Matt O'Malley

Matthew Joseph O'Malley is an American politician and businessman who served six terms a member of the Boston City Council.

This beat the record for most overall votes ever received by a district city councilor in Boston, which had been held by Thomas Menino since 1983.

One of O'Malley's proudest achievements was getting free sunscreen dispensers placed in parks throughout the city.

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.

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.

O'Malley 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.

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."

O'Malley was elected to the 6th district seat in the 2009 Boston City Council election.

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.

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 included the neighborhoods of West Roxbury and Jamaica Plain, parts of Roslindale and Roxbury, and the Back of the Hill.

As the most senior member of the council, O'Malley succeeded Kim Janey as acting council president after Janey became acting mayor of Boston in March 2021.

In late 2021, he became the chief sustainability officer of Vicinity Energy, a U.S. district energy subsidiary of Antin Infrastructure Partners.

In 2010, O'Malley was elected for City Council during a special election.

O'Malley was reelected in the 2011 Boston City Council election.

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.

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.

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.

In December 2012, the City Council passed an ordinance authored by O'Malle to greatly increase the scope and amount of inspections made to rental properties in Boston.

It went into effect.

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.

O'Malley was reelected to a third term in the 2013 Boston City Council election.

O'Malley won 18,204 votes, equal to 85% of the district vote.

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.

These dispensers were featured on season 28, episode 3 of "The Simpsons," when Homer takes the family on a "hate-cation" to Boston.

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.

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.

O'Malley chaired the Environment and Parks Committee, and was co-chair of the Education committee and the Arts and Culture committee.

He also served on the City Council Committees on Arts & Culture, Ways & Means, and the Special Committee on Charter Reform.