Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said the charges leveled against City Councilors Ricardo Arroyo and Kendra Lara have hurt the Council’s credibility, but stopped short of calling for their resignation.
Wu said she plans to leave their fate to the voters, who will go to the polls Sept. 12 for the city’s preliminary election.
“All of us are on the ballot,” Wu said Tuesday on GBH’s Boston Public Radio. “That is the highest form of accountability for all elected officials.”
Arroyo, who represents District 5, is facing three challengers. Lara, who represents District 6, has two opponents. The preliminary will determine which two candidates from each race will move onto the general election in November.
Wu was responding to questions about whether offenses committed by Arroyo and Lara would taint the credibility of any vote taken by the City Council on a new police contract, which is currently in arbitration after the city and its largest police union reached an impasse in negotiations.
“To be honest, I think it hurts credibility on every issue,” Wu said. “I would never want to say that there needs to be a standard of perfection for behavior. At the same time, I hear from a lot of residents that there’s great concern right now. It’s just the density of, the frequency of different headlines that have been out there.”
Last month, Arroyo agreed to pay a $3,000 fine for committing a state ethics violation, for representing his brother in a civil lawsuit involving the city while serving on the City Council.
He was also accused in two federal reports of colluding with former U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins to tip the outcome of last year’s preliminary election for Suffolk district attorney, which Arroyo lost to Kevin Hayden. Arroyo has denied any wrongdoing, but Rollins resigned when the reports were made public.
“I am proud of, and stand by, the work I’ve done on the City Council,” Arroyo said, in response to the mayor’s statements. “My office is behind over 40% of the legislation introduced on the Council this term, to date, and will continue to lead on policies that center economic, environmental, racial and social justice.”
Lara is facing multiple charges after crashing an unregistered car into a Jamaica Plain home last month, while driving with a revoked license and no insurance, according to a Boston Police Department report. She is scheduled to appear in the West Roxbury Division of Boston Municipal Court for a hearing on July 19.
Authorities filed a 51A child abuse or neglect form with the Department of Children and Families due to Lara’s 7-year-old son, Zaire, not being in a car seat as required. The boy was injured in the crash and was treated at Children’s Hospital in Boston, the police report stated.
Lara did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday. Last Saturday she issued a statement apologizing for the crash, saying she was driving a friend’s car, but did not address the charges.
“We are all accountable for our actions, and I am no different, which is why I offer my sincerest apologies to everyone, especially the people of District 6,” Lara said. “As an elected official, I’ve worked hard to center the dignity and humanity of my constituents. Today, I ask you to see mine as I work to correct my mistake.”
Questions also remain over whether, or how often, Lara was driving to City Hall and parking in a garage with a revoked license.
City Council President Ed Flynn has called for a review of city employee parking procedures at the executive and Donnelly garages, which would be aimed at ensuring each driver is “required to provide verification of a valid driver’s license, copy of vehicle registration, and insurance,” he wrote in a letter to the head of the Boston Property Management Division.
As for a vote on the police contract, which would come before the Council in the form of an arbitration award, Wu said it’s her hope that the body’s members will leave the drama behind, and focus on assessing the “affordability of a package” for the Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association.
“That is the job before them, and that is a vote they will have to take,” Wu said.
