Boston City Councilor Michael Flaherty says he will not run for re-election: ‘A surprise to many’

In a shocker, longtime Boston City Councilor Michael Flaherty has announced that he will not run for re-election.

Flaherty, who has been on the council for 20 years and previously ran for mayor, said on Wednesday that he has withdrawn his name from the At-Large City Council race. He has topped the At-Large race several times.

Flaherty said he has no current plans to run for another public office.

“It has been an honor of a lifetime to serve the city that I love,” Flaherty tweeted. “Thank you to all my supporters along the way.”

“While this decision will come as a surprise to many, I reached it after much deliberation and self-reflection over the past few months, and in close consultation with my wife and family,” he wrote.

“By the end of this year, I will have served on the City Council for twenty years. I believe I have served the city of Boston and its residents faithfully and effectively during my tenure, and it is now time to turn the page and move on to the next chapter of my life.”

Between Flaherty and Frank Baker departing the council, the body will be losing more moderate and right-of-center voices.

Born and raised in Boston, Flaherty’s father served as a Massachusetts state representative.

After graduating from BC High, Flaherty worked his way through Boston College and Boston University School of Law as a Local 25 Teamster. Following law school, he worked as an assistant district attorney in Suffolk County.

Flaherty ran for the council in 1999 and served from 2000 to 2008, spending five years as Council President.

Then in 2009, Flaherty challenged Mayor Tom Menino, who had been in office for 16 years. Flaherty lost the mayor’s race, and worked in law before returning to the City Council in 2013.

“While I have no present plans to run for another public office, I will remain committed to the causes important to me and hundreds of thousands of other Boston residents,” Flaherty wrote. “While my time on the City Council may be drawing to a close, I will continue to fight in my own way, in a new way, to help keep Boston the best major city in America in which to live, work, and raise a family.”

After Flaherty’s announcement on Wednesday, City Council President Ed Flynn called Flaherty “an outstanding lawyer and loyal friend.”

“He has served as a champion on many issues in the city, including LGBTQ+ & Civil rights, public safety, community preservation, the PILOT Program, and affordable housing among many others,” Flynn said in a statement. “Although the city will miss his courageous and ethical leadership and unparalleled knowledge of city government to bring people together, we will look to follow his example and legacy of treating all with respect and dignity to help move Boston forward.”