| Elections in Massachusetts |
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Boston City Council elections are scheduled to be held on November 2, 2021. Voters will elect councillors for all 13 seats; nine from districts of the city and four selected at-large. A preliminary election, if needed, would be held on September 21.[1] A preliminary election is held when any district seat has more than two candidates, and when there are more than eight candidates for the four at-large seats. Council members elected in November 2021 will be inaugurated in January 2022. By law, Boston municipal elections are nonpartisan—candidates do not represent a specific political party.
Incumbents
The council entered 2021 with the following incumbent members:[2]
| District | Name | Entered office | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| At-large | Annissa Essaibi George | January 2016 | [3] |
| Michael F. Flaherty | January 2014 | [4] | |
| Julia Mejia | January 2020 | [5] | |
| Michelle Wu | January 2014 | [6] | |
| 1 | Lydia Edwards | January 2018 | [7] |
| 2 | Edward M. Flynn | January 2018 | [8] |
| 3 | Frank Baker | January 2012 | [9] |
| 4 | Andrea Campbell | January 2016 | [10] |
| 5 | Ricardo Arroyo | January 2020 | [11] |
| 6 | Matt O'Malley |
November 2010 | [12] |
| 7 | Kim Janey |
January 2018 | [13] |
| 8 | Kenzie Bok | January 2020 | [14] |
| 9 | Liz Breadon | January 2020 | [15] |
Janey served as council president until becoming Acting Mayor in March 2021
O'Malley became council president in March 2021
Announcements
- On September 15, 2020, at-large councilor Michelle Wu announced her candidacy for mayor.[16]
- On September 24, 2020, District 4 councilor Andrea Campbell announced her candidacy for mayor.[17]
- On December 2, 2020, District 6 councilor Matt O'Malley announced that he would not seek re-election.[18]
- On January 7, 2021, then-U.S. President-elect Joe Biden announced that he would nominate incumbent Mayor of Boston Marty Walsh as U.S. Secretary of Labor.[19]
- On January 28, 2021, at-large councilor Annissa Essaibi George announced her candidacy for mayor.[20]
- On March 22, 2021, Walsh was confirmed to his position in the Cabinet of Joe Biden.[21] Walsh resigned as mayor that evening, resulting in council president Kim Janey becoming Acting Mayor.[22]
- Janey continues to represent District 7 on the council while Acting Mayor; O'Malley succeeded her as council president.[23]
- On April 6, 2021, Janey announced her candidacy for mayor.[24]
Note that there is precedence for a candidate in Boston to run for both city council and mayor. Charles Yancey, as an incumbent member of the council, did so in 2013;[25] he was eliminated from the mayoral race in the preliminary election, and was re-elected to his District 4 seat on the city council in the general election. A subsequent proposal to bar candidates from simultaneously running for two offices failed to get approval from the Massachusetts state legislature.[26] A person may not hold both offices,[27] other than in an acting capacity as prescribed by the Boston City Charter.
