Liz Braden Elected Boston City Council President, Defeating Brian Worrell 7-6

BOSTON — January 5, 2026 — Liz Braden elected Boston City Council president on the first day of the new municipal year, defeating Brian Worrell 7-6 in a contested roll-call vote. Braden, the District 9 councilor representing Allston-Brighton and an immigrant from Northern Ireland, becomes the first openly gay woman to serve as Boston City Council president. Her election on January 5 came after a charged session of nominating speeches in which multiple councilors, including Councilor Julia Mejia and Councilor Tania Fernandes Murphy, accused unnamed actors of orchestrating Braden's candidacy through backroom dealing — Braden herself acknowledged from the floor that she had only learned of her nomination the night before. Outgoing Ways and Means Chair Brian Worrell, who had served as council vice president and was credited by nominating speakers with overseeing a $4.8 billion operating budget and directing more than $9 million in council-driven fiscal year 2026 investments, received votes from Councilors Culpepper, Fitzgerald, Flynn, Mejia, Murphy, and Worrell himself. The council also referred two hearing orders to the Committee of the Whole on its first day: one on parking access for traveling Boston Public Schools employees and one demanding transparency in BPS school closure and merger decisions affecting the 2026 through 2028 school years.