Collins was elected to his first term, and was inaugurated on Monday, January 4, 1960.

[1] The nonpartisan municipal preliminary election was held on Tuesday, September 22, 1959.

Collins' victory was considered the biggest upset in city politics in decades.

[2] Boston University political scientist Murray Levin wrote a book on the race, titled The Alienated Voter: Politics in Boston, which attributed Collins' victory to the voters' cynicism and resentment of the city's political elite.

[3] Collins had been widely viewed as the underdog in the race[4] and Powers had been regarded as the front-runner, making Collins' victory a political surprise.