The2009 Boston mayoral election occurred on Tuesday, November 3, 2009, between incumbentMayor of BostonThomas Menino, andMichael F. Flaherty, member of theBoston City Council and former Council president. Menino was re-elected to a fifth term, the first mayor to do so in Boston history. A nonpartisan municipalpreliminary election was held on September 22, 2009, where Flaherty and Menino advanced to the general election.
31% of registered voters turned out to vote in the election.[1][2]
Menino considered support fromblack voters as crucial to securing his re-election.[3] Despite occasionally being at political odds with black elected officials on the Boston City Council and in the state legislature, Menino had enjoyed strong support from black voters in all of his mayoral races.[4] In recognition of this, Menino held his campaign launch event at Hibernian Hall in theDudley Square area ofRoxbury and featured a number of prominent black public political figured at the launch (including State Rep.Linda Dorcena Forry, State Rep.Marie St. Fleur, and Suffolk County SheriffAndrea Cabral).[3]
After the preliminary election, Flaherty and fellow-CouncillorSam Yoon, who had finished third, declared they had formed a ticket. If Flaherty were victorious, he vowed to appoint Yoon deputy mayor, a position that had not existed in Boston since the administration ofKevin White, who left office in 1984.[5][6] Kevin McRea also announced that he would endorse Flaherty.[7] Details of the position, including salary, were never finalized.
Following the preliminary election, Flaherty immediately began an aggressive campaign, attacking Menino as ineffectual.[8]
Ward results
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