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.
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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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.
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.
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.
City Councilor at Large Felix G. Arroyo
Declared candidate
Arroyo, of Jamaica Plain, formally announced a run for mayor April 9.
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.”
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.”
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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The Hyde Park resident, first elected a councilor-at-large in 1997, reported $83,679 in campaign funds at the end of 2012.
Sanchez lives in Jamaica Plain and is chairman of the state’s Joint Committee on Public Health.
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.”
The chairwoman of the state’s Joint Committee on Education said that “now is not the right time.”
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.
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.
Clemons, cofounder of TOUCH 106.1 FM and a Dorchester resident, launched his campaign earlier this year.
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
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
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.