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Campaign law concerns, ethics issues, and Marty Walsh: Boston City Council races are already heating up
Boston City Council has already had a tumultuous year, and the preliminary municipal election is still more than two months away.
Although Boston’s preliminary municipal election is still more than two months away, there is no shortage of news surrounding both current City Council members and those hoping to join their ranks this fall.
Enrique Pepén’s apology
Enrique Pepén, a Roslindale resident, is currently running to represent District 5 as a City Councilor. He announced his campaign in early June, while still serving as the city’s executive director of neighborhood services.
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Pepén issued an apology this week after questions arose regarding the possibility that he violated state campaign law. He reported more than $11,000 in campaign contributions last month, according to The Boston Globe, some of which may have been solicited through social media posts about a fundraiser. State law dictates that paid municipal employees who are not elected officials cannot “solicit or receive, directly or indirectly, any contribution for any political purpose.”
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Pepén promoted his campaign and a launch event at Guira Y Tambora in Roslindale last month, according to screenshots obtained by the Globe. Some of the posts reportedly suggested contributions to the campaign ranging from $50 to $1,000. They have since been taken down.
“I sincerely apologize for the lapse in judgment,” Pepén said in a statement to the Globe. He said he was planning to officially resign Monday to focus on the campaign.
Pepén also reportedly conducted a campaign interview from City Hall. Under state law, public employees cannot use public resources for political activities. Public resources include “virtually anything that is paid for by the taxpayers,” including work phones, laptops, and the paid time of public employees.
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Pepén’s campaign told the Globe that the interview was done after business hours, and that city Wi-Fi was not used.
His campaign is working with “relevant compliance officials to see if there were any violations and how we can best move forward to ensure there are no mistakes,” according to the Globe.
Pepén is running to replace Ricardo Arroyo, who is no stranger to controversy. Arroyo recently admitted to violating conflict of interest laws himself.
Michael Flaherty cites infighting
Last week, Councilor At-Large Michael Flaherty announced that he would not seek reelection. In a statement, Flaherty said that the difficult decision came after much deliberation with his family and that it was time to “move on to the next chapter” of his life.
The continued infighting among City Council, which boiled over during a tumultuous redistricting process in recent months, was also a factor in Flaherty’s decision, he said.
“It’s just not an atmosphere I think that’s conducive for the betterment of Boston, it’s not an environment where folks are rolling up their sleeves and being willing to work with one another, and a lot of the good work and the great effort gets lost with some of the infighting, as well as colleagues that have not been engaged in ethical and lawful behavior,” Flaherty told GBH News on Friday.
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Recent events exacerbated tensions among councilors. City Councilor Kendra Lara recently crashed her car into a Jamaica Plain home, leaving her young son with minor injuries.
The car was unregistered, uninsured, and had an expired registration sticker, according to a police report with redacted names obtained by the Globe. Police also contacted the Department of Children and Families because the child involved in the crash was riding in the backseat without a booster seat.
Lara said she was driving a friend’s car and issued an apology, but did not share any more details about the crash or potential charges she may be facing.
Lara’s crash, coupled with Arroyo’s admission of ethics violations, prompted Council President Ed Flynn to issue a public statement regarding his colleagues’ “troubling ethical and legal lapses.” He said these events drew negative attention to City Council and distracted the city from important issues facing residents.
This week, Flynn pushed for a review of employee parking procedures at City Hall, The Boston Herald reported. He mentioned “recent events” in a letter to the Boston Property Management Department, and pushed for a policy that requires verification of a valid driver’s license, copy of a vehicle’s registration, and insurance verification.
Marty Walsh’s endorsement
One City Council hopeful got some good news in recent days. John FitzGerald, who is running to replace outgoing Councilor Frank Baker as District 3’s representative, received an endorsement from former Mayor Marty Walsh.
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Walsh cited his time working with the late State Rep. Kevin Fitzgerald.
“Having served with his father in the State Legislature, I have known John since he was a kid and watched him grow up. He has spent his entire career in public service, working every day to improve the lives of Boston’s residents,” Walsh said in a statement.
Walsh served as mayor from 2014 to 2021, before leaving to join the Biden administration as secretary of labor. Earlier this year, he left politics to become head of the National Hockey League Players’ Association.
“Marty Walsh is the definition of a public servant who has served his community, his city, and his nation with distinction for many years. I had the privilege of working for him at Boston City Hall, where I saw up close his commitment to helping every resident and his determination to make our city the best it can be,” FitzGerald said in a statement.
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