Zakim says no to fourth term

Josh Zakim, who waged a heated statewide campaign against an entrenched incumbent and won the support of the Democratic Party’s convention for the office of secretary of state but not its primary voters last year, announced last week that he will not seek another term on the Boston City Council.

Zakim said on social media last Wednesday that his third term will be his last on the council. He said he made the decision “after a great deal of consideration,” adding that “public service has always been an important part of my life and will continue to be beyond my time as a Boston City Councillor.

The son of the late civil rights activist Lenny Zakim, the councillor wrote, “My wife, Grace, and I recently welcomed our first child, Leo, and after long discussions with family and friends I have decided that the time is right to give someone else the incredible opportunity to represent the neighborhoods of Mission Hill, Back Bay, Beacon Hill, the West End, Fenway, Kenmore, and Audubon Circle on the Boston City Council.”

In his losing run for secretary of state against incumbent Bill Galvin, Zakim pushed ideas like automatic voter registration, weekend voting, and same-day registration, and topped Galvin for the party’s endorsement at its convention in June. But in the September primary election, Galvin secured 67 percent of the vote.

Zakim said that he plans to use his remaining eight months in office to work “with a particular focus on civil rights, neighborhood issues, and housing.”


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