Edward M. Flynn is an American politician currently serving as the

president of the Boston City Council The Boston City Council is the legislative branch of government for the city of Boston, Massachusetts. It is made up of 13 members: 9 district representatives and 4 at-large members. Councillors are elected to two-year terms and there is no l ...

, a position that he has held since January 2022. He has been a member of the

Boston City Council The Boston City Council is the legislative branch of government for the city of Boston, Massachusetts. It is made up of 13 members: 9 district representatives and 4 at-large members. Councillors are elected to two-year terms and there is no ...

from its 2nd district since January 2017.

Early life and career

Flynn was born to

Raymond Flynn Raymond Leo Flynn (born July 22, 1939) is an American politician who served as 52nd Mayor of Boston, Massachusetts from 1984 until 1993. He also served as United States Ambassador to the Holy See from 1993–1997. Flynn was an All-American c ...

and Kathy Flynn. Flynn's father was

mayor of Boston The mayor of Boston is the head of the municipal government in Boston, Massachusetts. Boston has a mayor–council government. Boston's mayoral elections are nonpartisan (as are all municipal elections in Boston), and elect a mayor to a four- ...

from 1984 through 1993, and was also a

ambassador of the United States to the Holy See The ambassador of the United States to the Holy See is the Ambassadors of the United States, official representative of the United States, United States of America to the Holy See, the leadership of the Catholic Church. The official representatio ...

from 1993 through 1997, a member of the

from 1978 through 1984, and a member of the

Massachusetts House of Representatives The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into single-member ...

from 1971 through 1978. Flynn was one of six siblings. Flynn graduated high school at Boston's Don Basco Technical High School. He graduated college at

Salve Regina College Salve Regina University is a private Roman Catholic university in Newport, Rhode Island, United States. It was founded in 1934 by the Sisters of Mercy and is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education. The university enrolls m ...

, where he studied history and government. Flynn served in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

for 25 years, becoming a second-class petty officer. He served active duty in the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Persis, Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a Mediterranean sea (oceanography), me ...

on two deployments, and had further service abroad in the

United States Naval Reserves The United States Navy Reserve (USNR), known as the United States Naval Reserve from 1915 to 2005, is the Reserve Component (RC) of the United States Navy. Members of the Navy Reserve, called Reservists, are categorized as being in either the Sele ...

. His military service included

Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) was the official name used synonymously by the U.S. government for both the War in Afghanistan (2001–2014) and the larger-scale Global War on Terrorism. On 7 October 2001, in response to the September 11 at ...

. In the United States Navy Reserves, one of his assignments was assisting in the coordination of

disaster relief Emergency management or disaster management is the managerial function charged with creating the framework within which communities reduce vulnerability to hazards and cope with disasters. Emergency management, despite its name, does not actuall ...

after the

2010 Haiti earthquake A disaster, catastrophic Moment magnitude scale, magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake struck Haiti at 16:53 local time (21:53 UTC) on Tuesday, 12 January 2010. The epicenter was near the town of Léogâne, Ouest (department), Ouest department, a ...

. Flynn worked as a

probation officer A probation and parole officer is an official appointed or sworn to investigate, report on, and supervise the conduct of convicted offenders on probation or those released from incarceration to community supervision such as parole. Most probati ...

in the

Suffolk Superior Court The Massachusetts Superior Court (also known as the Superior Court Department of the Trial Court) is a trial court department in Massachusetts. The Superior Court has original jurisdiction in civil actions over $50,000, and in matters where equita ...

, as a state public safety official, as a legislative affairs specialist at the United States Department of Labor, and as a transpiration logistical specialist with the

United States Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD or DOD) is an executive branch department of the federal government charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government directly related to national secu ...

's Joint Task Force-Armed Forces Inaugural Committee for the

2005 United States presidential inauguration The second inauguration of George W. Bush as the 43rd president of the United States took place on Thursday, January 20, 2005, at the West Front of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. This was the 55th inauguration and marked the be ...

. At the Department of Labor, where he worked for five years during the

Clinton administration Bill Clinton's tenure as the 42nd president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 1993, and ended on January 20, 2001. Clinton, a Democrat from Arkansas, took office following a decisive election victory over Re ...

, he worked on matters related to expanding access to affordable healthcare and efforts to increase the federal

minimum wage A minimum wage is the lowest remuneration that employers can legally pay their employees—the price floor below which employees may not sell their labor. Most countries had introduced minimum wage legislation by the end of the 20th century. Bec ...

. In 2006, Flynn moved back to Boston from Washington, D.C., settling in South Boston and beginning work as a

substitute teacher A substitute teacher is a person who teaches a school class when the regular teacher is absent or unavailable; e.g., because of illness, personal leave, maternal leave and so on. "Substitute teacher" (usually abbreviated as "sub") is the most co ...

at Charlestown High School. In April 2006, a month after resettling in Boston, Flynn initially declared that he had intended to run for an

at-large At large (''before a noun'': at-large) is a description for members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent a whole membership or population (notably a city, county, state, province, nation, club or association), rather than ...

seat in the

2007 Boston City Council election Boston City Council elections were held on November 6, 2007. Eight seats (four district representatives and four at-large members) were contested in the general election, as the incumbents in districts 1, 2, 5, 6, and 8 were unopposed. Two seats ...

