Boston City Council
Boston City Council | |
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Plurality-at-large voting for the at-large district. | |
Last election | November 2023 |
Next election | November 2025 |
Meeting place | |
Boston City Hall | |
Website | |
https://www.boston.gov/departments/city-council | |
Constitution | |
Boston City Charter |
The Boston City Council is the
The leader of the City Council is the president and is elected each term by the council. A majority of seven or more votes is necessary to elect a councillor as president. When the mayor of Boston is absent from the city, or vacates the office, the City Council president serves as acting mayor. The president leads Council meetings and appoints councillors to committees.
Qualifications
Any person seeking to become a City Councillor in Boston must meet the following requirements:
- Be at least eighteen years of age
- Be a registered voter in Massachusetts
- Be a resident of their district for at least one year when elected
- Receive 1500 signatures from registered voters for At Large City Councillor
- Receive 200 signatures from registered voters for District City Councillor
History
Previous City Council
Prior to 1909, Boston's legislative body was
The procedure for electing city councillors was changed by Chapter 479 of the Acts of 1924, which provided for the election of 22 city councillors, one from each ward, beginning with the biennial election in 1925. The procedure was changed again by Chapter 356 of the Acts of 1951, which provided for the election of nine city councillors, all at large, for two-year terms.[3] In November 1981, Boston voters approved again changing the composition of the council, to 13 members: 9 district representatives and 4 at-large members.[4]
District representation
The 1981 referendum establishing the current 13 member composition of the Council did not indicate how the district lines would be drawn, only that the districts be of approximately equal population[4] and district lines not cut across city precincts.
The Council created a districting committee to propose several different possible district maps and hold public hearings before presenting one plan to the council to approve.
Two days before the 90-day deadline, freshman councillor Terrence McDermott, who had been appointed as Sansone's replacement for chair of the districting committee, presented a plan to the Council which was approved 7–2 (the dissenting votes came from Raymond Flynn and Bruce Bolling).[8][9] Today's district boundaries are only slightly different from those adopted in 1982, with the South End and South Boston forming one district, and Dorchester roughly split into an east and a west district. The Council faced more challenges after finalizing the new districts, such as whether or not district councillors should receive a lower salary than at-large councillors[10] and where office space for four additional councillors could be found in City Hall.
Party affiliation
By law, Boston municipal elections are nonpartisan in that candidates do not represent a specific political party. However, most city councillors have been members of the Democratic Party. John W. Sears was the first Republican elected to the Boston City Council, in 1980.[11] Chuck Turner, who served during 1999–2010, was a member of the Green-Rainbow Party. Althea Garrison, who served during 2019,[12] has identified as an independent since 2012, but formerly served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives as a Republican.
Acting mayors
When the Mayor of Boston is absent from the city, or vacates the office, the City Council president serves as acting mayor. The city charter places some restrictions on an acting mayor's authority:[13] an acting mayor "shall possess the powers of mayor only in matters not admitting of delay, but shall have no power to make permanent appointments."[14] Three presidents of the Boston City Council have served as acting mayors of Boston for extended periods after the Mayor vacated the office:
- John E. Kerrigan served as acting mayor from January 1945[15] to January 1946,[16] after mayor Maurice J. Tobin was elected Governor of Massachusetts. The Massachusetts legislature granted Kerrigan full mayoral authority.[17] He sought election to a full term, but lost the November 1945 mayoral election to James Michael Curley.[18]
- In 1947, upon mayor Curley being sentenced to prison for mail fraud, the Massachusetts legislature passed emergency legislation to bypass council president John B. Kelly, who had recently been acquitted on bribery charges and was in ill health, and granted full mayoral powers to city clerk John Hynes until Curley's release.[19]
- United States Ambassador to the Holy See.[20] Menino served as acting mayor until he was elected to his first full term in November 1993.[21]
- Kim Janey became acting mayor in March 2021, upon mayor Marty Walsh taking the position of United States Secretary of Labor.[22] Janey was an unsuccessful candidate in the November 2021 mayoral election.[23][24]
