Despite its “concerns” over the pending charges leveled against Boston City Councilor Kendra Lara, the Jamaica Plain Progressives steering committee recommended that she receive the group’s coveted endorsement for the District 6 race.
Citing the fallout from a late June car crash, which led to revelations that Lara had been driving without a valid license for the past decade, the 12-member JPP steering committee said its decision to back her was not one it came to “lightly.”
“Over the past two months, we have listened for many hours to the many thoughts and opinions of our members, our JP neighbors, our partners, our spouses, and our friends,” the JPP committee said in a late Sunday night email.
“We understand many are disappointed and angry and wanted a better explanation than they feel they’ve been given by Councilor Lara. They are questioning whether their trust in the councilor was well placed. We understand and share these concerns.”
Looking at its endorsement criteria, the committee states, the current councilor for District 6, which encompasses Jamaica Plain, West Roxbury and Roslindale, “has clearly and effectively met the expectations on this list.”
The allegations surrounding her car crash into a Jamaica Plain home, “however, have been a salient reason that this re-endorsement merited serious consideration,” the JPP committee wrote, citing reports that Lara was driving an unregistered car with a revoked license, while traveling 30 mph over the speed limit.
Lara was endorsed by the JPP in 2021, her initial run for City Council. The outcome of this year’s endorsement may represent the best glimpse at whether the progressive councilor has maintained her base in the leadup to the Sept. 12 preliminary election, Larry DiCara, a former city councilor and longtime observer of Boston politics, told the Herald on Monday.
The incumbent is seeking a second term and faces two challengers, William King, an information technology specialist, and Benjamin Weber, a workers’ rights attorney. The two top vote-getting candidates will move onto the Nov. 7 election.
The committee’s recommendation for Lara’s endorsement was based on its belief that she “is the best choice to represent our progressive priorities in this race.”
Many people in the district have said her “body of work is causing them to stick with her,” the committee states, particularly the role she played in advancing affordable housing policies through the City Council as its housing committee chair.
“At the end of the day, the question we are asking ourselves is whether Councilor Lara is worthy of our trust and if her transgressions are worthy of our compassion, our forgiveness, and our offered trust for another term,” the JPP committee states. “We are also asking ourselves if we believe she can still be effective in her role as a city councilor.
“We believe the answer to these questions is yes.”
Lara told the Herald Monday that she is “grateful that JPP recognizes my commitment to make amends in the face of my mistakes.”
“They trust me to continue representing District 6 and moving forward policies that center our most vulnerable communities,” she said. “I don’t take this vote of confidence for granted and will continue to work hard to rebuild trust with my constituents.”
Anne Rousseau, co-chair of the JPP steering committee, said the recommendation to endorse Lara was made via a majority vote, but declined to say what the final tally was or which way she voted.
Three factors informed the recommendation, she said, pointing to an Aug. 8 candidates’ forum, Aug. 23 community conversation, and a conversation the steering committee held separately with Lara “to talk to her about major concerns.”
The Sunday night endorsement announcement also kicked off the voting process, where roughly 300 JPP members will either decide to affirm the committee’s decision to back Lara, vote to endorse another candidate, or choose not to support anyone.
The results of that vote, or the endorsement, will be announced on Sunday.
It’s “typical” that endorsements follow the recommendation of the steering committee, Rousseau said, but the ranked-choice voting system presents a scenario where support for a candidate needs to reach a 60% threshold.
A failure to attain that threshold could lead to no endorsement, which Rousseau believes has “only happened once in the history of JPP.”
“I think this is a unique race,” she said. “It is a high bar for any candidate to reach that 60%.”
Despite past precedent, Weber, a progressive candidate seen as the main challenger for the JPP endorsement, is confident that he made a strong case for himself during last month’s forum.
“I think I was able to show in the JPP forum that I would be a strong voice on the City Council for housing affordability, high-quality BPS schools and a healthy environment,” Weber told the Herald in an email. “While the steering committee has made their recommendation, as was the case two years ago, that doesn’t mean JPP will endorse Councilor Lara.”
He added, “No matter their decision, I know from speaking to thousands of voters in every corner of District 6, that people want a new approach on the City Council.”
King, a Democrat with both moderate and progressive views, said he participated in the Aug. 8 forum to get his message out to voters, but chose not to actively seek the JPP endorsement because the group “had already made it very clear through social media posts, comments and donations that they were supporting her.”
King added, “For that reason, I did not think it was worth it to take part in the process.”