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Stephen J. Murphy

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Stephen J. Murphy
Murphy in 2012
31st Suffolk County Register of Deeds
Incumbent
Assumed office
November 2016
President of the Boston City Council
In office
January 2011 – January 2013
Preceded byMichael P. Ross
Succeeded byBill Linehan
At-large member of the Boston City Council
In office
1997–2016
Preceded byRichard P. Iannella
Succeeded byAnnissa Essaibi George
Personal details
PartyDemocratic

Stephen J. Murphy is an American politician who has served as Suffolk County's register of deeds, since 2017. From 1997 until 2016, he served as an at-large member of the Boston City Council. He was president of the council in 2011 and 2012. He is a member of the Democratic Party.[1]

Early life, education, and early career

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Born in Dorchester and raised in Hyde Park. His mother, Marjorie, worked as a teacher’s aide for Boston Public Schools. His father, Stephen, was an attorney and a former Boston Police Department officer.

Murphy graduated high school at Boston Latin School.[2] He graduated college with a degree in business administration[citation needed] from Stonehill College.[2]

Murphy worked for a transit company,[2] eventually being promoted up[citation needed] to vice president.[2] He held this job until the mid 1980s, when he began working in state government.[2]

Early government work and politics

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In the mid-1980s, Murphy began working in state government. He first worked in the State Senate as Director of Constituent Services for Senate President William M. Bulger and then worked on budget matters in the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office. He next worked as the Assistant Personnel Director of the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth's Office.[2]

Murphy's first campaign for public office was an unsuccessful campaign for the Boston School Committee.[2]

Boston City Council (1997–2016)

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From February 1997 until January 2016, Murphy was an at-large member of the Boston City Council. After serving a partial term on the council in 1997, he served nine two-year terms.

During his time on the council, he served three years as council president (three consecutive one-year terms in 2011, 2012, and 2013).


Unsuccessful 1995 candidacy; partial term in 1997

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Murphy had finished fifth in the November 1995 race for four at-large seats, failing to win election. However, in February 1997, Richard P. Iannella resigned his at-large seat after being elected Suffolk County register of probate. Since Boston's charter offers the first-runner-up in the at-large election the right of first refusal to assume any vacant at-large seats, Murphy was able to assume the seat vacated by Ianella and complete his term.[3]

Served as chair of the Committee on Public Safety during this first term. As committee chair, he led hearings where he and other council members probed matter of underage drinking college students and means of closing de facto loopholes that facilitated the purchase of alcohol by those under the legal drinking age.[4]

Second third, and fourth terms (1998–2003)

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Murphy elected to a full two-year term as an at-large councilor in November 1997. He would go on to be re-elected eight times thereafter, including to a third term in 1999 and a fourth term in in 2001.

2002 Massachusetts Treasurer campaign

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Murphy ran unsuccessfully ran for Massachusetts treasurer.[5]

Fifth term (2004–05)

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Murphy was re-elected to a fifth term in 2003.

In 2004, Murphy issued a proposal to restructure the way universities reimburse the city for services, urging for them to pay the city more.[6]

In an effort to decrease excessive alcohol consumption, particularly by Boston-area university students, Murphy proposed an ordinance to require Boston liquor stores to require not just proof of identification but also proof of address for keg sales, and to report the name, age, and addresses of all keg purchasers to the Boston Police Department. It was hoped that, if enacted, this would allow police to counter parties with underage drinking.[7]

2004 Suffolk County Sheriff campaign

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Murphy unsuccessfully ran for Suffolk County Sheriff in 2004.[8]

Sixth term (2006–07)

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Murphy was re-elected to a sixth term in 2005.

Steve Murphy, as committee chair, called for changes to smoke detector laws.[9][10]

Murphy opposed a lateral transfer initiative for the police department.[11] As a councilor, Murphy also worked over the years with Mayor Menino to expand the hiring of new police officers and firemen.[10]

Murphy sponsored the city's CORI reform ordinance. [10][12]

Murphy was an early endorser of Deval Patrick's candidacy in the 2006 Massachusetts gubernatorial election.[13]

Seventh council term (2008–09)

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Murphy marching with supporters in the 2009 Dorchester Day Parade

Murphy was re-elected to a seventh term in 2007.

Eighth council term (2010–11), first term as council president (2011)

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2010 photograph of Murphy in the council chamber with fellow councilor Maureen Feeney (left) and Irish politician Derek Nolan (center)

Murphy was re-elected to an eighth term in 2009.

