The eight candidates working to capture four at-large seats on Boston's City Council in November's general election present a cross-section of the city that reflects the racial and gender diversity of Boston's politics in 2021.
The two incumbents vying to return to the Council will be joined on the Nov. 2 ballot by one former Councilor and five newcomers, including Mattapan attorney Ruthzee Louijeune, who placed third overall.
"As a nonincumbent first time candidate, this was a really strong showing of the strong support that we have across the city. And I look forward to turning that volume even higher on November 2nd," Louijeune told GBH News Tuesday night.
Louijeune served as legal counsel for Sen. Elizabeth Warren's Massachusetts and national campaigns, and had the backing of a big tent of Democratic support, including the state's senior U.S. senator, state Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz, former state Rep. Marie St. Fleur, city councilors Lydia Edwards, Ricardo Arroyo, and Kenzie Bok as well as the Boston Teachers Union and Sunrise Boston.
Going into the general in November, Louijeune said, "The only change is going to be we're going to knock on more doors, we're going to try our best to get our message spread to more people."
Dorchester resident and Boston Public Schools kindergarten teacher Erin Murphy finished fourth, according to the City of Boston's unofficial results. A teacher and special education coordinator for over two decades, BPS was at the heart of Murphy's campaign. Murphy fell short of election to the Council in 2019 when she advanced through the preliminary election but did not finish in the top four of the final contest.
Murphy was endorsed by local Dorchester politicians Rep. Dan Hunt and district Councilor Frank Baker, as well as Laborers Union Local 223, IBEW Local 103, SEIU Local 888, police and firefighters unions and other labor organizations.
Topping the ticket was incumbent At-Large City Councilor Michael Flaherty of South Boston, who will return to the November final election after finishing with 15% of the city's vote. The former prosecutor, who ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 2009, has made affordable housing the cornerstone of his reelection campaign.
Fellow incumbent Councilor Julia Mejia placed second overall with 14.1% of the citywide vote. Mejia was elected to the Council in 2019 after a nailbiter of a recount determined she had won an at-large slot by just one vote. After a career as a television producer for MTV, Mejia headed up civic engagement groups focused on parents and women of color before running for office. Mejia had support from Chang-Diaz, former Rep. Charlotte Golar Richie, Rep. Russell Holmes, the Boston Teachers Union, JP Progressives, the Women's Political Caucus and other progressive groups.
Social worker Carla Monteiro finished in fifth place with 6.9%. Monteiro was endorsed by the Sunrise Boston environmental activist group and wants to focus on climate change, transportation and housing on the Council.
In sixth was former Gov. Deval Patrick staffer David Halbert, who, like Murphy, ran unsuccessfully in the at-large contest in 2019. After that, the Dorchester resident worked for MIT's Educational Justice Institute. Prior to his first run, Halbert was an aide to former Councilors Sam Yoon and John Tobin at City Hall. He focused his campaign on addressing the impact of the pandemic on the city. Chang-Diaz, Arroyo and several labor and progressive groups have endorsed Halbert.
Althea Garrison, the perennial candidate who replaced now-U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley on the Council after the 2018 federal election, will return to the fray competing for an at-large seat. Garrison's fifth-place position in 2017 meant she was elevated to Pressley's council slot upon the latter's resignation to serve in Congress. Garrison finished the 2021 preliminary in seventh with 6.1% of the vote.
Rounding out the field with 5.5% support was Bridget Nee-Walsh, a South Boston ironworker and shop owner. She names fellow ironworker and union brother U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch as a political inspiration and was endorsed by the Greater Boston Building Trades Council, Baker, Ironworkers Local 7, Firefighters Local 718 and several other labor unions.
District Council Seats
Real estate broker Brian Worrell, with 25.5% of the vote, will take on former state Rep. Evandro Carvalho, who finished with 18.7%, to replace Andrea Campbell as the District 4 City Councilor.
Jamaica Plain's Kendra Hicks took the top spot in the race to replace retiring City Councilor Matt O'Malley with 50.2% of the tally. Hicks is the director of radical philanthropy at the racial and economic advocacy organization Resist. Former school committee member Mary Tamer placed second with 43.4% of votes. The sixth district includes West Roxbury and Roslindale as well as JP.
Bowdoin Geneva Main Streets executive director Tania Anderson finished first in the race to replace Kim Janey as the District 7 councilor with 26.8% of the vote.
"We need to tackle skyrocketing housing costs, we must improve our public schools, and we must dismantle the structural racism the systemic inequalities that have held our community back," Anderson wrote in a statement after her victory.
Perennial candidate Roy Owens, with 17.1%, will face Anderson in the general election.
