By Pete Stidman
News Editor

Councillor Felix Arroyo didn't have enough fire in his belly. That's one version of what many political observers are saying about last week's City Council election. Few are chalking Arroyo's loss up to an apathetic electorate, even though overall turnout was so low that a proposal to match council term limits to the Mayor's four-year stints is starting to get traction at City Hall.

Even so, whether the reason for Arroyo's departure is a lackluster campaign, a rainy Election Day or fizzled fundraising, Team Unity, the coalition of councillors of color, is down to three members: Chuck Turner, Sam Yoon and Charles Yancey.

In the "New Boston," as some like to call it, all serious candidates are running citywide campaigns. The days of leaning on South Boston or West Roxbury for a win are long gone. All the Irish names in at-large seats hire people of color to help them campaign. And when they win, they often keep a multi-lingual and multi-cultural staff.

On the other side of the equation, the new generation of pols of color are often more interested in finding ways to manipulate and work within the existing power structure, rather than performing acts of civil disobedience outside of it.

Subtly, slowly, the council, despite losing a Latino voice, is changing to reflect Boston's majority-minority population. And some political minds have already turned to 2009, when at least one councillor is expected to make a run for the spacious Mayoral digs on the other side of City Hall's fifth floor. Win or lose, that would leave an at-large seat open.

"People need to go back to the drawing board and work on getting some candidates out there that can break some barriers and connect to people on a citywide basis," said Joyce Ferriabough-Bolling, a Roxbury-based political strategist. "There are some people in the Hispanic community who have the potential to cross a lot of lines, and I think that needs to happen. Ditto with the black community."

The names floated on the air are not those of 1960s civil rights warriors. They are 30-something organizers, like Giovanna Negretti, former legislative aide to state Sen. Dianne Wilkerson and current director of Oiste?, a group that trains other political hopefuls of color. A new candidate like Negretti, along with a Yoon, could signify a change in the nature of Team Unity.

"I do have a different flavor," said Yoon. "I struggle to get people to see that. I didn't grow up during the protest movement. I came to politics through the community development movement. It has its roots in activism, but it's about building. We have a different perspective in how we deal with power."

Recent also-rans have similar backgrounds. Gibran Rivera, candidate for District 6 Councillor in 2005, worked for MassVote as a community organizer. Gloribell Mota, who tried for a state Rep. seat in East Boston this year, was executive director of the Mary Ellen McCormack Task Force in South Boston, a board member for Action for Boston Community Development (ABCD) and has volunteered for a long list of school and housing organizations.

But wherever the 2009 at-large candidate(s) of color hail from, they will face white opponents who also value and campaign to communities of color. The bulk of Councillor-elect John Connolly's previous work experience was in teaching, but he also became a board member of ABCD in 2005. During his campaign he made a strong pitch for the African-American vote, and won an endorsement from Wilkerson early in 2007, and one from Sheriff Andrea Cabral near Election Day.

Councillor Michael Flaherty made a strong push in Chinatown this election, with his red, white and blue signs translated into Chinese. Councillor Stephen Murphy benefited from Gov. Deval Patrick's support.

"Murphy had this young African-American lady to come out and campaign for him, and he is very visible in the community," said Ralph Cooper, co-chair of the predominantly African-American Ward 14 Democratic committee. "Michael Flaherty has always been a friend in a different way. He's very accessible. I don't agree with him on this divided city business, but it didn't seem to hurt him too much."

Caprice Taylor-Mendez, executive director of women's political empowerment organization Emerge Massachusetts, also sees a shift toward inclusion in the council's white members.

"Many of the other city councillors are struggling with how to address the needs of traditionally disadvantaged communities," said Taylor-Mendez. "For example, Councilor John Tobin [West Roxbury and Jamaica Plain] finally had a Spanish-speaker on his staff last-term… It should not be the responsibility of only Team Unity to reach out to those people."

Councillor Turner agrees, but sees the trend as an asset for Team Unity.

"I think we're at a point where whether Felix is here or not doesn't undercut the reality… we're seeing growing electoral strength," Turner said. "They are realizing two things: One, there are issues affecting this city we'll all have to work together to solve. And, they realize their relationship with communities of color is affected by their relationship with Team Unity. They ignore the three of us at their peril.

"They're not fools. They realize that if they're going to run for higher office, they need to bring the black, Latino and liberal vote along to get where they're going."

The overwhelming consensus among political observers is that City Councillor Felix Arroyo ran a lackluster campaign for office, and the loss of a member of Team Unity, while regrettable for communities of color, does not signify something grand about the New Boston, the two Bostons or any other catch phrase. Plus, it rained.

But there are changes afoot. Many are already speculating about which young leader might be tapped to run for council in 2009. Taken as a whole, the 30-something set of pol positioners of color are not cut in the likeness of a Chuck Turner or a Felix Arroyo, who espouse tactics like protests, rallies and sit-ins. They take a tack like a Sam Yoon, who seems to keep his own identity in the Team Unity mix.