Maureen Feeney Head of City Council

Maureen Feeney (Dorchester) has been elected the first female Boston City Council president in 30 years. She gained more support from other councilors than incumbent and longtime president Michael Flaherty (at large) and John Tobin (JP, West Roxbury).

Aside from the great news that a woman is in charge after way too long, the other news is the fallout from Flaherty's defeat. The Globe repeats that he's still aiming for the mayor's office. Joe Heisler has some intriguing thoughts on how Feeney was voted in and Flaherty was voted out, asking, "Was [Flaherty] blinded by his own ambition, or merely blindsided by the ambitions of his colleagues?"

Why is this even a big deal in the first place? Well, whoever is City Council president will be acting mayor if anything happens to Tom Menino, and, as Flaherty has amply proven based on his ambition, the position is a nice jumping point for anyone who wants to be mayor.

So, will there be any big changes as a result? For starters, she could start thinking about how to stop the shooting in her district. Her press release declared that her focus would be on public safety and education, and she's a member of the Youth Violent Crime Prevention committee.

A Phoenix article from 2001, which covered Feeney as she ran for re-election against many opponents, noted, "Thanks in part to her work, there are now more than 30 neighborhood associations and crime-watch groups in the district." Of course, it's her job to worry about the whole city, but her particular expertise might come in handy when tackling one of the city's biggest problems.

Image of new Boston City Council president Maureen Feeney from maureenfeeney.com.