Tom Menino is elected mayor of Boston.

Menino (D), with 74,448 votes, defeats James Brett (D), with 41,052, in a special election. Turnout is 118,317 or 50.7%. (117,342-BGL) The first Italian-American elected mayor of Boston and the first non-Irish-American elected mayor since 1929, he becomes known as “The Urban Mechanic” for his focus on city services, and becomes the longest serving mayor in Boston history in 2009.*