Boston City Council election, 1983

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Boston City Council elections were held on November 15, 1983, with preliminary elections on October 11, 1983. [1] This election transitioned the Council from having 9 members (all at-large) to having 13 members (9 district representatives and 4 at-large). All 13 seats were contested in both the preliminary and general election.

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 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.

At-large is a designation for members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent the whole membership of the body, rather than a subset of that membership. At-large voting is in contrast to voting by electoral districts.

Contents

Incumbents

Each of the nine incumbent at-large councillors ran for Boston public office.

NamePosition contested forResult
Bruce Bolling Councillor, District 7won
Raymond Flynn Mayor of Boston won
Maura Hennigan Councillor, District 6won
Christopher A. Iannella Councillor at-largeelected
Frederick C. Langone Mayor of Boston lost, 6th
Michael J. McCormack Councillor at-largeelected
Terence P. McDermott Councillor at-largelost, 5th
Dapper O'Neil Councillor at-largeelected
Joseph M. Tierney Councillor at-largeelected

At-large

In the preliminary election, ten names appeared on the ballot, with voters able to choose four; the top eight vote-getters then appeared on the ballot in the general election. [2]

Voters in the general election could select four of the eight final candidates; Councillors McCormack, Iannella, Tierney, and O'Neil received the most votes, so were re-elected and filled the four at-large seats, while Councillor McDermott finished fifth and was not re-elected.

Candidates [3] Preliminary Election [4] [5] General Election [6]
Votes%Votes%
Michael J. McCormack 52,31512.3%87,14316.0%
Christopher A. Iannella 66,64715.6%85,20415.7%
Joseph M. Tierney 62,85014.7%82,60015.2%
Dapper O'Neil 64,41015.1%79,08614.6%
Terence P. McDermott 61,43614.4%77,09614.2%
Jean Sullivan McKeigue48,26511.3%73,06413.4%
Willie Mae Allen 21,3695.0%32,5566.0%
Althea Garrison 19,9084.7%26,5644.9%
Joseph Mirisola14,9143.5% 
Leslie F. Payne14,1993.3% 

District 1

Robert Travaglini was elected.

Candidates [3] [7] Preliminary Election [8] General Election [6]
Votes%Votes%
Robert Travaglini 500126.8%11,66353.0%
Diane J. Modica370419.9%10,34347.0%
Robert M. Cappucci344418.5% 
Michael J. Reardon308116.5% 
Joseph V. Cinseruli199910.7% 
Neil P. Brennan7734.1% 
Joseph Sablone3722.0% 
Carl J. Salvi Jr.2721.5% 

District 2

James M. Kelly was elected.

Candidates [3] Preliminary Election [9] General Election [6]
Votes%Votes%
James M. Kelly 861541.9%11,81551.7%
Michael Taylor628430.5%11,02648.3%
Christopher F. Hayes440021.4% 
William P. Foley7183.5% 
Stephen M. Palmer2811.4% 
Ali J. Fiumedoro2721.3% 

District 3

James E. Byrne was elected.

Candidates [3] Preliminary Election [10] General Election [6]
Votes%Votes%
James E. Byrne523125.7%11,54450.5%
John E. Garland531926.2%11,29549.5%
Stephen M. Cidlevich394419.4% 
Richard Livingston233911.5% 
Carol Nee Geyer214510.6% 
Walter R. Campbell9974.9% 
Debra Gelber3471.7% 

District 4

Charles Yancey was elected.

Candidates [3] Preliminary Election [11] General Election [6]
Votes%Votes%
Charles Yancey 423932.4%789851.7%
Bill Owens Jr.440533.7%736448.3%
Gerald Anderson188914.4% 
Locksley H. Bryan9807.5% 
Benjamin F. Thompson6014.6% 
Carter D. Kimbrel4693.6% 
Bobby J. Wallace2541.9% 
Arthur Williams2411.8% 

District 5

Thomas Menino was elected.

Candidates [3] Preliminary Election [12] General Election [6]
Votes%Votes%
Thomas Menino 11,37557.8%17,55474.7%
Richard E. Kenney312615.9%594525.3%
William G. Broderick312315.9% 
Robert MacGregor11245.7% 
Constance L. Brown4672.4% 
George L. Richmond4612.3% 

District 6

At-large councillor Maura Hennigan was elected.

Candidates [3] Preliminary Election [13] General Election [6]
Votes%Votes%
Maura Hennigan 10,77252.6%14,39059.8%
Francis X. Coppinger 655732.0%965440.2%
Edmund McNamara 313915.3% 

District 7

At-large councillor Bruce Bolling was elected.

Candidates [3] Preliminary Election [14] General Election [6]
Votes%Votes%
Bruce Bolling 755659.1%904963.9%
Elizabeth (Betty) Jones190714.9%512136.1%
Ben Haith131510.3% 
Roy A. Owens11469.0% 
Steven A. Wise5674.4% 
James Joseph3022.4% 

District 8

David Scondras was elected, becoming the first openly gay Boston City Council member. [15]

David Scondras

David Scondras is a former member of the Boston City Council, having held the District 8 seat from 1984 through 1993. He was one of a few members of the Democratic Socialists of America to be elected to public office.

