City Councilor Matt O’Malley, who lives in Jamaica Plain and represents most of the neighborhood, will not join the mayoral race, he told the Gazette.
“I am running for District 6 [City Council] reelection. I love my job,” said O’Malley. “I may run for mayor someday,” he added, but noted he has been in office only two years and would want more Boston City Council experience before making that sort of move.
He noted that his decision makes him the only councilor to publicly rule out a mayoral run this year. It also makes him one of the few JP elected officials not considering a run. O’Malley said the bevy of possible candidates from JP is not surprising both because of the neighborhood’s political power and its demographics.
“Jamaica Plain is the only neighborhood that can boast two state reps, a state senator and two city councilors living in the same ZIP code,” he said. “The vibrancy and diversity of Jamaica Plain represents the entire city.”
Any local candidate surely will seek political support from O’Malley, who also represents most of another high-voting neighborhood, West Roxbury.
“I’ve never been more popular than I am right now, at least among my colleagues,” O’Malley joked.