Boston City Clerk and former City Council member Maureen Feeney is as down to earth as your favorite aunt and as savvy as any political sharpie. That rare blend of talents has won her widespread respect during the 34 years she has worked in City Hall.
Feeney, 74, confirmed to GBH News Monday that she will be retiring.
"My husband's been retired forever, so we're going to try and see if this works," she quipped.
Her last day on the job will be February 1, six days before the first Monday in the month when her three-year term expires.
"The clerk's position was really just my dream job and I've loved it. It's very hard to say goodbye," Feeney said. "But, you know, I think a new energy could be a really positive thing and it just seemed like the right time."
The clerk’s office is Boston’s official filing agency. The clerk accepts and maintains all municipal records for the city, including those that bounce between the council and the mayor’s office.
Feeney began working at City Hall as an aide to former City Councilor, now judge, James E. Byrne, in April 1987.
After serving as treasurer to Byrne's campaign opponent, John Garland, Feeney said Byrne approached her about joining his team after the two crossed paths at several community meetings.
It was Byrne, Feeney said, who suggested she run to fill the Dorchester seat he planned to give up years later.
"He said, 'I am leaving on an anniversary trip with my wife, and I'm going to tell her that I'm stepping down. ... And so when I come back, I want to see your bumper stickers on my desk,'" Feeney recalled Byrne saying.
She began weighing a campaign after her husband encouraged her.
"My favorite part of this story is when I went to my mother's house and I said, 'Mom, I think I'm going to run for office,'" Feeney said. "And in her wonderful Irish way, she said, 'But Maureen, who would vote for you?'"
Feeney was elected to the Boston City Council in 1993, beating out five opponents in the primary and besting Joseph P. McDermott by more than 40 percentage points in the general.
"Oh, what can I say? The rest is history," the clerk said with laughter.
For 17 years, Feeney served in the seat now held by Councilor Frank Baker before becoming clerk in a somewhat controversial manner.
She quietly resigned from that office in late 2011, right before the end of her term, just in time to meet the required minimum 30-day window between jobs to satisfy state conflict of interest laws.
Feeney's departure comes amid other significant changes at Boston City Council.
Four seasoned councilors — Andrea Campbell, Annissa Essaibi George, Kim Janey and now-Mayor Michelle Wu — gave up their seats in pursuit of the mayoralty, while former councilor Matt O'Malley declined to run for re-election, citing a desire to spend more time with his growing family.
State Sen. Lydia Edwards, who intends to simultaneously hold her council seat until April since she began her new role at the Statehouse earlier in January, will also eventually leave the council, creating a spot for another new member.
The clerk's job is one of the few appointments controlled solely by the City Council.
Though many past clerks have also been former City Councilors, Feeney said she hopes to see Alex Geourntas, assistant city clerk, succeed her.
"Historically, it has gone to a city councilor, but we have had, you know, a few people who weren't... so, I'm hoping that the council will look favorably on his becoming clerk," Feeney said.
Several councilors have indicated to GBH News they thought well of Geourntas, though no commitments have been made.
Feeney will say her official farewells Wednesday when the council meets to kick off its new term.
