Culpepper sworn in as District 7 Councilor

In a stunning upset Monday, District 9 Councilor Liz Breadon secured the Boston City Council presidency with a 7-6 vote, becoming the first openly LGBTQ person to hold the position.

Breadon, who in 2020 became the first openly gay woman to serve on the council, emerged as a last-minute compromise candidate following intense behind-the-scenes negotiations that stretched into Sunday night. The physical therapist, who immigrated from Northern Ireland in 1995 and lives in Brighton with her wife, defeated District 4 Councilor Brian Worrell in the closely contested race.

"At the federal level, we face deep uncertainty, attacks on democratic norms, on civil rights, on the social safety net that so many Bostonians rely on," she said after winning the presidency. "In this context, cities matter more than ever. Boston must continue to lead by protecting immigrants, by advancing racial and economic justice, by investing in public education, by treating housing as a human right, and by standing firmly by our LGBTQ+ equality, reproductive freedom, and the dignity of all people."

The council vote came hours after Boston Mayor Michelle Wu was sworn into her second term Monday morning at Symphony Hall. Wu ran unopposed in the General Election after Democratic candidate Josh Kraft suspended his mayoral campaign in September.

In her opening remarks, Wu criticized the Trump Administration for cutting funding for housing, education, and health care. "We will not appease or abet any threat to our city, and we will not wait for permission to build the world our families deserve," Wu said. "Over the next four years, Boston will be the proof that the nation we fought for is possible — a place where we take care of each other and take on the challenges that matter the most."

Other members of Boston City Council were also sworn in Monday, including Miniard Culpepper as the new District 7 Councilor. Culpepper replaced convicted former City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson.

The path to the council presidency came after Councilor Gigi Coletta Zapata withdrew from the race Sunday evening, having previously claimed she had secured the votes. Councilors Enrique Pepén and Sharon Durkan made a late-night visit to Breadon's Brighton home to ask her to "consider being a compromise candidate."

"I didn't know I'd be standing here this time yesterday, but that said, I'm ready to lead," Breadon told her colleagues during Monday's meeting. In her floor speech, she pledged to "continue to be a peacemaker, a bridge builder, and someone who hopefully will be instrumental in helping us go forward positively, with strong leadership from all of us."

Breadon succeeds Councilor At-Large Ruthzee Louijeune and has served on the council since 2020, now beginning her fourth term.