Candidates
This section lists persons who have announced their intent to seek election. To appear on the ballot, candidates must file nomination papers at Boston City Hall by 5:00 p.m. on May 18 with a sufficient number of certified signatures of registered voters. The number of signatures required varies: 1,500 signatures for candidates seeking at-large seats, or 200 signatures for candidates seeking district seats, except for District 7 (195 signatures), District 8 (130 signatures), and District 9 (164 signatures).[1]
At-large
- Said Abdikarim, CEO and Founder of Faido Capital [28]
- Kelly Bates, President of the Interaction Institute for Social Change[29]
- James Reginald Colimon, former Mayor Walsh's Liaison to Boston City Council, former Mayor Menino's aide, International Partnerships Manager for the City of Boston[30][31]
- Domingos DaRosa, former candidate for Boston City Councilor at-large in 2017 and 2019[32]
- Althea Garrison, former Boston City Councilor at-large and perennial candidate[32]
- Alex Gray, policy analyst at Boston City Hall[33]
- David Halbert, former aid for city council and to Governor Deval Patrick[34]
- Munim Khan, Uber driver [35]
- Peter Lin-Marcus, former candidate for District 2 in 2017 [36]
- Ruthzee Louijeune, lawyer, advocate and former Warren for President legal counsel [37]
- Carla Monteiro, social worker [38]
- Erin Murphy, former Boston Public School teacher and candidate for Boston City Council at-large in 2019 [39]
- Jonathan Spillane, former Boston City Council Staffer [40]
- Nick Vance, political action co-chair for the Boston NAACP[32]
District 3
- Stephen McBride[41]
District 4
- Nikkia Jean-Charles[42]
- William E. Dickerson II[42][43]
- Deeqo Jibril[42]
- Leonard Lee[44]
- Joel Richards[43]
- Trina Ruffin[42]
- Trevour Smith[42]
- Troy Smith[42]
- Jacob Ureña[45]
- Josette Williams[44]
- Brian Worrell[44]
District 5
- John White [46]
District 6
District 7
References
- ^ a b "2021 Election Calendar". Boston.gov. Boston Elections Commission. February 5, 2021. Retrieved February 6, 2021. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
- ^ "City Council". boston.gov. Archived from the original on December 29, 2020. Retrieved January 9, 2021 – via Wayback Machine.
- ^ https://www.boston.gov/departments/city-council/annissa-essaibi-george
- ^ https://www.boston.gov/departments/city-council/michael-flaherty
- ^ https://www.boston.gov/departments/city-council/julia-mejia
- ^ https://www.boston.gov/departments/city-council/michelle-wu
- ^ https://www.boston.gov/departments/city-council/lydia-edwards
- ^ https://www.boston.gov/departments/city-council/ed-flynn
- ^ https://www.boston.gov/departments/city-council/frank-baker
- ^ https://www.boston.gov/departments/city-council/andrea-campbell
- ^ https://www.boston.gov/departments/city-council/ricardo-arroyo
- ^ https://www.boston.gov/departments/city-council/matt-omalley
- ^ https://www.boston.gov/departments/city-council/kim-janey
- ^ https://www.boston.gov/departments/city-council/kenzie-bok
- ^ https://www.boston.gov/departments/city-council/liz-breadon
- ^ "It's official: I'm running for Mayor because Boston should be a city for everyone. Now's the time for bold, urgent leadership". Twitter.com. 15 September 2020. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
- ^ "Andrea Campbell announces campaign to be Boston mayor | Boston.com". www.boston.com. 24 September 2020. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
- ^ Gavin, Christopher (December 3, 2020). "Boston City Councilor Matt O'Malley won't seek re-election next year". Boston.com. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
- ^ Staff, Politico (7 January 2021). "Biden chooses Boston mayor Walsh as Labor secretary". POLITICO. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
- ^ McDonald, Danny (January 27, 2021). "Councilor Essaibi-George jumps into the mayoral fray". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on January 28, 2021.
