David Scondras

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]

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

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. "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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