And despite the array of candidates, the winners were almost all incumbents.

Nevertheless, challengers spiced up the ballot. Charles O. Christenson, whose unofficial residence is the Cantab Lounge, and James M. Williamson, who counts bringing back the Tasty among his central platforms, at least provided alternative choices.

And the long-running Robert Winters, a Harvard math preceptor, and David Trumbull, the bow-tied token Republican, attempted once again to break into the ranks--and failed.

Ultimately, even the voters who did go to the polls--those who would seem the least apathetic citizens--seemed little concerned about who actually got elected.

Frank, a 51-year-old man who lives on Mass. Ave. and declined to give his last name, says he believes while there are some differences between the candidates, they are all going to do similar jobs.

"They're basically all steering in the right direction; they're just in different boats," he said.

Said the Lowell House voter, "As a resident of Cambridge, I feel that there isn't anything directly wrong with the city, so I voted for the incumbents."