- ^ "Marty Walsh Confirmed As Labor Secretary, Resigns As Mayor Of Boston". CBS News. March 22, 2021. Retrieved March 22, 2021 – via MSN.com. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
- ^ Gavin, Christopher (March 22, 2021). "Kim Janey becomes Boston's acting mayor, makes history as first Black person, woman to hold the office". Boston Herald. Retrieved March 22, 2021. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
- ^ "Meet Boston City Council's New Council President, Matt O'Malley". boston.gov. March 31, 2021. Retrieved April 6, 2021. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
- ^ Gavin, Christopher (April 6, 2021). "Acting Boston Mayor Kim Janey enters race to seek a full term". Boston.com. Retrieved April 6, 2021. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
- ^ Shanley, Peter (August 2, 2013). "Yancey draws criticism in District 4 race". Jamaica Plain Gazette. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
- ^ Cotter, Sean Philip (April 17, 2021). "Boston councilor mayoral candidates say they won't double dip and run for current seats". Boston Herald. Retrieved April 18, 2021. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
- ^ Ryan, Andrew (April 13, 2013). "Candidates file to run for Boston mayor, City Council". The Boston Globe. Retrieved March 24, 2021. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
- ^ Kilgannon, Maddie (2021-03-10). "Golar Richie endorses Halbert for Council at-large". Retrieved 2021-03-18. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
- ^ Kilgannon, Maddie (2021-03-10). "Golar Richie endorses Halbert for Council at-large". Retrieved 2021-03-18. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
- ^ adamg (2021-04-02). "Election roundup: Two more at-large council candidates, but one mayoral candidate is gone". Retrieved 2021-04-06. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
- ^ "James Reginald Colimon". boston.gov. Retrieved April 6, 2021. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
- ^ a b c Kilgannon, Maddie (2021-01-27). "Garrison says she'll 'definitely be on the ballot' this year; The question is: which one?". Retrieved 2021-01-29. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
- ^ Ertischek, David (October 6, 2020). "Jamaica Plain's Alex Gray Running for At-Large Council Seat". jamaicaplainnews.com. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
- ^ Ertischek, David (December 24, 2020). "David Halbert Running for At-Large Boston City Council Seat". jamaicaplainnews.com. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
- ^ https://www.dotnews.com/2021/west-roxbury-man-sets-account-large-bid
- ^ Kilgannon, Maddie (2021-03-10). "Golar Richie endorses Halbert for Council at-large". Retrieved 2021-03-18. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
- ^ Kilgannon, Maddie (March 16, 2021). "Mattapan native Ruthzee Louijeune joins at-large council race". dotnews.com. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
- ^ Kilgannon, Maddie (March 26, 2021). "Dot's Monteiro plans to run for at-large City Council seat". dotnews.com. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
- ^ https://www.dotnews.com/2021/two-incumbents-leaving-large-race-draws-new-names
- ^ Kilgannon, Maddie (March 10, 2021). "Council aide Jonathan Spillane to seek at-large seat". dotnews.com. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
- ^ https://www.dotnews.com/2021/jones-hill-man-31-seek-district-3-council-seat
- ^ a b c d e f Kilgannon, Maddie (February 24, 2021). "Four new candidates join hopeful field in District 4". dotnews.com. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
- ^ a b Trojano, Katie (January 14, 2021). "Amid shuffle at City Hall, additional council bids emerge". dotnews.com. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
- ^ a b c Kilgannon, Maddie (February 3, 2021). "Longtime activist Leonard Lee plans run for District 4 council". dotnews.com. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
- ^ Blackley, Taylor (November 19, 2020). "Local minister, BLM activist and leader in Faneuil Hall name change effort runs for City Council". thescopeboston.org. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
- ^ Morgan C. Mullings (February 24, 2021). "Candidates lining up for district races". baystatebanner.com. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
- ^ Ertischek, David (September 9, 2020). "Kendra Hicks to Challenge O'Malley in Boston City Council Race". jamaicaplainnews.com. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
- ^ adamg (March 15, 2021). "Election roundup: Two more jump into at-large council race; another candidate could emerge in District 6 race". universalhub.com. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
- ^ adamg (December 9, 2020). "Former School Committee member from West Roxbury running for council seat O'Malley is giving up". universalhub.com. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
- ^ Angie Camacho "As a public servant by day and community change agent by night, I am ready to answer the call to serve in these trying times to build opportunity and open doors to stronger communities..." https://www.crowdpac.com/campaigns/399839/angelina-camacho
- ^ @BosLeonRivera (January 15, 2021). "I am humbled by the overwhelming support from our community! Excited to continue sharing my vision for District 7 with our residents who have felt left out for far too long! I invite you to join our grassroots campaign at LeonRivera.com" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
Further reading
- McDonald, Danny (November 14, 2020). "City councilor to mayor? In Boston, it's typically an uphill climb for challengers". The Boston Globe. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
External links
- Election office at boston.gov
This page was last edited on 18 April 2021, at 18:04