During his eight council term, Murphy served two terms as president of the Boston City Council, with Salvatore LaMattina serving as the council's vice president.[citation needed]

Murphy and Councilor Michael P. Ross filed an ordinance in December 2011 that would have prevented the city clerk from collecting fees from the filing of wedding certificates.[14]

2010 Massachusetts Treasurer campaign

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Murphy unsuccessfully ran in 2010 for Massachusetts treasurer, failing to secure the Democratic nomination.[15]

Ninth council term, second and third terms as council president (2012–13)

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Murphy (far right) at the 2012 East Boston Columbus Day Parade with other politicians, including Felix G. Arroyo, Elizabeth Warren, Thomas Menino, Ayanna Pressley, and John R. Connolly
Murphy (standing beside Suzanne M. Bump and Andrea Cabral), in 2013 at a local ceremonial swearing-in event for U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren

Murphy was re-elected to a ninth council term in 2011.

In late-December 2012, Murphy announced he had secured pledges of enough votes to secure a third term as council president,[2] and on January 7, 2013, he was re-elected to serve an additional one-year term as council president. With Mayor Thomas Menino's health publicly known to be ailing by 2013, this final council president term of Murphy was seen as carrying greater-than-usual potential odds of seeing him ascend to the mayoralty (Boston's council presidents are first-in-line to serve as acting mayor in the case of mayoralty vacancies). However, Murphy expressed public confidence in January that not only would Menino finish his current term, but would also seek re-election.[16] Murphy was successful in securing his third council presidency term.[17]

Murphy was a champion of the cancelled Indigo Line transit project, hailing transit oriented development he expected to see arise around eight planned stations between Hyde Park and Back Bay. He touted that this development could provide needed additional affordable housing to the city.[16]

In late 2012, Murphy sponsored an unsuccessful ordinance to redirect many 911 calls from triggering a police response to instead triggering a firefighter EMS response.[18]

In 2013, introduced an ordinance to ban anyone under 18 from attending UFC events held in the city. The propped ordinance attracted criticism from prominent UFC figures, including its President Dana White, and was defeated.[19]

In 2013, Murphy openly considered running for mayor after Mayor Menino made a surprise announcement in late March that he would not be seeking re-election to the office. A crowded field was emerging. With an April 17 filing deadline, Murphy had a very limited timeline to decide whether he would run for mayor. A mayoral campaign would likely have meant forgoing a run for a tenth consecutive in the simultaneous council election. A run for mayor would also likely have prevented Murphy from fieding a bid for state treasurer in 2014, as if elected he would take office as mayor that year, and if he ran but lost he might have trouble recovering from the blow of a mayoral election defeat. However, if he were re-elected to the city council, he would be preserving his chances of fielding a formidable 2014 state treasurer run.[20]

At the start of April, Murphy noted that he feared the possibility that he could come to regret not running if Menino were to resign early from the mayoralty prior to the election (but too late for Murphy to launch a ballot-qualified candidacy); noting that an early resignation would make him (as council president) the new acting mayor, and that (if a candidate) he could leverage the advantages of an acting mayoral incumbency to boost his prospects of being elected mayor (Menino himself had who would be rendered a mere caretaker mayor (a "footnote in Boston history", per Murphy’s description) if he became acting mayor but was not able to be elected mayor in the election following.[20]

Murphy ruled-out running for mayor, and instead sought re-election to the council

Tenth council term (2014–15)

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Murphy was re-elected to a tenth term in 2013.

In re-election his campaign, he billed himself as, "a steady hand moving forward."[21]

The editorial board of The Boston Globe did not endorse him in 2013, instead endorsing incumbent councilor Ayanna Pressley, former councilor Michael Flaherty, and first-time candidates Michelle Wu and Jack Kelly. While praising his knowledge of the city budget, the editorial board described him as appearing "more annoyed than invigorated as of late by the challenges of the office," and having "also shown a tendency towards politically expedient decisions."[21]

In 2014, Murphy pushed for Boston to revive its mounted police unit.[22]

In 2015, Murphy co-sponsored BYOB ordinance with Councilor Wu, which allowed allowed patrons of certain restaurants without liquor licenses to bring their own outside bottles of alcoholic beverage to drink with their meal. He and Wu cited the success of a similar ordinance in Philadelphia in their advocacy for this policy, arguing that it would advantage neighborhood restaurants in Boston unable to secure one of the city's scarce liquor licenses.[23][24]

