Michael Flaherty (Massachusetts)
Michael Flaherty was an at-large member of the Boston City Council in Massachusetts. He assumed office in 2014. He left office on January 1, 2024.
Flaherty ran for re-election for an at-large seat of the Boston City Council in Massachusetts. He won in the general election on November 2, 2021.
Biography
Flaherty graduated from Boston College High School, Boston College, and Boston University School of Law. He worked as an assistant district attorney at the Office of Suffolk County District Attorney for two years. His professional experience also includes working as a partner at the law firm of Adler Pollock & Sheehan.[1]
Elections
2021
See also: City elections in Boston, Massachusetts (2021)
General election
General election for Boston City Council At-large (4 seats)
The following candidates ran in the general election for Boston City Council At-large on November 2, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Michael Flaherty (Nonpartisan) | 17.4 | 62,602 |
| ✔ |  | Julia Mejia (Nonpartisan) | 17.3 | 62,058 |
| ✔ |  | Ruthzee Louijeune (Nonpartisan)  | 15.3 | 54,898 |
| ✔ |  | Erin Murphy (Nonpartisan) | 12.0 | 43,076 |
 | David Halbert (Nonpartisan) | 11.9 | 42,765 | |
| Carla Monteiro (Nonpartisan) | 11.1 | 39,876 | ||
| Bridget Nee-Walsh (Nonpartisan) | 7.7 | 27,591 | ||
 | Althea Garrison (Nonpartisan) | 7.0 | 25,078 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.4 | 1,350 | ||
| Total votes: 359,294 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Boston City Council At-large (4 seats)
The following candidates ran in the primary for Boston City Council At-large on September 14, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Michael Flaherty (Nonpartisan) | 15.0 | 41,509 |
| ✔ | | Julia Mejia (Nonpartisan) | 14.1 | 38,919 |
| ✔ | | Ruthzee Louijeune (Nonpartisan) | 12.1 | 33,546 |
| ✔ | | Erin Murphy (Nonpartisan) | 8.3 | 22,938 |
| ✔ | Carla Monteiro (Nonpartisan) | 6.8 | 18,911 | |
| ✔ | | David Halbert (Nonpartisan) | 6.1 | 17,012 |
| ✔ | | Althea Garrison (Nonpartisan) | 6.1 | 16,906 |
| ✔ | Bridget Nee-Walsh (Nonpartisan) | 5.5 | 15,191 | |
| Kelly Bates (Nonpartisan) | 4.6 | 12,787 | ||
| Alexander Gray (Nonpartisan) | 4.1 | 11,320 | ||
| Jonathan Spillane (Nonpartisan) | 4.1 | 11,217 | ||
 | Said Abdikarim (Nonpartisan) | 2.8 | 7,767 | |
 | Domingos DaRosa (Nonpartisan) | 2.5 | 7,011 | |
 | Donnie Palmer (Nonpartisan) | 2.5 | 6,861 | |
 | Roy Owens (Nonpartisan) | 1.9 | 5,265 | |
| James Colimon (Nonpartisan) | 1.7 | 4,693 | ||
| Nick Vance (Nonpartisan) | 1.4 | 3,968 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.3 | 873 | ||
| Total votes: 276,694 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2019
See also: City elections in Boston, Massachusetts (2019)
General election
General election for Boston City Council At-large (4 seats)
The following candidates ran in the general election for Boston City Council At-large on November 5, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Michelle Wu (Nonpartisan) | 20.7 | 41,664 |
| ✔ |  | Annissa Essaibi George (Nonpartisan) | 17.0 | 34,109 |
| ✔ | | Michael Flaherty (Nonpartisan) | 16.6 | 33,284 |
| ✔ | | Julia Mejia (Nonpartisan) | 11.2 | 22,492 |
 | Alejandra St. Guillen (Nonpartisan) | 11.2 | 22,491 | |
| Erin Murphy (Nonpartisan) | 8.4 | 16,867 | |
| Althea Garrison (Nonpartisan) | 8.1 | 16,189 | |
| David Halbert (Nonpartisan) | 6.6 | 13,214 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.4 | 704 | ||
| Total votes: 201,014 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Boston City Council At-large (4 seats)
The following candidates ran in the primary for Boston City Council At-large on September 24, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Michelle Wu (Nonpartisan) | 19.4 | 26,663 |
| ✔ | | Annissa Essaibi George (Nonpartisan) | 13.8 | 19,020 |
| ✔ | | Michael Flaherty (Nonpartisan) | 13.7 | 18,788 |
| ✔ | | Alejandra St. Guillen (Nonpartisan) | 8.7 | 11,929 |
| ✔ | | Julia Mejia (Nonpartisan) | 7.9 | 10,817 |
| ✔ | | Althea Garrison (Nonpartisan) | 7.1 | 9,737 |
| ✔ | | Erin Murphy (Nonpartisan) | 6.8 | 9,398 |
| ✔ | | David Halbert (Nonpartisan) | 4.8 | 6,547 |
| Martin Keogh (Nonpartisan) | 4.5 | 6,249 | ||
| Jeffrey Ross (Nonpartisan) | 3.7 | 5,084 | ||
| Priscilla Flint-Banks (Nonpartisan) | 3.0 | 4,103 | ||
| Domingos DaRosa (Nonpartisan) | 2.1 | 2,843 | |
| Michel Denis (Nonpartisan) | 1.5 | 2,113 | ||
 | William King (Nonpartisan) | 1.3 | 1,811 | |
| Herb Alexander Lozano (Nonpartisan) | 1.1 | 1,511 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.6 | 767 | ||
| Total votes: 137,380 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2017
The city of Boston, Massachusetts, held elections for mayor and city council on November 7, 2017. A primary election occurred on September 26, 2017. All 13 seats on the city council were up for election. The filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was May 23, 2017.
