Boston City Council: Globe endorses Louijeune, Mejia, Murphy, and Santana for at-large seats – The Boston Globe

Since the bitter preliminary elections this summer, the race for Boston City Council has faded a bit from public attention. But in a few weeks, voters will have the opportunity to finish what they started by sending a new crop of councilors to City Hall, where rebuilding the council’s effectiveness and battered reputation needs to be a top priority.

In the most heavily contested district-seat races, the Globe sticks with its endorsements in the preliminary: Newcomers Ben Weber (in the district representing West Roxbury and Jamaica Plain) and Enrique Pepén (Roslindale, Hyde Park, and some of Mattapan) are the best choices for those seats. Though they come from very different backgrounds — Weber’s a long-time worker’s rights lawyer, Pepén is a young former City Hall aide — they have shown in their campaigns that they’re ready to do the constituent-service and legislative work of a district councilor.

Both of the candidates topped the field in the preliminary election and in the process did something extremely rare in Boston politics — they toppled incumbents. It helped, no doubt, that the council has dealt itself several black eyes over the last two years, with two councilors drawing sanctions for ethics violations and a federal judge finding the council’s initial redistricting map likely violated the US Constitution.

Still, not every incumbent has been part of the council’s many problems. In the final election on Nov. 7, voters will also have the chance to weigh in on the four at-large councilors — who, unlike the district councilors, represent the whole city. The Globe wholeheartedly endorses incumbent at-large councilor Ruthzee Louijeune in that race. During a council term in which some of her colleagues stooped to name-calling and worse, Louijeune distinguished herself as a level-headed legislator who was able bridge to differences and build coalitions. For instance, she played a central role in fixing the redistricting mess after the court ruling; when asked by the Globe editorial board to name a councilor they admired, many candidates across the city named Louijeune.

Two other at-large city councilors, Julia Mejia and Erin Murphy, also merit reelection. Mejia, first elected in 2019 as the city’s first Latina city counselor, has been a vocal advocate for communities of color. She highlights the Bodega Project, an initiative to fight food insecurity that she launched during the pandemic after constituents were calling her office for help. Murphy, a former Boston Public Schools teacher, has carved out a role as an advocate for families with children in the system — advocacy that’s unfortunately all too rare on the City Council. Although the council doesn’t directly oversee the schools, Murphy’s been an important voice calling attention to the system’s needs.

The final incumbent at-large councilor, Michael Flaherty, is not seeking reelection. In his place, the Globe endorses newcomer Henry Santana, a former City Hall aide to Mayor Michelle Wu. Santana, a Dorchester resident who grew up in Mission Hill, said he would be a force for restoring “pride” in the work of the council. The other candidates on the ballot for the at-large seats are Clifton A. Braithwaite, Bridget M. Nee-Walsh, Shawn Nelson, and Catherine Vitale. Voters can choose up to four of the eight.

Whatever happens in November, in the new year several of the most polarizing councilors will be gone, providing the body with a good opportunity for a fresh start. By booting tainted incumbents in the preliminary elections, voters have already sent the message that they want a different direction for the council. Louijeune, Mejia, Murphy, and Santana have earned the chance to be part of changing the council back into a body that Bostonians can take pride in.

Editorials represent the views of the Boston Globe Editorial Board. Follow us @GlobeOpinion.