Liz Breadon didn’t walk into City Hall on January 5 expecting the gavel. But after a vote defined by high drama and backroom maneuvering, the woman who wasn’t even gunning for the job walked out as city council president. She’s Allston-Brighton through and through—nearly 30 years in the neighborhood, a champion of branch libraries and crosswalks—but now she’s got a bigger job: presiding over a body that’s arguably never been more fractured. We talked to the Northern Ireland native and first openly LGBTQ+ woman elected to the council about crumbling infrastructure, birth control for rats, and the best thing she’s ever dragged home from Allston Christmas.
You were a dark horse for council president. Were you as surprised as everyone else when it happened?
I was surprised at how it all unfolded, yes.
What’s been the biggest shift in becoming president of the city council?
I’m a city councilor for District 9—Allston-Brighton—and the city council president position is another job, so I’ve added a lot to my calendar, so to speak. I have two jobs.
How would you describe your working relationship with Mayor Michelle Wu?
I have a good working relationship with the mayor. I think she’s a visionary leader, and I feel that partnership in terms of making the city a livable, open, and welcoming city for everyone.
Most pressing issue facing the city right now?
There are a few. There’s the issue of needing more affordable housing for everyone in the city. The cost of housing has increased dramatically, and working and middle-class folks are feeling a lot of pressure. Then there are the schools. There’s an ongoing effort to try to improve Boston Public Schools, and that’s something that I will be taking particular interest in as city council president. And then there’s the fiscal health of the city, thinking about maybe other sources of revenue, and acknowledging the fact that our economy is under severe threat from the federal government. We’ve had a lot of funds taken away from our eds and meds, so I think that has an impact on our local economy as well.
Biggest infrastructure need in both your district and throughout the city?
In terms of infrastructure, we’re strongly advocating for a new community center in Allston-Brighton. We have a community center that was located at the former Jackson Mann school, and the building is in disrepair. We’re definitely lagging behind other neighborhoods in that respect because they have multiple community centers. Then there’s transportation infrastructure. The Cambridge Street bridge needs repair. Transportation and bridges are the big infrastructure issues across the city. Making sure that the MBTA is functional. I think Phillip Eng has done an amazing job, but he’s trying to address decades of under-investment and deferred maintenance in the system. We still have a lot of improvements to make.
What would you say is the solution to the rat problem?
Well, we have many different approaches to it. They say it’s a manmade problem, so it’s really trying to train people and educate them about how they can help by disposing of their trash more appropriately. We have the green buckets now to compost food waste and take that out of the trash bins. That’s reducing the food sources for rats. So it’s an across-the-board effort, a city-wide approach, to really address all of that. It’s also important to be really careful about using poisons that are dangerous for other animals, like hawks. They’re natural predators for rats, but if they eat a poisoned rat, then they can die. And we are really working hard to think about solutions, including birth control for rats. It’s a multipronged approach.
Biggest zoning change you’d like to see in the city?
I think the Accessory Dwelling Units issue is an important zoning change because it allows folks to develop living spaces within the envelope of their house or adjacent to it, where they could age in place and maybe other family members could live in the main house.
Do you think public transportation should be free?
In an ideal world, yes, but it’s a hard sell for folks when we have to invest money into improving the system. We spend a lot of public dollars maintaining, improving, and building roads and bridges for cars. When you travel to other parts of the world, and you see the quality of their public transit, you really appreciate that we’re sort of light-years behind.
Photo by Pat Piasecki
Do you think the popular idea of Allston-Brighton as a student ghetto is misleading?
Absolutely. We have a very diverse population. We have mosques. We have a Buddhist center. We have synagogues and churches, with folks from all over the world here. One of the things I love is that stretch of Brighton Avenue from Union Square down to Packard’s Corner. It has a wide array of ethnic foods, which definitely makes it a place for folks who like to explore different cuisines.
What are the unique challenges Allston-Brighton faces, as opposed to other parts of the city?
One issue we have is that because we have a pretty high student population, it incentivizes investors to buy up family homes, which makes it difficult for families to buy those homes. I also feel that there’s this perception that Allston-Brighton is just all students, and we’re not. Certainly, the student population brings a lot of vitality to the neighborhood, but we have long-term families and a very large and diverse immigrant population.
Is Harvard your largest landowner?
Harvard is a huge landowner. It’s estimated they own a third of Allston.
Wow. Do you have a good working relationship with Harvard?
We do, and we also keep holding their feet to the fire in terms of being good neighbors. Over the years, they accumulated a lot of land by using secondary buyers, and that caused a little mistrust, but we also have a very active task force that works with them. They engage with Harvard on a regular basis, and we try to help negotiate good benefits for the community. There are benefits, and there’s a downside. We’re very excited that the A.R.T. is going to be opening in the neighborhood.
