while he signs an ordinance in June 1965 Langone ran unsuccessfully for the Boston City Council four times before he joined the council in 1961 to complete the term of the ailing Joseph White. He was elected in his own right in 1963 and remained in office until he was defeated for reelection in 1971. He returned to the council in 1973 after he replaced
Joe Moakley, who was elected to the
United States House of Representatives. and helped save the open-air market in Haymarket Square when politicians wanted to shut it down. Early in his career, he had been a member of the committee that had tried and failed to stop the demolition of much of the
West End; this experience informed his views a decade later, when as a city councilor he fought to preserve the North End waterfront. He succeeded in getting the city to build affordable senior citizen housing, introduced
rent control, and blocked upscale development that would have displaced many longtime North End residents. Langone initiated hearings to investigate Mayor
Kevin H. White's private use of the city-owned
Parkman House. Langone, who spent eleven years as the chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, was recognized for his knowledge of city finances. At a time when racism was commonplace in Boston politics, Langone was supportive of black leadership. As fellow councilman
Bruce Bolling put it, "He'll help anybody, black or white." ==Other races==