Defeat in 2015 council election

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Murphy lost his seat in the November 2015 election. As the fifth place finisher in the at-large election, he would have had the first right of refusal to rejoin the council if any at-large seat vacancies had occurred during the 2016–17 council term.[25] This circumstance did not arise, however,

Suffolk County Register of Deeds (2016–present)

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Elections

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In 2016, Murphy won a four-way primary for the Democratic nomination for Suffolk County register of deeds.[26]

In November 2016, Murphy won the general election by a broad margin over three independent challengers,[27] and took office later that same month.[28]

Murphy has twice won re-election to further terms as register, first in 2018 and later in 2024. His 2018 re-election saw him fend off another challenge by Katherine Forde in the Democratic primary, with Murphy receiving 52.7% of votes and Forde receiving 47.3% of votes. Similar to 2016, he once again had no Republican challenger in the general election. He won the general election with a result similar to his first election, receiving 70.7% of votes, with a vast lead over the 12.5% of votes received by his sole ballot-listed challenger (an independent candidate). The remaining 16.8% of votes being tallied for a scattering of various write-ins.[29] In his 2024 re-election, Murphy was unchallenged in both the Democratic primary and the general election, winning more than 98% of votes tallied in each (with the remainder of votes being for a scattering of write-ins).[29]

Tenure

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Murphy created a Traveling Tuesdays program which sees members of the registry staff spend their Tuesdays at community availabilities in miscellaneous Suffolk County locations with aims of increasing local awareness of the office and its functions.[30]


Electoral history

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A sign for Murphy's 2009 re-election campaign sits among other 2009 city election campaign signs

City Council elections

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1995 Boston City Council election (at-large seats)
Candidates[31] Preliminary election[32] General election[33]
Votes % Votes %
Francis Roache 18,963 13.5 30,985 16.2
Dapper O'Neil (incumbent) 22,333 15.9 30,524 15.9
Richard P. Iannella (incumbent) 17,970 12.8 28,431 14.8
Peggy Davis-Mullen (incumbent) 17,964 12.8 23,913 12.5
Stephen J. Murphy† 14,255 10.1 21,571 11.3
Michael F. Flaherty 14,368 10.2 20,215 10.5
Frank N. Jones 6,960 5.0 20,047 10.5
Paul J. Gannon 11,724 8.3 16,012 8.4
Anthony Crayton 5,299 3.8  
Joseph P. Donnelly 3,188 2.3  
Dick Czubinski 1,885 1.3  
Edgar Williams Jr. 1,568 1.1  
Anthony L. Dantona 1,372 1.0  
Matthew D. Malloy 1,359 1.0  
Maceo Carl Dixon 1,334 0.9  

† Richard P. Iannella was elected Register of Probate of Suffolk County in November 1996, and subsequently resigned his council seat; Stephen J. Murphy, who had finished fifth in the general election for four seats, joined the council in February 1997 and served the remainder of Iannella's term.[34]

1997 Boston City Council election (at-large seats)
Candidates[35] Preliminary election[36] General election[37] Recount[38]
Votes % Votes % Votes %
Francis Roache (incumbent) 17,495 18.4 32,029 16.9
Peggy Davis-Mullen (incumbent) 12,116 12.8 28,280 14.9
Dapper O'Neil (incumbent) 14,310 15.1 27,591 14.6
Stephen J. Murphy (incumbent) 15,247 16.1 26,702 14.1 26,736
Suzanne Iannella 11,325 11.9 26,505 14.0 26,561
Frank N. Jones 9,912 10.4 24,892 13.1
Paul J. Gannon 9,292 9.8 17,131 9.0
Pamela A. Smith 2,700 2.8 6,287 3.3
Anthony A. Schinella 2,505 2.6  
1999 Boston City Council election (at-large seats)
Candidates[39] Preliminary election[40] General election[40]
Votes % Votes %
Francis Roache (incumbent) 21.648 19.1 30,271 18.1
Stephen J. Murphy (incumbent) 19,623 17.3 27,515 16.4
Peggy Davis-Mullen (incumbent) 16,198 14.3 26,468 15.8
Michael F. Flaherty 14,422 12.7 26,377 15.8
Dapper O'Neil (incumbent) 17,237 15.2 24,636 14.7
Gregory B. Timilty 10,876 9.6 16,068 9.6
Joseph Mulligan III 6.111 5.4 10,012 6.0
Andrea Morrell 3,338 2.9 6,093 3.6
Daniel Kontoff 2,004 1.8  
John Hugo 1,790 1.6  


