Second Middlesex and Boston City Council elections are TODAY!

If you live in Boston, Somerville, Medford, Winchester, or Woburn (ward 2 only), be sure to stop by your polling place today.  Preliminary elections for Boston City Council, and the final election for the Second Middlesex Senate seat (Democrat Pat Jehlen vs. Republican Bill White), are happening right now.  Cos reports below on one of the contested Boston City Council elections. 

Please treat this post as an open thread on today's elections.  Seeing anything interesting out in the field?  Drop it in the comments!  --David

Since Boston City Council races are nonpartisan, there are no party primaries, but any race that has more than twice as many candidates as offices holds a preliminary today to narrow the field.

Boston has nine council districts, which each elect one councilor, plus four at-large councilors elected by the entire city. There are fifteen candidates on the ballot for the four at-large seats, so today's citywide preliminary will pick the eight who will be on the ballot in November. In most of the city, that's the only race on today's ballot.

The at-large race is getting all the attention. In one district, however, there are more than two candidates running for district councilor: the 9th, comprising Allston-Brighton. There are three candidates, and voters will choose two to advance to November 8th. One of those three is Dan Kontoff, popularly known to locals as "Dan the Bagel Man".

The incumbent is Jim McDermott, now finishing his first full term. In 2003, he was a new incumbent, having been elected in a special election mid-term. His opponent was the same Dan Kontoff, who garnered 17% of the vote in his first run for office. Since then, Dan also put his name forward as the Green-Rainbow candidate for state rep in the 18th Suffolk Special Election, which Michael Moran, the Democrat, won handily. This will be his third run for office.

The twist this time is another new candidate, Paul Creighton, is challenging McDermott. McDermott tried to get Creighton thrown off the ballot and avoid a preliminary, but it didn't happen. McDermott will probably have no trouble advancing to the November ballot, but if Kontoff gives Creighton a serious challenge for the second slot, it will be noteworthy. And if the Bagel Man surprises everyone by actually getting the second slot, it could be the big story of today's election.