Advertisement

Boston City Councilor Zakim Won't Seek Another Term

Josh Zakim, candidate for secretary of state, talks with voters outside the Lilla G. Frederick Pilot Middle School in Dorchester. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)
Josh Zakim (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

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

The onetime secretary of state candidate said on social media Wednesday that his third term will be his last on the council. He said he made the decision "after a great deal of consideration."

"Public service has always been an important part of my life and will continue to be beyond my time as a Boston City Councilor," Zakim, the son of civil rights activist Lenny Zakim, 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 2018, Zakim ran for the Democratic nomination as secretary of state, going up against incumbent Bill Galvin, who has held the office for nearly a quarter century. The councilor 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 more than twice as many votes statewide as Zakim and won his place on the November ballot with about 67 percent of the vote.

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

Though he did not say what will come next for him, Zakim did not rule out a return to politics. "Whatever my next role is, I look forward to continuing to serve the public good in Boston, Massachusetts, and beyond," he wrote.

Related:

Advertisement

More from WBUR

Listen Live
Close