Duehay Elected City's Mayor

Horsetrading.

It's probably the only word which does justice to the political shenanigans surrounding Tuesday night's election of Francis H. Duehay '55 as mayor of Cambridge.

By a 5-4 vote on the very first ballot taken at City Hall, the city councilors elected Duehay, a 13-year local lawmaker, to the largely ceremonial position.

The nine Cambridge councilors, who choose the city's mayor from within their own ranks every two years, picked Duehay over two other contenders for the spot.

In an apparent deal made last week with the liberal Cambridge Civic Association (CCA), newly elected City Councilor Alfred W. LaRosa cast the all-important swing vote to give Duehay the majority needed to become mayor.

But in return for LaRosa's support of their candidate, the four CCA councilors made the first-term legislator Cambridge's vice mayor for the remainder of the term.

The city's highest elected office became vacant when the late mayor, Leonard J. Russell, died on June 13. Before a new mayor could be chosen, Russell's city council seat had to be filled by recounting his ballots from the 1983 municipal election.

Coup D'Etat

"One could say there was some sort of an agreement that [the CCA-supported city councilors] would elect him vice mayor," Duehay said of LaRosa's appointment.

"Of course it was a CCA cabal," City Councilor David E. Sullivan said about the political coup pulled off by his colleagues.

Membership in the nine-member City Council is balanced between the CCA and the more conservative Independents, although City Councilors Alfred E. Vellucci and LaRosa claim they are aligned with neither faction.

A resident of East Cambridge, LaRosa was defeated in his city council bid two years ago, but gained a seat on the city legislature after the ballot recount on July 2.

"Since the death of our late mayor Lenny Russell, the task of proceeding with the duties and responsibilities of mayor's office have been diligently and successfully performed by Acting Mayor Duehay," LaRosa said about his motives.

Political observers around the city question whether LaRosa's support for the CCA might spell political trouble for the first-term councilor and a new coalition for the CCA or a boon for his reelection chances this November.

Despite the unusual summertime election, city councilors will vote again in January for a new mayor after the fall's municipal elections. All nine sports on the council will be up for grabs.

Second Time Around

As the successor to the late mayor, Duehay became Cambridge's 15th mayor since the city adopted a Plan E form of government in 1942. The former Harvard and Tufts administrator first served as mayor in 1980.

"This is really Lenny's term," Duchay told his fellow councilors Tuesday night. "I pledge to uphold the dignity and the spirit with which he presided over this city."

While Cambridge operates under a "Weak mayor" system, the position pays $10,000 extra for chairing the school committee and $1000 for attending various social events on behalf of the city.

A mayor also runs his highly visible officer with a small staff and a budget in excess of $240,000--making it a desirable position, especially in an election year.

Although Duchay's name has been mentioned as a possible contender for the district's coveted Congressional seat, the new mayor said he was "nowhere near making a decision" about seeking the office currently held bay House Speaker Thomas P. "Tip" O'Neill, Jr (D-Mass)

Gauging Reaction

To the surprise of many long-time observers--including several Independent city councilors--the winning tally came on the very first ballot on the first night of voting. In 1948, city councilors spent four months and over 1200 ballots before reaching a consensus.

Sheila T. Russell, wife of the late mayor and a recently announced candidate for city council, said this week that she was pleased Duchay won.

After the mayoral election Tuesday night. Duechay chaired the first meeting of the Cambridge School Committee since Russell's death in June, sin a politically charged dispute over the acting mayor's authority, the seven-member board had refused to meet until a new mayor had been selected.

"I'm particularly pleased that there's no question as to the legitimacy of the school committee chair," said School Committee Member Glenn S. Koocher '71, adding that LaRosa bore "a naive courage" as a first terms politician