Handicapping the 15-headed horse race that is Boston's at-large City Council election
By CHRIS FARAONE | August 12, 2009
Even knowledgeable City Hall insiders know they're better off scratching lotto tickets than wagering on Boston politics. But if you must gamble in the 15-way horse race that is the September 22 councilor-at-large preliminary election, then it would be wise to bet that current Democratic officeholders Stephen Murphy and John Connolly will win two of the eight positions determined on that day (as well as half of the final four spots yielded by the November 3 election).
As for the rest of the bracket (which consists of nine Democrats, two Republicans, and two unaffiliated candidates — and, remarkably, just one woman), this is our attempt to separate the true wack jobs from the mere moonbat optimists, as Howie Carr might call some of the Obama-inspired idealists vying for at-large positions. Culling information from questionnaires, recent coverage, campaign literature, and interviews, we did our best to offer snapshots of a group that actually has several impressive candidates. We've divided the field into the current favorites, the hopefuls, and the long shots. Feel free to defy the odds, and make up your own mind.
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Related:
Final four?, For Boston City Council, The velvet rope of prejudice?, More 
- Final four?
Some of Boston's savviest political insiders were confident of one thing going into last week's preliminary election: the top four finishers in the at-large City Council race would not be the same quartet to actually win those four seats in November.
- For Boston City Council
Boston city councilors enjoy relatively high political profiles, but in reality they labor under the tight constraints of a strong-mayor system.
- The velvet rope of prejudice?
RACE RELATIONS
- The new black
When the Theater District's Cure Lounge ejected a group of black Harvard and Yale alums and grad students last month, many saw it as the latest confirmation of Boston's racist core.
- In the Shadow of Walmart
Only one company on earth summons fevered joy and outrage by merely showing interest in a market.
- Letters to the Boston editors, August 26, 2011
The use of the term "minority" is outdated and now a bit offensive.
- Ayanna Pressley is a rising political superstar — whose career might be over by year's end
Even as she faces the very real possibility of defeat this November, Pressley is receiving support and gushing praise from most of Boston's political figures.
- The fight for Dorchester's open city council seat is more like a school election than a modern political one
The Dorchester district that Maureen Feeney has represented since 1993 is now perhaps the most diverse in the city — and of all the council districts, its percentages of white, black, Asian, and Hispanic residents most closely reflects Boston as a whole.
- District 7 endorsement: Vote Tito
Thirty-five-year-old Tito Jackson, a former economic development official in Governor Deval Patrick's administration, is the candidate most deserving of District 7's votes.
- Sluts for justice
On Saturday, Boston joins the national SlutWalk movement, demonstrating solidarity to fight "slut shaming," a common response to sexual violence.
- No more Mr. Nice Council
By announcing his campaign for city council, Michael Flaherty immediately unleashed the bitter side of Boston politics.
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