In addition, voters decided on a controversial ballot initiative known as Proposition 1-2-3, which would radicallyoverhaul the city's rent contol system. Observerssaid yesterday that 1-2-3 and the three vacancieshad contributed to a high voter turnout andpredicted overwhelming defeat for the referendum.

The unofficial count indicated that 27,605voters cast their ballots Tuesday--about 59percent of the city's 47,000 voters.

Independent Councillor William H. Walsh, thecity's most vocal critic of rent control andsupporter of 1-2-3, finished fourth with 1960votes. Independent Sheila T. Russell had a tighthold on eighth place with 1609. Both are likely toretain their seats, observers said.

Locked in a dead heat for ninth place areformer Independent Councillor Alfred W. LaRosa andMyers, each with about 1470 votes. As votes aretransferred in accordance with the city's systemof proportional representation, either one couldwin a seat.

Before the last set of results were announced,many observers were predicting the defeat ofincumbent Thomas W. Danehy, an 11-term councillorwho enjoyed immense popularity in the 1970s.Danehy has slipped steadily in recent years andthis year had to fight off tough challenges fromCyr and Myers in his home base of North Cambridge.

But the final tally yesterday put Danehy justbehind Myers and LaRosa with 1412 votes, closeenough for him to pull off a victory late in thevote count.

The mood of city liberals reached its peakshortly before 5 p.m., when Election CommissionerSondra Scheir read, in alphabetical order, thefirst choice vote totals with three quarters ofthe votes counted. On reaching Wolf's name at thebottom of the list, Scheir paused for about 10seconds.

The room filled with an almost audible silencewaiting for Scheir to finish her sentence, andbroke into applause when she announced that Wolf'scumulative vote had reached 2773.

Not everyone was surprised at the incumbentvice mayor's success, however.

"She worked it to death for two years, and shewas involved with everything in the city," saidVellucci. "If two cockroaches were walking acrossthe floor, she would be right there cheering themon. And that brings out the votes."

Vellucci attributed the success of thepro-tenant candidates to 1-2-3, which he saidattracted large numbers of people to the polls. Hesaid it was inevitable that the 1-2-3 resultswould spill over into other races.

"They got a council ballot in their hand, andthey've got to do something with it," Velluccisaid.

"The voters in the City of Cambridge havechanged," said Walter Sullivan, reached at homeafter the count. "It was a vote to offset rentcontrol, and that's what did it."

Sullivan predicted that the basic makeup of thecouncil would not change next year, with fourseats going to the CCA, four to conservativeIndependents and the ninth to Toomey.

Sullivan, the top vote-getter in every electionfrom 1961 to 1987, received 3738 votes in 1975,making him the last candidate to beat Wolf's totalthis year.