Matt O'Malley with Uphams Corner resident Florene Miranda at a recent
National Night Out event in Dorchester.

By Brian Denitzio
Reporter Staff

Matt O'Malley's day began early, greeting commuters at Savin Hill Station around 7 a.m. Now, some 12 hours later, it's wrapping up at a house party on Carruth Street. Long days are the norm for O'Malley as he makes his second run for an at-large seat on the city council. Two years ago, long days propelled the then-24-year old O'Malley to a sixth place finish. Back then he was the fresh-faced kid from Roslindale, short on funds but long on hustle. This year, the hustle remains but now, he's got the name recognition and following that made him an instant contender when he entered the race in March.

A day after falling short in 2003, O'Malley got a phone call from Andrea Cabral. She wanted him to run her campaign for Suffolk County sheriff. O'Malley took the job, he says, because he believed in Cabral and he was up for the challenge. Cabral's decisive victory over at-large City Councillor Steve Murphy surprised many, and the success and subsequent publicity allowed O'Malley to hit the ground running this year.

"I'm cautiously optimistic," says O'Malley during a recent conversation at Greenhills.

Though he's no longer the newcomer on the hustings, O'Malley believes he can infuse the council will new ideas.

"I think that I can bring a fresh perspective," says O'Malley, a perspective that's more accessible to voters thanks to the notoriety he gained from both his 2003 run and the sheriff's race.

"Now we have more resources and a better mechanism of getting our message out," he says.

Education is "bar none, the number-one issue" in O'Malley's campaign.

"The council has a moral obligation to build the best public education system in the country," he says.

O'Malley is a product of the Boston public schools himself, and believes that BPS students will benefit from partnerships with local organizations, colleges, and universities, something he pledges to work towards creating.

He also supports neighborhood schools, but notes that the transition cannot be made too quickly.

"We need to build more schools," O'Malley says, to ensure a quality education can be had across the city.

Public safety is another important issue to O'Malley, who says his understanding of the issue was deepened through his experience with the sheriff's race. He speaks at length about public safety as he takes the floor during the Thursday evening house party on Carruth Street. O'Malley is clearly comfortable as he begins his remarks, and like a veteran public speaker, gains momentum as he goes along. He uses the inflection of his voice to draw his audience in, and he has their full attention as he explains to them the high likelihood that a prisoner incarcerated at the South Bay facility will be back there again within months of their release.

"The council can act as a catalyst for curbing recidivism," he says.

He moves from public safety to affordable housing, and under the umbrella of affordable housing he discusses the city's residency requirement. O'Malley's opposition to residency has two sides. On one side, he believes that it limits the city in its hiring practices.

"We want to have the best and brightest workforce and it's prohibitive to have a rule that says you have to live here," he says.

The other side of the issue is the people trying to find a home in the city on a city worker's salary.

O'Malley's opposition to residency is in part responsible for landing him the endorsement of the Firefighters Local 718 and the Boston Police Patrolmen's Association. He's also endorsed by the Boston Teachers Union. The idea of a candidate, who prides himself on bringing a fresh perspective having the backing of three powerful unions seems incongruous. Can fresh ideas come from a voice that's backed by old-time powerbrokers?

O'Malley says yes.

"My maverick streak is something I will pride myself on," he says, noting that he was philosophically opposed to residency long before it was politically expedient.

He says he's certain a time will come where his opinion will diverge from the interests of the unions that back him, but that a candidate is a whole package, not one single issue.

Supporter Sandi Bagley believes that O'Malley is that whole package. She says that O'Malley's strength is an understanding of larger citywide issues but also issues important in the city's individual neighborhoods.

"He has the pulse on how Boston needs to be moving right now, and he's willing to work hard at it," says Bagley.

O'Malley credits the Cabral campaign with showing him the importance of a campaign that reflects the whole city and through that experience he now has the friends and name recognition to assemble a citywide organization. O'Malley appears to be leading the field in the unofficial race for most lawn signs.

Armed with the money and name recognition that was missing in 2003, O'Malley is well-positioned for this year's race. But the open seat has drawn into the race a number of strong first-time candidates who can match O'Malley's work ethic and who have to date outpaced him in fundraising.

But of all the things O'Malley learned from running the Cabral campaign, perhaps the most important is that there's no predicting what will happen come Election Day.