Tuesday night the Republicans prevailed. The jubilant reception the victorious team was given from those in attendance at the Holiday Inn probably was not unlike what the Boston Red Sox recently received from their fans.

Even though Valerie Keehn and Scott Johnson were almost neck and neck in the mayoral race with more than half the voting districts tallied, nearly everyone’s attention was focused on who would be the next Commissioner of Public Works.

There is no doubt that Anthony “Skip” Scirocco, the new head of the DPW, was the night’s MVP. His landslide victory over Democratic incumbent Thomas McTygue concluded the most talked about race of the election.

Last week, Scirocco said he anticipated a tight race. That, however, was not the case.

Once the results from the first few districts began to pour in, it was clear who would come out on top. Scirocco wound up defeating McTygue 5,190-3,222.

Many at Republican headquarters relished the infamous commissioner’s downfall. Each time Scirocco’s numbers were posted people cheered, but the applause was even louder every time it was confirmed that McTygue had lost a district.

At the beginning of the evening, Scirocco said he felt very confident about his chances. He believed the people of the city wanted a change.

“Everything seems really up, really positive. I think it’s looking pretty good,” he had said. “I think we ran an excellent campaign.”

When all the candidates took the stage, Scirocco’s name elicited the most enthusiastic response. After thanking his family and supporters, he offered kind words about what a good job McTygue had done over the years.

After all the districts were counted, Scirocco said he felt great and looked forward to making the transition at the department as seamless as possible. He was very surprised and excited by the results, which he said speak for themselves.

“I kept hearing good things, but you never know,” he said. “People wanted change and they got it tonight.”

Scirocco’s win marks the end of an era for the DPW. Over the years, McTygue had been elected 15 times and served the community for more than 30 years.

McTygue previously said that whether or not he was re-elected this upcoming term would be his last. On Thursday, Nov. 8, he confirmed he will not run again.

McTygue said he is proud of what he accomplished during his tenure at the DPW, and is looking forward to spending his time more peacefully. He still doesn’t believe Scirocco knows what he’s getting into.

“It’s not an easy job. Every day there’s a problem,” McTygue said. “That won’t just go away because I’m not there.”