Four men, two more years

By 9:30, Jack Connolly, Bruce Desmond, Dennis Sullivan, and Bill (The Professor) White, boasting a combined 46 years of experience, knew that newcomer Luis "Tony' Morales had fallen almost 1,500 votes short in his bid for one of their citywide spots on the Board of Aldermen.

Meanwhile, at a Davis Square bistro, the city's Progressive Democrats gathered to fete their own Rebekah Gewirtz, the only ward alderman who faced a challenge. And in East Somerville, Morales's crew gathered in one of his Salvadoran restaurants to lament his loss.

But at the Dante Club, in a barroom that smelled of old cigarettes, the aldermen gathered to congratulate themselves. A DJ with back-combed gray hair played Jimmy Buffett. Sullivan swept by in a rumpled dress shirt, juggling an armful of beer cans.

The closeness of the four-way win - less than 300 votes from Sullivan to Desmond - seemed to increase the merriment. Connolly (4,652 votes) shook hands by a table piled with photocopied flyers listing visibility days for Senate candidate and former mayor Mike Capuano.

Connolly talked with hands to describe how the vote went: "Everybody just," he said, as he made four checks in the air with his finger, down a column, each for an incumbent. "Obviously people are voting all four across the board,"

Connolly thought the incumbents' victories meant the aldermen were doing a good job managing a tight budget. "Yeah, the fees went up for parking, licensing," he said, "but public safety is what it's all about." As for Morales, the loser, "Nice guy, he just didn''t make an impact." Then he asked for the Menino results.

By the stage, a poster listing the aldermen's vote totals didn't bother to include the challenger for the Davis Square seat. Despite Gewirtz's shaky social standing on the board as the newest, youngest. and most outspoken member, "I'd be surprised if she didn't take it running away," said a city employee.

Mayor Curtatone rested his arm against the bar, talking to a local reporter. The DJ segued into "Comfortably Numb." "We’re pretty much all Democrats here, you know," the employee added, "all pretty progressive." Then he asked for the Menino results.

Sullivan (4,861 votes) shared a table in a function room that had no-pile carpet on the walls. With them sat the Ward 2 and 3 aldermen, the head of the rec department (and former alderman), a school committee member, the chair of the housing authority, and a man so ancient and hunched you couldn't read the Somerville Post number on his jacket. The Ward 5 alderman had called in sick.

Although it was nice to top the ticket, "Statistically it's a dead heat, one through four," Sullivan said modestly, sitting back in his chair. It just went to show that people were very happy with the way local government was going. Someone congratulated him on his recent marriage, saying it was about time. Sullivan blushed. Then he asked for the Menino results.

There was one disappointment, said Susan Fontano, business owner and lifelong East Somerville resident. She lowered her voice: "The Norton kid lost," referring to James Norton, who lost his School Committee spot. "That was a tough pill to swallow for a lot of people."

Her sister started clearing the remnants of the catered Italian buffet off a table. The DJ played "Sweet Caroline."

White (4,745 votes), whose election website encouraged people to come out on November 6, 2007, was slumped over a Heineken. He looked drained. The incumbents won because "Most people were generally satisfied. None of the current aldermen committed major gaffes," he said. Besides, no one wanted to run for office in a bad economy. It wasn't glamorous. People weren't as interested in municipal elections as they used to be 30, 40 years ago.

So why did he run again? "Part of me is from the old-school Somerville," he said, staring into space. "I believe I owe something to the community." Then he asked for the Menino results.

It was almost 11. The bartender would stick around until his boss in the members-only basement told him to stop, he said. Near the door, a guy named Steve reeled off Somerville trivia: smallest public park, first outdoor telephone. Sullivan swept by with an armful of beer. He gestured with a Heineken. "Come have a drink! I have to bring this to the Professor!" he hollered.

In Boston, Menino won reelection with 57 percent of the vote. The Boston race had already been called, but nobody at the party in Somerville knew it.

Contact Danielle at somervillescene@gmail.com.