Vote (7-6) pitted Wu critics vs. loyalists
By Bill Forry and Yawu Miller, Reporter Staff
Liz Breadon of Allston-Brighton was elected president of the Boston City Council on Monday, edging out Brian Worrell by a single vote after a “whirlwind” weekend of deal-making as loyalists of Mayor Michelle Wu lined up against a bloc of councillors seeking to check her administration as its second-term begins.
By her own account, Breadon was an eleventh-hour choice after Councillor Gabriella Coletta-Zapata of East Boston — who had announced her presumptive victory in November— withdrew from the contest unexpectedly
“I didn’t know I would be standing here this time yesterday,” Breadon said as she accepted the nomination after a 7-6 vote in her favor and appealed for the support of her colleagues on Monday afternoon in the council’s Iannella Chamber. “But, that said, I am ready to lead.”
Worrell was offered up by supporters as a candidate who would position the council as a more independent “check and balance” to the Wu administration. After Coletta-Zapata declared she had enough votes to assume the presidency just days after the Nov. 4 election, Worrell quarreled with her claim and over several weeks lobbied his colleagues and lined up support for his candidacy.
Above, Councillor Worrell made the case for his candidacy for president on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026. Chris Lovett photo
By last Sunday, Worrell seemed to have secured conditional support from seven council members — enough to win the presidency — triggering Coletta-Zapata’s withdrawal. But following Coletta-Zapata’s announcement, a critical mass of councillors loyal to Mayor Wu had shifted their support to Breadon.
During Monday’s meeting, at-large Councillor Julia Mejia appealed to her colleagues to support Worrell as a means to signal that the body intends to be an independent branch of city government. She said that the body is often perceived as a “rubber stamp” for the Wu administration.
“It’s all about political courage at this point and an opportunity for us to demonstrate what type of body we’re going to be,” Mejia said. “The fact that Councillor Breadon just announced that she just learned that she was going to be up for this position should let us in behind the veil in terms of how politics is getting done in this day and age.”
Last month, on Dec. 15, Mejia— flanked by Councillors Ed Flynn and Erin Murphy— held a press conference inside City Hall to criticize Wu’s policies on various issues, including BPS school consolidations and the city’s large expenditure on a White Stadium renovation project. She pledged that she, along with Flynn and Murphy, intended to challenge what she called “a seemingly tone-deaf administration and a city council… that has decided to turn its back on the needs of the people who live, work, and get educated in the city of Boston.”
Voting for Worrell were his fellow Dorchester District 3 Councillor John FitzGerald and District 2’s Flynn, along with at-Large Councillors Erin Murphy and Julia Mejia, and newly elected member Miniard Culpepper of District 7. Worrell, who represents District 4, also voted for himself.
Breadon won the presidency with support from former President Ruthzee Louijeune, at-Large Councillor Henry Santana, and district councillors Sharon Durkan (District 8), Enrique Pepen (District 5), Ben Weber (District 6), and Coletta-Zapata (District 1). Breadon, who has represented District 9 since 2020, voted for herself.
Weber, who voted for Breadon but initially supported Coletta-Zapata, complained about the way the process unfolded. “The last 24 hours has not been the finest on this council,” he said during the meeting.
In remarks before the vote, FitzGerald, who voted for Worrell, reminded his colleagues that it’s not unusual for the council presidency decision to come with intrigue and horse-trading among councillors.
“People have talked about backroom deals and shenanigans and stuff. Guys, what do we expect? This is the job that we were elected to do. This is how it operates,” he said. “Only once in a strong-mayor system, in an elected body, us as elected councillors, do we actually have a small time to make a difference, to deliver an impact to our community. And a lot of that has to do with the committees that we get and…leveraging the administration to deal with us.”
Breadon, 66, is a native of Northern Ireland and a naturalized US citizen who emigrated to the US in 1995 to work as a physical therapist at Boston Medical Center. She is the first openly gay person to serve as city council president.
In her victory speech, she struck a conciliatory tone.
“As president, I commit to work with every single one of you district councillors and at-large councillors to strengthen this institution, to seek to create a council culture that values expertise, debate and mutual respect,” she said.
The 13-member council, at right, watched Mayor Wu deliver her second inaugural address at Boston Symphony Hall on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026. Chris Lovett photo
She also praised each of her colleagues for their advocacy and leadership and congratulated Wu on her second term in office.
“I look forward to continuing our bold work to enhance equity, affordability, resilience, and a city government that works for everyone,” she said.
Breadon later said that no one from the mayor’s office had called her, but councillors Pepén and Durkan did come to her house “quite late” Sunday night to make the pitch that she should be a “compromise candidate.”
“This is my fourth term on the city council, so I have thought about it before and it just seemed like this door opened at the last moment and I had the support of other members of the council and I was honored to be asked to consider it,” she told reporters, according to WBUR.
After the meeting and Breadon’s installation, Worrell offered words of congratulation to the new president. He also told The Reporter that the debate and vote “speaks to the independence on the body.
“I think we see that there’s a split, right? We were split on this decision and that just speaks to the different ideologies, perspectives, the different districts that we represent. I am just encouraged that it went to that ‘six-seven.’” he said, adding:
“I’m grateful for the support that I’ve received and I think that hopefully, other conversations, other policies, other things that come before us have that same level of deliberation and insight and thoughtfulness.”
Councillor Flynn of South Boston called the outcome “my most disappointing day” in his eight years on the council.
“Councillor Brian Worrell was by far the most effective and collaborative leader of all 13 current city council members,” said Flynn in a statement to the Reporter. “Brian is an outstanding leader, colleague, district councillor and someone that worked extremely hard to bring colleagues together. We also had an important opportunity to elect a Black man as city council president for the first time in over 25 years. In my opinion, this is also a disappointing and embarrassing loss for the city council, for the Black community of Boston and the City of Boston as well.”
Monday’s council meeting started roughly two hours after the councillors took their oath of office from the mayor during a ceremony at Boston Symphony Hall that also featured her second inauguration and speech.
District 7 Councillor Miniard Culpepper at the council rostrum on Jan. 5, 2026. Chris Lovett photo
Until Breadon’s election, the council meeting was chaired by the newly elected District 7 Councillor Miniard Culpepper, who controlled the gavel by a council rule that calls for the oldest sitting member to preside until a president is chosen. Culpepper is 72 years old.
Chris Lovett, Seth Danie,l and elements of a WBUR report contributed to this story.