Gay is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term was originally used to mean "carefree", "cheerful", or "bright and showy".

Candidates [3] Preliminary Election [16] General Election [6]
Votes%Votes%
David Scondras 372030.6%720750.4%
Mark Roosevelt 413634.0%710449.6%
Dennis A. Quilty315025.9% 
Eugenie Beal11659.6% 

District 9

Brian J. McLaughlin was elected.

Candidates [3] Preliminary Election [17] General Election [6]
Votes%Votes%
Brian J. McLaughlin 296920.5%907153.8%
Helene Solomon347024.0%778246.2%
Richard M. Izzo248917.2% 
John F. Melia245617.0% 
Joseph H. Hogan Jr.145110.0% 
Jerome P. MacDonald9176.3% 
George Franklin5343.7% 
Jean Farrell1621.1% 

See also

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References

  1. ↑ Black, Chris; Kenney, Charles (August 19, 1983). "NEW DATES SET FOR BOSTON ELECTIONS"Lock-blue-alt-2.svg . The Boston Globe . Retrieved February 21, 2018– via pqarchiver.com.
  2. ↑ "THE BOSTON PRELIMINARY BALLOT"Lock-blue-alt-2.svg . The Boston Globe . October 4, 1983. Retrieved February 21, 2018– via pqarchiver.com.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "CANDIDATES AS THEY APPEAR ON THE BALLOT"Lock-blue-alt-2.svg . The Boston Globe . October 10, 1983. Retrieved February 22, 2018– via pqarchiver.com.
  4. ↑ "FINAL RESULTS OF BOSTON PRELIMINARY ELECTION FOR COUNCILOR AT-LARGE; 2 YEARS"Lock-blue-alt-2.svg . The Boston Globe . October 12, 1983. Retrieved February 21, 2018– via pqarchiver.com.
  5. ↑ "5 INCUMBENTS TOP AT-LARGE COUNCIL RACE"Lock-blue-alt-2.svg . The Boston Globe . October 12, 1983. Retrieved February 21, 2018– via pqarchiver.com.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "BOSTON ELECTION RESULTS"Lock-blue-alt-2.svg . The Boston Globe . November 16, 1983. Retrieved February 21, 2018– via pqarchiver.com.
  7. ↑ "BOSTON'S VOTING DISTRICTS; DISTRICT 1: SIMILAR PEOPLE, SIMILAR PROBLEMS"Lock-blue-alt-2.svg . The Boston Globe . September 5, 1983. Retrieved February 22, 2018– via pqarchiver.com.
  8. ↑ "FINAL RESULTS OF BOSTON PRELIMINARY ELECTIONS: DISTRICT 1"Lock-blue-alt-2.svg . The Boston Globe . October 12, 1983. Retrieved February 21, 2018– via pqarchiver.com.
  9. ↑ "FINAL RESULTS OF BOSTON PRELIMINARY ELECTION: DISTRICT 2"Lock-blue-alt-2.svg . The Boston Globe . October 12, 1983. Retrieved February 21, 2018– via pqarchiver.com.
  10. ↑ "FINAL RESULTS OF BOSTON PRELIMINARY ELECTION: DISTRICT 3"Lock-blue-alt-2.svg . The Boston Globe . October 12, 1983. Retrieved February 21, 2018– via pqarchiver.com.
  11. ↑ "FINAL RESULTS OF BOSTON PRELIMINARY ELECTIONS: DISTRICT 4"Lock-blue-alt-2.svg . The Boston Globe . October 12, 1983. Retrieved February 22, 2018– via pqarchiver.com.
  12. ↑ "FINAL ELECTION RESULTS OF BOSTON PRELIMINARY ELECTIONS: DISTRICT 5"Lock-blue-alt-2.svg . The Boston Globe . October 12, 1983. Retrieved February 22, 2018– via pqarchiver.com.
  13. ↑ "FINAL RESULTS OF BOSTON PRELIMINARY ELECTIONS: DISTRICT 6"Lock-blue-alt-2.svg . The Boston Globe . October 12, 1983. Retrieved February 22, 2018– via pqarchiver.com.
  14. ↑ "FINAL RESULTS OF BOSTON PRELIMINARY ELECTIONS: DISTRICT 7"Lock-blue-alt-2.svg . The Boston Globe . October 12, 1983. Retrieved February 22, 2018– via pqarchiver.com.
  15. ↑ Krone, Mark (October 10, 2013). "Boston Mayor's Race: Then and Now". bostonspiritmagazine.com. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
  16. ↑ "FINAL RESULTS OF BOSTON PRELIMINARY ELECTIONS: DISTRICT 8"Lock-blue-alt-2.svg . The Boston Globe . October 12, 1983. Retrieved February 22, 2018– via pqarchiver.com.
  17. ↑ "FINAL RESULTS OF BOSTON PRELIMINARY ELECTIONS: DISTRICT 9"Lock-blue-alt-2.svg . The Boston Globe . October 12, 1983. Retrieved February 22, 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.

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