State Rep. Marty Walsh and At-Large City Councilor John Connolly punched their tickets into the Nov. 5 Boston mayoral final after finishing one-two in the Sept. 24 preliminary, according to the City results. About 31 percent of registered voters participated in the election.
Boston mayoral candidate Mike Ross, who lives in Mission Hill and represents the area as a city councilor, finished in eighth place in a crowded field of 12 candidates. Only the top two finishers go on to the final.
Ross was the top vote collector in Mission Hill with 29 percent of voters, or 713 votes. He said in an interview with the Gazette he went into election night “fully expecting to win.” But he and his campaign were expecting a larger cross section of Boston to turn out for the first open mayoral election in many years and that did not happen, said Ross.
Ross said he is proud of the campaign he ran and the team and support he had. He said through the course of the campaign, he was able to break into neighborhoods outside the district he represents as a city councilor and “formed strong relationships.” Ross said he felt he was able to infuse the mayoral race with issues such as bringing opportunity to all neighborhoods and improving public transit.
Ross said he will continue to work at the law firm of Prince Lobel Tye while he finishes out his term as city councilor. But, he said, he is “still figuring out” what his next step will be. Ross said he does not plan on moving from Mission Hill.
“I’m ready for the next challenge,” he said.
Walsh garnered about 18 percent of voters, or 20,854 votes, while Connolly grab around 17 percent. Former state Rep. Charlotte Golar Richie, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel Conley and City Councilor Felix Arroyo took about 14 percent, 11 percent and 9 percent, respectively.
Rounding out the field were Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative Executive Director John Barros, City Councilor Rob Consalvo, Ross, Codman Square Health Center founder Bill Walczak, City Councilor Charles Yancey, former police officer and co-founder of the TOUCH 106.1 FM Charles Clemons and Jackson Square resident David Wyatt.
In the At-Large City Councilor race, the top eight finishers moved on to the final. Those were, from top to bottom, Ayanna Pressley, Michael Flaherty, Stephen Murphy, Michelle Wu, Martin Keogh, Jeff Ross, Annissa Essaibi George and Jack Kelly. They will fight for four available spots on Nov. 5.
Mayoral candidate Marty Walsh. (Courtesy Photo)
Mayoral candidate John Connolly. (Courtesy Photo)