Diverse Field Of City Council Candidates Narrows To 8

Boston voters did just narrow down the candidates for mayor on Tuesday -- they also picked eight candidates for City Council to advance to the general election.

Two at-large seats are open, and the preliminary election drew 15 candidates — the largest line-up in almost three decades.

City Councilors John Connolly and Stephen Murphy claimed the top two spots in the field. The other candidates that made it into the top eight: Ayanna Pressley, an aide to Sen. John Kerry; Tito Jackson, a Patrick administration official who focuses on job creation; Andrew Kenneally, a former aide to Michael Flaherty; Nantucket selectman Doug Bennet; and community organizers Tomas Gonzalez and Felix Arroyo.

Bruce Bolling, a former longtime city councilor, joined us to discuss the the contest. Bolling won a seat on the council in 1981 and became its first black president five years later.