Elections

At-Large City Council Election: Flaherty, Mejia, Louijeune Go 1-2-3; Murphy Takes 4th

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The two incumbents in the At-Large Boston City Council election, Michael Flaherty and Julia Mejia, easily took first and second in Tuesday's contest. In 2019, Mejia won her first at-large city council race by a mere one vote! This time it wasn't that close as she finished second with 61,709 votes (17.27%), and Flaherty took first with 62,242 votes (17.42%), according to unofficial results from Boston's Elections Department. DAVID HALBERT
42,516
11.90%

BRIDGET M NEE-WALSH
27,424
7.68%

JULIA MEJIA
61,709
17.27%

CARLA MONTEIRO
39,648
11.10%

RUTHZEE LOUIJEUNE
54,601
15.28%

ALTHEA GARRISON
24,914
6.97%

MICHAEL F FLAHERTY
62,242
17.42%

ERIN J MURPHY
42,841
11.99%

First time candidate Ruthzee Louijeune took third place with 54,601, and will be the first Haitian-American to be on the council. Louijeune grew up in Boston, and attended Boston Public Schools.

5,379 Views
Restaurants

Boston City Councilors Look to Cap Food Delivery Service Fees

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Three Boston City Councilors are looking to decrease the exorbitant fees that the four major food delivery service companies charge. Before the Coronavirus pandemic, sit-down restaurants were making the majority of their revenue from customers dining in. But things have changed since restaurants can now only offer takeout or delivery. Restaurants are known for operating on razor thin margins, and the pandemic has exacerbated profit margins. "We want to limit the percentage of delivery fee these firms are doing.

2,521 Views
Elections

Council To Be Woman-Majority: Wu, Flaherty, Essaibi-George Re-Elected, Mejia Wins At-Large Seat

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Three incumbents coasted to victory in the at-large Boston City Council race, with one newcomer, Julia Mejia, earning a victory. And for the first time ever, the Boston City Council will be majority female. The at-large council race featured eight candidates vying for four spots. Incumbent Althea Garrison, who became a city councilor after Ayanna Pressley was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, came in seventh. Just as she did in September's preliminary election, Michelle Wu topped the at-large city council race.

1,590 Views
Elections

Election Day: What You Need to Know — Candidates, Polling Sites, and Nubian Square

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Tuesday's At-Large Boston City Council election is the hot contest, but there is also a very interesting citywide non-binding question. Before we get into the at-large race, let's talk about that non-binding question:

Do you support renaming/changing of the name of Dudley Square to Nubian Square? The Nubian Square Coalition is leading the effort to rename the square, which is named after Thomas Dudley, a former Massachusetts governor who supported legislation promoting slavery and the slave trade. Nubian Square would be named after the Nubian Empire, which was an ancient empire that ranged from the Upper Nile to the Red Sea, according to National Geographic. The proposed renaming is supported by many organizations, individuals, present and past politicians, including Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, State Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz, District 7 City Councilor Kim Janey, NAACP Boston, and more.

2,410 Views
Elections

Walsh Cruises to Second Term; Six Women Now on City Council

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As expected Mayor Martin Walsh easily defeated District 7 City Councilor Tito Jackson for a second term. But it was the Boston City Council races that were more interesting. Walsh took 65% of the vote to Jackson's 33%, according to unofficial results as of 10:30 pm on Tuesday. The only truly contested race in Jamaica Plain was the District 7 race (there's a little bit of District 7 in JP by Egleston Square). After a preliminary that had more than a dozen candidates Kim Janey and Rufus Faulk faced each other.

1,628 Views
Government

City Councilors to Massport and FAA: Plane Noise is ‘Unbearable’

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Much to the frustration of Jamaica Plain residents and those in other Boston neighborhoods, there has been a noticeable increase in airplane noise in recent months. Several Boston city councilors recently wrote a letter to the Federal Aviation Administration and Massport to express their own concerns, as well as their constituents' reported vexation. Seven city councilors representing Jamaica Plain, Hyde Park, Mattapan, Roslindale and West Roxbury penned the letter to Amy Lind Corbett, the regional administrator of the New England region for the FAA, and Thomas Glynn, CEO of Massport. "Nearly every morning, planes begin to fly overhead at or before 6 a.m. and often continue essentially non-stop for hours at a time. This can negatively impact an individual’s sleeping pattern, acuity, and quality of life," says the letter.

5,139 Views
Elections

Ayanna Pressley Got the Most Votes in JP in At-Large City Council Election

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At-Large City Councilor Ayanna Pressley not only topped the ticket across all of Boston in Tuesday's elections, but she received the most votes in Jamaica Plain, too. Pressley netted a total of 3,571 votes from Jamaica Plain's 20 precincts. Fellow incumbent Michelle Wu, who finished second throughout all of Boston, also came in second in JP with 3,161 votes. At-Large City Councilor-elect Annissa Essaibi-George, who came in fourth overall. came in third in JP with 2,796 votes.

2,388 Views