John R. Connolly

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John R. Connolly
John Connolly IMG 6364 - Version 2 (10678402686) (1).jpg
Member of the Boston City Council At-large
In office
January 2008 – January 2014
Preceded byFelix D. Arroyo
Succeeded byMichelle Wu
Personal details
Born
John Ronan Connolly

(1973-07-06) July 6, 1973 (age 48)
Roslindale, Massachusetts, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic[1]
Spouse(s)Megan Kassakian
Children3
Parent(s)
ResidenceWest Roxbury, Massachusetts
EducationHarvard University (AB)
Boston College (JD)

John Ronan Connolly[2] (born July 6, 1973)[3] is an American politician, former lawyer, and educator from Massachusetts. He served from 2008 to 2014 as an at-large member of the Boston City Council,[4] and was an unsuccessful candidate in the 2013 Boston mayoral election.[5]

Early life and family[]

Connolly was born in the Roslindale neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts.[6] Connolly comes from a politically connected family, is mother, Lynda Connolly, served as a Massachusetts court judge and his father, Michael J. Connolly, is a former Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth.[6] During his high school years, Connolly attended Roxbury Latin School. After graduating he earned his B.A. cum laude from Harvard University and later earned his J.D. from Boston College Law School.

Political career[]

Boston City Council[]

Connolly (second from right) at the 2012 East Boston Columbus Day Parade with other politicians

Connolly won an at-large seat on the Boston City Council in the November 2007 election. During the campaign, his campaign office admitted to mailing literature about incumbent councilor Stephen J. Murphy that came from an unknown source.[7] The acknowledgement came after a Boston Herald columnist accused the candidate of sending the unsigned, unattributed flyers.[8] Connolly took office in January 2008. He was successfully re-elected in the November 2009 and November 2011 elections.

Connolly was best known as a councilor for his work in relation to education.[9] In 2011, Connolly uncovered the fact that there was expired food in freezers at Boston schools when he made surprise visits to four schools' cafeterias.[10][9] In 2012, he was the only vote on the City Council against the teachers' contract, opposing the fact that it did not extend the school day.[10] Also in 2012, Connolly supported legislation proposed in the Massachusetts Senate for school reform.[11]

Connolly also did a notable amount of work as a councilor related to environmental matters.[9]

In 2009, Connolly proposed a measure imposing term limits on the city's mayor and city councilors. However, the Boston City Council rejected the measure.[12]

2013 mayoral campaign[]

See also: 2013 Boston mayoral election
Connolly delivers his concession speech after losing the 2013 Boston mayoral election

Connolly was a candidate in the 2013 Boston mayoral election. Connolly finished second of 12 candidates in the preliminary election in September 2013, behind State Representative Marty Walsh. On November 5, 2013, Connolly lost the general election to Walsh.

Connolly announced his candidacy on February 26, 2013.[13] At the time, many in the city believed that incumbent mayor Thomas Menino would be seeking a sixth term.[14] On March 27, 2013, Menino announced that he would not be seeking election, changing the dynamics of the race, making it the first open-race for Boston mayor in thirty years.[15]

Connolly framed himself as an education-focused candidate, making improving Boston Public Schools the central issue of his campaign.[16][17] He had even announced his candidacy at the city's Brighton High School.[18]

Connolly was endorsed by both of the city's major newspapers' editorial boards. In the primary, the editorial board of The Boston Globe made a dual-endorsement of both Connolly and John Barros.[19] In the general election, the editorial board of The Boston Globe, again, endorsed Connolly.[20] In the primary, the editorial board of the Boston Herald made a dual endorsement of both Connolly and Daniel F. Conley.[21] In the general election, the editorial board of the Boston Herald again endorsed Connolly.[22]

In early October, polls had Connolly leading the race.[23] But by mid-October, polls showed the race having narrowed significantly.[24]