Suffolk County Register of Deeds elections

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2016 Suffolk County Register of Deeds election[27]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Stephen Murphy 180,667 71.74
Independent Margherita Ciampa-Coyne 32,689 12.98
Independent John Keith 18,576 7.38
Independent Joseph Donnelly 18,222 7.36
Total votes 251,839 100
blank votes 65,368
2018 Suffolk County Register of Deeds Democratic primary[29]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Stephen Murphy (incumbent) 42,040 52.7
Democratic Katherine Forde 157,284 47.3
Total votes 79,755 100
2018 Suffolk County Register of Deeds election[29]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Stephen Murphy (incumbent) 180,208 70.7
Independent Gabriela Mendoza 31,779 12.5
write-in other 42,855 16.8
Total votes 254,842 100
2024 Suffolk County Register of Deeds Democratic primary[29]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Stephen Murphy (incumbent) 47,907 98.8
write-in other 602 1.2
Total votes 48,509 100
2024 Suffolk County Register of Deeds election[29]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Stephen Murphy (incumbent) 223,614 98.1
write-in other 4,435 1.2
Total votes 228,049 100

Other elections

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2002 Massachusetts Treasurer and Receiver-General Democratic Party primary[41]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Timothy P. Cahill 226,505 35.79
Democratic Jim Segel 153,940 24.33
Democratic Stephen J. Murphy 135,612 21.43
Democratic Michael P. Cahill 116,737 18.45


2010 Massachusetts Treasurer and Receiver-General Democratic Party primary[42]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Steven Grossman 245,386 60.78
Democratic Stephen J. Murphy 157,284 38.96
Write-in 1,071 0.26


