Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel Conley today announced he is running for mayor.
Conley, a former Boston city councilor, joins Roxbury radio host Charles Clemons, City Councilor John Connolly and businessman Will Dorcena as the formally announced candidates in what is sure to become a bigger race. Conley is the first candidate to announce since incumbent Thomas Menino said he will not stand for reelection on March 28.
With Conley and Connolly as the highest-profile candidates currently in the race, their first jobs may be getting voters to distinguish their names, which sound very similar.
“My entire career has been dedicated to giving voice to the voiceless and hope to the most poor and vulnerable among us,” Conley said in a written statement. “Boston needs to be a city where longtime residents and those fixed on incomes can feel secure, and where middle class families aren’t priced out. It means making Boston a place where younger residents can start careers and families, and where our poorest neighbors can find real economic hope and mobility.”
Conley’s statement continued in part:
“To make Boston the city we want it to be requires a mayor who can make tough decisions, even when they offend powerful interests and upset the status quo. It’s going to require a mayor who leads with integrity, for whom transparency is a way of doing business and not just a buzzword, and who will ensure that city government is responsive and accountable to the people it serves. We’ll need a mayor who can manage and innovate in good times and tough times. We’ll need a mayor who has worked with residents and businesses in every neighborhood and has built partnerships with every conceivable constituency. Finally, we need a mayor who recognizes Boston as a city defined not by old divisions and superficial differences but by our shared hopes and aspirations.
“I’ve done these things. These qualities are the hallmarks of my career and the leadership I will bring to the Mayor’s Office. So if you are like me and love this city and want to see it live up to its full promise and potential, then my campaign is your campaign. Boston can only reach its full promise and potential when every one of its residents has a fair chance to reach theirs. I intend to put my heart and soul (and several pairs of shoes) into this campaign. I ask for your support, your energy, and your ideas and together we’ll make Boston the most livable and workable city in America.”