In June 2021, the city council granted itself the authority to remove its president by a two-thirds majority vote.[14] Should that action occur while a council president is serving as acting mayor, the role of acting mayor would be assigned to the new council president who would be elected by a simple majority of the city council.[14] In 2022 the rule was removed. [25]
Membership milestones
- First female member: Mildred M. Harris (elected in 1937 special election)[26]
- First African-American member: Laurence H. Banks (elected 1949, not seated until 1951 due to legal disputes)[27][28]
- First African-American female member: Ayanna Pressley (elected 2009)[29]
- First Latino member: Felix D. Arroyo (filled vacancy in 2003, elected 2003)[30]
- First Latina member: Julia Mejia (elected 2019)[31]
- First openly gay member: David Scondras (elected 1983)[32]
- First Asian-American member: Sam Yoon (elected 2005)[33]
- First Asian-American female member: Michelle Wu (elected 2013)[34]
- First transgender member: Althea Garrison (filled vacancy in 2019)[35]
- First female president: Louise Day Hicks (elected president 1976)[36]
- First African-American president: Bruce Bolling (elected president 1986)[37]
- First Asian-American president: Michelle Wu (elected president 2016)[38]
- First African-American female president: Andrea Campbell (elected president 2018)[39]
- First Muslim member: Tania Fernandes Anderson (elected 2021)[40]
- First Haitian-American member: Ruthzee Louijeune (elected 2021) [41]
Districts and current council
District[42][43] | Area[44] | Councillor[45] | In office since |
---|---|---|---|
District 1 | Charlestown, East Boston, North End | Gabriela Coletta | 2022 (May) |
District 2 | Chinatown, Downtown, South Boston, South End | Ed Flynn | 2018 (January) |
District 3 | Dorchester | John FitzGerald | 2024 (January) |
District 4 | Mattapan, Dorchester, Roslindale, Jamaica Plain | Brian Worrell | 2022 (January) |
District 5 | Hyde Park, Roslindale, Mattapan | Enrique Pepén | 2024 (January) |
District 6 | Jamaica Plain, West Roxbury | Benjamin Weber | 2024 (January) |
District 7 | Roxbury, South End, Dorchester | Tania Fernandes Anderson | 2022 (January) |
District 8 | Back Bay, Beacon Hill, Fenway–Kenmore, Mission Hill, West End | Sharon Durkan | 2023 (July) |
District 9 | Allston, Brighton | Liz Breadon | 2020 (January) |
(At-large) | Henry Santana | 2024 (January) | |
(At-large) | Ruthzee Louijeune President |
2022 (January) | |
(At-large) | Julia Mejia | 2020 (January) | |
(At-large) | Erin Murphy | 2021 (December)[46] |
Committees
As of January 2020[update], the City Council has the following committees:[47]
- Standing committees
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- Special committees
- Special committee on Charter Reform
Salary
The salary for councillors is half of the mayor's salary. Every four years, the Council votes on whether or not to raise the mayor's salary, thereby also raising its own salaries or not.
In June 2018, the Council voted to increase the salary of the mayor from $199,000 to $207,000, effective after the mayoral election of November 2021 (term starting in January 2022); this increased the salary of councillors to $103,500, effective after the council elections of November 2019 (terms starting in January 2020).[48][49]
Year(s) | Salary | Ref. |
---|---|---|
1980 | $20,000 | [50] |
1981–1986 | $32,500 | [51][52] |
1987–1994 | $45,000 | [52][53] |
1995–1998 | $54,500 | [54] |
1999–2002 | $62,500 | [55] |
2003–2006 | $75,000 | [56][57] |
2006–2015 | $87,500 | [58] |
2016–2019 | $99,500 | [58] |
2020–present | $103,500 | [49][59] |
Presidents
(#) denotes different instances of a councillor serving as president
- 4.^ Janey served as acting mayor for a portion of her council presidency, and was absent from council proceedings during that time. Matt O'Malley presided over the council in her place.[63]
Gallery of Boston City Council Presidents (partial) |
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Public records of Boston City Council
- City Departments' Annual Reports
- Complete stenographic machine record of the public meeting of Boston City Council
- Full text of Captions from Webcasts/Cablecasts of Boston City Council
- City Council page at boston.gov
- Publications of Boston City Council
- Communications of Boston City Council distributed by email
- Communications of Council Committees
See also
- List of members of the Boston City Council, 1822–present
- Boston Board of Selectmen, 1630s–1822
- Boston City Hall, seat of municipal government 1969–present
- Old City Hall (Boston), seat of municipal government 1865–1969
- Suffolk County Courthouse, seat of municipal government c. 1841–1865
- Old State House (Boston, Massachusetts), seat of municipal government c. 1830–1841
References
- ^ O'Connor, T.H. (1997). Boston Irish: A Political History. New York: Back Bay Books.
