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City Councilor Kendra Lara ‘regularly’ drove to city hall, despite revoked license
Kendra Lara was behind the wheel of a car that crashed into a Jamaica Plain home on June 30.
Despite not having a valid driver’s license, Boston City Councilor Kendra Lara “regularly” drove in to her work at City Hall, according to new reports.
Lara’s driving record has been the subject of public scrutiny ever since she crashed a car into a Jamaica Plain house on June 30. She was driving almost 30 miles over the speed limit at the time of the accident, according to a police report obtained by Boston.com. Her license was revoked in 2015.
“In response to a records request for camera footage of the executive garage, City officials reviewed the footage and confirmed that Councilor Lara drove a dark gray Honda Civic into and out of the garage regularly,” a city spokesperson said in a statement to Boston.com Friday. “We are not releasing footage at this time while the City reviews the records request for potential security exemptions.”
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The records request came from The Boston Globe.
Lara spoke with the Globe Friday, telling the paper that she is still planning to seek her second term on the council this fall.
“My hope is that my worst day is not being weighed against the two years of work I’ve done on the City Council,” Lara told the Globe. “I have a lot of work to do over the next eight weeks.”
However, Lara declined to answer questions regarding the crash or her driving record.
“This is a case that is being heard in court and I am not going to comment on an ongoing case,” she told the Globe.
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Lara was behind the wheel of a gray Honda Civic at the time of the crash, according to the police report.
Lara previously confirmed that the car does not belong to her. The vehicle was unregistered and uninsured when Lara crashed into the house, according to the Globe.
Lara, who represents District 6, was cited for reckless operation of a motor vehicle, speeding, and a seat belt violation in response to the crash, according to the police report.
She is expected to appear in court July 19.
Her 7-year-old son, who was in the car with her, may not have been properly restrained. The rear passenger side seat belt was buckled at the time of the crash, but the child should have been in a booster seat based on his age and height, according to the report. Massachusetts law dictates that children be secured in booster seats either until they reach the age of 8 or a height of 4 feet, 9 inches.
Lara’s son was bleeding “profusely” from his left eyebrow after the accident, according to the police report. The Globe previously reported that he received several stitches at Boston Children’s Hospital, and is expected to recover completely.
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Lara appeared uninjured after the crash, according to the police report. Her office told the Globe that Lara suffered some cuts, as she braced for the airbag and then climbed into the backseat to get her son out of the vehicle.
The councilor issued an apology last Saturday.
“We’re all accountable for our actions, and I’m no different, so I offer my sincerest apologies to everyone, especially the people of D6,” she said in the statement.
The crash occurred at 803 Centre St. around 4:25 p.m. in clear weather, according to the police report. Investigators determined that the car must have been traveling at least 53 mph in a 25 mph zone at the time. The car traveled more than 150 feet before stopping.
Photos from the scene indicate that Lara did not brake during the crash, and there was heavy pedestrian and vehicular traffic nearby at the time, according to the report.
Lara’s office told the Globe that she swerved to avoid an accident, sending her car into a fence and a house nearby. Lara told police that she was attempting to avoid a car that was pulling away from the curb, but could not brake fast enough to stop the vehicle from hitting the home. The driver of the other vehicle denied pulling in front of Lara’s car, and his vehicle was not damaged.
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In 2010, Lara was cited for a seatbelt violation and for not driving with proper registration, according to the police report.
Lara’s license was suspended in 2013, according to the Globe, because she did not pay a fine for not wearing a seatbelt.
Lara was cited in Connecticut in 2015 for driving with a suspended license, according to the report. The Massachusetts RMV revoked her license in response to the out-of-state citation.
In past Twitter posts, Lara wrote about getting behind the wheel.
She wrote about driving to Vermont with her son in a post from April 2022.
In March 2022, she wrote about almost clipping a side view mirror trying to avoid an animal.
Meanwhile, a Boston resident recently filed a complaint with the city’s Election Department that challenges Lara’s residency in the district she represents, The Boston Herald reported.
Lara denied the allegation and told the Herald that she lives at the Jamaica Plain address listed on her campaign filing with the Boston Election Department.
The challenge could elicit a review from the Boston Election Commission.
Responding to the rumors that she does not live in her district, Lara told the Globe Friday that she can “unequivocally” confirm that she lives on Saint Rose Street in Jamaica Plain.
“I have called Jamaica Plain my home for the last seven years,” she told the paper.
Other officials have weighed in on the crash and Lara’s actions. Council President Ed Flynn said in a statement last week that residents have expressed concern regarding the “troubling” details of the crash. Mayor Michelle Wu, speaking in a GBH Boston Public Radio interview Tuesday, said that controversies surrounding City Council “hurts the credibility on every issue.”
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