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Boston’s potential mayoral candidates

For the first time since then-acting mayor Thomas M. Menino was elected in 1993, Boston’s mayoral race is without incumbents. Many local politicos have for years said they would run for mayor only if Menino stepped out of the race, and the mayor’s exit launched what could be an unpredictable free-for-all. The field is expected to change by May 13, the application deadline for nomination papers. Here are locals who either declared their candidacy, said they may be interested in running, or are frequent subjects of speculation for who will replace Menino.

Jim Davis/Globe Staff

City Councilor at Large John Connolly

Declared candidate

Connolly, of West Roxbury, already declared his candidacy before Menino announced he would not run. His campaign focuses on improvements to Boston’s schools, which he saw as Menino’s weak point.

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Barry Chin/Globe Staff

State Representative Martin Walsh

Declared candidate

The Dorchester Democrat with close labor ties has formally jumped into the race for mayor. Walsh, who chairs the House Committee on Ethics, has been a state representative since 1997.

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Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley

Declared candidate

Conley, of West Roxbury, has announced his candidacy. He reported more than $868,000 in his campaign account at the end of 2012.

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City Councilor Michael P. Ross

Declared candidate

Michael Ross, a 41-year-old attorney who lives in Mission Hill, has been a city councilor since 1999.

Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff

City Councilor at Large Felix G. Arroyo

Declared candidate

Arroyo, of Jamaica Plain, formally announced a run for mayor April 9.

Barry Chin/Globe Staff

City Councilor Tito Jackson

Not running

The Grove Hall resident and former industry director for information technology in Governor Deval Patrick’s Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development said in a press release that his work in his district “is not finished.”

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City Councilor Rob Consalvo

Declared candidate

Consalvo, of Hyde Park, said in a statement, “I am running for Mayor because I love the City of Boston and I am prepared and ready to serve all of our neighborhoods.”

David L Ryan/Globe Staff

City Councilor Charles Yancey Expressed interest

Yancey, of Dorchester, was elected to the council in 1983, a year before Menino joined as a councilor from Hyde Park. As he ducked into a City Hall elevator, Yancey told a reporter, “I’m looking at it.”

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City Council President Stephen Murphy Frequently mentioned

The Hyde Park resident, first elected a councilor-at-large in 1997, reported $83,679 in campaign funds at the end of 2012.

David L Ryan/Globe Staff

State Representative Jeffrey Sanchez Frequently mentioned

Sanchez lives in Jamaica Plain and is chairman of the state’s Joint Committee on Public Health.

David L Ryan / Globe Staff

James Rooney Not running

The Massachusetts Convention Center Authority’s executive director since 2003, Rooney grew up in South Boston and now lives in Dorchester. He said he would not run “after much thought and discussions with family, friends, and supporters.”

Pat Greenhouse/Globe Staff

State Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz Not running

The chairwoman of the state’s Joint Committee on Education said that “now is not the right time.”

Dina Rudick/Globe Staff

State Public Safety Secretary Andrea Cabral

Not running

The former Suffolk County sheriff was mentioned as a potential mayoral candidate, but told the Globe she is not running.

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Will Dorcena Declared candidate

The Hyde Park businessman has already launched a campaign. He won less than 5 percent of the vote when he ran in 2011 for an at-large seat on the City Council.

Charles Clemons Declared candidate

Clemons, cofounder of TOUCH 106.1 FM and a Dorchester resident, launched his campaign earlier this year.

Clockwise from top left: Marie St. Fleur, Paul Grogan, and Ayanna Pressley. Globe staff

Not interested in running

Marie St. Fleur, a top City Hall aide and former state representative who was briefly a candidate for lieutenant governor in 2006, told the Globe she did not plan to run this year. Through a spokesman, Boston Foundation president Paul Grogan said he has no plans to run for mayor. Asked if she would run, Councilor at Large Ayanna Pressley of Dorchester replied, “I’m running for reelection.”

Community organizer Bill Walczak

Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff/Globe Staff

Declared candidate

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A 40-year Boston resident and cofounder of the Codman Square Health Center, Walczak became the seventh declared candidate. He said in a phone interview that he sees the city’s top job as the next logical step in his career of community organizing.

Former state Representative Charlotte Golar Richie

The Boston Globe/File 2010

Expressed interest

The former state representative from Dorchester has also served in Mayor Thomas Menino’s and Governor Deval Patrick’s administrations. If she enters the race, Richie would be the first woman and the first prominent African-American candidate in the campaign.