"Paul is a wonderfully dedicated state representative," says Martha M. Walz, the former chair of the Ward Five Democratic Committee who has known Demakis for the past 12 years. "He's very, very well suited for state representation."

Presently, Demakis is working to pass a bill to create 25-foot buffer zones around all Massachusetts abortion clinics, a bill he calls "the most significant legislative fight I have led."

The fight for the law began in 1995, after John Salvi III killed two workers at Boston area women's clinics in December 1994, days before Demakis took office. The State Senate has approved the bill twice, although it has stalled in the House.

Demakis is also working to halt a New York developer who is attempting to place a skyscraper in the Back Bay area of Boston.

Fred Mauet, who once worked as a lawyer with Demakis and is now the chair of the Back Bay Neighborhood Association, says battles like these are Demakis' forte.

"He really has a passion for protecting the quality of life of the urban environment," says Mauet, who is leading the fight against the Back Bay skyscraper. "Paul has just been extremely vigilant and puts his heart into the nitty-gritty issues as much as anyone I have ever seen in public life."

As for one of the most common nitty-gritty issues that Boston legislators face--fighting with universities over everything from campus expansion to minimum wages for workers--Demakis says he has largely steered clear of town/gown conflicts.