Will Flanagan says he will run for Fall River mayor in 2027, a year after the stabbing that nearly killed him
Flanagan, who served as mayor from 2010 to 2014, announced the run Monday and gave interviews Tuesday, exactly a year after the attack.
FALL RIVER Exactly one year after a stabbing on Hartwell Street nearly cost him his life, former Fall River Mayor Will Flanagan talked through his decision to run for mayor again in 2027 in two interviews Tuesday, one with WBSM and one with NBC 10, a run he announced Monday.
"God gave me a second chance on life, and I hope the voters of Fall River give me a second chance to be their mayor again," Flanagan said in the television interview, which aired Tuesday.
Flanagan was stabbed on Oct. 20, 2025, near his business on Hartwell Street in what he described as a random, unprovoked attack. He told the station he was on life support and had to relearn how to walk and eat, and credited reflection, physical therapy and occupational therapy for his recovery.
"I feel great," he said on the MGM Show on Tuesday morning. "I'm proud to say that I'm fully recovered."
"Life can change in a second, and tomorrow's never guaranteed to anybody," he said in that radio interview. "When you get a second chance on life like that, it's really eye-opening."
A return after 12 years out of office
Flanagan was first elected mayor in 2009 at age 29, the youngest person elected to the office at the time, and took office in 2010. He won two more two-year terms before losing a 2014 recall election driven in part by frustration over trash pickup fees. During that period, then-City Council member Jasiel Correia accused Flanagan of showing him a gun to intimidate him; Flanagan denied the allegation. He did not run again after the recall.
"I was pretty much done with politics," Flanagan said in the television interview. "If you asked me a year ago today if I would be running for mayor ... the answer probably would've been no."
He said the attack changed his mind. "I got a second chance on life, and I hope the voters of Fall River give me a second chance to be their mayor," he said on the radio.
The man he is today
Flanagan is the chief executive of the Cosmopolitan Dispensary on Hartwell Street. He said that if he is elected, any potential conflicts involving the business would be addressed through the appropriate ethics process. He said being a father and a business owner has given him a better understanding of the everyday challenges facing working families.
Born and raised in Fall River, Flanagan said he has never lived anywhere else. He attended local schools, worked at Stop & Shop and put himself through college and law school. He thanked everyone who prayed for him during his recovery and said he is looking toward the future instead of the past.
What happens next
Flanagan said his campaign is expected to pick up momentum in early 2027. Fall River elects its mayor every two years; the next city election is in November 2027. The man accused in the October 2025 attack remains held at Bridgewater State Hospital and is due back in court Nov. 2.
Label: Reported by us, from the town's posted records.
How we verified this
Every fact comes from one of two interviews Flanagan gave Tuesday, Oct. 20: a morning radio interview (published Oct. 20) and a television interview (published Oct. 20, updated Oct. 21), both linked in Sources. We read both in full on Oct. 21. Each quote is attributed to the interview where he said it. We checked each date and weekday against a calendar. No single outlet carries a fact alone except the interview quotes, which are credited to the station that recorded them. Not heard: Flanagan's campaign; the interviews are his own words at length.
Corrections
No corrections to this story. If something here is wrong, tell us. Every correction is dated on the story and listed in our public log.
Sources (1)
- Also reported by: WBSM, NBC 10 News.