Politicians and power players packed into a South Boston union hall Sunday for a morning of singing, dancing, and (mostly) lighthearted jokes at the annual St. Patrick’s Day Breakfast.
State Senator Nick Collins, a South Boston Democrat, hosted the event at the Ironworkers Local 7 Union Hall, where attendees dined on eggs and potatoes as servers navigated the crowded room, handing out shots of whiskey.
Notably missing from the celebration: Mayor Michelle Wu, who skipped the annual event amid a clash with Collins over long-stalled property tax legislation he has opposed on Beacon Hill. Wu, who hadn’t missed the annual breakfast since winning the mayor’s office in 2021, was instead attending church with her family Sunday, a spokesperson told the Globe Friday.
“We do wish the mayor was here to join us this morning, but we understand she found it just a little bit too taxing,” Collins said to laughter.
Many of the state’s top politicians attended the event, including Governor Maura Healey, Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll, Attorney General Andrea Campbell, state Auditor Diana DiZoglio, and US representatives Stephen Lynch and Ayanna Pressley.
Several used the platform to trade jokes and jabs — and in some cases, air grievances. Campbell and DiZoglio, embroiled in an increasingly personal battle over DiZoglio’s effort to audit the Legislature, sparred with each other.
“Some people are saying I’m only here because it’s an election year. I’m like, ‘Are you kidding me? I’m obviously here to hear the auditor’s angelic voice,’” Campbell said, a nod to DiZoglio’s past musical acts at the event. “It might not come as a surprise to many of you, but Diana and I aren’t in the same room very often together, yet it doesn’t seem to stop her from talking about me everywhere she goes.”
DiZoglio later shot back, knocking Campbell for submitting filings on behalf of House Speaker Ron Mariano and Senate President Karen Spilka in a lawsuit DiZoglio brought against them in an attempt to probe their chambers.
“Like the attorney general said, she supports the 72 percent of us who voted for the audit. So what better way to demonstrate it than to file on behalf of the speaker and senate president in court?” she said sarcastically.
DiZoglio evoked the audit fight again, later breaking into a parody of the Raye song, “Where is My Husband!”
“Baby, where the hell is my audit?” she sang as Lynch, a South Boston Democrat, clapped along and members of the Legislature looked on without smiling.
Members of the state’s congressional delegation trained their attention on President Trump, who, Pressley quipped, “wouldn’t last five minutes on this stage.”
“Have you ever met a man with such thin skin and such small … hands?” she said.
Lynch performed an impression of the Republican, recounting that “whatever crowd Trump is talking to, they’re like the most amazing crowd, right?”
“So this morning he’d be like: ‘And we love the Irish. We love the Irish. They’re so great. They’re so great. And so strong. And so green,’” he said, affecting Trump’s distinct cadence.
Healey, who two years ago donned a “DunKings” tracksuit for a bit with Driscoll in parodying a viral Dunkin’ ad, again turned to national coffee shop for material.
Clad in a green “Vote for me/I’m Irish” T-shirt, Healey unveiled the idea for a new Robert F. Kennedy Jr.-inspired drink: the brain worm cold brew, a nod to both the Health and Human Services Secretary’s recent comments about the chain’s drinks and a 2024 report about a worm that Kennedy reportedly said “got into my brain and ate a portion of it and then died.”
“Preferably, you drink it while doing pull-ups in jeans,” Driscoll joked.
Healey, who is up for reelection this year, also joked about a recent string of departures from her Cabinet. Eight Cabinet members have left her administration since she took office in 2023, and Healey last year tapped Phil Eng, the popular MBTA general manager, to simultaneously serve as interim transportation secretary.
“I’m really excited to announce our new Cabinet,” Healey said, as a graphic with a dozen photos of Eng flashed on the screen behind her. “It consists of 12 Phil Engs.”
Kelly Garrity can be reached at kelly.garrity@globe.com.