2023 Boston City Council election#At-large
{{Short description|none}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2023}}
{{Infobox election
| election_name = 2023 Boston City Council election
| flag_image = Flag of Boston.svg
| type = legislative
| ongoing = no
| previous_election = 2021 Boston City Council election
| previous_year = 2021
| next_election = 2025 Boston City Council election
| next_year = 2025
| seats_for_election = 13 seats on the Boston City Council
| majority_seats =
| election_date = {{start date|2023|11|07}}
| image1 =
| party1 = Democratic Party (United States)
| last_election1 = 13
| seat_change1 =
| map_image = Boston City Council partisanship 2020.svg
| map_size = 250px
| map_caption = Composition of the Boston City Council by political party{{efn|Officially nonpartisan}}
| title = City Council President
| before_election = Ed Flynn
| after_election = Ruthzee Louijeune
}}
{{ElectionsMA}}
The 2023 Boston City Council election was held on November 7, 2023, with primaries occurring on September 12, 2023. All thirteen councillors from the nine districts and four councillors at-large were up for election. Elections in Boston are officially nonpartisan.
Two councillors, Michael F. Flaherty and Frank Baker, did not seek re-election. Of the 11 members of the council seeking re-election, nine were successful,{{cite news |url=https://www.wbur.org/news/2023/11/08/boston-city-council-election-results-progressives |title=Boston City Council retains progressive majority in election |first=Walter |last=Wuthmann |website=WBUR-FM |date=November 8, 2023 |accessdate=March 25, 2024}} while Ricardo Arroyo (District 5) and Kendra Lara (District 6) were defeated.{{cite news |url=https://www.wgbh.org/news/politics/2023-09-12/voting-underway-in-controversy-packed-2023-boston-preliminary-election |title=Arroyo and Lara lose races in controversy-packed 2023 Boston preliminary election |first=Adam |last=Reilly |website=WGBH |date=September 12, 2023 |accessdate=March 25, 2024}}{{cite news |url=https://www.wbur.org/radioboston/2023/09/13/arroyo-lara-boston-city-council-election |title=Arroyo, Lara voted out of Boston's City Council by wide margins |first1=Tiziana |last1=Dearing |first2=Walter |last2=Wuthmann |first3=Rob |last3=Lane |website=WBUR-FM |date=September 13, 2023 |accessdate=March 25, 2024}}
Election schedule
Key dates relating to the election were as follows:
Summary
The council members at the time of both the preliminary election and general election are listed below. The table further indicates if each incumbent ran for re-election, and if so, whether they were re-elected or not.
File:Ed Flynn 53602558539 o (1).jpg, council president at the time of the election]]
| class="wikitable" |
| District
!Incumbent !Ran !Result |
|---|
| rowspan="4" |At-large
|No |{{center|Retired}} |
| Ruthzee Louijeune
|bgcolor=lightgreen|Yes |bgcolor=lightgreen|{{Center|Re-elected}} |
| Julia Mejia
|bgcolor=lightgreen|Yes |bgcolor=lightgreen|{{Center|Re-elected}} |
| Erin Murphy
|bgcolor=lightgreen|Yes |bgcolor=lightgreen|{{Center|Re-elected}} |
| 1
|bgcolor=lightgreen|Yes |bgcolor=lightgreen|{{Center|Re-elected}} |
| 2
|Ed Flynn {{dagger}} |bgcolor=lightgreen|Yes |bgcolor=lightgreen|{{Center|Re-elected}} |
| 3
|No |{{center|Retired}} |
| 4
|bgcolor=lightgreen|Yes |bgcolor=lightgreen|{{Center|Re-elected}} |
| 5
|bgcolor=lightgreen|Yes |bgcolor=pink|{{Center|Lost}} |
| 6
|bgcolor=lightgreen|Yes |bgcolor=pink|{{Center|Lost}} |
| 7
|bgcolor=lightgreen|Yes |bgcolor=lightgreen|{{Center|Re-elected}} |
| 8
|bgcolor=lightgreen|Yes |bgcolor=lightgreen|{{Center|Re-elected}} |
| 9
|bgcolor=lightgreen|Yes |bgcolor=lightgreen|{{Center|Re-elected}} |
{{dagger}} Council President
Results
= At-large =
| class=wikitable
!colspan=3|2023 Boston City Council at-large election |
