Boston Holds Primaries

Dreary weather and a general lack of interest kept voter turnout low, but eight candidates for the Boston City Council--including all four incumbents--survived yesterday's preliminary election, earning spots on the final ballot November 7.

With 242 of the 252 precincts reporting, 10-term incumbent Albert O'Neill, a conservative from Roslindale, leads the tally with 20,505 votes, or 17.1 percent of the total. Fifteen-term incumbent Chris Iannella, a liberal from Jamaica Plains, was the second-place finisher with 15.7 percent of the vote, according to the Election Commission.

The commission last night reported that the remaining six spots on the November ballot were by proressive Rosaria Salerno, a one-term incumbent from Fenway with 15.4 percent; Michael McCormack, fourterm incumbent from the West End with 14.8 percent, and three-term School Committee member John Nucci, with 11.6 percent.

Conservative John Flanagan from West Roxbury, son of District Attorney Newman Flanagan, with 10.9 percent; Joseph Casper from South Boston, who campaigned on a law-and-order platform, with 8.2 percent; and Althea Garrison from Dorchester with 4 percent.

The only candidate who did not earn a place on the November ballot is Republican Glenn Fiscus from the Back Bay. Fiscus, who ran against Joseph P. Kennedy II (D-Mass.) for a seat in the House of Representatives last year, garnered just 2717 votes yesterday.

In addition to the City Council vote, elections for the Boston School Committee and the District Council were held yesterday. Results from those races were not available last night.

The eight winners in the City Council race will compete for four seats in the November election, and it is expected that the races will heat up as election day draws near.

Political observers said a referendum on the November ballot that will decide if the School Committee will be elected or appointed by the mayor, should inspire greater voter interest in the general election.

John Donovan, the city's chief voter registrar, said the bad weather and the fact that few of the district council races were contested contributed to the low turnout. In some areas, workers canvassing for candidates outnumbered voters.

Judith Bracken, a candidate for the District Council from District 9, the Allston-Brighton area, said that because there was no mayoral election this year, the public had less interest in the local races.