JP.
“Winning JP over was tough to do, and it’s made us better,” he said. “There are a number of active crime watches and civic associations. People aren’t shy about expressing their opinions to elected officials,” he said.
Tobin has long considered a mayoral run, and in a Boston Globe article, he said he would still consider running for mayor if incumbent Thomas Menino decides not to seek a fifth term.
According to reports City Councilor Robert Consalvo, who represents Hyde Park and Roslindale, is also considering a run for the state Senate seat, as is state Rep. Michael Rush, who represents West Roxbury and a small portion of the town of Brookline. Rush and Tobin competed against each other in 2001 in a heated race for the vacant City Council seat Tobin currently holds.
In addition to sections of Boston, the Suffolk and Norfolk district encompasses Dedham, Norwood and Westwood.