BOSTON — In November, City Councilor Gabriela Coletta Zapata confidently said she had the votes to become Boston City Council president.

Turns out, she did not.

Late Sunday night — just days before the Council’s organizing vote — Zapata announced she had “decided not to seek the nomination,” abruptly ending a leadership bid that had already been prematurely celebrated.

The withdrawal came weeks after Mass Daily News published police body-camera footage showing Zapata involved in a tense, confrontational exchange with a uniformed officer at an early-voting location in East Boston.

EXCLUSIVE: Mass Daily News has obtained body-cam video of likely Boston City Council President Gabriella Coletta-Zapata snapping at a Boston cop inside an East Boston polling site.

“How many years have you worked for the Boston Police force?!” she demands.

The officer cites… pic.twitter.com/1Yyuor5VZz

— Mass Daily News (@MassDailyNews) November 14, 2025

The interaction did not result in charges or a citation. But the footage itself detonated politically.

The video spread rapidly beyond MDN’s audience, circulating widely on social media and in local political circles — and ultimately landing on the front page of the Boston Herald, elevating what might otherwise have been dismissed as a minor incident into a full-blown public controversy.

The body-cam clip was widely shared, reposted, and debated, with critics pointing to the exchange as a sign of questionable judgment and poor temperament from an elected official seeking the Council’s top leadership role. Others framed it as disrespectful toward a police officer performing election-related duties, raising broader questions about professionalism, maturity, and fitness for leadership.

As the presidency race moved closer to its formal vote, the certainty surrounding Zapata’s earlier claims began to fade.

According to reporting by Gintautas Dumcius, Zapata’s decision not to pursue the presidency followed reports that several councilors who had previously indicated support shifted toward District 4 Councilor Brian Worrell ahead of the vote.

In other words: the numbers changed.

After Zapata publicly signaled confidence that the presidency was effectively secured, her path to the gavel narrowed. And by Sunday night, she made her decision official.

In her statement, Zapata said she had “decided not to seek the nomination” and would instead focus on her district and family.

Council leadership races are ultimately decided by votes, not declarations — and when those votes are no longer there, the race ends quietly.

With Zapata out, Brian Worrell is now widely viewed as the leading contender to assume the Council presidency when the body formally organizes.

As for Zapata, the episode offered a familiar reminder in Boston politics: ambition moves fast, but optics linger longer.

Count the votes quietly. Watch your tone on camera.

And maybe don’t celebrate until they actually exist.