David Taber
Recently elected District 7 City Councilor Tito Jackson was the only Jamaica Plain councilor to draw any potential challengers as of April 21 for this year’s municipal election, and he beat two of those four potential candidates in a Special Election for the seat earlier this year.
The potential challengers in District 7—which includes part of Egleston Square—are Althea Garrison; Roy Owens; and David Wyatt, who lives at Academy Homes in Jackson Square. Wyatt and Garrison faced Jackson in the District 7 Preliminary Special Election in February, but did not make it to the final election. Jackson’s challenger in the final Special Election, Cornell Mills, did not immediately signal that he is interested in a rematch April 20—the first day potential candidates could apply for nomination papers.
District 6 City Councilor Matt O’Malley—elected in a Special Election last year—has drawn no challengers.
Kosta Demos, a JP resident who competed in the preliminary Election for the District 6 seat, said he does not plan to run against O’Malley this year because “I don’t believe O’Malley is beatable,” he said. He said he is considering a future run for a citywide At-Large City Council seat.
No one was yet running in District 8, which covers a small part of Hyde Square. Incumbent Mike Ross was out of town April 20, he told the Gazette.
Former At-Large city councilor and recent mayoral candidate Michael Flaherty has said he is mulling a run for an At-Large seat this year, but did not immediately request nomination papers. At-Large City Councilor Steve Murphy also did not immediately request papers.
On its first day, the At-Large race included incumbents Felix G. Arroyo—a JP resident—John Connolly and Ayanna Pressley. Potential challengers include William Feegbeh, Robert Frasca and Kenneth Jervis.
In this year’s municipal elections, voters will elect city councilors for two-year terms in the nine district City Council seats and four At-Large council seats.
The papers the potential candidates have applied for will not be available until May 3. The preliminary election is Sept. 27 and the final election is Nov. 8.