Boston’s municipal election, scheduled for next week, could result in some big changes to City Council.
Eight candidates are running for four at-large seats on the council, including three incumbents, Councilors Julia Mejia, Ruthzee Louijeune, and Erin Murphy.
Other candidates for at-large seats are Clifton Braithwaite, Henry Santana, Catherine Vitale, Bridget Nee-Walsh, and Shawn Nelson.
At-Large Councilor Michael Flaherty announced earlier this year that he would not run for another term.
Six of Boston’s nine council districts have contested races.
In District 3, which includes much of Dorchester, current Councilor Frank Baker announced earlier this year that he would not run for reelection after more than a decade in office. The two candidates up for Baker’s seat are Joel Richards, a public school teacher and pastor, and John Fitzgerald, a longtime City Hall employee.
In District 5, which includes Hyde Park, Roslindale and parts of Mattapan, Enrique Pepén, former director of the Office of Neighborhood Services, and Jose Ruiz, a retired police officer, are up for the district councilor seat.
Current District 5 Councilor Ricardo Arroyo lost his bid for reelection in the September preliminary election after a series of scandals — including a Boston Globe report exposing decades-old sexual assault allegations against him during his 2022 run for Suffolk County district attorney.
Also voted out in September was District 6 Councilor Kendra Lara, who represents West Roxbury and Jamaica Plain, and whose car crash into a house in July was widely publicized after police said she was driving on a suspended license. Lara’s seat will be taken by either lawyer Benjamin Weber or IT professional William King.
In District 7, which includes most of Roxbury, incumbent Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson is being challenged by Althea Garrison, a former at-large councilor and state representative.
Garrison served one term in the state Legislature from 1993 to 1995, and served on the council from January 2019 to January 2020 when then-Councilor Ayanna Pressley was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, leaving her seat vacant for the candidate who had received the next-highest number of votes in the previous election.
In District 8, which includes the Fenway neighborhood, Councilor Sharon Durkan is being challenged by Montez Haywood, a prosecutor in the district attorney’s office. Durkan took office in July after defeating Haywood in a special election to replace then-Councilor Kenzie Bok, who left to head the Boston Housing Authority.
In the final contested race in Allston and Brighton, District 9 Councilor Liz Breadon is facing a challenge from Jacob deBlecourt. DeBlecourt, a first-time candidate, previously worked as director of public policy and communications for Councilor Julia Mejia.
District 1 Councilor Gabriela Coletta, District 2 Councilor and Council President Ed Flynn, and District 4 Councilor Brian Worrell are running unopposed.
The Boston municipal election is scheduled for Nov. 7. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
To find out where to go to vote, visit the Secretary of State’s website.
