Suffolk County District Attorney and mayoral hopeful Dan Conley took fourth place in the Boston preliminary election last night, with 11 percent of the vote.
Conley may have had the toughest job in this race – working as the Suffolk County DA while campaigning. Throughout, he emphasized his working class Irish-Italian Hyde Park roots. He put forth plans for improving specific neighborhoods in the city: Charlestown, East Boston, Allston, and Brighton.
“As DA you don’t get much opportunity to talk about all the other issues that I care about: jobs, economic opportunity, education and healthcare," he said in his concession speech at the Seaport Hotel in South Boston.
Conley is well connected in the city, and was perhaps the best known candidate at the start of the race. He still believes the entire city deserves to vote on a casino in East Boston, and he wants a city with better jobs and public schools.
“While being the mayor of Boston would have given me the opportunity to do different work, it wouldn’t have been more important work,” he said to his supporters.
Conley said he’ll return to work as Suffolk County District Attorney a post he’s held for 10 years. But he still holds power: it’s likely that finalists Marty Walsh and John Connolly will seek his endorsement. Conley said both are friends, and he’s undecided.