. He cited youth

substance abuse Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, is the use of a drug in amounts or by methods which are harmful to the individual or others. It is a form of substance-related disorder. Differing definitions of drug abuse are used in public health, ...

as a key issue he intended to focus on, declaring that, " OxyContin and heroin are an epidemic now, in every neighborhood. I would like to try to get the business community involved". Flynn held membership in a number of Bostonian civic organizations, including the Cityside Neighborhood Association,

Veterans of Foreign Wars The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), formally the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, is an organization of US war veterans, who, as military service members fought in wars, campaigns, and expeditions on foreign land, waters, or a ...

Thomas M. Fitzgerald Post, Ward 7 Democratic Committee, and South Boston Citizens' Association.

City Council

First term (2019–2022)

Election

Flynn was elected to the Boston City Council's 2nd district seat in 2017 being vacated by outgoing Councilmember

Bill Linehan William P. Linehan is a former member and President of the Boston City Council in Boston, Massachusetts. He represented District 2, which includes Downtown Boston, the South End, South Boston and Chinatown.LGBTQ activist Mike Kelley by over three percentage points to win election. During the campaign, Flynn was considered the

front-runner In politics, a front-runner (also spelled frontrunner or front runner) is a leader in an electoral race. While the front-runner in athletic events (the namesake of the political concept) is generally clear, a political front-runner, particularly i ...

. Among those who endorsed his candidacy were Congressman

Stephen F. Lynch Stephen Francis Lynch (born March 31, 1955) is an American businessman, attorney and politician who has served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts since 2001. He is a Democrat representing Massachusetts's 8th co ...

, City Councilor

Bill Linehan William P. Linehan is a former member and President of the Boston City Council in Boston, Massachusetts. He represented District 2, which includes Downtown Boston, the South End, South Boston and Chinatown. City Councilor Michael F. Flaherty, and State Representative

Nick Collins Nicholas Cordell Collins (born August 16, 1983) is a former American football safety who played seven seasons for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Bethune-Cookman, and was drafted by ...

. He was also endorsed by a number of trade unions. Among the issues that Flynn pledged would be a priority for him if he was elected was

domestic violence Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for ''intimate partner ...

. He invoked the work his mother had done as the city's first lady to support survivors of domestic violence, promising to continue her work. In mid-October 2017, Councilor Bill Linehan made a resignation from the seat that Flynn was seeking to succeed him in, which is when Linehan also gave his endorsement of Flynn's candidacy to succeed him. After joining the City Council, Flynn stopped working as a probation officer at the Suffolk Superior Court.

Council activities

Having been elected to fill a vacant seat, Flynn took office after the vote had been certified, beginning his tenure during the 2015–2018 Boston City Council term, as opposed to taking his seat months later at the start of the new 2018–21 Boston City Council term. Flynn is only the second individual to hold the council's 2nd district seat since it was established in 1984. In December 2018, the Boston City Council unanimously voted an ordinance that Flynn authored with

Lydia Edwards Lydia Marie Edwards (born 1981) is an American attorney and politician. She served as a member of the Boston City Council from the 1st district from 2018 to 2022 and has served as a member of the Massachusetts Senate from the 1st Suffolk and Mi ...

that extended the period of repayment for back taxes by low-income elder residents, and forgave interest.

Second term (2019–2022)

Flynn was reelected in 2019. In 2021, Flynn voted against legislation that was passed by the City Council which restricted the use of rubber bullets,

tear gas Tear gas, also known as a lachrymator agent or lachrymator (), sometimes colloquially known as "mace" after the early commercial aerosol, is a chemical weapon that stimulates the nerves of the lacrimal gland in the eye to produce tears. In ad ...

, and pepper spray by the

Boston Police Department The Boston Police Department (BPD), dating back to 1854, holds the primary responsibility for law enforcement and investigation within the city of Boston, Massachusetts. It is the oldest municipal police department in the United States. The ...

Third term and council presidency (2022–present)

Reelection to the City Council

Flynn was reelected to his city council seat in 2021.

Campaign for council presidency

On the Boston City Council, its president is elected by a vote of its members. The campaign process of those seeking the presidency generally occurs behind closed doors, with the contenders privately lobbying and negotiating with members of the council for their votes. Initially, after the new council had been elected, rumors initially arose that

Kenzie Bok Priscilla MacKenzie "Kenzie" Bok (born June 30, 1989) is a member of the Boston City Council, representing District 8, which includes Back Bay, Beacon Hill, Fenway–Kenmore, Mission Hill, and the West End. She is also a lecturer on Social Stud ...

had secured the backing of enough City Council members to be elected the City Council's president for its 2022–23 term. It has been reported by the press that sources have said was initially the case, but that Flynn (who had initially pledged to support Bok for president) and two additional councilors decided to withdraw their backing of her candidacy, and partnered with a coalition of newly elected freshman City Council members to support Flynn to serve as the president, giving Flynn sufficient support to win the presidency. On December 1, 2021, Flynn announced in a press release that he had secured guarantees of support from enough council members that he was confident he would be voted by the city council to serve as its president of the Boston City Council during its 2022–23 term.

