O’Malley for Boston council

Candidate Matt O’Malley, 31, offers the most relevant experience and the greatest potential to bridge the district’s liberal precincts of Jamaica Plain and conservative precincts of West Roxbury. He is equally adept at making the case for gay marriage, re-entry programs for ex-inmates, and a return to neighborhood schools. O’Malley learned some of the issues on the job as legislative director for Suffolk County Sheriff Andrea Cabral and political director for MassEquality. Others he simply absorbed growing up in a modest family in Roslindale where neighbors watched out for each other, attending public school in Boston, and working after school in a neighborhood grocery. “I want every kid in every triple decker to have the same opportunities I had simply by being a Bostonian,’’ O’Malley said at a recent forum.

O’Malley has learned from his two unsuccessful bids for at-large councilor. Voters should expect him to be highly attentive to both constituent services and the larger challenges facing the city, including its budget constraints.

The District 6 field formed quickly after city councilor John Tobin announced his resignation in July. Insurance agency owner Jim Hennigan, who chairs the board of the West Roxbury

YMCA, u nderstands the challenges facing small businesses. He would also be a strong advocate for the area’s young people. Newcomer Chun-Fai Chan, a math teacher in Charlestown, is especially thoughtful about the challenges facing the city’s schools. Music teacher Sean Ryan and Kosta Demos, a city charter reform activist, round out a strong field. It is O’Malley, however, who stands apart.

The top two vote getters will run off on Nov. 16.