Linehan Elected Boston City Council President

South Boston's Bill Linehan has been elected the new president of the Boston City Council.

Linehan got eight of the council's 13 votes, beating an 11th-hour bid from At-Large City Councilor Ayanna Pressley.

"Having worked in city government for 25 years, I feel blessed to lead this body, at this such important time," he said after the vote.

Linehan was elected to the council in 2007 and before that worked as director of operations for the city parks department and as a special assistant to the city's chief operating officer during the reign of former Mayor Thomas Menino.

After voting to select Linehan as their new president, councilors heard from Mayor Marty Walsh for the first time. Walsh asked the councilors to work together and with his administration in the coming years.

“There’s going to be times when we don’t agree on issues. There’s going to be times when you don’t agree on issues,” Walsh said, before urging the council to “leave the fight on the floor” after deliberations. Walsh congratulated Linehan on the presidency and said he looked forward to working with him.

Beside his own vote, Linehan won support from Frank Baker, Mark Ciommo, Michael Flaherty, Sal Lamattina, Timothy McCarthy, Steve Murphy and Michelle Wu.

Voters for Pressley included Tito Jackson, Matthew O’Malley, Charles Yancey and Josh Zakim, besides herself.

Wu, a favorite of progressives during the campaign, announced her support for Linehan last month, which caused controversy among some supporters. Wu’s vote was greeted by some in the audience with hisses.

With reporting by the State House News Service and the WBUR Newsroom