"That was the deal," Winters said.

But things did not go according to plan.

In the last vote for mayor, Decker and Reeves switched back to Born's camp, but Davis and Braude stuck with Galluccio.

According to council rules, Davis and Braude could have switched their votes before City Clerk D. Margaret Drury pounded her gavel, which occurred during the 1998 mayoral vote where Francis H. Duehay '55 emerged victorious. But nobody had a change of heart.

In a press release, Davis said once she committed to Galluccio she was going to stick by it. Winters said councillors will respect the "honorable" nature of her commitment.

In the vice mayor's election, Davis, Braude, Galluccio and Toomey voted for Davis, while Maher, Decker, Reeves and Sullivan voted for Maher and Born voted for herself. Toomey then immediately switched his vote to Maher, making him vice mayor and giving the council a full Independent slate as its leadership for the next two years.

"There were just a lot of miscommunication and just some foul-ups at the end there," Winters said, referring to Born's vote.