1993 Boston mayoral election

Election in Massachusetts, United States January 2025 September 2023 1993 Boston mayoral election Boston Presidential no 1991 Boston mayoral election 1991 November 2, 1993 1997 Boston mayoral election 1997 Mayor Thomas Menino at swearing in ceremony as Acting Mayor in July of 1993 (15674913102) (2).jpg Thomas Menino Nonpartisan candidate 74,448 64.45% Mayor Thomas Menino (acting) Thomas Menino James T. Brett official portrait photograph, circa 1993 (3x4).jpeg James T. Brett Nonpartisan candidate 41,052 35.54% Boston mayor election, 1993.svg 260px Results by wardMenino: #86b6f2 50–60% #4389e3 60–70% #1666cb 70–80% Brett: #73d873 50–60% #42ca42 60–70% Boston The Boston mayoral election of 1993 occurred on Tuesday, November 2, 1993, between Acting Mayor Thomas Menino and State Representative James T. Brett. Menino was elected to his first term. This early election came just two years after the prior mayoral election in 1991. This was because Raymond Flynn, who had been mayor of Boston since 1984, resigned as mayor to become United States ambassador to the Holy See. Following Flynn's resignation in July 1993, Boston City Council president Menino became acting mayor until a permanent successor to Flynn would be elected. The nonpartisan municipal preliminary election was held on September 21, 1993. Menino became the city's first Italian American mayor and the first mayor not of Irish descent since 1930.McNamara Eileen Michelle Wu Proved That Boston Isn't the Same Old Boston Anymore https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/03/opinion/michelle-wu-boston-mayor.html The New York Times 16 April 2023 3 November 2021 Candidates Candidates that advanced to general election James T. Brett, Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives since 1981, Assistant Secretary of Energy from 1980 to 19811991–1992 Public Officers of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts https://archive.org/stream/publicofficersof19911992bost#page/92/mode/2up Thomas Menino, Acting Mayor of Boston since July 12, 1993, Boston City Councilor from 1984 to 1993, and Council President in 1993 Candidates eliminated in preliminary Bruce Bolling, Boston City Councilor since 1982, council president (1986–1987) Christopher Lydon, WGBH-TV host Diane Moriarty, attorney and Republican Party member Francis Roache, former Boston Police Commissioner Robert Rufo, Sheriff of Suffolk County Rosaria Salerno, Boston City Councilor since 1988 Campaigning The nonpartisan primary lacked a clear front-runner, and was described by Virginia A. Triant of The Harvard Crimson as, "one the decade's most competitive mayoral races [in Boston]." Key matters of discussion on the campaign trail were included crime, education, and employment.Triant Virginia A. Mayoral Finalists Are Menino, Brett https://www.thecrimson.com/article/1993/9/22/mayoral-finalists-are-menino-brett-pbrighton-boston/ www.thecrimson.com The Harvard Crimson 2 March 2024 September 22, 1993 The campaign saw the candidates agree with each other on many issues. All candidates promised to crackdown on crime and improve the city's troubled public school system. Racial issues did not prove to be a major matter in the campaign. The tone of the campaign was peaceful, with Sara Rimer of The New York Times writing that the primary had been a, "strikingly civil, some might even say dull, campaign waged in a city with a history of truculent politics."Rimer Sara Boston Whittles Mayoral Field To 2 for Runoff https://www.nytimes.com/1993/09/22/us/boston-whittles-mayoral-field-to-2-for-runoff.html The New York Times 2 March 2024 22 September 1993 The Harvard Crimson, ahead of the primary, characterized there as being two-tiers of candidate support indicated in opinion polls. The top tier (with the strongest support in polls) featured Menino, Brett, Rufo, and Salerno (in no particular order). The second-tier (receiving lower levels of support in polls) featured Bolling, Lydon, Roache, and Mortiarty (in no particular order).Mayoral Race Down to Wire https://www.thecrimson.com/article/1993/9/21/mayoral-race-down-to-wire-pboston-with The Harvard Crimson December 17, 2025 September 21, 1993 Menino campaign Menino initially ran a low-profile campaign, having informally indicated his intentions ahead of taking office as acting mayor. During this time, he quietly raised significant amounts in contributions for his campaign.Menino, 'a neighborhood guy,' now at center stage McGrory Brian https://www.newspapers.com/image/440685035 Newspapers.com The Boston Globe 2 December 2021 en subscription July 13, 1993 After taking office as acting mayor, Menino ran a sort of "Rose Garden campaign" that played up his acting incumbency and used the perks of the office.Vennochi Joan It was Kim Janey's race to lose and she lost it https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/09/15/opinion/it-was-kim-janeys-race-lose-she-lost-it/ The Boston Globe 17 September 2021 September 16, 2021 His campaign was seen as greatly benefiting from his incumbency. He formally declared himself as a candidate for mayor on August 16, 1993, after many other candidates had already formally entered the race.Walker Adrian Menino declares, citing record as acting mayor https://www.newspapers.com/image/440532159 Newspapers.com The Boston Globe 16 December 2021 en subscription August 17, 1993 Menino was regarded to be a political liberal. Menino was one of three Italian American candidates running in the primary. The city had never had an Italian American mayor.Crouch Ian Thomas Menino's Greatest Feat https://www.newyorker.com/sports/sporting-scene/thomas-meninos-greatest-feat The New Yorker 29 November 2021 28 March 2013 In the primary, Menino's base of support was regarded to be East Boston, South Boston, and West Roxbury, all of which had high turnout in the primary. His victory in the general election came largely due to the support of a coalition