The result of the 2009 Boston city councilor-at-large race was ‘pretty set in stone,’ former candidate Toma?s Gonzalez said in a candid discussion about the campaign with Boston University students and faculty Wednesday night.

Gonzalez and fellow former candidate Andrew Kenneally were the featured speakers for ‘Politics in Boston: Reflections on the 2009 City of Boston Mayoral and Council Elections,’ held at the School of Hospitality Administration.

It was the fourth and final event in ‘The Edge: Urban and Regional Conservations at Boston University,’ a series of ‘fireside chat’ discussions organized by the BU City Planning and Urban Affairs programs.

Kenneally graduated with a master’s degree in Urban Affairs from the Metropolitan College in 2008, and Gonzalez is currently pursuing the same degree in MET.

Moderator and professor of city planning Enrique Silva told the audience of about 50 that the discussion was a ‘close up and personal insight into what it’s like to run for a public office in Boston.’

Kenneally compared the dynamic of a campaign to war.

‘It’s a series of little battles that win the war,’ he said.

There is little room for trial and error during a campaign, Gonzalez said.

‘If you don’t get your act together before the primary, then it’s a wash,’ he said.

Kenneally said the fundraising power of the winning candidates was an obstacle he and the rest of the field could not overcome.

‘It all comes down to money,’ he said. ‘Those people who have raised a lot of money have the advantage.’

Gonzalez said it was a challenge to run against winning candidates such as Ayanna Pressley, who will be the first black woman on the council, and Felix Arroyo, whose father also served on the council.

‘It was a big popularity contest,’ Gonzalez said.

Even in the face of tough odds, the two said it was vital to keep up their spirits during the campaign.

Kenneally said he kept his own morale up through ‘volunteers and supporters,’ but Gonzalez found motivation elsewhere.

‘What motivates you to go in, besides coffee in the morning and Red Bull in the evening, is what you hear from voters,’ Gonzalez said.

Kenneally described day-to-day campaigning as ‘exhausting’ and said ‘he couldn’t imagine having kids’ while running for office, as Gonzalez did.

‘It takes a toll and you have to be prepared,’ Kenneally said. ‘You can’t do it halfway.

‘My girlfriend was ready to kill me,’ he said.

Both men had the same piece of advice for students interested in entering the world of politics: don’t expect a career in public service to bring wealth.

‘You don’t go into it for the money. It has to be in you,’ Gonzalez said. ‘If you’re not in it for the right reason, which is to serve the public good, then don’t do it.’

For the last question, Kenneally and Gonzalez were asked to assess the challenges facing the city now and in the future.

‘In the immediate first year, it’s the economy,’ Gonzalez said.

Kenneally named the high unemployment rate as a current challenge, and looked to Boston’s colleges and universities to help solve future problems.

‘We have to look at the intellectual capital and how we can build on it,’ he said.

Gonzalez was also confident that the city would respond positively to the tough economic climate.

‘Boston is resilient,’ he said. ‘When you think it’s falling apart, it bounces back.’

Both said they have taken the lessons learned in the classroom and applied them to campaigning.

‘Whenever I saw something in class that was germane to my future campaign, I would hoard it and use it to the best of my ability,’ Gonzalez said.

‘It was really exciting to see people who have gone through this program go on to political success,’ MET graduate student Jennifer Stacy said. ‘As a student in the program, it was very inspiring.’