Published October 20, 2010

Did you miss it? Boston’s 6th City Council district — which covers Jamaica Plain and West Roxbury — held a little-publicized special primary election for the seat left vacant by John Tobin, who resigned this summer to take a job at Northeastern University.

Candidates Matt O'Malley, left, and Jim Hennigan, pictured here floating in space, are vying for Boston's sixth City Council district. (courtesy photos)

From a pool of five candidates, Matt O’Malley captured 53 percent of the vote, a majority, and Jim Hennigan came in second, at 31 percent. The remaining candidates received votes in the hundreds. Turnout was 15 percent — which the Globe described as “surprisingly high.”

The two top candidates will advance to another special election, on Nov. 16 — not Nov. 2, when everyone else in Massachusetts will be voting in statewide and national races.

Sound like a big waste of taxpayer money? Maybe not. In August, when the special election dates were decided, Council President Mike Ross said holding the special election on the same day as the statewide election would not result in meaningful cost-savings for the city.

“During my conversations with the Boston Elections Commissioner, the Secretary of State’s office and MassVOTE, it became clear that it would not be possible to hold the election on Nov. 2, given the current election laws and short amount of time between Councilor Tobin’s resignation and November,” Ross told the West Roxbury Transcript.

West Roxbury Patch reports on Hennigan’s uphill battle as he tries to overcome a 20-percent gap with O’Malley — who won the endorsement of Tobin and the Boston Globe.