Flynn wins District 2 City Council seat

Tuesday, November 7 was an exceptionally energized Election Day in the South End, with improved participation and a groundswell of excitement, particularly surrounding the District 2 City Council race. In the candidacy of longtime South End/Bay Village resident and former Menino aide Mike Kelley, South Enders saw the real possibility of interrupting South Boston's historic dominance of the District 2 seat.

While South End-specific voting numbers could not be obtained by press time, visits to the Cathedral gymnasium and Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology voting stations and observations from volunteers outside polling places suggested a steady flow of voters with peaks in the morning and after-work hours. Ultimately, South Boston's Ed Flynn, a probation officer and the son of former Mayor Ray Flynn, surpassed Kelley in a down-to-the-wire race with a margin of 508 votes out of 14,458 cast according to unofficial results posted on the City of Boston web site Tuesday night.

The District 2 result was not declared until a final precinct in Chinatown was counted, with the announcement coming around 11:00 PM. The District 7 seat being vacated by mayoral hopeful Tito Jackson went to children's advocate Kim Janey, who bested opponent Rufus J. Faulk almost 1,100 votes, or 4,940 versus Faulk's 3,852. Jackson was defeated handily in the citywide mayoral vote, with 36,433 votes or 34 per cent versus incumbent Mayor Martin J. Walsh's 70,125, or 65 per cent of the vote, Jackson attracted a following in the South End particularly with his focus on affordable housing. The last incumbent mayor to lose an election was Mayor Michael Curley in 1949.

After a dismal turnout in the South End for the September 26 preliminary election, which winnowed the field of 7 candidates down to two, Flynn and Kelley, in District 2 and a field of 13 District 7 candidates down to finalists Janey and Faulk, South End organizers mobilized to get neighbors to the polls and coalesced around District 2's Kelley, who lived in the South End for over 25 years, moving to nearby Bay Village less than two years ago.

Kelley was a frequent presence in the South End, beginning weeks before his March 30 campaign launch at the Villa Victoria Center for the Arts. With Kelley's win in the preliminary election, neighborhood activists sought to get out the vote in the hope of gaining a voice for the South End on the City Council, which divides the South End into three different districts, none of which has been held by a South End resident.

Exhortations to get out the vote proliferated on South End-themed social media sites for weeks before November 7, and Washington Gateway Main Street organized #Shop the South End, a reward program offering free gifts and discounts to shoppers wearing "I Voted" stickers. Eighteen businesses, including Flour Bakery, Uniform, Niche, Table and Tulip, FoMu vegan ice cream, European Wax Center, Barre 3, Bark Place and Skoah offered such enticements as free eyebrow waxes, coffee, exercise classes, dog treats and more, while other retailers offered discounts of 10 to 20 per cent off purchases.

The afternoon shift manager at Flour, 1595 Washington Street, estimated that 20 voters per hour streamed in with to claim their free, small cups of coffee. Former South End resident Grace Holley sat at a table at Flour eating a salad and drinking her coffee with a rose she received at Niche, a small succulent from Table and Tulip, freshly waxed brows from European Wax Center and the sweet memory of a cookie she received at Formaggio Kitchen South End.

After the polls closed, Kelley followers packed Boston Chops, 1375 Washington Street, nibbling passed treats such as giant onion rings, steak tartare bites, tempura brussels sprouts and macaroni and cheese while awaiting the arrival of the candidate and news of the outcome.

State representative Aaron Michlewitz introduced Kelley's remarks, as he did at Kelley's campaign launch party in March. Following the election outcome, Kelley spoke with gratitude and hope. "I am so impressed, so moved, and so filled with love and appreciation. We've added 4,000 votes in the past month. Thousands of people came out and voted. We've organized and energized so many people around a progressive agenda. We are sending a message that this is a city that should work for everyone, that is inclusive of everyone. I'm sad but I'm also excited," Kelley said. He added, "This isn't the end, it's just the beginning."