but praised Kenneth E. Reeves '72, who ran unsuccessfully for City Council in 1985, with his endorsement.

Reeves said last night that he "would be quite surprised" if Sullivan did not endorse him, should he run for City Council. Reeves said he had not "reached a final decision," but that a run was "certainly possible."

Jonathan Myers, who came in 10th in a race for nine seats in the last Council election, also indicated that he might run for a seat in 1989. He said he would announce his plans in the next two weeks.

Edward Cyr, a North Cambridge activist who came 12th in last year's council race, also said he would probably run. He praised Sullivan as "not a shoot-from-the-hip politician."

Cyr added, "I'm really upset that David decided to do it...I see us losing the best voice we had."

Myers called Sullivan's decision a "great loss for the council," but "not an insurmountable loss." Of his own candidacy, he said he "would be seen as the next person in line."

Myers and Reeves are CCA members, while Cyr sympathizes with many of the group's goals.

Sullivan said he would not seek any state office or a position in a Democratic administration--and it is too late to enter Cambridge legislative races.

Sullivan said Councillor and State Rep. Saundra Graham's announcement that she would not seek re-election to the Council complicated his decision. He said Graham's absence would weaken the CCA slate.

"Now that there are two seats open, there'll be more people running," Graham said last night.

"If more than one incumbent retires, then the '89 elections will be a free-for-all," said State Rep. Michael J. Barrett '70 (D-Cambridge). He said the '89 Council race could be "comparable to filling Supreme Court vacancies," because the balance of power could change easily.

But Clifford Truesdell '66, an aide to State Rep. Peter Vellucci and former chairman of the Democratic City Committee, said Sullivan's departure from the Council was "unlikely to change the balance of forces in the city."

"When the dust settles, in all probability, we will have four CCA candidates, four Independent candidates, and Al Vellucci"--just as before he said.