References

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  1. ↑ "Stephen J. Murphy (Massachusetts)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Murphy Says He Has Enough Votes To Remain City Council President". Boston.com. December 21, 2012. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
  3. ↑ Flint, Anthony (February 3, 1997). "Persevering Candidate Finally Sworn In As City Councilor". The Boston Globe. p. B.3. Retrieved March 5, 2018 – via pqarchiver.com.
  4. ↑ Decherd, William B. (October 10, 1997). "Boston City Council Speaks Out Against Campus Drinking". The Harvard Crimson. Retrieved September 19, 2025.
  5. ↑ Annear, Steve (August 23, 2010). "Steve Murphy: Running for Massachusetts treasurer from 'the real world'". Wicked Local. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  6. ↑ "Taxing Times for Boston Colleges?". 2004. Retrieved 25 August 2026 – via Scribd.com.
  7. ↑ Bell, Alexandra C. (October 25, 2005). "Keg Sale Policies Could Tighten". The Harvard Crimson. Retrieved August 25, 2026.
  8. ↑ "2004 Sheriff Democratic Primary Suffolk County". electionstats.state.ma.us. PD43+. Retrieved May 9, 2026.
  9. ↑ "Boston City Leaders Push For Change In Smoke Detector Law - CBS Boston". CBS News. July 9, 2007. Retrieved May 9, 2026.
  10. 1 2 3 "Who's Who On Boston City Council". Boston.com. January 3, 2013. Retrieved September 21, 2025.
  11. ↑ McGroarty, Patrick (11 April 2007). "Council pushes to raise age cap for new cops". Dorchester Reporter. Retrieved August 25, 2026.
  12. ↑ "Ordinance" (PDF). Boston City Council. 2006. Retrieved August 25, 2026 – via Boston Workers Alliance.
  13. ↑ Jonas, Michael (November 4, 2015). "Boston voters dropkick Murphy, oust Yancey". CommonWealth Beacon. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
  14. ↑ Ryan, Andrew (December 14, 2011). "Councilors want clerk to forgo wedding fees". The Boston Globe. Retrieved August 25, 2026.
  15. ↑ "Grossman Wins Dem. Nod For Mass. Treasurer". WBUR. September 14, 2010. Retrieved August 25, 2026.
  16. 1 2 "Stephen Murphy Re-Elected Boston City Council President". CBS Boston. January 7, 2013. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
  17. ↑ Ryan, Andrew (January 7, 2013). "City Council reelects Stephen Murphy as leader". The Boston Globe. Retrieved August 25, 2026.
  18. ↑ "Boston Health Commission Halts Bill to Add Firefighters on EMS Calls". Firefighter Nation. September 10, 2013. Retrieved August 25, 2026.
  19. ↑ Multiple sources:
  20. 1 2 "Menino exit may be Murphy's law". Boston Herald. April 1, 2013. Retrieved August 25, 2026.
  21. 1 2 "Pressley, Wu, Flaherty, Kelly for At-Large City Council". The Boston Globe. October 3, 2013. Retrieved 15 November 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ↑ Annear, Steve (May 5, 2014). "Councilor Wants to Discuss Bringing Back Boston's Mounted Police Unit". Boston Magazine. Retrieved August 25, 2026.
  23. ↑ Multiple sources:
  24. ↑ Ertischek, David (October 30, 2016). "Stephen Murphy: Why I Should Be Elected the Next Suffolk County Register of Deeds". Jamaica Plain News. Retrieved August 25, 2026.
  25. ↑ Vennochi, Joan (November 9, 2015). "How Stephen Murphy could return to the City Council". The Boston Globe. Retrieved August 25, 2026.
  26. ↑ Szaniszlo, Marie (September 10, 2016). "Stephen J. Murphy wins primary bid, progressives do well in Thursday vote". Boston Herald. Retrieved August 25, 2026.
  27. 1 2 For vote totals:"2016 Register of Deeds General Election". electionstats.state.ma.us. 2016. Retrieved July 18, 2026.
    For party affiliations:"Massachusetts Suffolk Register of Deeds Results: Stephen Murphy Wins". The New York Times. August 1, 2017. Retrieved July 18, 2026.
  28. ↑ "About the Register". Suffolk County Registry of Deeds. Retrieved September 21, 2025.
  29. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Stephen J. Murphy (Massachusetts)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved September 21, 2025.
  30. ↑ Ertischek, David (August 13, 2018). "Q&A: Register of Deeds Murphy on His Successes Since Taking Office". Jamaica Plain News. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
  31. ↑ Walker, Adrian (September 19, 1995). "Hub's Council Hopefuls Face Off Today In An Off-Year Preliminary Election". The Boston Globe. p. 17. Retrieved March 4, 2018 – via pqarchiver.com.
  32. ↑ "O'Neil Tops Council Vote; Roache 2d". The Boston Globe. September 20, 1995. p. 1. Retrieved March 4, 2018 – via pqarchiver.com.
  33. ↑ "City Council Final Election". The Boston Globe. November 8, 1995. p. 1. Retrieved March 4, 2018 – via pqarchiver.com.
  34. ↑ Flint, Anthony (February 3, 1997). "Persevering candidate finally sworn in as city councilor". The Boston Globe. p. B.3. Retrieved March 5, 2018 – via pqarchiver.com.
  35. ↑ "At-large, district candidates in the Boston City Council election City Council At-Large". The Boston Globe. November 2, 1997. p. 6. Retrieved March 5, 2018 – via pqarchiver.com.
  36. ↑ Anand, Geeta (September 24, 1997). "At-large city councilors top ticket In a District 1 shocker, Scapicchio decisively tops incumbent Modica". The Boston Globe. p. B.1. Retrieved March 6, 2018 – via pqarchiver.com.
  37. ↑ Flint, Anthony (November 5, 1997). "At-large incumbents hang on Roache coasts as 3 others scramble to keep seats; Iannella is edged out". The Boston Globe. p. B.1. Retrieved March 5, 2018 – via pqarchiver.com.
  38. ↑ Flint, Anthony (November 25, 1997). "Recount confirms Murphy's victory in council race". The Boston Globe. p. B.3. Retrieved March 6, 2018 – via pqarchiver.com.
  39. ↑ Flint, Anthony (November 1, 1999). "Voter Turnout Level Will Tell Who Gets Seats On City Council". The Boston Globe. p. B.1. Retrieved March 7, 2018 – via pqarchiver.com.
  40. 1 2 "Annual Report of the Board of election Commissioners". Boston : [Election Dept.] 1999. Retrieved September 21, 2025 – via archive.org.
  41. ↑ "PD43+ » 2002 Treasurer Democratic Primary". electionstats.state.ma.us (Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts). Retrieved September 20, 2025.
  42. ↑ "09/14/2010 State Primary" (PDF). Retrieved July 2, 2011.

Further reading

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