1979 Boston City Council election explained

The Boston City Council election was held on November 6, 1979, with preliminary elections on September 25, 1979.

Candidates

All nine incumbents (Lawrence DiCara, Raymond Flynn, Louise Day Hicks, Christopher A. Iannella, Frederick C. Langone, Patrick F. McDonough, Dapper O'Neil, Rosemarie E. Sansone, and Joseph M. Tierney), ran for reelection.

Elected

• Lawrence DiCara, member of the Boston City Council since 1972.
• Raymond Flynn, member of the Boston City Council since 1978. Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1971 to 1979.
• Christopher A. Iannella, member of the Boston City Council since 1970. Previously served on the council from 1958 to 1968.
• Frederick C. Langone, member of the Boston City Council since 1973, previously served from 1964 to 1971 and in 1961.
• Patrick F. McDonough, member of the Boston City Council since 1972. Previously served on the council from 1956 to 1964 and 1966 to 1970.
• Dapper O'Neil, member of the Boston City Council since 1971.
• John W. Sears, former chairman of the Massachusetts Republican Party (1975–1976), Metropolitan District Commissioner (1970–1975), Sheriff of Suffolk County (1968–1969), and member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives (1965–1968)
• Rosemarie E. Sansone, member of the Boston City Council since 1978
• Joseph M. Tierney, member of the Boston City Council since 1972.

Lost in general election

• James T. Brett, account manager for New England Telephone.^[1]
• Edward Brooks, Boston State College student and community organizer.
• Stephen C. Farrell, private consultant and former staff member under Mayor Kevin White.
• Louise Day Hicks, member of the Boston City Council since 1979 and previously from 1970 to 1971 and 1974 to 1978. Former member of the United States House of Representatives (1971–1973) and Boston School Committee (1961–1970).
• Terence P. McDermott, attorney.
• David Joseph McKay, assistant English teacher at St Gregory's High School.
• Richard M. Lane, former Suffolk County assistant district attorney.
• Barbara A. Ware, legislative aide to state senator Bill Owens.
• Charles Yancey, director of administration for the Massachusetts Office of Communities and Development from 1978 to 1979.

Eliminated in preliminary election

• Eugene A. Cavicchi, youth counselor.
• Stephen Michael Cidlevich, legislative assistant.
• Peter K. Hadley, consulting engineer. Member of the Libertarian Party.
• Phyllis Igoe, traffic supervisor for the Boston Police Department.
• Jeannette L. Tracy, computer programmer and pro-choice and antiwar activist. Member of the Socialist Workers Party.

Results

The top 18 candidates in the preliminary election moved on to the November general election. The top nine candidates in the November election were seated on the city council.

Candidates	Preliminary Election^[2]	General Election^[3]
Votes	Votes
Lawrence DiCara (incumbent)	42,339	69,102
Christopher A. Iannella (incumbent)	45,184	69,069
Raymond Flynn (incumbent)	45,648	66,662
Frederick C. Langone (incumbent)	48,063	64,873
Dapper O'Neil (incumbent)	48,781	60,846
Joseph M. Tierney (incumbent)	43,759	58,674
John W. Sears	41,108	58,205
Rosmarie E. Sansone (incumbent)	46,391	57,552
Patrick F. McDonough (incumbent)	34,646	55,123
Louise Day Hicks (incumbent)	44,659	54,714
James T. Brett	34,941	51,767
Terence P. McDermott	30,124	39,882
Barbara A. Ware	19,519	33,951
Stephen C. Farrell	20,173	27,038
Charles Yancey	14,487	22,301
Edward Brooks	19,772	24,165
Richard M. Lane	17,424	17,771
David Joseph McKay	12,873	15,981
Jeannette L. Tracy	11,711
Phyllis Igoe	9,205
Stephen Michael Cidlevich	8,645
Eugene A. Cavicchi	6,626
Peter K. Hadley	5,187

Notes and References

1. News: Boston City Council candidates . The Boston Globe . September 14, 1979.
2. Book: Annual Report of the Election Department. 1980. 59. Boston [Election Dept.].
3. Book: Annual Report of the Election Department. 1980. 94. Boston [Election Dept.].