Congratulations to more than one thousand physicians across Mass General Brigham, representing diverse specialties and entities, recognized as 2026 Top Doctors.
Boston city councilors have sometimes been able to leave the battlefield for the internally elected presidency in the rearview mirror. Not this year.
Councilors narrowly picked Liz Breadon as head of the 13-member body in January. Supporters of Brian Worrell left the City Council’s chamber angry and upset, feeling he had earned the job given his stewardship of Ways and Means last year, and after Breadon acknowledged the last-minute nature of seven votes swinging her way.
Nearly a month later, the hard feelings are still there. Wednesday’s meeting featured power struggles, 7-6 votes and battles over internal rules that are usually adopted with little fanfare and fighting. Members of the local firefighters union, including national leader Ed Kelly, sat in the audience, waiting for the council’s sign-off on a contract they reached with the Wu administration.
Julia Mejia, the education committee chair who supported Worrell, made a bid for control of hearings on the Boston Public Schools budget by trying to wrestle them away from Ben Weber, the new Ways and Means chair. She referred to herself as an “independent voice that will hold BPS to the fire.”
Weber, a Breadon supporter, said the move would remove $1.3 billion, a third of the city’s operating budget, out of his committee, cause confusion and “wouldn’t serve our kids.” The education committee has plenty of policy debates ahead, he said, rattling off declining enrollment, a district-wide cell phone ban, and that morning’s news that one-third of seniors are at risk of missing graduation in June. “We’re playing politics with the budget,” he said.
Ed Flynn, a Worrell supporter, rose to defend Mejia. “I think what she’s advocating for is a stronger role for BPS families in accountability,” he said. “That’s not about playing politics. That’s about doing her job. Maybe it’s a reference to me. I’m certainly not playing politics.”
Mejia’s bid for power lost on a 6-7 vote. But education policy provided the opportunity for another flashpoint later, when Flynn took a shot at the number of education committee hearings over the past two years, when Henry Santana was the chair. As BPS struggled, “we all knew that but we didn’t hold or ask the right questions,” Flynn said.
“I really don’t want this to deteriorate,” Breadon started to say, as Santana stood to defend himself and say he took pride in his time as chair. “Your statement that I was not doing my job as education chair is unfair and not true,” Santana said to Flynn.
During a break in the debate over the internal rules, as it approached the fourth hour, a smiling Flynn walked over to John FitzGerald, who had worked in the Boston Planning and Development Agency (BPDA) before winning a seat on the council in 2023. “You took a pay cut for this,” Flynn quipped.
After the Boston City Council presidency vote in January, I thought people would let bygones be bygones and move on. I was wrong. When was the last time in the past 15 years there was a close vote for president? Email your answers here: [email protected].
Join us for Keller @ Large LIVE in conversation with House Speaker Ron Mariano and Senate President Karen Spilka on Wednesday, February 25, at the MCLE. Register!
HAPPENING TODAY
8:15 | Auditor Diana DiZoglio appears live on WHAV’s “Win for Breakfast” program to discuss her quest to audit the Legislature. | WHAV 97.9 FM | Livestream
9:30 | The Massachusetts Competitive Partnership and the Mass Mobility Hub co-host a discussion “Lead or Follow: Keeping Massachusetts Competitive in Mobility Innovation: Why Leadership in Autonomy and Emerging Mobility Technologies Matters.” Speakers include Economic Development Secretary Eric Paley, MACP CEO Jay Ash, and Mass Mobility Hub executive director Jamey Tesler. | UMass Club, 32nd floor, 1 Beacon St., Boston | Registration
11:00 | Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler and Energy and Environmental Secretary Rebecca Tepper tour “Watertown Harvest,” a project that converted a 40-foot shipping container to allow crops to be grown in a controlled, self-contained environment using vertical farming techniques. | 31 Marshall St., Watertown
1:00 | Boston Mayor Michelle Wu plans an update on steps the city and neighboring municipalities offer an update to responses to unconstitutional actions taken by federal immigration agents. Attendees include officials from Cambridge, Chelsea, Lynn, Newton, and Somerville. | 26 Court Street, Boston
1:30 | Rep. Christine Barber announces supporters for state Senate campaign, including civil rights advocate Laura Rotolo and Rep. Jack Lewis, House Progressive Caucus co-chair. | Outside Ball Square Green Line Station, Broadway, Somerville
5:30 | NCAA President Charlie Baker joins Meet Boston CEO Martha Sheridan to headline the USS Constitution Museum Leadership Forum. Tickets required to attend. | Intercontinental Hotel, 510 Atlantic Ave., Boston | Tickets
Mass is losing students, jobs, and families. Here’s the fix.
