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David Scondras

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David Scondras
Scondras (ca.1984–1987)
Member of the Boston City Council for District 8
In office
1984–1993
Preceded bydistrict created
Succeeded byThomas M. Keane Jr.
Personal details
Born(1946-01-05)January 5, 1946
Lowell, Massachusetts
DiedOctober 21, 2020(2020-10-21) (aged 74)
NationalityAmerican
Political partyDemocratic
Other political
affiliations		Democratic Socialists of America
ResidenceCambridge, Massachusetts
Alma mater

David Scondras (January 5, 1946 – October 21, 2020) was a member of the Boston City Council, having held the District 8 seat from 1984 through 1993. He was one of a few members of the Democratic Socialists of America to be elected to public office.[1]

Political career

Scondras ran unsuccessfully for City Council in 1981,[2] the last election when all seats were at-large. He ran successfully in November 1983,[3] winning the seat for District 8 (Back Bay, Beacon Hill, Mission Hill, and Fenway–Kenmore) and becoming the first openly gay Boston City Council member.[4] He was re-elected to four two-year terms, before being defeated in the November 1993 election by Thomas M. Keane Jr. by just 27 votes (3,649–3,622).[5][6] Leading up to that election, Scondras failed to receive the endorsement of Boston's LGBT-oriented newspaper, Bay Windows, who wrote that he was "out of step with the changing gay community."[7]

Personal life

Scondras was born in 1946 in Lowell, Massachusetts,[8] and graduated from Lowell High School.[9] He received a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Harvard University in 1968, a master's degree in economics from Northeastern University in 1974, and was an instructor in those topics at Northeastern from 1968 through 1987.[10] In 1987, he founded a non-profit organization, Search For A Cure, focused on the development of HIV therapies.[10] He was the author of a four-book autobiography titled Angels, Liars, and Thieves, released from 2015 through 2017.

In 2007, Scondras pleaded guilty to child enticement, stemming from a 2006 event in Lawrence, Massachusetts.[11][12] He was sentenced to 18 months’ probation, ordered to surrender his computer and register as a sex offender, and stay off the Internet and away from children younger than 16.[13] Scondras later sued the city of Lawrence, charging them with cruel and unusual punishment and assault and battery.[14] In his autobiography, Scondras characterized the event as "being beaten and arrested for not having sex with a boy who did not exist."[15] His lawsuit was dismissed in 2011 because it lacked sufficient evidence.[16]

Scondras died in October 2020.[17] He had battled polycystic kidney disease.[18]

Works

  • Scondras, David (2015). The Beginning: Angels, Liars, and Thieves, Book 1. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. ISBN 1522927328.
  • Scondras, David (2016). The Kiss: Angels, Liars, and Thieves, Book 2. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. ISBN 1543089909.
  • Scondras, David (2016). The Coup: Angels, Liars, and Thieves, Book 3. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. ISBN 1543092721.
  • Scondras, David (2017). The Long Way Home: Angels, Liars, and Thieves, Book 4. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. ISBN 1544927657.

See also

References

  1. ^ Democratic Left, vol. 8 no. 1 (January 1990), page 7.
  2. ^ "4 NEW MEMBERS ON COUNCIL". The Boston Globe. November 4, 1981. Retrieved February 25, 2018 – via pqarchiver.com.
  3. ^ "A LOOK AT THE BOSTON CITY COUNCIL; DAVID SCONDRAS". The Boston Globe. November 17, 1983. Retrieved February 25, 2018 – via pqarchiver.com.
  4. ^ Krone, Mark (October 10, 2013). "Boston Mayor's Race: Then and Now". bostonspiritmagazine.com. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
  5. ^ "Council winner declared today". The Boston Globe. November 17, 1993. Retrieved February 25, 2018 – via pqarchiver.com.
  6. ^ "Scondras concedes; will form think tank". The Boston Globe. November 23, 1993. Retrieved February 25, 2018 – via pqarchiver.com.
  7. ^ "Gay weekly refuses to endorse Scondras Says councilor `out of step' with constituents". The Boston Globe. October 28, 1993. Retrieved February 25, 2018 – via pqarchiver.com.
  8. ^ Angels, Liars, and Thieves, Book 1 p.12
  9. ^ Angels, Liars, and Thieves, Book 1 p.6
  10. ^ a b "Curriculum Vitae". linkedin.com. Retrieved February 25, 2018.
  11. ^ "Former Boston City Councilor Pleads Guilty To Child Enticement". mass.gov (Press release). August 21, 2007. Archived from the original on March 18, 2018. Retrieved February 25, 2018.
  12. ^ "Ex-councilman pleads guilty to teen-sex charge". The News-Press. Fort Myers, Florida. August 22, 2007. Archived from the original on February 26, 2018. Retrieved February 25, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Ex-Hub city councilor Scondras must register as sex offender". Boston Herald. August 22, 2007. Archived from the original on March 4, 2018. Retrieved March 4, 2018.
  14. ^ "David Scondras charges police brutality in lawsuit over 2006 teen-sex arrest". universalhub.com. October 3, 2009. Archived from the original on February 26, 2018. Retrieved February 25, 2018.
  15. ^ Angels, Liars, and Thieves, Book 1 p.5
  16. ^ Harmacinski, Jill (March 19, 2011). "Two Lawrence police brutality cases tossed". The Eagle-Tribune. Retrieved March 4, 2018.
  17. ^ Fox, Jeremy C. (October 29, 2020). "Former Boston city councilor David Scondras dies at 74". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on October 30, 2020. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
  18. ^ Obituary, Bishop Funeral Home |url=https://www.bishopfuneralhomeworcster.com/m/obituaries/David-Scondras/Memoriesaccess date=November 4, 2020

Further reading

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