Murphy hopes familiarity breeds an at-large win

November 04, 2011|By Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff

Stephen Murphy, who joined the City Council in 1997, chatted with potential… (WENDY MAEDA/GLOBE STAFF )

City Council President Stephen J. Murphy stood tall, his 6-foot-4 inch frame clad in a sharp tan overcoat, and demanded attention at his early morning post outside the Savin Hill T stop in Dorchester. Flashing a don’t-we-know-each-other grin, Murphy shook the hands of commuters with the gravitas of a politician who has done this before.

“Good morning,’’ he bellowed with a smile. “I’m Steve Murphy.’’

“I know,’’ said a white-haired woman who smiled like a supporter as she rushed through a turnstile.

Murphy has done this before, mounting at least 16 campaigns in Boston and beyond over the past three decades. By now, his strategy is almost rote: Saturday morning standouts with campaign placards on main streets and neighborhood squares; a forest of 1,500 lawn signs planted across the city; and visits to senior centers jazzed up with music from former Massachusetts treasurer Robert Crane and his band, the Treasury Notes.

But this year, the dynamics are unpredictable. Michael F. Flaherty, a well-known former council president, is running to regain an at-large seat on the body, working to defeat Murphy or one of the other three incumbents, all of whom are running for reelection.

“Five for four, musical chairs,’’ Murphy, 54, said dryly, adding, “This is one of those races when you are nervous and confident at the same time.’’

On Tuesday, the ballot in the at-large race will also include incumbents Felix G. Arroyo, John R. Connolly, Ayanna S. Pressley. and two other challengers, Will Dorcena and Sean H. Ryan.

For Murphy, the most significant challenge will be voter apathy. The mistaken belief, he said, is that his supporters “don’t [need to] worry about Murphy, because he’ll be fine.’’

But Murphy’s base could also suffer from fatigue. Since joining the council in 1997, Murphy has made three unsuccessful bids for higher office, most recently last fall when he lost in the Democratic primary for state treasurer.

“I don’t think people will punish me for wanting to do more,’’ said Murphy, whose colleagues elected him last January to the largely ceremonial post of council president.

Born in Dorchester, Murphy moved to Hyde Park at age 12. His father was a Boston policeman who served as a driver for Mayor John F. Collins in the 1960s.

As a boy, Murphy met Collins at Old City Hall on School Street and it made a lasting impression.

In his office in the new City Hall, Murphy keeps a framed birthday card from the former mayor, who won office despite suffering from polio. The card urges Murphy to believe in himself. On the same wall hangs Murphy’s diploma from Boston Latin School, from the last all-male class in 1975.