An attorney for the Boston City Council filed an internal complaint against three city councilors, alleging that she was “intimidated, ridiculed, harassed and bullied” by them after she provided advice on a redistricting matter at an April meeting.
Two of the accused councilors dismissed the assertions as “baseless,” however, saying that while the tense exchange cited in the complaint did occur, it was between two members of the City Council and did not involve the staff attorney.
“I believe that the events that occurred at the City Council meeting on April 12 create a hostile and toxic work environment, as I was intimidated by a city councilor and ridiculed by other councilors when I was duly conducting my responsibilities as the City Council’s compliance director and staff counsel,” Christine O’Donnell wrote in an April 18 letter that was obtained by the Herald.
The complaint is one of several instances that led City Council President Ed Flynn to recommend that the body implement a no-tolerance policy for bullying in the workplace. The council held its first anti-bullying working session last Thursday, and O’Donnell shared her experience. Only five councilors attended, Flynn said.
At the crux of the matter is a disagreement that occurred between Flynn and Councilor Ricardo Arroyo at an April 12 meeting. The two had differing opinions on what committee should consider fellow Councilor Erin Murphy’s public records request for internal redistricting communications.
Flynn had wanted to send the hearing request to the committee of the whole council, but Arroyo objected, stating that the request should be sent to the redistricting committee.
O’Donnell states that she was “intimidated and bullied” by Arroyo and “ridiculed” by Councilors Kendra Lara and Julia Mejia while she was having a sidebar conversation with Flynn and the city clerk — about whether city council rules allowed Arroyo to object to a committee assignment made by the body’s president, Flynn.
O’Donnell had opined that the rule Arroyo was trying to invoke was “not applicable,” since committee assignments “are not questions of order, but rather administrative actions from the council president,” the letter states.
The city clerk had a differing opinion, the letter states. Arroyo’s motion for reconsideration was eventually granted, with the Council opting to overrule Flynn’s committee assignment, by voting, 8-4, in favor of Arroyo’s suggestion.
“While myself, President Flynn and the city clerk were discussing the issue, Councilor Arroyo was yelling out from his seat continuously, saying who is the decision maker and yelling out the rule in question,” O’Donnell wrote. “I felt intimidated and bullied by Councilor Arroyo’s actions.”
She goes on to state that Arroyo’s actions were “discriminatory and harassing based upon sex.”
At the same time, O’Donnell states that Councilors Lara and Mejia were making comments that were heard by other councilors and staffers. According to the letter, Lara stated that the councilors did not have to listen to O’Donnell and Mejia told Arroyo that Michelle Goldberg was the council’s “real attorney.”
When she was walking back to her seat after the sidebar concluded, O’Donnell states that Mejia was heard as saying, “Look at that heat, look at all of that angry energy.”
“These actions are leading to the point where I am not able to do my job effectively without fear of retribution or retaliation,” O’Donnell wrote.
Arroyo and Lara disputed the allegations, however, saying that the exchange was a disagreement between Arroyo and Flynn over the council rules. Neither had been aware of the complaint until the Herald provided them with a copy of the letter.
Mejia, who was also provided with the letter, did not respond to a request for comment.
“I think the complaint is baseless,” Arroyo told the Herald on Monday. “The entirety of this exchange was between myself and Councilor Ed Flynn on the floor, on video, in front of media and the public. The video will make clear that at no time were my actions discriminatory or directed at anyone other than the Council president.”
Lara agreed, saying that “it was a disagreement regarding the Council rules and nothing more.”
“Any comment I made was in regards to the matter before the Council and certainly not directed toward staff counsel,” she added.
While both Arroyo and O’Donnell state that the exchange cited in the complaint is captured on video, a recording of that City Council meeting reviewed by the Herald does not show what may or may not have transpired.
O’Donnell is seen walking up to Flynn, who then calls for a recess. At this point, the video cuts out for five minutes, with a message indicating that the meeting is in recess. It resumes again with the city clerk stating that the council could hold a vote to reconsider the committee assignment.
Arroyo, however, pointed to a Boston Globe report, which outlined part of what transpired during that off-camera exchange. Arroyo and Flynn are reported as having a spat, but O’Donnell isn’t mentioned.
Flynn wouldn’t speak to the letter directly on Monday, but said that he intends to implement an anti-bullying policy for the body during his tenure as council president.
“It is of the utmost importance that we promote a culture that is inclusive and attracts talent to public service at City Hall, where everyone feels welcome in the workplace, and not subject to any type of bullying or harassment,” Flynn said.