of black voters, latino voters, and liberal-leaning white voters. He performed more weakly in several perennially high-turnout areas of the city that many previous mayors had relied on for election, such as South Boston, West Roxbury, and Charlestown In his subsequent elections, Menino would retain his strong support among the city's black voters, despite occasionally being at political odds with black elected officials on the Boston City Council and in the state legislature. Miller Yawu Boston Residents Mourn Death of City's Longest-Serving Mayor https://baystatebanner.com/2014/11/05/boston-residents-mourn-death-of-citys-longest-serving-mayor Bay State Banner December 17, 2025 November 5, 2024 Brett campaign Brett highlighted his Irish-American roots and his personal links to former mayor Flynn, noting that his mother (who had immigrated from Ireland) had once been employed alongside Flynn's own mother as a custodial worker. Like Menino, Brett was regarded to be politically liberal. An exception to Brett's generally liberal politics was that he held anti-abortion stances. Brett was one of four Irish-American candidates running in the primary. The city had seen an uninterrupted stretch of Irish-American mayors ever since 1930.Baker Matthew Reed Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino: A Timeline https://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2013/09/24/mayor-tom-menino-timeline/ Boston Magazine 29 November 2021 24 September 2013 Salerno campaign Ahead of the primary, Salerno had been seen as one of the front-runners to advance to the general election, with polls placing her in the upper-tier among candidates. Boston had never elected a woman as its mayor (Boston would ultimately not do so until electing Michelle Wu in 2021), and Salerno cited enthusiasm at the prospect of electing the city's first female mayor (if she won) as a major drawing point in attracting volunteers to her campaign. Rufo campaign Rufo ran with the campaign slogan "safety first". Polls showed strong support for Rufo ahead of the campaign, causing him to be deemed one of the front-runners to advance to the general election. Rufo's strongest base of support was regarded to be in the Allston and Brighton neighborhoods, which ultimately saw lower turnout in the primary. The lower turnout in key constituencies for him was regarded to have played a key role in his failure to advance to the general election. Bolling campaign Bolling was the only African American candidate in the election. Bolling was not polling strongly ahead of the primary, and was therefore not considered a front-runner. Roache campaign One of Roache's proposals was to pressure universities into contributing greater amounts to the city (in lieu for the taxes they were exempted from paying) Roache was not polling strongly ahead of the primary, and was therefore not considered a front-runner. Lyndon campaign Lyndon was not polling strongly ahead of the primary, and was therefore not considered a front-runner. Mortiarty campaign Moriarty's campaign was regarded to be a long-shot. This was her first time seeking political office. While the election was a nonpartisan ballot, she was the only of the eight candidates who was a member of the Republican (the rest being members of the Democratic Party).Multiple sources: Censured Quincy Judge Still Held In High Regard By Clerk Magistrate https://www.patriotledger.com/story/news/courts/2010/10/14/censured-quincy-judge-still-held/40231645007 The Patriot Ledger September 9, 2025 October 14, 2010 Judge Diane E. Moriarty https://trellis.law/judge/diane.e.moriarty Trellis September 9, 2025 en Ross Elizabeth Boston Mayoral Election Will Narrow Field to Two https://www.csmonitor.com/layout/set/amphtml/1993/0920/20081.html Christian Science Monitor September 20, 1993 Preliminary election Preliminary results Placing first and second in the primary, respectively, Menino and Brett advanced to the general election. Despite inclement weather on election day, turnout in the primary was over 50% of eligible voters. Menino was said to have benefited from high voter turnout East Boston, South Boston, and West Roxbury, which were regarded as part of his "home base" of support. Rufo was said to have been hurt by low turnout in his "home base" of Allston and Brighton. 1993 Boston Mayoral electionElection Results http://www.cityofboston.gov/elections/search/default.asp Cityofboston.gov The City of Boston 5 June 2011 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20110907221710/http://www.cityofboston.gov/elections/search/default.asp 7 September 2011 Nonpartisan politician Thomas Menino (acting incumbent) 30,060 26.89 Nonpartisan politician James T. Brett 25,052 22.41 Nonpartisan politician Robert Rufo 22,517 20.14 Nonpartisan politician Rosaria Salerno 19,605 17.54 Nonpartisan politician Bruce Bolling 6,464 5.87 Nonpartisan politician Christopher Lydon 3,630 3.25 Nonpartisan politician Francis Roache 3,362 3.08 Nonpartisan politician Diane Moriarty 991 0.89 111,781 100 General election General election endorsements Thomas Menino State officials Mel King, state representative and candidate for mayor in 1983https://www.bostonherald.com/2009/08/11/sam-yoon-gains-mel-kings-favor/ Sam Yoon gains Mel King's favor Boston Herald Weir Richard August 11, 2009 November 22, 2021 Newspapers and publications Boston Heraldhttps://www.csmonitor.com/1993/1101/01073.html Boston Mayoral Hopefuls Take High Road Christian Science Monitor Ross Elizabeth November 1, 1993 December 1, 2021 The Boston Globe General election results 1993 Boston mayoral general election Nonpartisan politician Thomas Menino (acting incumbent) 74,448 64.45 Nonpartisan politician James T. Brett 41,052 35.54 111,500 100 See also List of mayors of Boston, Massachusetts References Mayoral election Boston mayoral Boston Category:Mayoral elections in Boston Boston mayor 1993 Category:November 1993 in the United States