The following candidates ran in the general election for four at-large seats on the Boston City Council.[2]
| Boston City Council, At-large General Election, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Michelle Wu Incumbent |
24.47% | 65,040 |
| Ayanna Pressley Incumbent |
21.64% | 57,520 |
| Michael Flaherty Incumbent |
19.44% | 51,673 |
| Annissa Essaibi George Incumbent |
17.14% | 45,564 |
| Althea Garrison | 6.87% | 18,253 |
| Domingos DaRosa | 4.38% | 11,647 |
| William King | 3.30% | 8,773 |
| Pat Payaso | 2.30% | 6,124 |
| Write-in votes | 0.46% | 1,230 |
| Total Votes | 265,824 | |
| Source: City of Boston, "Official At-Large Election Results," accessed November 27, 2017 | ||
2015
The city of Boston, Massachusetts, held elections for city council on November 3, 2015. A primary election took place on September 8, 2015. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was May 19, 2015. All 13 city council seats were up for election. Annissa Essaibi George and incumbents Michael Flaherty, Ayanna Pressley, and Michelle Wu won the four at-large seats. Incumbent Stephen J. Murphy was defeated.[3][4]
| Boston City Council At-large, General election, 2015 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Ayanna Pressley Incumbent |
24.2% | 31,783 |
| Michelle Wu Incumbent |
22.0% | 28,908 |
| Michael Flaherty Incumbent |
20.2% | 26,473 |
| Annissa Essaibi George |
17.9% | 23,447 |
| Stephen J. Murphy Incumbent | 14.9% | 19,546 |
| Write-in votes | 0.86% | 1,131 |
| Total Votes | 131,288 | |
| Source: City of Boston, "November 3, 2015 - Municipal Election," accessed December 7, 2015 | ||
Campaign themes
2021
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Michael Flaherty did not complete Ballotpedia's 2021 Candidate Connection survey.
2019
Michael Flaherty did not complete Ballotpedia's 2019 Candidate Connection survey.
2017
Flaherty's website highlighted the following campaign themes:[5]
Creative economy
- Excerpt: "Michael supports the creation of a city cabinet-level level position that will directly oversee, coordinate, and facilitate all programs relating to promotion of the city’s artistic community."
Youth intervention
- Excerpt: "Boston is not such a large city that youth at risk cannot be better identified for comprehensive early intervention by parents, teachers and other school officials, police, public health officials, probation officers, youth workers, clergy, and others, at the very first signs of risk. There needs to be a renewed emphasis on breaking the cycle where youth at risk become youthful offenders, then repeat offenders, then adult felons."
Housing
- Excerpt: "Michael believes that more must be done to encourage new family-sized housing. Density incentives, residential development incentives based on proximity to public transit, zoning flexibility for adaptive re-use projects that would convert underutilized commercial space into family-based housing, and density levels that take into consideration the differences between emerging downtown neighborhoods and smaller-scale traditional neighborhoods, all must be given consideration."
Green jobs
- Excerpt: "Michael endorses establishing city-sponsored training opportunities for marginalized populations, including a Green Jobs Corps such as the one operated in Oakland, California."
Education
- Excerpt: "Michael believes we can turn around our failing schools through bold reforms such as shifting to a school-based management system where principals are given greater authority to make decisions that best meet the needs of their particular student population."
Equality & civil rights
- Excerpt: "During Michael's term as an at-Large member of the City Council, and under his leadership as five-term president of that body, the City of Boston finally enacted a transgender protection ordinance, an effort which he helped lead."
Public safety
- Excerpt: "A former Suffolk County prosecutor, Michael recognizes we can’t hope to simply arrest our way out of the city’s scourge of drug crime. He continues to call for more and better drug treatment options for those caught in the cycle of dependence and despair which fuels most of Boston’s street violence."
Public health
- Excerpt: "From the beginning of his career as an elected official, Michael has prioritized addressing the public health crisis in Boston caused by drug and alcohol abuse, particularly among teens."
Endorsements
2017
Flaherty received the following endorsements in 2017:[6]
- Boston Police Superior Officers Federation
- NAGE SEIU
- SEIU Local 888
- Boston Teachers Union
- Greater Boston Labor Council
- 1199 SEIU - United Healthcare Workers East
- Boston Carmen's Union, Local 589
- New England Regional Council of Carpenters
- Teamsters, Local 25
- AFSCME Council 93
- Unite Here! Local 26
- Boston Firefighters, Local 718
See also
2021 Elections
External links
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Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Michael Flaherty campaign website, "About Michael," accessed July 7, 2017
- ↑ City of Boston, "Election Department Certifies Candidates For Municipal Election," June 5, 2017
- ↑ City of Boston, "General Election Candidate List," accessed September 22, 2015
- ↑ City of Boston, "Unofficial Election Results," November 3, 2015
- ↑ Michael Flaherty campaign website, "On the Issues," accessed July 7, 2017
- ↑ Michael Flaherty campaign website, "Endorsements," accessed July 7, 2017
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