Liz Breadon

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Elizabeth A. "Liz" Breadon
Breadon in 2023
Member of the Boston City Council
from the 9th district
Assumed office
January 2020
Preceded byMark Ciommo
Personal details
Political partyDemocratic
Residence(s)Brighton, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Alma materUlster University, Simmons University
ProfessionPhysical therapist
Websiteliz4ab.com

Elizabeth A. "Liz" Breadon is a Democratic member of the Boston City Council who serves the Allston and Brighton neighborhoods (District 9) of Boston, Massachusetts.[1] Having emigrated from Northern Ireland, she was the first openly LGBTQ woman elected to Boston City Council.[2]

Early life and education[edit]

Breadon grew up in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, during The Troubles.[3] She attended Ulster University to study physical therapy.[3] She later worked at the National Health Service.[4] Breadon later attended the defunct Teleosis Homeopathic School in Newton, Massachusetts to study Homeopathy.

Career[edit]

Breadon immigrated to Boston in 1995[4] and worked for Boston Medical Center, The Home for Little Wanderers, and Perkins School for the Blind.[4]

She has a Doctorate of Physical Therapy from Simmons University.[4] Prior to her election to the Boston City Council, she ran a homeopathy business[5] from 2011 to 2020, where she claimed to be board certified in Classical Homeopathy, a pseudoscientific system of alternative medicine.[6]

City Council[edit]

After coming in second in a seven-way primary to fill the District 9 seat of retiring incumbent Mark Ciommo,[7] Breadon won the 2019 general municipal election with 58.5% of the vote.[1]

As head of the City Council's Redistricting Committee, Breadon was involved in the controversial redistricting of the City Council districts that occurred after the 2020 United States Census.[8] She sponsored the original "Unity Map" that arose from the redistricting process and passed the city council despite opposition from four white politically moderate Irish American members of the City Council, including Council President Ed Flynn, whose district was one of two that were at the center of the controversy surrounding the map.The map's controversy surrounded changes district 6 and district 7's boundaries. The map was passed into law in November 2022 after being signed by Mayor Michelle Wu.[9][10] However, the map was ultimately prohibited by preliminary injunction from being used in the 2023 Boston City Council election after a ruling by Federal Judge Patti Saris.[11] After the judicial ruling, City Council President Flynn tasked Councilor Ruthzee Louijeune, head of the Boston City Council's Civil Rights Committee, to oversee the process of drawing a map to be used in the 2023 Boston City Council election instead of Breadon. The resulting map was adopted by the council in a 10–2 vote[12] and signed into law by Mayor Wu.[13]

In June 2023, Breadon was the only white member of the City Council to vote in support of a budget that the City Council approved 7–5. The six other votes in support came from councilors who are persons of color, and all of the votes against the budget came from the remaining white city councilors.[14] Mayor Wu thereafter vetoed a number of amendments included in the budget.[15]

Personal life[edit]

Breadon lives in the Oak Square area of Brighton with her spouse, Mary McCarthy.[4]

Election results[edit]

2021[edit]

Main article: 2021 Boston City Council election
Candidates Preliminary Election General Election
Votes % Votes %
Liz Breadon 5,050 71.7 7,223 71.9
Michael Bianchi 970 13.8 2,819 28.1
Eric Porter 768 10.9  
Write-ins 252 3.6 TBD TBD
Total 7,040 100% TBD TBD

2019[edit]

Main article: 2019 Boston City Council election
Candidates Preliminary Election[16] General Election[17]
Votes % Votes %
Liz Breadon 1,129 23.55 3,885 58.50
Craig R. Cashman 1,218 25.41 2,728 41.08
Brandon David Bowser 763 15.92    
Daniel J. Daly 656 13.68    
Lee Nave Jr. 466 9.72    
Jonathan Lamar Allen 456 9.51    
Amanda Gail Smart 103 2.15    
Write-in 3 0.06 28 0.42
Total 4,794 100 6,613 100

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "4 Newcomers Set To Join A Historically Diverse Boston City Council". www.wbur.org. Retrieved 2020-06-12.
  2. ^ Phelps, Rob. "First openly LGBTQ woman elected to historically diverse Boston City Council | Boston Spirit Magazine". Retrieved 2020-06-12.
  3. ^ a b Emily Leclerc (2019-11-04). "Liz Breadon, the justice-seeking, peace-advocating environmentalist running for Boston City Council". Boston University News Service. Retrieved 2020-06-12.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Liz Breadon". Boston.gov. 2020-01-07. Retrieved 2020-06-12.
  5. ^ "With No Incumbent, The Race For Allston-Brighton's City Council Seat Is Wide Open". News. 2019-05-09. Retrieved 2020-06-12.
  6. ^ Smith K (2012). "Homeopathy is Unscientific and Unethical". Bioethics. 26 (9): 508–12. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8519.2011.01956.x.
  7. ^ "Your Guide To The Allston-Brighton City Council Race". www.wbur.org. Retrieved 2020-06-12.
  8. ^ Gavin, Christopher (November 3, 2022). "Unpacking Boston's turbulent redistricting process (and new political map)". Boston City Council. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  9. ^ Jonas, Michael (5 April 2023). "For Ed Flynn, awkward roles of race healer and redistricting foe". CommonWealth Magazine. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  10. ^ Miller, Yawu (November 2, 2022). "Council passes 'unity' redistricting map". The Bay State Banner. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  11. ^ Sudborough, Susannah (May 9, 2023). "Federal judge throws out new Boston City Council district map". www.boston.com. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
  12. ^ Miller, Yawu (May 31, 2023). "Redrawn Council map raises new issues". Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  13. ^ "Mayor Michelle Wu signs off on new Boston electoral map". WBUR. May 27, 2023.
  14. ^ McDonald, Danny (June 14, 2023). "Boston City Council passes $4.2 billion operating budget that would cut BPD by $31 million - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  15. ^ McDonald, Danny (June 16, 2023). "Wu rejects City Council's budget plan that would slash money to police, veterans services - The Boston Globe". Boston Globe. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  16. ^ "City Councillor District 9" (PDF). City of Boston. September 24, 2019. Retrieved November 5, 2019 – via boston.gov.
  17. ^ "City of Boston - Unofficial Results - Updated" (PDF). boston.gov. November 13, 2019. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
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