WGBH-TV WGBH-TV (channel 2), branded on-air as GBH or GBH 2 since 2020, is the primary PBS member television station in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It is the flagship property of the WGBH Educational Foundation, which also owns Boston's sec ...

reported that numerous sources had informed them that Flynn had indeed received support from enough councilors to win the position. It was reported that the councilors who had rival efforts for the council presidency had been Ricardo Arroyo and Kenzie Bok. It was noted that it was possible that councilors could potentially shift their support before the January vote. However, upon Flynn's apparent success in securing sufficient backing to become council president, Arroyo released a statement that acted as an informal

concession Concession may refer to: General * Concession (contract) (sometimes called a concession agreement), a contractual right to carry on a certain kind of business or activity in an area, such as to explore or develop its natural resources or to opera ...

of sorts, giving strong praise to Flynn's kindness and work ethic, and declaring that he looked forward, "to seeing how he utilizes those great qualities in this leadership role." Flynn ultimately was elected unanimously to the council presidency in the formal vote. Political reporter Saraya Wintersmith of WGBH-TV opined that, while the position of City Council president was mostly a symbolic post, it was poised to take more political importance than usual in the Boston City Council's 2022–23 term, with the council set to receive greater power in the city's budgeting process and poised to play a role in determining new appointees to seats on the

Boston School Committee Boston Public Schools (BPS) is a school district serving the city of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It is the largest public school district in the state of Massachusetts. Leadership The district is led by a Superintendent, hired by the ...

Council activities

Flynn was one of four council members that voted against the

redistricting Redistribution (re-districting in the United States and in the Philippines) is the process by which electoral districts are added, removed, or otherwise changed. Redistribution is a form of boundary delimitation that changes electoral dist ...

map for City Council districts that the council passed and Mayor

Michelle Wu Michelle Wu ( zh, t=吳弭, first=t; born January 14, 1985) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the mayor of Boston, mayor of Boston, Massachusetts since 2021. She is a member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...

passed into law in November 2022. Flynn had desired to keep all of South Boston and the South End in the boundaries of his own district, which the new map does not do. Flynn had attempted to delay the adoption of a new redistricting map, and proposed to instead have an independent panel draw the new map. The redistricting process had been contentious. As council president, Flynn suspended Councilman Ricardo Arroyo from his committee chairmanships after it was reported in the ''

Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

'' that Arroyo had been investigated for

sexual assault Sexual assault is an act in which one intentionally sexually touches another person without that person's consent, or coerces or physically forces a person to engage in a sexual act against their will. It is a form of sexual violence, which ...

in 2005 and 2007 without being charged for a crime. In August 2022, ahead of month-long closure of a key segment of the

MBTA Orange Line The Orange Line is a rapid transit line operated by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) as part of the MBTA subway system. The line runs south on the surface from Oak Grove station in Malden, Massachusetts through Malden and Me ...

, Flynn and several other city councilors wrote a letter to the MBTA that requested the operation of shuttle bus service to

Chinatown A Chinatown () is an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Austra ...

during the closure. He expressed worry that the MBTA was not including Chinatown in its plan for alternate transit during the closure.

Political views

Flynn is a member of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

Political analysis about Flynn

In March 2022, in advance of the vote for president of the City Council, reporter Danny McDonald wrote a profile on Flynn for the ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

''. In the profile, he opined that, "you’d have a hard time crafting a figure more emblematic of Boston’s old power structure" than Flynn, noting that Flynn was

white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

middle age In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

ed, Irish Catholic, a Boston native, and a political heir. McDonald noted that these were attribute that had, for a long time, been characteristics of a large share of past Boston City Councils. He opined that this posed an interesting contrast with the reality that the Boston City Council had seen its membership rapidly diversify over the past several elections. McDoanld also opined that Flynn's representation of the city's "old power structure" contrasted with the "new power structure" that he believed that Boston had embraced, which he argued had been emblemized by the 2021 election of, "an unabashedly

progressive Progressive may refer to: Politics * Progressivism, a political philosophy in support of social reform ** Progressivism in the United States, the political philosophy in the American context * Progressive realism, an American foreign policy par ...

mayor, Michelle Wu, and a historically diverse council that continues to tack to the left". McDonald also characterized Flynn as an individual that generally sought to avoid media attention, preferring that the media instead focus their attention on his City Council colleagues.

Personal life

Flynn and his wife Kristen have two children. Flynn is Irish Catholic. He lives in South Boston.

Electoral history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Flynn, Ed Boston City Council members Massachusetts Democrats Year of birth missing (living people) United States Navy personnel of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) Living people