Councilor Flaherty Announces He Won’t Run for District Attorney

City Councilor at-Large Michael Flaherty has announced Monday that he would not run for Suffolk County District Attorney, citing medical issues within his family.

Flaherty, a former prosecutor and former colleague of District Attorney Dan Conley – who announced earlier this year that he would not run for reelection, was the odds-on favorite had he decided to enter the race given his background and long history of political races in Boston.

However, on Monday night, he said the time wasn’t right for his family.

“After long and careful consideration, I have decided that I will not be entering the race for Suffolk County District Attorney,” he said. “While I have long been interested in the DA’s position, and greatly enjoyed my time spent as a prosecutor, I will always put my home life ahead of career interests. We have been working through a family medical matter and, while the prognosis is good, my full attention is on what is most important to me, my family. Now is not the right time for me to take on the immense obligations of a countywide campaign.”

He cited that he enjoys being a city councilor in Boston and will continue to serve happily in that role.

With the Southie candidate now out of the race, State Sen. Joe Boncore (D-Winthrop) remains the only mystery in the campaign. Boncore, who represents a good portion of Suffolk County – including Revere, Winthrop, East Boston, the North End and other parts of downtown Boston, has said he isn’t interested in running, and also said recently he might be interested in running.

His tenor about the office, to an observer, seemed to change when the leadership of the State Senate became solidified, and Senate President-elect Karen Spilka won the majority of vote commitments – a candidate Boncore did not back.

On Friday of last week, he told the State House News Service that he’s seriously considering putting his hat in the ring. However, he has not said anything definitive about a run for the office.

With the exit of Flaherty, and Boncore’s continued mystery, that still leaves five candidates in the race.

They include:

  • Suffolk County Assistant District Attorney Greg Henning;
  • Dorchester State Rep. Evandro Carvalho, who ditched a state senate campaign to run for DA last month;
  • Rachael Rollins, an attorney for MassPort;
  • Shannon McAuliffe, a defense attorney who spent time running programs for the Chelsea-based at-risk youth organization Roca;
  • and Linda Champion, a real estate attorney.

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