In one of the tightest Boston mayoral races in the history of the city, Marty Walsh beat City Councilor John Connolly to succeed Mayor Tom Menino as The Hub’s new chief executive. Out of the gate, the race was neck and neck and continued to be such down the stretch. Walsh emerged triumphant, though, barely eking out a 51.5 percent to 48.06 percent victory. But with so many eclectic neighborhoods throwing their support behind two strikingly similar candidates, a break down of where Marty Walsh won is imperative.
According to the unofficial results tallied by the City of Boston and this fantastic interactive map courtesy of WBUR, supporters for both camps conceived a schism in which most residents along Boston’s emerald necklace, Lower Allston and Brighton, Back Bay, Beacon Hill, North End, Innovation District, some of East Boston, and most of Charlestown pulled for Connolly.
Walsh, however, gained significant favor amongst those living in his hometown of Dorchester, Roxbury, Hyde Park, Mattapan, South Boston, South End, some of Jamaica Plain, some of East Boston, and Upper Allston.
Though it doesn’t necessarily apply to all of those who live in these areas, the divide greatly exemplifies the label both candidates were slapped with, whether intentionally or not. Walsh, the supposed blue-collar champion of the working class, won in the neighborhoods less affluent than where Connolly, the Harvard grad and progressive education candidate, took home more votes.
That being said, it was difficult for both the general public or the either contender to illuminate why one mayoral choice was better than the other and vice versa. Both have similar visions for the immediate and distant future of Boston that involve comprehensive education reform, a more diversified municipality from the mayor-elect’s administration on down, a stronger commitment to neighborhood development, and an overall prosperous metropolis. The only noticeable difference between the two is their background, their management styles, and the priority of the aforementioned visions.
Walsh will assume Menino’s long-held City Hall office on January 6, but, in the meantime, stay tuned to BostInno for the latest developments in Boston news and policy.
