Tito Jackson and Cornell Mills Are Finalists in District 7 City Council Race

Tito Jackson and Cornell Mills will face off in a Special Municipal Election on March 15 after winning the most votes in Tuesday’s preliminary election to fill the vacant District 7 City Council seat.

District 7 represents mostly Dorchester and Roxbury, but includes Ward 11, Precinct 5 in Jamaica Plain.

Unofficial results have Jackson securing a landslide victory with over 67 percent of the vote in a unique election that forced voters to brave frigid temperatures on their way to the polls. Mills won 9.3 percent, edging out third place finisher Danielle Williams by a mere 13 votes.

Turnout was low throughout the district, which includes Dorchester, Roxbury, Lower Roxbury, and parts of Fenway and the South End, with just over 7 percent of registered voters casting ballots.

At 6 p.m. only 95 voters had shown up to the Washington Manor to cast ballots in the race. Election volunteers acknowledged the weather as a major factor.

“It’s freezing out there!” one woman said.

As the day drew to a close, one Jackson supporter remained stationed outside the Washington Street polling place, passing out cards emblazoned with the face of Deval Patrick’s former campaign political director.

“He’s a good guy,” the man said of Jackson, who spent the day campaigning before heading to Slade’s Bar and Grill to celebrate.

Mills held his own after-party at Roxbury’s Breezeway Bar and Grill.

Both candidates spent the day outdoors in freezing temperatures, shaking hands and knocking on doors in a last-ditch effort to drum up support. In some cases, effort was needed to ensure that voters knew about the election at all.

“We’ve spoken to lots of folks, many knew [about the election], some folks didn’t and needed a little reminder,” Jackson said over the phone on Tuesday evening.  “The people that we spoke to were very supportive.”

The 35-year-old Grove Hall resident declined to speculate on his chances of winning the race, despite securing endorsements from several major labor unions and First Lady Diane Patrick.

“Until everything gets counted it’s zero across the board,” he said. “I hope the outcome is one where we get to have this conversation again March 15.”

Mills, the son of embattled state senator Dianne Wilkerson, could not be reached on Tuesday but spoke of his political experience in an interview with Patch last week.  

“My first campaign was when I was 10 years old,” he said, referring to Gloria Fox’s initial run in 1984. “This line of work is in my blood.”

Mills and Jackson beat out candidates Natalie E Carithers (96 votes), Danielle Renee Williams (258 votes), Roy Owens (89 votes) and Althea Garrison (150 votes). There were 79 write-in votes.