- ^ "Boston City Council 1910–2009: Selected Accomplishments" (PDF). p. 4. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 24, 2010. Retrieved March 31, 2011.
- ^ "Archives Guide ~ City Council". Archived from the original on April 28, 2015. Retrieved April 27, 2015.
- ^ ProQuest 294237682.
- ^ ProQuest 294126626.
- ProQuest 294105725.
- ^ ProQuest 294125017.
- ^ Powers, John (March 7, 1982). "Neighborhood boy remaps city; Terry McDermott solved a political Rubik's Cube". The Boston Globe. p. 1. Retrieved March 1, 2009 – via pqarchiver.com.
- ^ Jordan, Robert A. (February 25, 1982). "COUNCIL OK'S 9 DISTRICTS". The Boston Globe. p. 1. Retrieved February 26, 2018 – via pqarchiver.com.
- ProQuest 294155654.
- ProQuest 293356284.
- ^ Valencia, Milton (September 6, 2018). "Finally, Althea Garrison will be a city councilor". The Boston Globe. Retrieved December 20, 2018.
- ^ DeCosta-Klipa, Nik (January 22, 2021). "What's actually the difference between being mayor and acting mayor?". Boston.com. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
- ^ a b c McDonald, Danny (June 9, 2021). "Boston councilors pass rule change that would allow them to remove a council president, including Acting Mayor Janey". The Boston Globe. Retrieved June 11, 2021.
- ^ "Kerrigan Faces Busy Day as Boston's Acting Mayor". The Boston Globe. January 5, 1945. p. 1. Retrieved June 11, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Congressman Takes Job as Boston Mayor". The Tampa Tribune. January 8, 1946. Retrieved March 15, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ Doherty, Joseph (January 26, 1945). "Kerrigan First World War II Vet to Head City Government". The Boston Globe. p. 1. Retrieved June 11, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Curley Elected Mayor Of Boston 4th Time". The Philadelphia Inquirer. November 7, 1945 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Hynes Is Temporary Mayor: Curley Starts Prison Term in Danbury, Conn. City Clerk Sworn In as Legislature Enacts Law By-Passing Kelly". The Boston Daily Globe. June 27, 1947. p. 1. Retrieved June 11, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ McGrory, Brian (July 13, 1993). "Menino, 'a neighborhood guy,' now at center stage". The Boston Globe. p. 12. Retrieved June 11, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Mayor Menino through the years". Boston.com. March 28, 2013. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
- ^ Gavin, Christopher (March 22, 2021). "Kim Janey becomes Boston's acting mayor, makes history as first Black person, woman to hold the office". Boston Herald. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
- ^ Gavin, Christopher (April 6, 2021). "Acting Boston Mayor Kim Janey enters race to seek a full term". Boston.com. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
- ^ "Unofficial Election Results". Boston.gov. October 3, 2016. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
- ^ "City Council rules". July 2, 2016.
- ^ "Mrs. Harris Wins City Council Race". The Boston Daily Globe. March 31, 1937.
- ^ Herman, Jennifer L. (2008). Massachusetts Encyclopedia. North American Book Distributors.
- ^ "Banks Finally Seated in City Council After 21-Month Contest". The Boston Daily Globe. August 7, 1951.
- City of Boston. March 7, 2016. Archivedfrom the original on July 13, 2018. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
- ^ "Bostons first Latino City Councilor sworn in". People's World. January 23, 2003.
