The Daily Free Press
Year xliii. Volume lxxxiv. Issue XXXVII
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Wednesday, November 6, 2013 The Independent Student Newspaper at Boston University
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www.dailyfreepress.com
MARTY WALSH VICTORIOUS IN TIGHT MAYORAL RACE Election sees greater voter turnout than 2009 mayoral race By Hannah Clark and Sophia Wedeen Daily Free Press Staff
Mayor-elect Martin Walsh celebrates before his victory speech Tuesday night at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel.
KIERA BLESSING/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
Walsh will become first new mayor in 20 years after Menino By Alice Bazerghi and Steven Dufour Daily Free Press Staff
After two decades of Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, Mass. Rep. Martin Walsh was elected mayor of Boston over City Councilor John Connolly Tuesday in one of the closest elections in the history of the city. Walsh received 51.55 percent of the vote, or 72,514 votes, and Connolly garnered 48.06 percent, or 67,606 votes, according to results from the Boston Elections Commission. “Thank you to all the people of Boston and to everyone who voted in this election,” Walsh said in his victory speech. “I can’t pre-
dict all the challenges Boston will face over the next four years or all the opportunities we will be given, but I can promise you this: if we set our sights high and we work together with our hearts, our minds and our hands, then, Boston, I promise you, the best is yet to come.” The celebration for Walsh started at the Park Plaza Hotel, with a live introduction from the band Dropkick Murphys and speeches from a line of 10 endorsers including City Councilors Felix Arroyo, Michael Flaherty and Tito Jackson, Mass. Sen. President Therese Murray and Speaker of
the Mass. House of Representatives Robert DeLeo. “They said maybe he [Walsh] made us some promises, and yes, he made us some promises,” Arroyo said. “He promised that he’s going to create opportunities for those in poverty and the middle class, that he’s going to close the achievement gap in our public schools and that he’s going to be the mayor of every person [from every background] in this city.” At Connolly’s election party at the Westin Copley Place Hotel, an emotional crowd
Mayor, see page 2
Voter turnout on Tuesday was higher than in past elections as residents decided the most competitive mayoral race Boston has seen in 20 years. The election had a 40.19 percent participation rate among registered voters, up from the last mayoral election in 2009, which saw a 31.19 percent participation rate. For comparison, 327,064 people are registered to vote in Boston. Mayor-elect Martin Walsh won 51.55 percent of the vote, a 72,514-vote total, compared to Connolly who garnered 48.06 percent, or 67,606 votes. He will become the first new mayor since Boston Mayor Thomas Menino took office more than 20 years ago. John Carroll, professor of mass communication at Boston University, said since Menino has been in office, the population of Boston has changed significantly. “You have a Boston that is more diverse in that it is now a majority-minority city,” he said. “There are far fewer white voters than there were before, but the voters are more educated, they are more upscale, and essentially there are more and more non-native Bostonians.” Thomas Whalen, a social science professor at BU, said an additional factor that may have affected voter turnout is that the election occurred within a week of the Boston Red Sox World Series win in Boston. “Back in 1975 there was a World Series here in Boston, but that was much earlier, so voters had a couple weeks to figure out who they wanted to best support,” he said. “Here, we’re talking just a couple of days, and I think it’s going to be very costly. People aren’t in that political mindset, and I think that will af-
Voting, see page 2
East Boston voters Zakim wins District 8 Boston City Council seat over Nichols deny Suffolk Downs On the same day as a historic mayoral casino construction election, attorney and small business ownBy Felicia Gans and Kelsey Newell Daily Free Press Staff
By Drew Schwartz Daily Free Press Staff
Countering the previous approval by several city officials, East Boston voters rejected the proposal for a $1 billion resortcasino development at the Suffolk Downs racetrack in a Tuesday referendum. Approximately 56.08 percent, or 4,281 votes, went against the addition to the more than 75-year-old track, according to data from the Boston Elections Commission. The vote was restricted to the about 16,600 eligible East Boston voters. Celeste Myers, co-chair of No Eastie Casino, an advocacy group against the Suffolk Downs development in Boston, said she was elated by the proposal’s rejection. “I’m completely blown away by the response of East Boston residents,” she said. “We knew that Suffolk Downs was off the mark with their approach and with their message to the residents of East Boston. Just because we are a working-class community doesn’t mean we’re going to take any deal that they want to hand to us.” Suffolk Downs is still competing for
Casino, see page 2
er Josh Zakim defeated Michael Nichols, research director for the City Council, to claim former mayoral candidate Michael Ross’s District 8 City Council seat. Zakim, whose platform was focused mostly on education, took 52.5 percent of votes, or 4,485 votes, and Nichols received 46.9 percent, or 4,005 votes, in the election Tuesday. “I look forward to working just as hard as your City Councilor as we did on the campaign and doing the best we can for this district and the city of Boston,” he said after the results were released at his election party. Zakim’s supporters waited for the news at Dillon’s Restaurant on Boylston Street. Family, friends, campaign managers and endorsers spoke fondly of their experiences with Zakim as a friend and community activist. Meggan Levene, 30, of Boston, said she has been friends with Zakim for years and admires his friendly personality and passion for helping the community. “The reason I decided to support Josh is because this is what he was born to do,” she said. “When he talks to you, you can tell that
EMILY ZABOSKI/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
Attorney and small business owner Josh Zakim was elected District 8 City Councilor Tuesday.
this is what he wants to do and be doing for a long time in his career, and he really knows the community that he’s going to be serving. He’s an amazing community servant.” Although Nichols lost the election, spirits remained high at his election party at Cornwall’s in Kenmore Square. Most of the supporters were longtime friends of Nichols, or people who had met him through ONEin3, an organization that connects young adults with resources such as housing and financial
help. “I feel awesome … that’s not a cover,” Nichols said. “Almost no one in this room had any political experience. I was tired of politics being about the wrong stuff, about winners and losers, about party labels. I wanted it to be about the people again. One last thing I’ll leave it on, this campaign took the high road at every single opportunity.”
Councilor, see page 2