Boston City Council elections were held on November 15, 1983, with preliminary elections on October 11, 1983.[1] This election transitioned the Council from having 9 members (all at-large) to having 13 members (9 district representatives and 4 at-large). All 13 seats were contested in both the preliminary and general 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 | 52,315 | 12.3% | 87,143 | |
| Christopher A. Iannella | 66,647 | 15.6% | 85,204 | |
| Joseph M. Tierney | 62,850 | 14.7% | 82,600 | |
| Dapper O'Neil | 64,410 | 15.1% | 79,086 | |
| Terence P. McDermott | 61,436 | 14.4% | 77,096 | |
| Jean Sullivan McKeigue | 48,265 | 11.3% | 73,064 | |
| Willie Mae Allen | 21,369 | 5.0% | 32,556 | |
| Althea Garrison | 19,908 | 4.7% | 26,564 | |
| Joseph Mirisola | 14,914 | 3.5% | ||
| Leslie F. Payne | 14,199 | 3.3% | ||
Robert Travaglini was elected.
| Candidates[7] | Preliminary Election[8] | General Election | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Votes | % | |
| 5001 | 11,663 | |||
| Diane J. Modica | 3704 | 10,343 | ||
| Robert M. Cappucci | 3444 | |||
| Michael J. Reardon | 3081 | |||
| Joseph V. Cinseruli | 1999 | |||
| Neil P. Brennan | 773 | |||
| Joseph Sablone | 372 | |||
| Carl J. Salvi Jr. | 272 | |||
James M. Kelly was elected.
| Candidates | Preliminary Election[9] | General Election | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Votes | % | |
| James M. Kelly | 8615 | 11,815 | ||
| Michael Taylor | 6284 | 11,026 | ||
| Christopher F. Hayes | 4400 | |||
| William P. Foley | 718 | |||
| Stephen M. Palmer | 281 | |||
| Ali J. Fiumedoro | 272 | |||
James E. Byrne was elected.
| Candidates | Preliminary Election[10] | General Election | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Votes | % | |
| James E. Byrne | 5231 | 11,544 | ||
| John E. Garland | 5319 | 11,295 | ||
| Stephen M. Cidlevich | 3944 | |||
| Richard Livingston | 2339 | |||
| Carol Nee Geyer | 2145 | |||
| Walter R. Campbell | 997 | |||
| Debra Gelber | 347 | |||
Charles Yancey was elected.
| Candidates | Preliminary Election[11] | General Election | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Votes | % | |
| Charles Yancey | 4239 | 7898 | ||
| Bill Owens Jr. | 4405 | 7364 | ||
| Gerald Anderson | 1889 | |||
| Locksley H. Bryan | 980 | |||
| Benjamin F. Thompson | 601 | |||
| Carter D. Kimbrel | 469 | |||
| Bobby J. Wallace | 254 | |||
| Arthur Williams | 241 | |||
Thomas Menino was elected.
| Candidates | Preliminary Election[12] | General Election | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Votes | % | |
| Thomas Menino | 11,375 | 17,554 | ||
| Richard E. Kenney | 3126 | 5945 | ||
| William G. Broderick | 3123 | |||
| Robert MacGregor | 1124 | |||
| Constance L. Brown | 467 | |||
| George L. Richmond | 461 | |||
At-large councillor Maura Hennigan was elected.
| Candidates | Preliminary Election[13] | General Election | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Votes | % | |
| Maura Hennigan | 10,772 | 14,390 | ||
| Francis X. Coppinger | 6557 | 9654 | ||
| Edmund McNamara | 3139 | |||
At-large councillor Bruce Bolling was elected.
| Candidates | Preliminary Election[14] | General Election | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Votes | % | |
| Bruce Bolling | 7556 | 9049 | ||
| Elizabeth (Betty) Jones | 1907 | 5121 | ||
| Ben Haith | 1315 | |||
| Roy A. Owens | 1146 | |||
| Steven A. Wise | 567 | |||
| James Joseph | 302 | |||
David Scondras was elected, becoming the first openly gay Boston City Council member.[15]
| Candidates | Preliminary Election[16] | General Election | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Votes | % | |
| David Scondras | 3720 | 7207 | ||
| Mark Roosevelt | 4136 | 7104 | ||
| Dennis A. Quilty | 3150 | |||
| Eugenie Beal | 1165 | |||
Brian J. McLaughlin was elected.
| Candidates | Preliminary Election[17] | General Election | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Votes | % | |
| Brian J. McLaughlin | 2969 | 9071 | ||
| Helene Solomon | 3470 | 7782 | ||
| Richard M. Izzo | 2489 | |||
| John F. Melia | 2456 | |||
| Joseph H. Hogan Jr. | 1451 | |||
| Jerome P. MacDonald | 917 | |||
| George Franklin | 534 | |||
| Jean Farrell | 162 | |||