After 10 years of being District 6's City Councilor, Matt O'Malley has decided he's not going to seek reelection.
O'Malley sent out a heartfelt letter talking about his time on the council, his accomplishments, and very personal aspects of his life.
"This wasn’t an easy decision to make, but the right one for me and my family. While politics (particularly in Boston) can be rough and tumble, the support and votes of confidence this district has given me time and time again is a lot to walk away from. I am forever grateful," wrote O'Malley.
O'Malley is known as the environmental city councilor, having spearheaded Boston's ban on plastic bags, fighting gas leaks, pushed for textile recycling and curbside composting, and pushed for public water filling stations.
"As it relates to policy, I feel incredibly proud and lucky to have helped make Boston a national leader on environmental resiliency and climate justice. Before the Green New Deal, we had the #BostonGreenprint," wrote O'Malley. "From gas leaks to composting, plastic waste reduction to renewable energy, green building standards to wetlands protection, every major environmental initiative of the past ten years began with my office."
Matt O'Malley, his wife Kathryn Niforos, and their daughter Margot.
He said that he would be serving out the rest of his term, which ends January 2022.
O'Malley talked about his wife of four years, Kathyrn Niforos, who was his girlfriend of 10 months when he began his work on the council. This year they welcomed a baby girl, Margot. He spoke about the happiness and sadness of pregnancies.
"Simply put, Margot’s birth is the greatest moment of my life. As difficult as any pregnancy during the pandemic can be, we had additional early complications as well as the memory of a devastating miscarriage. Thankfully, Margot is strong, healthy, and has stolen our hearts!" wrote O'Malley.
And for O'Malley, serving on the Boston City Council, was a realized lifelong dream.
"Twenty-five years ago, a geeky, red-haired teen designed his nascent political logo on the back of a calculus textbook," wrote O'Malley. "You helped that kid achieve his dream and serve the people and neighborhoods that we know and love. Words will never be able to convey how much this job, my city, and our neighbors mean to me. I hope I have made you proud and will strive to continue to do so this year and beyond."