| rowspan=2 |Candidate |
|---|
| Votes
!% |
| Ruthzee Louijeune (incumbent)
| align="right" | 44,479 | align="right" | 20.31 |
| Erin Murphy (incumbent)
| align="right" | 43,383 | align="right" | 19.81 |
| Julia Mejia (incumbent)
| align="right" | 39,656 | align="right" | 18.10 |
| Henry Santana
| align="right" | 34,014 | align="right" | 15.53 |
| Bridget Nee-Walsh
| align="right" | 26,674 | align="right" | 12.18 |
| Shawn Nelson
| align="right" | 10,448 | align="right" | 4.77 |
| Clifton Braithwaite
| align="right" | 10,236 | align="right" | 4.67 |
| Catherine Vitale
| align="right" | 8,503 | align="right" | 3.88 |
| Write-ins
| align="right" |1,657 | align="right" |3.88 |
| Total
| align="right" | 219,050 | align="right" | 100 |
= District 1 =
Lydia Edwards, who won the District 1 seat in the 2021 general election, resigned from the Council at the end of April 2022 and was later elected to the Massachusetts Senate. Gabriela Coletta won a special election in May 2022 to serve the remainder of Edwards' term.{{cite web|url=https://www.boston.com/news/politics/2022/05/04/gigi-coletta-is-bostons-newest-city-councilor/ |title=Gigi Coletta is Boston's newest city councilor |website=Boston.com |date=May 4, 2022 |access-date=November 17, 2022|first=Christopher|last=Gavin}} Incumbent Coletta then ran unopposed for election to a full term.{{Cite news |date=April 22, 2021 |title=Five of Six Mayoral Candidates Take Nomination Papers on Day 1: Early Poll Shows Half of Voters Undecided, Wu With Highest Favorability |work=Beacon Hill Times |url=http://beaconhilltimes.com/2021/04/22/five-of-six-mayoral-candidates-take-nomination-papers-on-day-1-early-poll-shows-half-of-voters-undecided-wu-with-highest-favorability/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210629211230/http://beaconhilltimes.com/2021/04/22/five-of-six-mayoral-candidates-take-nomination-papers-on-day-1-early-poll-shows-half-of-voters-undecided-wu-with-highest-favorability/ |archive-date=June 29, 2021}}
| class=wikitable
! colspan="3" |2023 Boston City Council District 1 election |
| colspan="1" rowspan="2" |Candidates |
|---|
| Votes
!% |
| Gabriela Coletta (incumbent)
| align="right" | 5,725 | align="right" | 95.62 |
| Write-ins
| align="right" | 262 | align="right" | 4.38 |
| Total
| align="right" | 5,987 | align="right" | 100 |
= District 2 =
= District 3 =
| class="wikitable"
! colspan="5" |2023 Boston City Council District 3 election |
| colspan="1" rowspan="2" |Candidate |
|---|
| Votes
!% !Votes !% |
| John FitzGerald
| align="right" |2,777 | align="right" |43.07 | align="right" |5,133 | align="right" |58.24 |
| Joel Richards
| align="right" |1,237 | align="right" |19.19 | align="right" |3,650 | align="right" |41.41 |
| Ann Walsh
| align="right" |1,151 | align="right" |17.85 | colspan="2" bgcolor="darkgray" | |
| Matthew Patton
| align="right" |550 | align="right" |8.53 | colspan="2" bgcolor="darkgray" | |
| Jennifer Johnson
| align="right" |271 | align="right" |4.20 | colspan="2" bgcolor="darkgray" | |
| Barry Lawton
| align="right" |237 | align="right" |3.68 | colspan="2" bgcolor="darkgray" | |
| Rosalind Wornum
| align="right" |213 | align="right" |3.30 | colspan="2" bgcolor="darkgray" | |
| Write-ins
| align="right" |11 | align="right" |0.17 | align="right" |31 | align="right" |0.35 |
| Total
| align="right" |6,447 | align="right" |100 | align="right" |8,814 | align="right" |100 |
= District 4 =
| class="wikitable"
! colspan="3" |2023 Boston City Council District 4 election |
| colspan=1 rowspan=2 |Candidates |
|---|
| Votes
!% |
| Brian Worrell (incumbent)
| align="right" | 4,656 | align="right" | 97.51 |
| Write-ins
| align="right" | 119 | align="right" | 2.49 |
| Total
| align="right" | 4,775 | align="right" | 100 |
= District 5 =
| class="wikitable"
! colspan="5" |2023 Boston City Council District 5 election |
