Attention possible mayoral candidates who don't want to give up their City Council seat: You could pull papers, obtain signatures and qualify for both, appear on the ballot for both. You just can’t serve both jobs.

The Jamaica Plain Gazette's Peter Shanley explains:

According to the Mayor’s Office, a city councilor can run for both positions, but must take out two sets of nomination papers and garner two sets of signatures. If elected as both a city councilor and a mayor, the official would have to decide which position to serve.

Larry DiCara, a Jamaica Plain resident and former City Council president who was a candidate in the 1983 mayoral race, said he would be “very surprised” to see any candidate run for both seats.

Aside from the amount of work that would go into signature-gathering for both offices -- 3,000 for mayor, plus the number needed for the current office since it varies -- the optics of running for both offices could be terrible. But that doesn't mean it can't be done.