For those of you interested in who will become Mayor of Lowell for the next two years, here is some history of past Mayoral elections:

1966 – Monday, January 3 – Edward Early – elected unanimously on the first ballot.
Sam Pollard, Bob Maguire, John Cox, Richard Howe, Tom Crowley, Ed Early, George O’Meara, Ray Gilbride, Tom O’Donnell

1968 – Bob Maguire was elected mayor on the first ballot with 6 votes to 3 for Tom Crowley.
Ed Early, Tom Crowley, Sam Pollard, John Cox, Richard Howe, Bob Maguire, Ellen Sampson, Ray Gilbride, Armand LeMay

1970 – Monday, January 5 – Richard Howe was elected mayor on the fifth ballot receiving the votes of Leo Farley, Phil Shea, Brendan Fleming, Paul Tsongas and himself. Armand LeMay received the votes of John Mahoney and Sam Pollard. Ellen Sampson voted for herself.
Brendan Fleming, Ellen Sampson, Phil Shea, Richard Howe, Paul Tsongas, Armand LeMay, Sam Pollard, John Mahoney, Leo Farley

1972 – Ellen Sampson was elected mayor on the 106th ballot. On inauguration day, Paul Tsongas and Phil Shea were the leading contenders but neither could get the necessary 5th vote. After 15 ballots at the inauguration, the council voted to recess and resume the voting at the next evening’s regularly scheduled council meeting. During the 51 ballots cast that night, Shea, Tsongas and Councilor Richard P Howe all received 4 votes on various ballots but none could reach 5. Another recess was held and two nights later after 40 more ballots, Phil Shea announced he was withdrawing his candidacy and would vote for Sampson was was elected on the next ballot.
Ellen Sampson, Robert Kennedy, Richard Howe, Phil Shea, Gail Dunfey, Charles Gallagher, Paul Tsongas, Leo Farley, Brendan Fleming

1974 – Armand LeMay was elected mayor on the first ballot with 5 votes to Leo Farley’s 4.
Armand LeMay, Robert Kennedy, John Slavin, Richard Howe, Bob Maguire, Victor Forsley, Leo Farley, Brian Delaney, Charles Gallagher

1976 – Leo Farley was elected mayor on the third ballot with 5 votes to Richard P. Howe’s 4. Howe had received 4 votes throughout the balloting but could not secure a fifth vote. Farley won when first-term councilor Donald Scott, who had been voting for himself, switched his vote to Farley.
Wayne Peters, Armand LeMay, Richard Howe, Brendan Fleming, George Anthes, Donald Scott, Sam Pollard, Leo Farley, Brian Delaney

1978 – Ray Rourke was elected mayor on the third ballot when Bob Maguire switched his vote from Sam Pollard to Rourke.
Armand LeMay, Ray Rourke, Ray Lord, Richard Howe, Bob Maguire, Brian Delaney, Sam Pollard, Wayne Peters, Ed Kennedy

1980 – Bob Maguire was elected mayor on the third ballot, defeating Sam Pollard who had received Maguire’s vote on the first ballot.
Armand LeMay, Richard Howe, Ed Kennedy, Ray Rourke, Bob Maguire, Brendan Fleming, Sam Pollard, Ray Lord, Tom Casey

1982 – Brendan Fleming was elected mayor on the first ballot
Richard Howe, Armand LeMay, Brendan Fleming, Bob Maguire, Gus Coutu, Brian Martin, Dick O’Malley, George Anthes, Ed Kennedy

1984 – Brian Martin was elected mayor on the tenth ballot. At age 33, he was the youngest mayor in the city’s history (until now????).
Richard Howe, Ray Rourke, Armand LeMay, Brendan Fleming, Gus Coutu, Brian Martin, Bob Kennedy, Ed Kennedy, Dick O’Malley

1986 (Monday, January 6) – Bob Kennedy was elected mayor on the first ballot, receiving votes from himself, Brian Martin, Dick O’Malley, Armand LeMay and Richard Howe. Gus Coutu received votes from himself, Kathy Kelley, Ray Rourke and Brendan Fleming.
Brian Martin, Richard Howe, Brendan Fleming, Armand LeMay, Gus Coutu, Ray Rourke, Kathy Kelley, Bob Kennedy, Dick O’Malley

1988 (Monday, January 4) – Richard Howe was elected mayor on the first ballot by a unanimous vote.
Richard Howe, Brian Martin, Tarsy Poulios, Joe Fitzpatrick, Bud Caulfield, Bob Kennedy, Gerry Durkin, Curtis LeMay, Brendan Fleming