| colspan="1" rowspan="2" |Candidate |
|---|
| Votes
!% !Votes !% |
| Enrique Pepén
| align="right" |3,047 | align="right" |40.42 | align="right" |5,781 | align="right" |52.75 |
| Jose Ruiz
| align="right" |2,302 | align="right" |30.53 | align="right" |5,134 | align="right" |46.84 |
| Ricardo Arroyo (incumbent)
| align="right" |1,397 | align="right" |18.53 | colspan="2" bgcolor="darkgray" | |
| Jean-Claude Sanon
| align="right" |766 | align="right" |10.16 | colspan="2" bgcolor="darkgray" | |
| Write-ins
| align="right" |27 | align="right" |0.36 | align="right" |45 | align="right" |0.41 |
| Total
| align="right" |7,539 | align="right" |100 | align="right" |10,960 | align="right" |100 |
= District 6 =
| class="wikitable"
! colspan="5" |2023 Boston City Council District 6 election |
| colspan="1" rowspan="2" |Candidate |
|---|
| Votes
!% !Votes !% |
| Benjamin Weber
| align="right" |4,951 | align="right" |42.25 | align="right" |9,451 | align="right" |60.70 |
| William King
| align="right" |4,384 | align="right" |37.42 | align="right" |6,089 | align="right" |38.74 |
| Kendra Lara (incumbent)
| align="right" |2,351 | align="right" |20.06 | colspan="2" bgcolor="darkgray" | |
| Write-ins
| align="right" |31 | align="right" |0.26 | align="right" |88 | align="right" |0.56 |
| Total
| align="right" |9,849 | align="right" |100 | align="right" |15,718 | align="right" |100 |
= District 7 =
| class="wikitable"
! colspan="5" |2023 Boston City Council District 7 election |
| colspan="1" rowspan="2" |Candidate |
|---|
| Votes
!% !Votes !% |
| Tania Fernandes Anderson (incumbent)
| align="right" |1,448 | align="right" |57.46 | align="right" |3,719 | align="right" |70.36 |
| Althea Garrison
| align="right" |521 | align="right" |20.67 | align="right" |1,500 | align="right" |28.45 |
| Roy Owens Sr
| align="right" |238 | align="right" |9.44 | colspan="2" bgcolor="darkgray" | |
| Jerome King
| align="right" |200 | align="right" |7.94 | colspan="2" bgcolor="darkgray" | |
| Padma Scott
| align="right" |71 | align="right" |2.82 | colspan="2" bgcolor="darkgray" | |
| Write-ins
| align="right" |42 | align="right" |1.67 | align="right" |63 | align="right" |1.19 |
| Total
| align="right" |2,520 | align="right" |100 | align="right" |5,273 | align="right" |100 |
= District 8 =
Kenzie Bok, who had won the District 8 seat in the 2021 general election, resigned in April 2023 to take a position in the Boston Housing Authority. Sharon Durkan was then elected to the District 8 seat in a July 2023 special election.{{cite web |last1=Guffey|first1=Alysa|title=Sharon Durkan wins special election for Boston City Council District 8 seat|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/07/25/metro/sharon-durkan-wins-special-election-boston-city-council-district-8-seat/|newspaper=The Boston Globe |access-date=August 9, 2023 |date=July 25, 2023}} Incumbent Durkan then ran for election to a full term.
| class="wikitable"
! colspan="3" |2023 Boston City Council District 8 election |
| colspan="1" rowspan="2" |Candidates |
|---|
| Votes
!% |
| Sharon Durkan (incumbent)
| align="right" | 3,818 | align="right" | 70.70 |
| Montez Haywood
| align="right" | 1,546 | align="right" | 28.63 |
| Write-ins
| align="right" |36 | align="right" |0.67 |
| Total
| align="right" | 5,400 | align="right" | 100 |
= District 9 =
| class="wikitable"
! colspan="3" |2023 Boston City Council District 9 election |
| colspan="1" rowspan="2" |Candidates |
|---|
| Votes
!% |
| Liz Breadon (incumbent)
| align="right" | 4,399 | align="right" | 65.95 |
| Jacob deBlecourt
| align="right" | 2,222 | align="right" | 33.31 |
| Write-ins
| align="right" | 49 | align="right" |0.73 |
| Total
| align="right" | 6,670 | align="right" | 100 |
Notes
{{notelist}}
References
{{Reflist|30em}}
{{BostonMA}}
{{2023 United States elections}}