Matt O'Malley

Matt O'Malley is an American politician who serves as a member of the Boston City Council. He was elected as the District 6 representative in a special election on November 16, 2010, and was re-elected in 2011, 2013, 2015, and 2017. His district includes the neighborhoods of West Roxbury and Jamaica Plain, parts of Roslindale and Roxbury, and the Back of the Hill.

Matt O'Malley
Member of the Boston City Council
from the 6th district
Assumed office
November 16, 2010
Preceded byJohn M. Tobin Jr.
Personal details
Born (1979-09-20) September 20, 1979
Roslindale, Massachusetts, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Kathryn Niforos
RelationsJen O'Malley Dillon (second cousin)
ResidenceWest Roxbury, Boston
Alma materGeorge Washington University (BA)
ProfessionBoston City Councilor
CommitteesFormer Chair of the Committee on Government Operations; Current Chair of the Committee on Environment & Sustainability
Website

He grew up in Roslindale and now resides in West Roxbury with his wife, Kathryn Niforos. In the 2013 election, O'Malley won 18,204 votes, or 85% of the District, beating the record for most votes ever received by a district city councilor, previously held by Thomas Menino.[1]

He was a member of the Democratic State Committee from 2008 to 2012 and the Advisory Committee for Project Hope, an anti-poverty agency in Boston. He also raised funds through the Boston Marathon for Children's Hospital and Habitat for Humanity, Greater Boston.

Early life and career

O'Malley grew up in Roslindale and now owns a home in West Roxbury. He is a graduate of Boston Latin School as well as the George Washington University, where he studied Political Science and English.

In high school, he served as an intern at Boston City Hall for former At-Large City Councilor, Peggy Davis-Mullen, and as a Ward Fellow for former Treasurer and Receiver-General of Massachusetts, Joe Malone, which he says "helped shape my interest in local government."[2]

His professional political experience began in managing the campaign for Suffolk County Sheriff Andrea Cabral in 2004, the first female in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts history to hold the position. O'Malley also served as the Director of Legislative Affairs for Suffolk County, where he worked to implement numerous crime prevention initiatives.[3]

For the following two years, O'Malley served as the political director for MassEquality. Additionally, O'Malley spent some time working as a political consultant for both the Steven Grossman and Stephen Pagliuca campaigns respectively. In 2010, O'Malley was elected for City Council during a special election.

Starting in 2017, Councilor O'Malley began hosting a podcast called, the "O'Pod," where he interviews fellow elected officials, city workers, notable people, his staff, family, and friends. Guests have included, Congressman Joe Kennedy III, 2018 Boston Marathon women's winner Desiree Linden, and former Boston City Councilor John M. Tobin Jr.[4]

Boston City Council

O'Malley Chairs the Environment and Parks Committee, and is co-chair of the Education committee and the Arts and Culture committee.[3]

He also serves on the City Council Committees on Arts & Culture, Ways & Means, and the Special Committee on Charter Reform. In 2012 and 2013 Councilor O'Malley served as Chair of the City Council's Government Operations Committee and as Chair of the Environment Committee in 2011.[3]

2010–2011

O'Malley pushed for the expansion of a drug drop off program in Boston as well as the creation of a Silver Alert system for citizens with Alzheimer's disease and other cognitive impairments. He has held public hearings to discuss vacated public school buildings, Arborway Year in Jamaica Plain, and snow removal jurisdiction (City B). Additionally, O'Malley pushed for paperless pay stubs for City of Boston employees, and continues working toward increasing the availability of tap water in open spaces and parks across Boston.

2012–2013
Free sunscreen dispensers (pictured above) are in parks throughout Boston.
A reusable bag designed by O'Malley.

In 2012, O'Malley pushed for new energy-saving considerations in City buildings such as City Hall to measure how much energy it was using and whether or not it was efficient. He also introduced a hearing order to explore curbside composting in Boston.[5] His hearing on ways to reduce to litter in Boston led to the creation of Clean Boston Task Force, a group of Boston residents who meet to discuss problem areas in Boston, and solutions that have worked in their communities.

