But after a final recess shortly before 1 a.m. featuring numerous conversations between council members on the grand stairwell and in the back rooms of City Hall, Galluccio had amazingly rallied four more councillors to his side.

In a shocking turn of events, Galluccio garnered the additional support of Henrietta Davis, David P. Maher, Sullivan and Braude, catapulting him to the mayor's seat.

Galluccio will now act as chair of both the council and the School Committee and serve as the most visible leader of Cambridge government.

He had served on the council since 1995, and had served as vice mayor, a mainly ceremonial position, during the 1998-99 term.

The 15 audience members who had remained to the end broke out into enthusiastic applause.

Not everyone was pleased with the outcome, however, as Born and Decker spoke heatedly in the center of Sullivan Chamber while Galluccio was being sworn in.

"I'm just disappointed," Born said after the meeting. A fourth-term councillor, she had hoped to follow in the footsteps of her mentor and Cambridge's last mayor, Francis H. Duehay '55.

Born finished with three votes, as Decker and Reeves--who had abandoned her earlier in the first vote of the night--switched back to Born in the concluding round.