Murphy Running for Register of Deeds Post

By John Lynds

After serving 18 years in the Boston City Council, former At-Large Councilor Stephen Murphy was voted out last November. The loss shocked many supporters of the widely popular incumbent during the city’s general election last year. Murphy was the only incumbent not reelected to an At-Large seat and was beat by newcomer Annissa Essaibi-George who finished in fourth place during the election.

However, Murphy is not going quietly into the sunset.

Murphy announced he will be a candidate for Suffolk County Register of Deeds during the September Primary to replace former Register, Francis “Mickey” Roach who resigned in December.

When he first ran for City Council nearly two decades ago his campaign slogan was, “Give a Young Man a Chance” and the 58-year-old Boston pol said he’s thinking about resurrecting the slogan this time around–joking that Roache’s retirement at 81 would make him the ‘young man’ again.

“This is a good opportunity for me to get back into public service, something I view as a noble profession,” said Murphy. “I’ve been both a public and private manager and the job calls for someone with experience in being accountable for tax payer revenue so I feel I have the skill set and experience for the job.”

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has 21 separate Registries of Deeds, each functioning in districts dealing with real estate registration and land records. The registries are divided by county or subdivided within official state counties. These divisions are headed by elected officials known as a Register, and fall under the purview of the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and local county governments.

Murphy said he toiled with the idea after Roache’s retirement and made the decision to throw his hat back into the political ring two weeks ago.

“In every neighborhood I’ve received a lot of support and encouragement,” said Murphy. “While a lot of people were surprised I did not succeed in November it is part of life in this business and you leave your future up to the voters. I hope I’ve done enough good during my time on the Council that voters will see that I have the experience and leadership qualities for the job.”

During his 18 year tenure on the Council, Murphy  served on many of the Council’s committees.

He also served as Council President from 2011 to 2014.

He lives in Hyde Park with his wife, Bridget.

 

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