2014–2015

One of O'Malley's proudest achievements was getting free sunscreen dispensers placed in parks throughout the city. In the summer of 2015, with help from IMPACT Melanoma and Make Big Change (MBC), dispensers were installed and have since inspired cities around the country to do the same.[6] These dispensers were featured on season 28, episode 3 of "The Simpsons," when Homer takes the family on a "hate-cation" to Boston.[7][8] That same year, Councilor O’Malley and District 8 City Councilor Josh Zakim filed an order for a public hearing on gas leaks in Boston. A hearing and a working session were held by the City Council’s Environment & Parks Committee to examine the issue. Councilors O’Malley and Zakim also sponsored two City Council resolutions in support of state legislation on roadway gas leak repair and protecting customers from paying for unaccounted for gas. Both were passed unanimously by the City Council.[9]

2016–2017

In 2016, O'Malley successfully passed an ordinance regarding the elimination of gas leaks in the City of Boston following a hearing on the environmental and economic impacts of gas leaks the year before.[10] Docket #0622 aims to eliminate gas leaks in the City of Boston within six years of the passage of the ordinance. Earlier that year, O'Malley passed an ordinance dubbed the "Puppy Mill Bill," that would prohibit pet shops in Boston from selling dogs, cats or rabbits and would prevent animal sales in public parks and on city streets. As a result, Boston joined more than 120 municipalities that have banned the sale of commercially bred puppies and kittens from pet shops. Its aim was to diminish large-scale breeding facilities employed by these commercial facilities, many of which have multiple violations of the Federal Animal Welfare Act.

2018–2019
O'Malley at Fenway Park in 2018

In December 2017, O'Malley received unanimous support from his fellow Boston City Council members in passing an ordinance to ban single-use plastic bags from stores in the City of Boston. Mayor Marty Walsh signed the ordinance, causing it to go into effect in the fall of 2018. This achievement came with many environmental benefits, including litter and pollution reduction.[11] O'Malley ran unopposed in the 2019 Boston City Council election,[12] and was re-elected.[13]

2020–present

In December 2020, O'Malley announced that he would not seek re-election in the November 2021 election.[14]

Personal life

O'Malley and his wife, Kathryn, have one daughter.[14] His second cousin is Jen O'Malley Dillon.[15]

References
  1. Ryan, Andrew. "Councilor tops Menino's vote count record". The Boston Globe. Retrieved August 14, 2014.
  2. Ertishek, David. "Q&A: West Roxbury's Councilor Matt O'Malley Interviewed By His Office's Summer Intern". Patch. Retrieved August 14, 2014.
  3. "Matt O'Malley". City of Boston. Retrieved August 14, 2011.
  4. http://www.votemattomalley.com/opod/
  5. "Boston Officials Want a Curbside Compost Program". March 26, 2013.
  6. "Free Sunscreen Dispensers Are Now in Boston Parks".
  7. "The Town". October 9, 2016 – via IMDb.
  8. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfwiDeoFn_g
  9. "Matt O'Malley". Matt O'Malley.
  10. Ertischek, David. "Q&A: Matt O'Malley on Dog Parks, Gas Leaks and Development". Jamaica Plain News.
  11. "Mayor Walsh signs ban on plastic bags for Boston - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com.
  12. Smith, Jennifer (July 18, 2019). "Council ballots set for preliminary vote". Dorchester Reporter. Retrieved July 21, 2019.
  13. "BOSTON MUNICIPAL ELECTION NOVEMBER 2019". boston.gov. Retrieved November 5, 2019.
  14. Gavin, Christopher (December 3, 2020). "Boston City Councilor Matt O'Malley won't seek re-election next year". Boston.com. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  15. King, Alison (16 November 2020). "Who Is Mass. Native Jennifer O'Malley Dillon? Meet Biden's New Deputy Chief of Staff". NBC Boston. Retrieved 17 November 2020.

Further reading
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