Among factors credited for his loss in the mayoral general election was a last-minute half-million dollars in television advertising against Connolly and in support of Wash, funded by the . Connolly was a supporter of charter schools, and his education reform proposals had run into opposition from the union.[25]

Subsequent political involvement[]

Connolly founded the nonprofit 1647.[26]

In 2018, Connolly was appointed by acting Massachusetts education commissioner Jeff Wulson to the state-appointed board overseeing the public schools by Lawrence, Massachusetts.[26]

Connolly was involved with "Better Boston PAC", which supported Andrea Campbell's unsuccessful campaign in the 2021 Boston mayoral election primary.[25]

Electoral history[]

City Council[]

2007 Boston City Council at-large election
Candidates General Election[27]
Votes %
Michael F. Flaherty (incumbent) 25,863 20.57
Stephen J. Murphy (incumbent 23,659 18.82
Sam Yoon (incumbent) 23,230 18.48
John R. Connolly 21,997 17.50
Felix D. Arroyo (incumbent) 18,579 14.78
Martin J. Hogan 4008 3.19
Matthew Geary 3030 2.41
William P. Estrada 2439 1.94
David James Wyatt 2383 1.90
all others 542 0.43
2009 Boston City Council at-large election
Candidates Preliminary Election[28] General Election[29]
Votes % Votes %
John R. Connolly (incumbent) 35,182 18.08 51,362 18.35
Stephen J. Murphy (incumbent) 30,365 15.61 51,008 18.22
Felix G. Arroyo 25,859 13.29 45,144 16.13
Ayanna Pressley 16,866 8.67 41,879 14.96
Tito Jackson 12,535 6.44 30,203 10.79
Andrew Kenneally 12,653 6.50 24,249 8.66
Tomás González 10,122 5.20 18,310 6.54
Doug Bennett 10,529 5.41 16,842 6.02
Ego Ezedi 9,260 4.76
Hiep Quoc Nguyen 7,691 3.95
Sean H. Ryan 6,665 3.43
Jean-Claude Sanon 5,386 2.77
Robert Fortes 5,071 2.61
Bill Trabucco 3,132 1.61
Scotland Willis 2,639 1.36
all others 595 0.31 951 0.34
2011 Boston City Council at-large election
Candidates General Election[30]
Votes %
Ayanna Pressley (incumbent) 37,532 21.42
Felix G. Arroyo (incumbent) 35,483 20.25
John R. Connolly (incumbent) 32,827 18.74
Stephen J. Murphy (incumbent) 26,730 15.26
Michael F. Flaherty 25,805 14.73
Will Dorcena 8,739 4.99
Sean H. Ryan 7,376 4.21
Althea Garrison (write-in) 19 0.01
Deshon Porter (write-in) 2 0.00
William B. Feegbeh (write-in) 1 0.00
all others 666 0.39

Mayor[]

2013 Boston mayoral election
Candidate Primary election[31] General election[32]
Votes % Votes %
Marty Walsh 20,854 18.47 72,583 51.54
John R. Connolly 19,435 17.21 67,694 48.07
Charlotte Golar Richie 15,546 13.77  
Daniel F. Conley 12,775 11.32  
Felix G. Arroyo 9,895 8.76  
John Barros 9,148 8.10  
Robert Consalvo 8,603 7.62  
Michael P. Ross 8,164 7.23  
Bill Walczak 3,825 3.39  
Charles Yancey 2,389 2.12  
Charles Clemmons 1,800 1.59  
David Wyatt 334 0.30  
Write-ins 130 0.12 560 0.40
Total 112,898 100 140,837 100

References[]

