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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.
Each of the nine incumbent at-large councillors ran for Boston public office.
| Name | Position contested for | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Bruce Bolling | Councillor, District 7 | won |
| Raymond Flynn | Mayor of Boston | won |
| Maura Hennigan | Councillor, District 6 | won |
| Christopher A. Iannella | Councillor at-large | elected |
| Frederick C. Langone | Mayor of Boston | lost, 6th |
| Michael J. McCormack | Councillor at-large | elected |
| Terence P. McDermott | Councillor at-large | lost, 5th |
| Dapper O'Neil | Councillor at-large | elected |
| Joseph M. Tierney | Councillor at-large | elected |
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 | 52,315 | 12.3% | 87,143 | 16.0% |
| Christopher A. Iannella | 66,647 | 15.6% | 85,204 | 15.7% |
| Joseph M. Tierney | 62,850 | 14.7% | 82,600 | 15.2% |
| Dapper O'Neil | 64,410 | 15.1% | 79,086 | 14.6% |
| Terence P. McDermott | 61,436 | 14.4% | 77,096 | 14.2% |
| Jean Sullivan McKeigue | 48,265 | 11.3% | 73,064 | 13.4% |
| Willie Mae Allen | 21,369 | 5.0% | 32,556 | 6.0% |
| Althea Garrison | 19,908 | 4.7% | 26,564 | 4.9% |
| Joseph Mirisola | 14,914 | 3.5% | ||
| Leslie F. Payne | 14,199 | 3.3% | ||
Robert Travaglini was elected.
| Candidates[3][7] | Preliminary Election[8] | General Election[6] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Votes | % | |
| Robert Travaglini | 5001 | 26.8% | 11,663 | 53.0% |
| Diane J. Modica | 3704 | 19.9% | 10,343 | 47.0% |
| Robert M. Cappucci | 3444 | 18.5% | ||
| Michael J. Reardon | 3081 | 16.5% | ||
| Joseph V. Cinseruli | 1999 | 10.7% | ||
| Neil P. Brennan | 773 | 4.1% | ||
| Joseph Sablone | 372 | 2.0% | ||
| Carl J. Salvi Jr. | 272 | 1.5% | ||
James M. Kelly was elected.
| Candidates[3] | Preliminary Election[9] | General Election[6] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Votes | % | |
| James M. Kelly | 8615 | 41.9% | 11,815 | 51.7% |
| Michael Taylor | 6284 | 30.5% | 11,026 | 48.3% |
| Christopher F. Hayes | 4400 | 21.4% | ||
| William P. Foley | 718 | 3.5% | ||
| Stephen M. Palmer | 281 | 1.4% | ||
| Ali J. Fiumedoro | 272 | 1.3% | ||
James E. Byrne was elected.
| Candidates[3] | Preliminary Election[10] | General Election[6] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Votes | % | |
| James E. Byrne | 5231 | 25.7% | 11,544 | 50.5% |
| John E. Garland | 5319 | 26.2% | 11,295 | 49.5% |
| Stephen M. Cidlevich | 3944 | 19.4% | ||
| Richard Livingston | 2339 | 11.5% | ||
| Carol Nee Geyer | 2145 | 10.6% | ||
| Walter R. Campbell | 997 | 4.9% | ||
| Debra Gelber | 347 | 1.7% | ||
Charles Yancey was elected.
| Candidates[3] | Preliminary Election[11] | General Election[6] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Votes | % | |
| Charles Yancey | 4239 | 32.4% | 7898 | 51.7% |
| Bill Owens Jr. | 4405 | 33.7% | 7364 | 48.3% |
| Gerald Anderson | 1889 | 14.4% | ||
| Locksley H. Bryan | 980 | 7.5% | ||
| Benjamin F. Thompson | 601 | 4.6% | ||
| Carter D. Kimbrel | 469 | 3.6% | ||
| Bobby J. Wallace | 254 | 1.9% | ||
| Arthur Williams | 241 | 1.8% | ||
Thomas Menino was elected.
| Candidates[3] | Preliminary Election[12] | General Election[6] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Votes | % | |
| Thomas Menino | 11,375 | 57.8% | 17,554 | 74.7% |
| Richard E. Kenney | 3126 | 15.9% | 5945 | 25.3% |
| William G. Broderick | 3123 | 15.9% | ||
| Robert MacGregor | 1124 | 5.7% | ||
| Constance L. Brown | 467 | 2.4% | ||
| George L. Richmond | 461 | 2.3% | ||
At-large councillor Maura Hennigan was elected.
| Candidates[3] | Preliminary Election[13] | General Election[6] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Votes | % | |
| Maura Hennigan | 10,772 | 52.6% | 14,390 | 59.8% |
| Francis X. Coppinger | 6557 | 32.0% | 9654 | 40.2% |
| Edmund McNamara | 3139 | 15.3% | ||
At-large councillor Bruce Bolling was elected.
| Candidates[3] | Preliminary Election[14] | General Election[6] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Votes | % | |
| Bruce Bolling | 7556 | 59.1% | 9049 | 63.9% |
| Elizabeth (Betty) Jones | 1907 | 14.9% | 5121 | 36.1% |
| Ben Haith | 1315 | 10.3% | ||
| Roy A. Owens | 1146 | 9.0% | ||
| Steven A. Wise | 567 | 4.4% | ||
| James Joseph | 302 | 2.4% | ||
David Scondras was elected, becoming the first openly gay Boston City Council member.[15]
| Candidates[3] | Preliminary Election[16] | General Election[6] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Votes | % | |
| David Scondras | 3720 | 30.6% | 7207 | 50.4% |
| Mark Roosevelt | 4136 | 34.0% | 7104 | 49.6% |
| Dennis A. Quilty | 3150 | 25.9% | ||
| Eugenie Beal | 1165 | 9.6% | ||
Brian J. McLaughlin was elected.
| Candidates[3] | Preliminary Election[17] | General Election[6] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Votes | % | |
| Brian J. McLaughlin | 2969 | 20.5% | 9071 | 53.8% |
| Helene Solomon | 3470 | 24.0% | 7782 | 46.2% |
| Richard M. Izzo | 2489 | 17.2% | ||
| John F. Melia | 2456 | 17.0% | ||
| Joseph H. Hogan Jr. | 1451 | 10.0% | ||
| Jerome P. MacDonald | 917 | 6.3% | ||
| George Franklin | 534 | 3.7% | ||
| Jean Farrell | 162 | 1.1% | ||