Boston City Council election, 1987

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Boston City Council elections were held on November 3, 1987. Eleven seats (seven district representatives and four at-large members) were contested in the general election, as the incumbents in districts 3 and 6 were unopposed. Seven seats (the four at-large members, and districts 1, 8, and 9) had also been contested in the preliminary election held on September 22, 1987.

Boston City Council municipal council of Boston, Massachusetts

The Boston City Council is the legislative branch of government for the city of Boston, Massachusetts. It is made up of 13 members: 9 district representatives and 4 at-large members. Councillors are elected to two-year terms and there is no limit on the number of terms an individual can serve. Boston uses a strong-mayor form of government in which the city council acts as a check against the power of the executive branch, the mayor. The Council is responsible for approving the city budget; monitoring, creating, and abolishing city agencies; making land use decisions; and approving, amending, or rejecting other legislative proposals.

A general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.

A primary election is the process by which voters, either the general public or members of a political party, can indicate their preference for a candidate in an upcoming general election or by-election, thus narrowing the field of candidates.

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At-large

Councillors Dapper O'Neil, Christopher A. Iannella, and Michael J. McCormack were re-elected. Councillor Joseph M. Tierney did not seek re-election, as he ran for Mayor of Boston; he was defeated by incumbent Raymond Flynn in the general election. Rosaria Salerno won the final at-large seat.

Dapper ONeil American politician

Albert Leo "Dapper" O'Neil was an American politician who served as a socially conservative member of the Boston City Council for twenty-eight years. Prior to joining the council, he served on the Boston Licensing Board and was an operative for the legendary Mayor of Boston James Michael Curley.

Christopher A. Iannella American politician

Christopher A. Iannella was a member of the Boston City Council in Boston, Massachusetts, for 33 years, spanning the late 1950s until his death. He also served eight one-year terms as City Council president.

Michael J. McCormack is a former member of the Boston City Council, having held an at-large seat from 1982 through 1991.

Candidates [1] Preliminary Election [2] [3] General Election [4]
Votes%Votes%
Dapper O'Neil 29,05216.3% 47,81717.0%
Christopher A. Iannella 23,90613.4% 45,47216.1%
Rosaria Salerno 19,34610.8% 39,08913.9%
Michael J. McCormack 16,7939.4% 36,32612.9%
Joseph W. Casper 15,6948.8% 32,54811.5%
Frederick C. Langone 19,52110.9% 30,44710.8%
Michael W. Kane 13,6787.7% 27,5739.8%
Stephen J. Murphy 13,3097.4% 22,7448.1%
Kevin A. McCluskey 11,4316.4% 
Althea Garrison 66693.7% 
Edward T. Kelley 51232.9% 
David J. McKay 41982.3% 

District 1

Councillor Robert Travaglini was re-elected.

Candidates [1] Preliminary Election [5] [6] General Election [4]
Votes%Votes%
Robert Travaglini 568054.5% 797761.6%
Maria DiLibero 311529.9% 497638.4%
Anthony Picarello 162915.6% 

District 2

Councillor James M. Kelly was re-elected.

Candidates [1] General Election [4]
Votes%
James M. Kelly 10,41386.7%
Ali J. Fiumedoro 160213.3%

District 3

Councillor James E. Byrne ran unopposed and was re-elected.

District 4

Councillor Charles Yancey was re-elected.

Candidates [1] General Election [4]
Votes%
Charles Yancey 482880.1%
Arthur Williams 119619.9%

District 5

Councillor Thomas Menino was re-elected.

Candidates [1] General Election [4]
Votes%
Thomas Menino 10,43787.0%
Gerald Bagley 155613.0%

District 6

Councillor Maura Hennigan ran unopposed and was re-elected.

Maura Hennigan American politician

Maura A. Hennigan is an American politician who currently serves as the Clerk Magistrate of Suffolk County, Massachusetts, Superior Court Criminal/Business Division. She is a previous member of the Boston City Council and was a mayoral candidate in 2005. From 1987 to 1993, she was known as Maura Hennigan Casey.

District 7

Councillor Bruce Bolling was re-elected.

Candidates [1] General Election [4]
Votes%
Bruce Bolling 426470.3%
Roy A. Owens 180329.7%

District 8

Councillor David Scondras was re-elected.

Candidates [1] Preliminary Election [5] General Election [4]
Votes%Votes%
David Scondras 215869.9% 338663.6%
Glenn Fiscus 53717.4% 194236.4%
Jack E. Molesworth 39312.7% 

District 9

Councillor Brian J. McLaughlin was re-elected, with his narrow victory confirmed by a recount.

Brian J. McLaughlin

Brian J. McLaughlin is a former member of the Boston City Council, having held the District 9 seat from 1984 through 1995.

An election recount is a repeat tabulation of votes cast in an election that is used to determine the correctness of an initial count. Recounts will often take place in the event that the initial vote tally during an election is extremely close.

Candidates [1] Preliminary Election [5] General Election [4] Recount [7]
Votes%Votes%Votes%
Brian J. McLaughlin 209036.0% 462750.7% 472250.8%
Richard M. Izzo 209736.1% 450649.3% 457549.2%
Paul F. Creighton 126521.8% 
Brian J. Rielly 2554.4% 
Aramis Camps 1021.8% 

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "WHAT TO LOOK FOR AT POLLS TODAY"Lock-blue-alt-2.svg . The Boston Globe . September 22, 1987. Retrieved February 23, 2018 via pqarchiver.com.
  2. "ELECTION '87 SALERNO, INCUMBENTS WIN AT-LARGE COUNCIL SLOTS"Lock-blue-alt-2.svg . The Boston Globe . September 23, 1987. Retrieved February 23, 2018 via pqarchiver.com.
  3. "THE BOSTON VOTE"Lock-blue-alt-2.svg . The Boston Globe . September 23, 1987. Retrieved February 23, 2018 via pqarchiver.com.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "THE BOSTON VOTE"Lock-blue-alt-2.svg . The Boston Globe . November 4, 1987. Retrieved February 23, 2018 via pqarchiver.com.
  5. 1 2 3 "ELECTION '87 MCLAUGHLIN LOSES IN ALLSTON-BRIGHTON CITY COUNCIL RACE"Lock-blue-alt-2.svg . The Boston Globe . September 23, 1987. Retrieved February 23, 2018 via pqarchiver.com.
  6. "Charlestown Records a 36% Voter Turnout In Tuesday's Primary Election" (PDF). Charlestown Patriot and Somerville Chronicle. 30 (4). September 24, 1987. p. 5. Retrieved February 23, 2018 via docdroid.net.
  7. "RECOUNT CONFIRMS MCLAUGHLIN VICTORY"Lock-blue-alt-2.svg . The Boston Globe . November 21, 1987. Retrieved February 27, 2018 via pqarchiver.com.

Further reading

<i>The Boston Globe</i> newspaper

The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts, since its creation by Charles H. Taylor in 1872. The newspaper has won a total of 26 Pulitzer Prizes as of 2016, and with a total paid circulation of 245,824 from September 2015 to August 2016, it is the 25th most read newspaper in the United States. The Boston Globe is the oldest and largest daily newspaper in Boston.