Two potential Boston mayoral candidates coming from the fitting – Councilors Ed Flynn and Erin Murphy – should duke it out to resolve who takes the lead mantle to tackle progressives within the subsequent metropolis election.
Whereas Flynn and Murphy are actually allies, they may very well be climbing over one another for the highest place ought to newly-re-elected Mayor Michelle Wu go away or resolve to run for greater workplace within the subsequent few years.
However which is the true voice of the Wu resistance? Will they continue to be a crew or will they department off on their very own? The mayoral race isn’t sufficiently big for 2 moderates in left-leaning Boston.
Their very own future mayoral ambitions could quickly check their alliance and result in clashes. They should resolve which one is working and that day might come earlier than later if Wu – who has apparent nationwide ambitions – leaves earlier than her second time period comes up.
Each Flynn and Murphy have built-in benefits – they had been simply re-elected final November – but it surely’s unclear which would be the favourite of average to conservative voters sooner or later.
Flynn, son of former Boston Mayor Raymond Flynn, has the identify recognition, vitality and ambition to succeed, essential parts in a citywide race.
However Flynn, from South Boston, is just a district councilor whereas Murphy is an at-large councilor, that means she attracts voters from all throughout town each two years. Murphy completed third within the at-large race final yr, drawing 46,360 votes.
In contrast, Flynn garnered solely 8,600 votes to win his district race, getting 86% of the vote.
However Flynn’s father, Raymond, served as mayor from 1983-1993 and his identify is revered in lots of components of town. Ray Flynn stepped down from the mayor’s workplace in 1993 when he was named U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican by President Invoice Clinton.
Murphy thus far appears content material to let Flynn be extra out entrance on main points, a job he embraces.
However it additionally means Flynn is the one taking the danger of being humiliated by the hands of Wu and her hardball politics. The far left mayor has largely tried to both ignore or marginalize him – the identical technique she makes use of in opposition to Murphy.
Wu and her allies just like the Boston Globe barely point out both Flynn or Murphy and their initiatives. Flynn press releases go straight to the Globe rubbish bin.
And except WGBH decides to have an “Ask the Councilor” section, they are going to be ignored by different liberal media as properly.
Murphy has been making an attempt to extend her profile over the previous couple of months, placing out a shiny on-line e-newsletter on Monday honoring Martin Luther King, Jr.
“On Martin Luther King, Jr. day we honor a frontrunner who reminded us that justice will not be inevitable,” Murphy stated. “For me, today is a reminder that public service carries a duty to hear intently, to face with communities who’ve too typically been ignored, and to maintain pushing for a metropolis the place alternative is actual and shared.”
That language appears extra geared for progressives than moderates, indicating Murphy could also be resisting a label as a conservative and needs to make inroads with extra liberal voters.
Boston’s demographic is quickly altering, and any future mayoral contender can not simply enchantment to only previous time Boston – white and average to conservative Irish Individuals.
That’s why Flynn – who represents components of Chinatown – typically posts social media messages in Mandarin. He doesn’t wish to be pigeonholed as only a conservative.
