Patrick O. Murphy

Patrick O. Murphy
87th Mayor of Lowell, Massachusetts
In office January 3, 2012 – January 6, 2014
Preceded by	James L. Milinazzo
Succeeded by	Rodney M. Elliott
Member of the Lowell City Council
In office January 2010 – January 2014
Personal details
Born	(1982-05-10) May 10, 1982 Lowell, Massachusetts, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Allegra Williams
Children	1
Parents	Joan Bovitz Murphy (mother) Daniel Patrick Murphy (father)
Alma mater	Phillips Academy American University Trinity College, Dublin Tufts University
Profession	brick and stonemason

Patrick O. Murphy is an American politician, a former city councillor and formerly a Mayor of Lowell, Massachusetts.

Personal life

Murphy is a resident of the Sacred Heart neighborhood, and a fifth-generation Lowell resident. The youngest son of longtime Lowell teachers Joan and Dan Murphy, Patrick was born eight minutes behind his twin brother Daniel and four years after his sister Gráinne. Like his brother and sister, Patrick graduated from Phillips Academy in Andover on a four-year scholarship, and has continued his education at Tufts University. He works throughout the Merrimack Valley as an independent brick- and stonemason with his cousin.^[1]

Running for Congress

• See Massachusetts's 5th congressional district special election, 2007

On June 2, 2007, Murphy announced he was running as an independent in the special election to fill the seat formerly held by Marty Meehan, who resigned to take the position of Chancellor at UMass Lowell.^[2] On October 16, 2007, Murphy placed third out of five candidates, receiving 2,170 votes or 2.05%, finishing behind the major party nominees, Democrat Niki Tsongas and Republican Jim Ogonowski.^[3]

Lowell City Council

On July 1, 2009, Murphy returned to politics, announcing his first candidacy for the Lowell City Council. As in his Congressional run, Murphy promised not to raise campaign money and suggested that anyone wishing to donate to his campaign could contribute instead to one of many local organizations that could be found on his website.^[4] In November 2009, Murphy placed eighth among the twenty-one candidates vying for nine seats.^[5]

After being inaugurated in January 2010, Murphy fulfilled another campaign promise not to accept the councilor's stipend or the health, pension and other benefits offered by the city. In his first term Councilor Murphy served as Chair of the Environmental and Railroad Issues Subcommittees, as well as a member of the Economic Development, Education, Flood Issues, Housing, Youth Services and Zoning Committees. He also served as the Lowell City Council’s representative to the regional North Middlesex Council of Governments and North Middlesex Metropolitan Planning Organization.^[6]

Mayor of Lowell

In 2011, Councilor Murphy ran for reelection coming in fourth of seventeen, earning another term on the Lowell City Council.^[7] On January 3, 2012 Murphy was voted in as the youngest Mayor in Lowell history by a vote of 5 to 4. The five voting for Murphy were himself, Councilors Kevin Broderick, William Martin, Martin Lorrey, and Vesna Nuon. The vote was later made unanimous as a symbol of solidarity.^[8] Mayor Murphy then made subcommittee assignments including re-appointing himself to chair of the Environmental subcommittee and to the Lowell Plan, which is a private non-profit economic development organization.^[9] In 2012, he endorsed and campaigned heavily for U.S Senate Candidate Elizabeth Warren, who beat Brown in Lowell 59% to 41%.^[10][11] Murphy's election as Mayor, at age 29, also made him the youngest current Mayor of an American city larger than 100,000 residents.^[12]

Legislative Accomplishments

Murphy is widely credited with a number of community initiatives during his four-year tenure on the council, including pushing for the LowellStat program^[13] to promote data-driven decision making in city management, (which has saved the city nearly $1.4 million as of June 2013^[14]) and advocating for Lowell to become a "Green Community", which has earned the city nearly $1 million in grants towards energy conservation and renewable energy production efforts.^[15] Murphy was also successful in expanding home-buying benefits to veterans,^[16] having bus shelters erected across the city,^[17] expanding bus service,^[18] investing more of the city's money in local banks,^[19] instituting a prescription drug discount program for seniors and struggling families,^[20] helping to officially name a neighborhood business district in Lowell "Cambodia Town",^[21] helping to meet net-school spending requirements each year in office,^[22] and presiding as Mayor over two straight years of no property tax increases.^[23]

References

External links

• Official City of Lowell bio
• Official Campaign Website