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Hennigan and O'Malley face off for open Boston city council seat

E-mail | Print | Comments () Posted by Your Town November 16, 2010 08:56 AM

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Voters go to the polls in Jamaica Plain and West Roxbury in a special election today to choose their city councilor, filling a seat vacated by John Tobin.

Two candidates with deep political ties in the city are facing off in the council race.

One is James W. Hennigan III, a 56-year-old insurance salesman whose father and grandfather represented parts of the district in the Legislature. Hennigan’s older sister held the District Six council seat for almost two decades. And in the mid-1990s, he made two unsuccessful runs for the Legislature.

The other is Matthew J. O’Malley, who at age 31 could already be considered a seasoned political veteran. O’Malley interned for the City Council at age 16 and has mounted two failed bids for a citywide seat, including his first race at age 23, headquartered in his parents’ Roslindale basement. He has also stepped behind the scenes and helped run winning campaigns for other politicians.

The two advanced in a primary last month. The winner will fill the District 6 City Council seat vacated by John Tobin, who resigned in July after nine years on the council to work for Northeastern University.

Polls are open from 7 am to 8 pm. Click here to determine your polling place.