Amid Tallying Delays, Boston's Mayoral Race Takes Shape: The HUB

The HUB is a daily newsletter designed for what you want — to be caught up on the most interesting, important news in 5 minutes or less. It's a little bit of this, a little bit of that, but if there's something you want more or less of, email me at alex.newman@patch.com.

Today is Wednesday, September 15. Let's get started.

Boston voters were left hanging Tuesday night, as officials had reported barely 1 percent of precincts long after the polls had closed. The Election Department pinned the delay on mail-in and drop box ballots – about 7,000 of them – which were received by the 8 p.m. deadline.

Vote counters were left burning the midnight oil, since state law required those votes to be tallied Tuesday night.

But the delay didn't stop Boston's mayoral candidates from acknowledging where they stood. Frontrunner Michelle Wu declared victory early on, while Anissa Essaibi George remained reluctant, despite encouraging returns.

Essaibi George's campaign released a statement early Wednesday indicating she had advanced to the November election.

"It'll take all of us to move Boston forward. To bring cleaner air to Chinatown and East Boston. To bring more homeownership opportunities to Roxbury," Essaibi-George said. "To keep our small businesses strong in Mattapan, and thoughtful, inclusive growth to Allston. We’ll do it with an equity lens. We’ll do it thoughtfully. We’ll do it together. Nothing is off the table, when we ensure everyone is at the table."

Meanwhile, Andrea Campbell conceded late Tuesday. Acting Mayor Kim Janey saw the writing on the wall as well.

"While we are still waiting on some results, it appears that we have come up short in the election," Janey said in a statement. "I want to congratulate Michelle Wu and Annissa Essaibi George on their victories this evening. This was a spirited and historic race, and I wish them both luck in the final election."

Wu took an early lead and was confident she would remain among the top two candidates once all votes were counted.

"Today, I am excited to move on to the next stage of this campaign and want to thank everyone who has been part of our movement from the bottom of my heart," Wu said. "I want to thank the historic field of candidates, both for their campaigns and their long records of incredible work in our communities. I look forward to the next stage of this campaign and continuing our fight for the future of our city."

The race for City Hall is above the fold, but it's not all voters should be keeping an eye on this year. There are five openings on the Boston City Council and plenty of candidates to choose from – Tuesday's preliminary narrowed down the field of 48 hopefuls ahead of the November election, The Boston Globe reported.

Top stories

There were nearly 4,000 breakthrough cases of the coronavirus – that is, fully vaccinated people who tested positive for the virus – in Massachusetts last week. That number was down from 4,415 breakthrough infections the previous week, a sign that cases could be slowing amid the delta variant. (Boston Herald)

Hundreds of people attended a public wake and burial for Marine Sgt. Johanny Rosario Pichardo. The 25-year-old Lawrence native was one of 13 U.S. service members killed in a suicide bombing at the Kabul airport in late August. At the service Tuesday, Rosario Pichardo's commanding officer said Rosario Pichardo's final words were, "They need me, sir." (Associated Press)

Massachusetts is mulling a statewide registry to streamline the process of tracking teachers' credentials. It will also broaden the types of credentials educators can submit to be considered for licensure, in order to encourage more people to apply for openings, particularly at the early education and after-school levels. (GBH)

If you have a minute

From Bruce Mohl, Commonwealth Magazine

"Boston University professor David K. Jones was found dead on Saturday beneath a closed-off, rusted-out staircase near the MBTA’s JFK/UMass Station in Dorchester, but how he got there remains a mystery.

The steep staircase had been closed for a long time and pictures suggest it would not be easy to access. Fencing and a jersey barrier blocked access from the top at Columbia Road and fencing blocked access from the bottom at Old Colony Avenue.

The death is a tragedy, but how exactly it happened remains unclear. Jones and Sacuto live in Milton not far from the intersection of Blue Hills Parkway and Brook Road. It’s about 5.5 miles from their home to the stairs at the JFK/UMass Station if Jones ran a fairly direct route, longer if he took a more scenic path. "

A lighter touch

If you're like me, you're all electioned out. Buried in today's headlines was the im-paw-tant announcement that National Park Service K9 Oscar is getting the band back together.

What I'm reading today: By now you've seen the viral photo of Virginia Oliver summoning a lobster from the sea. She claims she was tossing it back, but if anyone did have that power, it'd be her. Oliver has been lobstering since she was 8 – she's now 101 years old and says, "it's not hard work for me." (Boston Globe)

Weather:

The National Weather Service says mostly cloudy in the morning, then becoming partly sunny. Patchy fog in the morning. Warmer, with highs in the mid 80s. South winds 15 to 20 mph with gusts up to 30 mph.

Mostly cloudy at night, with a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Patchy fog after midnight. Humid, with lows in the mid 60s. Southwest winds 10 to 15 mph with gusts up to 25 mph, becoming west around 5 mph after midnight. Chance of rain 40 percent.

– Alex Newman

About me: Alex is a Jersey transplant covering Arlington, Malden, Medford, Reading and Somerville for Patch. A graduate of Northeastern University, Alex has lived in the Boston area since college (though he still hasn't been able to bring himself to root for the Sox). He is an avid football and baseball fan, amateur woodworker and film geek. Alex lives in Chelsea with his fiancée, their dog and a revolving door of foster puppies.