Geoff Reilinger learned a basic, time-honored truth about City Hall on Wednesday: the number ofpeople supporting you isn’t nearly as important as who they are.

Reilinger is the CEO of Compassionate Organics, a company that has spent the past three years trying to win a license to distribute medical marijuana in Allston-Brighton. He has appeared before the leading civic association 17 times, by his count. He has lobbied small business owners on Harvard Avenue. He has met with lawmakers. He has done the things you are supposed to do.

All of which counted for basically nothing once District Councilor Mark Ciommo opposed his project. At Ciommo’s urging, the City Council created a major roadblock to Reilinger’s project this week, on a voice vote.

Like many people, you are probably not keeping track of the status of medical marijuana licenses on a neighborhood-by-neighborhood basis, so I will explain.

The state Department of Public Health will likely award a license to one entity to distribute medicinal weed in Allston-Brighton, and two companies are vying for it. Reilinger’s company is one of them. The other is called Mayflower Medicinals. Its chief spokesman, Frank Perullo, is Ciommo’s former campaign treasurer and political consultant.

As apart of the application process, the applicants need their project blessed by the City Council. Technically, the councilors have to vote to submit a “letter of nonopposition’’ declaring that they do not oppose the project. The council took it up at its meeting this week. Reilinger had the support of a host of local civic groups and small business owners. Mayflower had the support Ciommo. Mayflower got its letter, with no apparent opposition. Compassionate Organics left the Council empty-handed — unable, at least for now, to complete its application.

When I asked Ciommo if pushing the approval through for his former treasurer and consultant constituted a conflict of interest, he bristled.

“If anything, I hold my friends to a higher standard,’’ he told me. Maybe.

Perullo also denied that their relationship has greased the skids for Mayflower. “Accusations are temporary,’’ Perullo said. “Reputations are permanent, and I’m happy to be judged by mine.’’

The biggest distinction between the proposals seems to be Mayflower’s sterling connections. Of course, that is not the view of the Mayflower people. They say that Reilinger has built his support by promising small business owners benefits in exchange for their support. They acknowledge that he has courted the community groups, but say the significance of that is overblown. They claim that his proposed Harvard Street location violates a regulation that a dispensary cannot operate within 500 feet of “a place where young people gather.’’

The gathering place? A karate studio, which has promised, in writing, to suspend its Saturday classes for children if the dispensary is approved.

Among those caught off-guard by the approval was state Representative Mike Moran, widely viewed as the de facto mayor of Allston-Brighton. He is an enthusiastic supporter of Compassionate Organics.

Moran told me he has watched Reilinger’s proposal get stronger over the past three years, as he has developed a stronger sense of the industry and the process, and is impressed by his personal story, as a multiple sclerosis patient who has used medicinal marijuana for pain relief.

“I’ve never met with Mayflower once,’’ Moran said. “I know nothing about those people. I took my direction from the community, which is solidly behind Compassionate Organics.’’

City Council President Michelle Wu suggested that Wednesday’s vote may not be the end of the matter. She said there is nothing in the state regulations to keep the council from submitting a letter on behalf of more than one vendor.

“We shouldn’t be in the position of picking winners and losers,’’ Wu said.

It’s possible that Ciommo’s actions were completely driven by merit. But it’s odd for a city councilor to brush aside the views of so many of his constituents. His colleagues are under no obligation to fall in line.

Adrian Walker is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at walker@globe.com.