Councilor-at-large candidate Richard T. Hynes

This year’s councilor-at-large race is only the second time Richard T. Hynes has appeared on a municipal ballot, but he has long been a fixture of Waltham politics.

Originally from Watertown, he told voters at the League of Women Voters of Waltham’s councilor-at-large candidates’ night that he originally relocated to Waltham to stay at the Bristol Lodge Men’s Shelter when he was experiencing homelessness.

He previously ran for Waltham public office as an at-large candidate in 2017. According to WCAC-TV reporting, he also tried to run as an at-large candidate in 2023 but didn’t make it onto the final ballot.

In 2015 he also attempted a mayoral run, although he apparently didn’t garner enough signatures; his bid for mayor was considered a long shot according to a Patch article at the time, but would have forced a primary election had he been on the ballot.

Hynes currently works as a writer and salesperson for the Spare Change News, a Cambridge-based newspaper covering “homelessness, poverty and social justice” around Greater Boston.

Hynes has no email or phone number filed with the City Clerk’s office and does not appear to maintain a website or any social media pages for his campaign. Hynes agreed to an interview after The Waltham Times left a note at his home, but after multiple follow-ups, The Waltham Times was not able to schedule an interview.