- ^ "Julia Mejia Sworn In As Boston's First Latina City Councilor". CBS Boston. January 6, 2020. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
- ^ Krone, Mark (October 10, 2013). "Boston Mayor's Race: Then and Now". bostonspiritmagazine.com. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
- ^ Allis, Sam (December 18, 2005). "The New Kid". The Boston Globe.
- ^ Marston, Celeste Katz (August 25, 2021). "Mayoral candidate Michelle Wu says she's not in 'the typical mold of a Boston politician'". NBC News. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
- ^ "Media Faces A Delicate Issue In Covering Boston City Councilor Althea Garrison". WGBH. January 11, 2019. Retrieved September 7, 2021.
- ^ Woo, Elaine (October 23, 2003). "Louise Day Hicks, 87; Boston Politician Was Early Critic of Busing". The Los Angeles Times.
- ^ "Boston Council Member Bruce Bolling Magazine Candidacy In Mayoral Race". Jet. Vol. 84, no. 12. July 19, 1993. p. 29 – via Google Books.
- ^ Encarnacao, Jack (January 5, 2016). "Michelle Wu takes reins as Boston City Council president". Boston Herald. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
- ^ "Andrea Campbell to be the next City Council president". The Boston Globe. December 9, 2017. Retrieved January 28, 2018.
- ^ Bedford, Tori (November 3, 2021). "Tania Fernandes Anderson Makes History As Boston's First Muslim City Councilor-Elect". WGBH. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
- ^ "Louijeune wins solid 3rd-place finish; first Haitian American to join council | Dorchester Reporter". www.dotnews.com. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
- ^ "Electoral Maps". Boston Redevelopment Authority. Retrieved October 4, 2014.
- ^ "City Council District Map". City of Boston. Retrieved October 4, 2014.
- ^ "2012 Guide to Elected Officials and City Services of Boston". League of Women Voters Boston. Archived from the original on September 26, 2013. Retrieved February 17, 2013.
- ^ "Boston City Council Members". City of Boston. Retrieved January 2, 2024.
- ^ "Erin Murphy sworn in as newest Boston city councilor at-large".
- ^ "Standing Committees, Special Committees". boston.gov. January 29, 2016. Retrieved January 8, 2020.
- ^ "Editorial: Elected leaders profit as we pay". Boston Herald. June 29, 2018. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
- ^ a b Valencia, Milton J. (June 13, 2018). "Mayor, councilors could get 4% raises". The Boston Globe. p. B5. Retrieved March 23, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
- ProQuest 293397598.
- ProQuest 293997728.
- ^ ProQuest 294639718.
- ProQuest 294384926.
- ProQuest 290723825.
- ProQuest 405438915.
- ProQuest 405528161.
- ProQuest 404992402.
- ^ a b "Boston City Councilors OK 14 Percent Pay Raise For Themselves". Archived from the original on November 10, 2018. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
- ^ "Let voters decide on Boston City Council terms". The Boston Globe. February 26, 2019. Retrieved January 8, 2020.
- ^ Doherty, Joseph (January 26, 1945). "Kerrigan First World War II Vet to Head City Government". The Boston Globe. pp. 1, 8. Retrieved January 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Marquard, Bryan (December 20, 2007). "'Dapper' O'Neil, champion of personal politics, dies at 87". Boston Globe. Retrieved May 31, 2012.
- ^ McGrory, Brian (July 13, 1993). "Menino, 'a neighborhood guy,' now at center stage". The Boston Globe. p. 12. Retrieved January 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Meet Boston City Council's New Council President, Matt O'Malley". boston.gov. March 31, 2021. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
Further reading
- Irons, Meghan E.; Ryan, Andrew (October 24, 2015). "Councilors insist their far-flung trips benefit the city". The Boston Globe.
- Sutherland, James; Chisholm, James (April 18, 2016). "Four arguments for four-year Boston City Council terms". commonwealthmagazine.org.
- "Firsts From the Women of the City Council". boston.gov. March 9, 2018.
There has been at least one woman on the Boston City Council for the past 41 years, since 1974. The current makeup of the Council includes the most women ever in history! In honor of Women's History Month, here are some firsts being represented by the current women of the City Council.
External links
- City Council page at boston.gov
- City Council Committee hearing transcripts at Boston Archives (index)