Allston-Brighton probably has as much or more waterfront on the Charles River than any other part of the city. Is that a major priority for you?
Well, the Charles River Reservation is managed by the DCR, so it’s a state-owned park, but it’s a tremendous amenity for us in the neighborhood. One of the biggest challenges is access, getting across Soldiers Field Road. It’s very busy, so even though all that green space on the river is right there, it’s difficult for residents to get to. We’ve been waiting for years to get improved crosswalks, and we’re not there yet.
You were a champion for the Faneuil Branch of the Boston Public Library. How important are branch libraries to neighborhoods?
Branch libraries are incredibly important. They’re third spaces in the sense that they’re places where anyone can come and spend time. They’re places where you can build community and connect with people of all ages and from different backgrounds. We’re very blessed in Allston-Brighton to have active Friends groups in our neighborhood libraries. The Friends of the Faneuil Library is an incredible group of people who raise money for extra programming and host events to build community.
Are there any pressing historical preservation needs in Allston-Brighton?
The space down near Allston Depot that used to be Pizzeria Regina. That’s an H.H. Richardson building, and the immediate space around it is a historic little hub of buildings. There’s also a wonderful old firehouse just around the corner there, on Harvard Avenue. So I feel that little area is worth preserving.
Complaint you hear most from your constituents?
It depends on the season. In the winter, I think probably snow removal and how we’re managing snow on the roads. Traffic safety is always a concern. And just generally, housing is also a big issue.
Generally speaking, how do you feel about bike lanes?
We have a large number of folks who travel by bicycle, and I think it’s really important to consider road safety for everyone: pedestrians, bicyclists, and also those folks who use cars. It’s not necessarily a comfortable road-sharing situation. Sometimes we hear of incidents of road rage, but everyone needs to be safe on the road.
Do you think that bars should be able to stay open past 2 a.m.?
I would probably say it depends on where they’re located. Two a.m. seems reasonable, but that’s me not really being a night owl.
Does being an immigrant to Boston give you a unique perspective on the city and the issues it faces?
I wouldn’t say it’s unique, because I’m one of many, many immigrants to Boston. But I do bring my life experience from somewhere else, having moved to Boston when I was in my thirties. I think Boston is an amazing city that offers opportunities for so many people. I came here and fell in love with the place, and here I am 30 years later.
As a politician, who would you welcome a comparison to?
I feel that I’m very hands-on and focused on local issues. This is going back a little, but Joe Moakley was an incredible congressman, and I’ve heard he used to have his office hours at Castle Island on Sunday mornings, with his Dunkin’ Donuts. Folks used to just come by and talk to him. I had the experience of actually needing help with an immigration issue and someone put me in touch with Joe Moakley. He called me personally, asked what the problem was, and told me what to do. I had assistance within days, and I wasn’t even a constituent of his. So I was always very impressed with that accessibility and responsiveness. He was sort of a legend in terms of constituent services.
Have you ever gotten anything at Allston Christmas?
Oh, absolutely. I have a Victorian piano stool that’s really nice. It’s sort of an antique, but we don’t really use it. It makes a great plant stand.
How many times have you seen trucks get Storrowed?
I’ve actually seen it about four or five times. I just go, “What the heck?” And I saw a video recently of a truck going the wrong way on Storrow Drive. My first reaction was, “Oh, my goodness, that truck is going to get stuck under a bridge,” and then, “Oh, my God, that truck is on the wrong side of the road!” Storrow Drive is definitely a challenge, especially for folks from out of town.
Do you have a favorite bit of Boston history or trivia?
Evacuation Day happening on St. Patrick’s Day, for us Irish folks, gives us an excuse to have a great party. I think if the British had thought about it, they would have evacuated on a different day.
Favorite Allston-Brighton restaurant?
I like Carlo’s Cucina Italiana, which is an Italian place in Brighton. And I also enjoy going for breakfast at a place called In House Café on Chestnut Hill Avenue.
One thing Boston should be doing that it isn’t?
Hmm. Always, the first thing I think of when someone asks me a question like that is, “What’s it going to cost?” But I really feel that one thing we should be investing in is youth programs—access to sports and recreation and music. It doesn’t have to happen in the context of school necessarily, but recreational programs for our youth are critically important.
Do you have any desire for the corner office?
No. I have no aspirations to be mayor. I’m perfectly content being a city councilor for Allston-Brighton.
The history behind the gavel.
Number of years Christopher Iannella held the gavel—the longest tenure in modern council history.
Number of years a president must wait before holding the office again.
Year that Boston City Council elected its first female president, anti- busing activist Louise Day Hicks.
Number of women who’ve held the gavel since.
Number of city council presidents who went on to become mayor since the current city council’s formation in 1909.
