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Boston City Council elections were held on November 15, 1983, withpreliminary elections on October 11, 1983.[1] This election transitioned the Council from having 9 members (allat-large) to having 13 members (9 district representatives and 4 at-large). All 13 seats were contested in both the preliminary andgeneral 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 (incumbent) | 52,315 | 12.3 | 87,143 | 16.0 |
| Christopher A. Iannella (incumbent) | 66,647 | 15.6 | 85,204 | 15.7 |
| Joseph M. Tierney (incumbent) | 62,850 | 14.7 | 82,600 | 15.2 |
| Dapper O'Neil (incumbent) | 64,410 | 15.1 | 79,086 | 14.6 |
| Terence P. McDermott (incumbent) | 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 | 5,001 | 26.8 | 11,663 | 53.0 |
| Diane J. Modica | 3,704 | 19.9 | 10,343 | 47.0 |
| Robert M. Cappucci | 3,444 | 18.5 | ||
| Michael J. Reardon | 3,081 | 16.5 | ||
| Joseph V. Cinseruli | 1,999 | 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 | 8,615 | 41.9 | 11,815 | 51.7 |
| Michael Taylor | 6,284 | 30.5 | 11,026 | 48.3 |
| Christopher F. Hayes | 4,400 | 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 | 5,231 | 25.7 | 11,544 | 50.5 |
| John E. Garland | 5,319 | 26.2 | 11,295 | 49.5 |
| Stephen M. Cidlevich | 3,944 | 19.4 | ||
| Richard Livingston | 2,339 | 11.5 | ||
| Carol Nee Geyer | 2,145 | 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 | 4,239 | 18.47 | 7,898 | 51.7 |
| Bill Owens Jr. | 4,405 | 17.21 | 7,364 | 48.07 |
| Gerald Anderson | 1,889 | 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 | 3,126 | 15.9 | 5,945 | 25.3 |
| William G. Broderick | 3,123 | 15.9 | ||
| Robert MacGregor | 1,124 | 5.7 | ||
| Constance L. Brown | 467 | 2.4 | ||
| George L. Richmond | 461 | 2.3 | ||
At-large councillorMaura Hennigan was elected.
| Candidates[3] | Preliminary election[13] | General election[6] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Votes | % | |
| Maura Hennigan (at-large incumbent) | 10,772 | 52.6 | 14,390 | 59.8 |
| Francis X. Coppinger | 6,557 | 32.0 | 9,654 | 40.2 |
| Edmund McNamara | 3139 | 15.3 | ||
At-large councillorBruce Bolling was elected.
| Candidates[3] | Preliminary election[14] | General election[6] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Votes | % | |
| Bruce Bolling (at-large incumbent) | 7,556 | 59.1 | 9,049 | 63.9 |
| Elizabeth "Betty" Jones | 1,907 | 14.9 | 5,121 | 36.1 |
| Ben Haith | 1,315 | 10.3 | ||
| Roy A. Owens | 1.146 | 9.0 | ||
| Steven A. Wise | 567 | 4.4 | ||
| James Joseph | 302 | 2.4 | ||
David Scondras was elected, becoming the first openlygay Boston City Council member.[15]
| Candidates[3] | Preliminary election[16] | General election[6] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Votes | % | |
| David Scondras | 3,720 | 30.6 | 7,207 | 50.4 |
| Mark Roosevelt | 4,136 | 34.0 | 7,104 | 49.6 |
| Dennis A. Quilty | 3,150 | 25.9 | ||
| Eugenie Beal | 1,165 | 9.6 | ||
Brian J. McLaughlin was elected.
| Candidates[3] | Preliminary election[17] | General election[6] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Votes | % | |
| Brian J. McLaughlin | 2,969 | 20.5 | 9,071 | 53.8 |
| Helene Solomon | 3,470 | 24.0 | 7,782 | 46.2 |
| Richard M. Izzo | 2,489 | 17.2 | ||
| John F. Melia | 2,456 | 17.0 | ||
| Joseph H. Hogan Jr. | 1,451 | 10.0 | ||
| Jerome P. MacDonald | 917 | 7.3 | ||
| George Franklin | 534 | 3.7 | ||
| Jean Farrell | 162 | 1.1 | ||