Tuesday, January 2, 1990 (Monday was New Years Day that year so the inauguration was moved to Tuesday) – Richard Howe was elected to a second consecutive term as mayor on the first ballot by a 6 to 3 vote, receiving support from Bud Caulfield, Robert Kennedy, Kathy Kelley, Curtis LeMay, Ray Rourke and himself. Tarsy Poulios received three votes: his own and those of Gerry Durkin and Brendan Fleming. The result of the election was unknown until the votes were actually cast since neither Kennedy nor Rourke had made prior commitments to either candidate.
Tarsy Poulios, Richard Howe, Bud Caulfield, Kathy Kelley, Ray Rourke, Brendan Fleming, Curtis LeMay, Bob Kennedy, Gerry Durkin

1992 – Monday, January 6 – Tarsy Poulios was elected mayor on the second ballot. On the first ballot, he had received four votes – his own and those of Gerry Durkin, Curtis LeMay and Bernie Lemoine. Bud Caulfield had two first ballot votes, his own and Richard Howe’s; Kathy Kelley had her own and Dick O’Malley’s; and Bob Kennedy voted for himself. On the second ballot, Kennedy voted for Poulios, giving him five and the mayoralty.
Tarsy Poulios, Bud Caulfield, Kathy Kelley, Richard Howe, Gerry Durkin, Bob Kennedy, Bernie Lemoine, Dick O’Malley, Curtis LeMay

1994 – Monday, January 3 – Richard Howe was elected to his fourth term as mayor on an 8 to 1 first ballot vote. Howe received votes from himself, Bud Caulfield, Laurie Machado, Larry Martin, Matt Donahue, Mike Geary, Steve Gendron and Grady Mulligan. Tarsy Poulios voted for Caulfield.
Laurie Machado, Steve Gendron, Richard Howe, Matt Donahue, Mike Geary, Tarsy Poulios, Bud Caulfield, Grady Mulligan, Larry Martin

1996 – Tuesday, January 2 – Bud Caulfield was elected mayor on the first ballot by a 5 to 4 vote. Caulfield received votes from himself, Richard Howe, Grady Mulligan, Rita Mercier and Larry Martin. Steve Gendron received his own vote plus those of Matt Donahue, Eileen Donoghue and Peter Richards.
Steve Gendron, Bud Caulfield, Matt Donahue, Eileen Donoghue, Richard Howe, Rita Mercier, Larry Martin, Grady Mulligan, Peter Richards

1998 – Eileen Donoghue
Rita Mercier, Bud Caulfield, Eileen Donoghue, Richard Howe, Grady Mulligan, Peter Richards, Rodney Elliott, Armand Mercier, Dan Leahy

2000 – Eileen Donoghue
Rita Mercier, Eileen Donoghue, Dan Tenczar, Bud Caulfield, Armand Mercier, Rithy Uong, Richard Howe, Bill Martin, Rodney Elliott

2002 – Rita Mercier
Rita Mercier, Eileen Donoghue, Bud Caulfield, Richard Howe, Armand Mercier, Rodney Elliott, Bill Martin, Rithy Uong, Dan Tenczar

2004 – Armand Mercier
Rita Mercier, Eileen Donoghue, Jim Milinazzo, Bud Caulfield, Armand Mercier, Richard Howe, Bill Martin, Rodney Elliott, Rithy Uong

2006 – Bill Martin
Rita Mercier, Eileen Donoghue, Bud Caulfield, Rodney Elliott, Armand Mercier, Kevin Broderick, Jim Milinazzo, Bill Martin, George Ramirez

2008 – Bud Caulfield – elected unanimously on first ballot
Rita Mercier, Bud Caulfield, Bill Martin, Alan Kazanjian, Armand Mercier, Kevin Broderick, Rodney Elliott, Mike Lenzi, Jim Milinazzo

2010 – Jim Milinazzo
Rita Mercier, Bud Caulfield, Franky Descoteaux, Kevin Broderick, Jim Milinazzo, Bill Martin, Joe Mendonca, Patrick Murphy, Rodney Elliott

2012 – Patrick Murphy – elected mayor on the first ballot by a 5 to 4 vote.  Murphy received votes from himself, Kevin Broderick, Marty Lorrey, Bill Martin and Vesna Nuon.  Rodney Elliott received his own vote plus those of Rita Mercier, Ed Kennedy and Joe Mendonca.
Rita Mercier, Rodney Elliott, Kevin Broderick, Patrick Murphy, Marty Lorrey, Bill Martin, Vesna Nuon, Ed Kennedy, Joe Mendonca

2014 – Rodney Elliott – elected mayor unanimously on first ballot.
Rita Mercier, Rodney Elliott, Edward Kennedy, Dan Rourke, Jim Milinazzo, Bill Samaras, Corey Belanger, Bill Martin and John Leahy.