Sign up for the Today newsletter
Get everything you need to know to start your day, delivered right to your inbox every morning.
Calls for Cambridge councilor’s resignation mount after brothel charge
“The immediate resignation of Councilor Paul Toner is not just a necessary step; it is a moral imperative,” one local organization urged.
Cambridge City Councillor Paul Toner is facing calls for his resignation after he was charged with paying for sex at a Greater Boston brothel ring, though the majority of his colleagues stopped short of demanding he step down.
Toner, 58, is accused of exchanging 432 texts with brothel operators and arranging to buy sex at least 13 times in 2023, allegedly making him one of the brothel ring’s most frequent customers, according to a criminal complaint made public Friday. His fellow city councilors were quick to speak out after those allegations surfaced in a Cambridge District Court hearing, though their responses were somewhat mixed.
Advertisement:
“Given the effect the allegations will have on his ability to carry out his responsibilities and the impact the charges will have on the City Council as a whole, it is in the interest of the body and the public that he resign,” Councillor Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler urged in a statement.
Previously:
Sobrinho-Wheeler also called on Mayor E. Denise Simmons to strip Toner of his six committee chairmanships “to ensure that the Council’s work is not obstructed.”
But in a statement Friday, Simmons emphasized the need to respect due process.
“I have worked closely with Councilor Toner for several years; he has been a strong legislative partner and has made many valuable contributions to our city,” Simmons said.
Advertisement:
While she acknowledged the nature of the allegations against Toner may “raise serious concerns,” Simmons seemed to suggest the matter is a private one.
“Concilor Toner and his family must determine how they wish to proceed, and as Mayor, I intend to provide them the appropriate space and privacy to navigate this difficult time, to the extent possible,” she said.
Toner did not give any indication he would resign in a brief statement obtained by The Boston Globe Friday, saying, “I caused pain for the people I care about most. For that, I will be forever sorry.”
Earlier that afternoon, authorities publicly identified the second batch of men accused of frequenting a high-end brothel network that operated out of apartments in Cambridge, Watertown, and the Washington, D.C., suburbs. All three brothel operators have pleaded guilty, and authorities are now pursuing charges against a total of 28 men with whom the operators allegedly exchanged 400 or more messages in 2023.
Council colleagues’ mixed reactions
The allegations against Toner are “deeply concerning,” Sobrinho-Wheeler and Councillors Burhan Azeem, Patricia M. Nolan, and Sumbul Siddiqui said in a joint statement, though they also noted their colleague “has the right to a fair process through the judicial system.”
Advertisement:
“If convicted, his actions would not simply be a lapse in judgment of a private individual but a crime and a violation of the trust placed in him by the public,” they said. “Illegal prostitution is inherently exploitative and is not a victimless crime. We stand with those hurt by exploitation.”
The four councilors called on Toner to “consider the impact of this situation on the City Council and his role as a leader in the community.”
Taking to Facebook, Nolan acknowledged the joint statement stopped short of demanding Toner’s resignation or “a censure of any sort while the court proceedings are ongoing.”
“Even if the charges are proven, for some the behavior will be excused as private, and a simple lapse in judgement. That framing ignores the fact that prostitution in Massachusetts is illegal and is never a victimless crime,” Nolan said, adding, “We must not tacitly condone breaking some laws with a wink when it involves sex; we should expect all citizens to follow laws, period.”
Vice Mayor Marc McGovern offered similar thoughts in a statement of his own.
“Participation in the illegal sex trade is not merely a lapse in judgment, it fuels an industry that exploits and harms women,” he said. “As this case advances, the Council, and more specifically, Councillor Toner, will need to make decisions on how to move forward.”
Advertisement:
At least one of Toner’s colleagues, Councillor Catherine Zusy, said he should remain on the council.
“He adds extraordinary value,” Zusy said in a statement obtained by the Globe. “He did something really stupid. No, I don’t think he should resign from the Council. We need him.” Zusy did not respond to a request for comment Monday.
Community members weigh in
The EVA Center, a Boston-based organization that works with women exploited through prostitution and sex trafficking, had stronger words for Toner.
“The immediate resignation of Councilor Paul Toner is not just a necessary step; it is a moral imperative,” Executive Director Desiree Demos said in a statement. At minimum, Demos said, Toner should have gone on leave while the case unfolds — “his failure to do so speaks volumes about his character and the values he upholds,” she added.
Title IX Aurelia Advocates, a sexual violence advocacy organization founded by students at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, echoed calls for Toner’s resignation.
“What message are we sending young people if Toner is permitted to stay in office?” the group asked in an open letter to the City Council.
Additional calls for Toner’s resignation came from state Rep. Mike Connolly and Nancy Ryan, the former executive director of the Cambridge Women’s Commission.
“Toner’s very knowledge and tolerance of the exploitation of women right here in Cambridge makes him unfit to be legislating on our behalf,” Ryan wrote in a Cambridge Day op-ed. “Toner is unfit to represent us and he must resign.”
Sorry. This form is no longer available.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com