By Bill Forry

No matter how hard the TV news stations and the daily papers tried to make Patricia White's crash-and-burn the story of election day, Tuesday night belonged to Felix Arroyo, hands-down. Michael Flaherty may have topped the ticket, as expected, but nobody saw Arroyo's soaring ascent to the number two slot coming. Now that he's there, he is suddenly a real player in this city's political future, a man who could mount a credible run for mayor in post-Tom Menino Boston, if and when that day comes.

Don't forget: Arroyo was not even on this council a year ago. He finished sixth in 2001 and was elevated to incumbent status when he replaced Mickey Roache last fall. (The fifth place at-large finisher in '01, Rob Consalvo, got on with a district win in a special election.)

In his brief time on the council, Arroyo was most well-known for his stance against the war in Iraq - which today is more of a mainstream Democratic view - but earlier this year was the stuff of campaign hari-kari. The buzz around the city on Arroyo - even among his progressive base - was that he'd blown his chance to "make the cut."

The truth is, Arroyo didn't wage a very good campaign until about six weeks ago. His fifth-place finish in the Sept. 23 preliminary was the best thing that could have happened to him, because it scared the city's progressives into action. It's hard to tell just how many "bullet" votes Arroyo got on Tuesday - or how many he shared with fellow winner Maura Hennigan - but they were definitely a factor. Arroyo also was able to mobilize allegiances with politicians like Rep. Marty Walsh - an Arroyo backer from day one - into hard numbers. Walsh, who worked the polls much of the day in Savin Hill's 13-10 says Arroyo, who got decimated in the preliminary in Walsh's home precinct, came in fourth this time around. Flaherty's late endorsement also helped in some quarters, but according to Walsh - who is also seen as a potential mayoral candidate in '05 - Arroyo can claim the real credit for his big showing.

"All I can say is that the city of Boston has changed over the last 10 years and that's finally now being seen at the election box," says Walsh. "If somebody endorses you, it may mean less than one percent of the vote. People win because they work hard and that's what Felix did."

Just imagine if Arroyo had worked this hard and built a broader constituency throughout his inaugural year on the council. With just an extra half dozen votes per precinct, Arroyo is your ticket-topper on Tuesday. Now that's a story.

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Patricia White's collapse on Tuesday was not as big of a surprise to savvy political watchers as it seems to be to the bigger, more disconnected media barons in town. Last weekend, in the run-up to election day, one of the city's major political figures told the Reporter offhandedly that White was an "empty suit." Costly TV commercials and recorded phone messages from her father paid off well in the preliminary. But, like many an aspiring pol has found out in this town, money can't buy you love in the final - unless it comes in tandem with some serious community roots. White doesn't have that ... yet. The good news for White is that she finished close enough to the fourth slot to make her quite viable for her next run. Hopefully, White has realized that she'll need to do her own heavy-lifting in the neighborhoods to taste the bubbly on election night - and keep her deep-pocketed PR machine tamed for the next one ... Of course, if Steve Murphy makes good his promise to unseat Suffolk County Sheriff Andrea Cabral next year, Patty White could indeed be a councillor after all. Already, the sheriff's race is shaping up to be a nasty affair, with Dot's Gerry McHale gunning hard for Murphy in his own attempt to knock off Cabral. Both men had better take a cue from this council election, however: The city's community of color is loath to watch any of its hard-fought progress be lost. The same rallying cry that saved Arroyo from the jaws of defeat - and lifted Charles Yancey to a convincing win on Tuesday - may be in the offing for Cabral, a Cape Verdean woman who has been sorely underestimated to date.

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So, what's next for the council? Bruised and battered by an ugly, racially-charged campaign, can this same council come together in any meaningful way? A major barometer comes on January 1, when the council will elect its president for the year. Flaherty, buoyed by allies like Maureen Feeney and the "Young Turks," is the clear favorite. But there is a solid slate of opposition now lined up against him: Yancey, Turner, Arroyo, Hennigan, with Steve Murphy as a potential wildcard.

Even before the New Year, however, look for Flaherty's foes to push for a reform of Rule 19, the controversial tool that enables the council President to stifle debate on matters he finds "not germane" to city business. The electorate has sent a pretty clear message that it likes a mix of personalities and political views on the floor of the Chamber and occasionally likes to hear them sound off on things like the war or health care.

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When you're wrong, you're wrong. In a column earlier this year, I predicted that Charles Yancey would go down to defeat, not because he had too many enemies, but because he had too few friends after 20 years in service. That bit of speculation, is turns out, was way off base. Yancey's friends - old and new - materialized in a big way on Tuesday, propelling D-4's 20-year incumbent to a triumphant victory over first-time candidate Ego Ezedi.

For sure, not all of Yancey's bedfellows were comfortable with each other or even with the candidate himself. Many may have even liked Ego Ezedi's promise of new leadership. But this campaign turned two months ago when the spectre of outside interference was cast over the Dorchester-Mattapan seat. In particular, by backing Ezedi over their colleague Yancey, several city councillors ended up serving up a softball issue for Yancey to pounce on. And pounce he did.

Much has been made of Chuck Turner's behind-the-scenes strategizing on Yancey's behalf, and - masterful though it may have been - the real beneficiary of good will from this campaign is Dianne Wilkerson. The Roxbury senator galvanized the black community behind Yancey and, in challenging Michael Flaherty's progressive credentials so aggressively and effectively, may have positioned herself for a run for higher office, a prospect thought impossible four years ago. Wilkerson may take a run at mayor when it comes up - or could chase her dream to become a congresswoman if Mike Capuano, as rumored, does take a run at the governor's office in 2006.

Either way, Dianne's stand in this race will not long be forgotten.

A final note on Ego Ezedi: like Patty White, Ezedi is no doubt disappointed with his finish. But, for a 30 year-old first-time candidate, Ezedi did himself and his neighborhood proud. He learned the ropes a bit, learned some tough lessons about politics to be sure, but comes out of it an enhanced figure who is a viable threat to make his second go-round a winner. It took Mike Flaherty three times to win on election night. For Steve Murphy, it was four tries. One thing's for sure, Ego Ezedi is on the map and, if he chooses to stay in the picture, he's got an incredibly bright future.