City Councilors during the sworn-in ceremony | Photo courtesy of the Boston City CouncilThe new Councilors were sworn in an “invitation-only” ceremony at Faneuil Hall on Monday, January 6th, 2020, after being elected on November 5th, 2019, with a voter turnout of 16.49%, according to Boston Elections Department numbers.
The re-election of District III Councilor Frank Baker, District IV Councilwoman Andrea Campbell, and District VII Councilwoman Kim Janey (appointed as new Council’s president) indicates that there are no new faces represent Dorchester’s districts.
At the at-large representation, three of the four newly elected City Councilors were incumbents, including Dorchester native Annissa Essaibi-George, Michelle Wu, and Michael Flaherty. The only new face is Dorchester resident Julia Mejia, who won the seat by one vote over her closest candidate.
Boston City Councilors are supposed to function as a check against the power of the Mayor.
The Boston City Council is the legislative branch of the City government, made up of 13 members in total (9 districts, 4 at-large). Councilors are elected to two-year terms, with no limit on the number of times an individual can serve. They’re responsible for approving the city budget; monitoring, creating, and removing city agencies; making land-use decisions; and accepting, amending, or rejecting other legislative proposals.
