With tears, waves and breaking voices, two city councilors say farewell

Boston city councilors and Mayor Walsh said goodbye to councilors Charles Yancey (Dorchester) and Steve Murphy (at large) at their final meeting of the city council.

Walsh presented the two with Revere bowls for their years of service - 32 for Yancey, 19 for Murphy. Both lost their re-election bids in November.

Council President Bill Linehan pointed to a new library, a new police station and parks in Yancey's district as proof of his tenacity. He praised him for his continuing efforts on behalf of the disenfranchised.

Linehan noted Murphy's work on increasing payments in lieu of taxes by local colleges and other non-profit organizations.

"I feel like I'm getting ready to graduate college," Yancey said.

"I was going to talk about building a high school," he said, half jokingly, referring to other unfinished business he said he still has, including getting police to wear body cameras and improving the quality of Boston schools.

Councilors Tito Jackson (Roxbury) and Ayanna Pressley (at large) both teared up in calling Yancey a mentor.

Murphy (and McCarthy and O'Malley) listen as LaMattina praises his colleague.

Murphy quoted Burke, Socrates and Yeats in praising life as an elected official with the trust of people in the neighborhoods who send you to City Hall. "Elected life is over-examined, and it is worth living."

As he has throughout his career, Murphy blasted the "monotone press" with "vested interests" he said exists in Boston.

But then he added Boston is just becoming better and better, as shown by its population increases: "This city is on the move upward, so we must be doing something right."

As he concluded by thanking his colleagues, he choked up before sitting down - like Yancey, to a standing ovation.

As Yancey sat down, crowd began chanting "Yancey! Yancey!"