Even before official municipal election results were tallied and announced, Josh Zakim, a Boston City Councilor representing District 8, won Tuesday after running unopposed for his first reelection.
Regardless of the lack of competition, Zakim and his team worked extensively to garner support from constituents.
“We’re out knocking on doors and calling voters, the same as ever. Me and my crew were out until 11 p.m., hanging door hangers and reminding our constituents to go out there and vote,” Zakim said before the polls closed. “It’s certainly quieter without the mayoral election, but it’s all about voter contact and being with our constituents.”
Zakim launched his reelection campaign in May in Mission Hill, The Daily Free Press reported. He was first elected in 2013 with 52.5 percent of the vote over Michael Nichols, the FreeP reported on Nov. 6, 2013.
This time, Zakim said he is in less of a crunch.
“I certainly don’t take anything for granted, and we’re still talking to all of our supporters in the neighborhoods we represent — Beacon Hill, Mission Hill, Fenway, everywhere. We’re out there, the same as ever,” Zakim said. “That’s what the job is whether there’s an election happening or not.”
District 8 includes Back Bay, Beacon Hill, Fenway, Kenmore Square, Mission Hill, Audubon Circle and the West End.
Zakim said that in his second term as councilor, he plans to continue making his district the best it can be for his diverse constituents, whether that be working to reform the city’s “no more than four” zoning ordinance or changing the way parking permits are handled.
“[Constituents can expect] more of the same focus on responsible development, access and opportunity for all Bostonians, whether you grew up here, whether you moved here, whether you’re young, whether you’re older,” Zakim said.
Dan Sibor, chief of staff for Zakim, said although the councilor and the rest of the District 8 team were excited about the inevitable outcome, they remained determined to boost voter turnout.
“Generally speaking, we’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback about the way we’ve handled constituent services and policy matters. People seem to be pretty receptive to what we’ve been doing, so we’re hopeful that will lead to a good turnout for the election,” Sibor said. “Obviously, when you run unopposed, no matter how popular you are, it’s going to affect turnout.”
Zakim received 97.9 percent of the vote, according to the unofficial results from Tuesday night. There were 44 write-in votes, which is roughly 2.1 percent.
As chief of staff, Sibor handles policy work, drafts legislation and serves as a sounding board for Zakim, to whom he refers humbly as “Josh.”
“He’s not there to be bigger than anybody else,” Sibor said. “Obviously, he has a job title, but I don’t think he thinks of it as anything special. He’s just someone people can talk to and come to with their daily issues. It’s just a matter of trying to keep things on a personal level.”
Sibor said Zakim works to reach this personal level by not only holding an open office in City Hall during normal business hours, but by holding community office hours every Friday at coffee shops around the district, like Tatte Bakery & Café in Beacon Hill and Trident Booksellers and Café on Newbury Street.
“It’s a nice way to sort of go to different parts of the district and build those relationships. There have been a few other councilors that have been kind of replicating what we’ve been doing,” Sibor said. “His office is open during business hours, but that doesn’t work for a lot of people. Early in the morning, if people have to go to work but want to meet with Josh, they can still do that.”
Zakim said through these neighborhood coffee shop meetings and community outreach, he will carry these efforts over when he is reelected.
“The work is never done. Boston is a great place and I want to be sure that we continue to grow this city’s economy for everyone, not just the people at the top,” Zakim said. “That’s what the voters sent me there to do and that’s what I plan to do — protecting neighborhoods and making sure that as we grow, everyone benefits.”
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