Boston mayoral election, 1979

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Boston mayoral election, 1979

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  1975 November 6, 1979 1983  

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Candidate Kevin White Joseph F. Timilty
Party Nonpartisan Nonpartisan
Popular vote78,04864,269
Percentage54.82%45.14%

Mayor before election

Kevin White

Elected Mayor

Kevin White

The Boston mayoral election of 1979 occurred on Tuesday, November 6, 1979, between Mayor Kevin White and state senator Joseph F. Timilty. This was the second election in a row between White and Timilty. White once again defeated Timilty and was elected to a fourth term.

Mayor of Boston

The Mayor of Boston is the head of the municipal government in Boston, Massachusetts. Boston has a mayor-council system of government. Boston's mayoral elections are non-partisan, and elect a mayor to a four-year term; there are no term limits. The mayor's office is in Boston City Hall, in Government Center.

Massachusetts Senate

The Massachusetts Senate is the upper house of the Massachusetts General Court, the bicameral state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Senate comprises 40 elected members from 40 single-member senatorial districts in the state. All but one of the districts are named for the counties in which they are located. Senators serve two-year terms, without term limits. The Senate convenes in the Massachusetts State House, in Boston.

Joseph F. Timilty was an American politician.

Contents

The nonpartisan municipal preliminary election was held on September 25, 1979.

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.

Candidates

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.

Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth

The Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth is the principal public information officer of the state government of the U.S. state of Massachusetts.

Candidates eliminated in preliminary

The Socialist Workers Party (SWP) is a communist party in the United States. Originally a group in the Communist Party USA that supported Leon Trotsky against Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, it places a priority on "solidarity work" to aid strikes and is strongly supportive of Cuba. The SWP publishes The Militant, a weekly newspaper that dates back to 1928. It also maintains Pathfinder Press.

David Ignatius Finnegan was an American attorney, talk show host, and politician. He was a partner at Finnegan, Underwood, Ryan & Tierney.

Mel King American politician

Melvin H. King is an American politician, community organizer, writer, and past Adjunct Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Results

CandidatesPreliminary Election [1] General Election [2]
Votes%Votes%
Kevin White 50,27242.3978,04854.82
Joseph F. Timilty 33,02627.8564,26945.14
Mel King 17,49014.75
David Finnegan 17,30614.59
Laurence R. Sherman 2970.25
Luis F. Castro1990.17

See also

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1963 Boston mayoral election

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1959 Boston mayoral election

The Boston mayoral election of 1959 occurred on Tuesday, November 3, 1959, between former Boston City Council member John F. Collins and President of the Massachusetts Senate John E. Powers. Collins was elected to his first term, and was inaugurated on Monday, January 4, 1960.

1955 Boston mayoral election

The Boston mayoral election of 1955 occurred on Tuesday, November 8, 1955, between Mayor John B. Hynes and State Senator John E. Powers. Hynes was elected to his third term.

1951 Boston mayoral election

The Boston mayoral election of 1951 occurred on Tuesday, November 6, 1951, between Mayor of Boston John B. Hynes and former Mayor James Michael Curley. Hynes was elected to his second term.

1949 Boston mayoral election

The Boston mayoral election of 1949 occurred on Tuesday, November 8, 1949, between incumbent Mayor of Boston James Michael Curley, city clerk and former acting mayor John B. Hynes, and three other candidates. Hynes was elected to his first term.

1933 Boston mayoral election

The Boston mayoral election of 1933 occurred on Tuesday, November 7, 1933. Former state treasurer Frederick Mansfield defeated five other candidates to be elected Mayor of Boston.

1925 Boston mayoral election

The Boston mayoral election of 1925 occurred on Tuesday, November 3, 1925. Malcolm Nichols, a former member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives and Massachusetts Senate, defeated nine other candidates to be elected mayor.

1914 Boston mayoral election

The Boston mayoral election of 1914 occurred on Tuesday, January 13, 1914. James Michael Curley, member of the United States House of Representatives, was elected Mayor of Boston for the first time, defeating Thomas J. Kenny, president of the Boston City Council.

References