Politics

A basic guide to the Boston City Council preliminary election

Boston voters will set the stage Tuesday for the coming general election this November.

The Boston City Council, chaired by Councilor-At-Large Annissa Essaibi-George, third from right, holds a working session last month on the opioid crisis at City Hall. From the left: Michael Flaherty, Althea Garrison, Timothy McCarthy, Frank Baker, Essaibi-George, Matt O'Malley, and Kim Janey.

By Nik DeCosta-Klipa

3 minutes to read

Boston voters will decide which City Council hopefuls make the November election ballot this Tuesday.

With several city councilor retiring this year, dozens of candidates are clamoring for the City Council’s few open district seats — from Back Bay to Allston-Brighton to Hyde Park — in addition to its four citywide at-large seats. Boston’s preliminary election Tuesday is poised to make the unwieldy number of choices a bit more manageable come November.

The nonpartisan election will narrow down each race for the City Council’s district seats to two and the at-large field down to eight. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and voters can find their voting location on the Secretary of State’s website.

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The crowded preliminary contests feature more than a few young political newcomers, as well as some familiar faces. For those who spent their summer making the most of the warm weather rather than following local politics, here’s a quick look at each race:

The at-large race

The backdrop:

The preliminary election for the City Council’s four citywide seats will winnow the 15-person field down to eight candidates for the November ballot. All four incumbent at-large councilors — Michael Flaherty, Althea Garrison, Annissa Essaibi-George, and Michelle Wu — are running for re-election. However, this year is the first time that Garrison, the idiosyncratic conservative appointed to replace Rep. Ayanna Pressley last year, will have to defend her seat in the Democrat-heavy city.

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The candidates:

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District 5

The backdrop:

After three terms in office, Timothy McCarthy, the the current District 5 councilor, announced earlier this year that he would not be seeking re-election. Since then, the open race has attracted a diverse field of candidates vying to represent the district, which spans the city’s southernmost tip, including Hyde Park and parts of Roslindale, Mattapan, and Readville.

The candidates:

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District 7

The backdrop:

Councilor Kim Janey is running for a second term representing the Roxbury-area district, after being first elected in 2017. And while the race isn’t uncontested, the two other candidates on the ballot — lawyer Valerie Hope Rust and conservative pastor Roy Owens Sr. — are running without much apparent campaign infrastructure or political backing.

The candidates:

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District 8

The backdrop:

Councilor Josh Zakim announced in March that we would step down following the end of his third term this year, putting the district — which stretches from the West End and Beacon Hill through Back Bay to Mission Hill — up for grabs. The race has attracted a relatively young, diverse field: Jennifer Nassour, a former chair of the Massachusetts Republican Party; Hélène Vincent, a social activist and former Education First executive; Kenzie Bok, a former city housing and policy official; prosecutor Montez Haywood; and community organizer Kristen Mobilia.

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The candidates:

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District 9

The backdrop:

Councilor Mark Ciommo announced in April that he wouldn’t seek re-election after 12 years representing the Allston-Brighton district. That’s opened the floodgates for another packed race that includes local teachers, organizers, a State House staffer, a physical therapist, and an electrician. According to The Boston Globe‘s editorial board, it’s the race that presents voters with “the toughest choice.”

The candidates:

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