  1. ^ ‘Reformer’ Connolly hails from family of hacks
  2. ^ Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory Profile
  3. ^ "John R. Connolly".
  4. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-06-10. Retrieved 2009-02-03.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. ^ Lehigh, Scot (February 27, 2013). "Connolly a tough challenge for Mayor Menino". Boston Globe. Retrieved February 27, 2013.
  6. ^ a b Sean D. Foreman; Marcia L. Godwin, eds. (2014). Local Politics and Mayoral Elections in 21st Century America. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9781317578925.
  7. ^ "Connolly Committee Statement". 2007-11-03.
  8. ^ Stack, Donovan. "Unsigned fliers muddy today's race for council". Boston.com. Archived from the original on September 27, 2013.
  9. ^ a b c Scharfenberg, David (September 23, 2013). "Running For Mayor, Connolly Eyes A Major Schools Shake-Up". www.wbur.org. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
  10. ^ a b Scharfenberg, David (October 29, 2013). "Raised In A Middle-Class Enclave, Connolly Branches Out". www.wbur.org.
  11. ^ Bernstein, David S. (September 21, 2013). "Mayoral Candidates and Their Council Votes". Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  12. ^ "Boston Rejects Term Limits For Mayor, Councilors". www.wbur.org. December 17, 2009. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  13. ^ "Boston City Councilor John Connolly announces run against Mayor Thomas M. Menino". Archived from the original on March 2, 2013.
  14. ^ Ryan, Andrew (February 18, 2013). "Councilor John Connolly seriously considering run for mayor". www.boston.com. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
  15. ^ Dumcius, Gintautas (27 March 2013). "Mayor Menino will not seek re-election". Dorchester Reporter. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
  16. ^ García, Marcela (August 21, 2021). "Why isn't there an education candidate in the 2021 Boston mayoral race? - The Boston Globe". Boston Globe. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
  17. ^ Lowery, Wesley Lowery (September 13, 2013). "For John Connolly, campaign begins and ends with schools - The Boston Globe". Boston Globe. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
  18. ^ Reilly, Adam (26 February 2013). "John Connolly Announces Run for Mayor of Boston". www.wgbh.org. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
  19. ^ Wintersmith, Saraya (3 September 2021). "Why The Globe's Campbell Endorsement Matters — Or May Matter". www.wgbh.org.
  20. ^ "Globe endorsement: John Connolly for mayor - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. October 30, 2013. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  21. ^ Boston Herald Editorial Staff (September 11, 2013). "For Boston mayor two good choices: Conley and Connolly". Boston Herald. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
  22. ^ "Editorial endorsement: Connolly for mayor". Boston Herald. 29 October 2013. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
  23. ^ "Another poll has Connolly in the lead for Mayor of Boston". Boston 25 News. October 10, 2013. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
  24. ^ Scharfenberg, David (October 23, 2013). "WBUR Poll Shows Connolly Clinging To A Narrow Lead". WBUR. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
  25. ^ a b Ebbert, Stephanie (September 11, 2021). "Charter schools have briefly returned to the spotlight in the Boston mayoral race. Here's why - The Boston Globe". Boston Globe. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
  26. ^ a b Jonas, Michael (6 February 2018). "Connolly to chair new Lawrence school oversight board". CommonWealth Magazine. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  27. ^ "CITY OF BOSTON MUNICIPAL ELECTION - NOVEMBER 6, 2007 CITY COUNCILLOR AT LARGE" (PDF). cityofboston.gov. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  28. ^ "CITY OF BOSTON MUNICIPAL ELECTION - SEPTEMBER 22, 2009 CITY COUNCILOR AT LARGE" (PDF). City of Boston.gov. City of Boston. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  29. ^ "CITY OF BOSTON MUNICIPAL ELECTION - NOVEMBER 3, 2009 CITY COUNCILOR AT LARGE" (PDF). City of Boston.gov. City of Boston. Retrieved 6 June 2011.
  30. ^ "CITY OF BOSTON MUNICIPAL ELECTION - NOVEMBER 8, 2011 CITY COUNCILOR AT LARGE" (PDF). www.cityofboston.gov/. City of Boston. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  31. ^ "Preliminary Municipal Election" (PDF). cityofboston.gov. 24 September 2021. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
  32. ^ "Municipal Election" (PDF). cityofboston.gov. 5 November 2013. Retrieved 6 March 2021.

External links[]

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