MASSterList Job Board |
|---|
President & CEO — NEW!, FamilyAid Boston |
Division Chief, Office of the Massachusetts Attorney General |
Special Assistant, Office of Congressman Seth Moulton |
Select Board Executive Assistant, Town of Southborough |
Administrative & Operations Associate, Providers’ Council |
Comptroller, Massachusetts Association of Approved Special Education Schools |
Jobs continue below the fold — post a job
FROM BEACON HILL
TRANSPORTATION CHIEF: Tom Glynn, the former MBTA general manager and Massport CEO, said Phil Eng could stay on as Gov. Maura Healey’s transportation chief for a while. “The job is his to lose, and so far, he’s demonstrated how skillful he is,” he said. – Boston Globe
UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE: The Massachusetts unemployment insurance system is attempting to improve its standing near the bottom of national rankings, but still faces a steep climb. – CommonWealth Beacon
GALVIN GOES FOR NINE: Secretary of State William Galvin, who first assumed the post in 1995, said he plans to run for a ninth term. He pointed to the Trump administration’s push to obtain voter rolls and mess with the U.S. Census as the primary motivation for the record run. – State House News Service
SNIPPY OVER SNAP: U.S. Attorney Leah Foley is in a war of words with Gov. Maura Healey over a federal investigation into SNAP fraud and whether Massachusetts officials tipped off Foley’s office. – Boston Herald
NEWS NEXT DOOR
WORLD CUP WOES: Local officials in Foxborough say they won’t hand over a needed entertainment license for World Cup matches at Gillette Stadium until they sort out who pays for $7.7 million in security costs. One local official said they initially thought the Kraft Group would handle the bill, just like they do for football games, and are still hoping the company, or FIFA, picks up the bill. – MassLive
MISCONDUCT INQUIRY: Mark Wolf retired as a federal judge in Massachusetts last year and decried the Trump administration’s attacks on the judiciary. But his decision came amid a misconduct inquiry. – WBUR
NEW SOMERVILLE MAYOR: Jake Wilson, the new mayor of Somerville, plans to lean into the MBTA Communities law that requires zoning for multifamily units near public transit, and said transparency is a top priority for his administration. – GBH News
BIOTECH MILLIONAIRES: Life science sector leaders say the millionaires tax, which has boosted state spending on education and transportation accounts, is causing venture capitalists to leave Massachusetts, with one saying it’s more like a “fine” than a tax. – Boston Business Journal
MBT COMMUNITIES: Holden, one of the towns sued by Attorney General Andrea Campbell over noncompliance with the MBTA Communities law, is looking to rezone a rock quarry for multifamily housing as a way to comply at the “bare minimum.” – Worcester Telegram
HOLYOKE FINANCES: Holyoke councilors to reorganize the city’s finance department after state officials raised concerns about its operations. – MassLive
MORE HEADLINES
JOB BOARD
Do you have an open job you'd like to feature here? Click here to place a job board order, or email Dylan Rossiter at [email protected].
Training Program Coordinator: MA Legal Aid and Community Education Project (LACE), Massachusetts Law Reform Institute
Executive Director, Center for Health Information and Analysis, Office of the Massachusetts Attorney General
Controller, Commonwealth Corporation
Director of Administration & Finance, Pioneer Institute
Senior Investigator, ISAU, Massachusetts Office of the Inspector General
Controller, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
Director of Preliminary Investigations, Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination
Chief Planner, City of Newton
Director of Policy and Program Operations, Massachusetts Association for Mental Health
