William Lantigua, Mired in Political Controversy From the Start
Imagine an elected official who is seemingly mired in continuous allegations of political corruption. Now, keep on imagining that same person avoiding any legal repercussions from a host of federal, state, and local charges that include, but are certainly not limited to, rigging municipal contract bids and omitting key, required information about campaign finances.
It seems every metropolitan area has at least one of them.
Around these parts, it’s former Lawrence mayor and state legislator William Lantigua.
As he attempts to recapture the Massachusetts House of Representatives seat that he won more than a decade ago, we took a closer look at some of the more notorious moments of a political career that led one media outlet to wonder if he was “the most corrupt mayor in America.’’
Controversy has surrounded Lantigua from the very moment he began presiding over the city of Lawrence:
In January 2010, he made history by becoming the first Massachusetts mayor of Hispanic descent.
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At the time of his inauguration, Lantigua was also a state representative of the 16th Essex district. Unwilling to resign that position, he collected a paycheck for both posts. Meanwhile, Lawrence was dealing with financial issues that ultimately required a $35 million bailout from the state. But those funds were held up by state officials who refused to deliver them until Lantigua quit his state post—which he finally did one month after arriving at City Hall.
Shortly after he took office, Lantigua filed a police report claiming that a car raced by him and an acquaintance in front of Lawrence City Hall late at night, and that someone inside tried to snap photos of the pair. Moments later, according to the police report, the car tried to run them over.
Police ultimately determined that there was no proof of Lantigua’s claim, but the incident launched a string of contentious interactions with the city’s police department.
Less than a month into his term, Lantigua named his former campaign manager, Melix Bonilla, to be the city’s deputy chief of police. Bonilla had previously been a police sergeant, but his appointment was reportedly not too popular around the Lawrence Police Department: then-Police Chief John Romero said Bonilla was not his preferred choice for the position. Bonilla was later indicted on—and acquitted of—charges of extortion and fraud, including selling city-owned cars to businessman linked to Lantigua.
The year 2011 was even worse for Lantigua:
Federal and state law enforcement officials opened an investigation into his alleged practice of steering city contracts to businesses that he favored, including the same taxi fleets that as deputy police chief Bonilla oversaw, towing companies, restaurants, and nightclubs.
Police began to look into Lantigua’s connection to those establishments, believing he was receiving illegal perks such as free admission and complimentary beverages and food.
“So I go to clubs. Big deal,’’ Lantigua said to the Worcester Telegram & Gazette. “I’m not doing anything wrong or illegal. People just keep throwing lies out there and they keep getting published. I’m focusing on making this city great.’’
A bouncer who worked at one of those nightspots ended up being charged with assaulting an outspoken critic of Lantigua, leaving the victim with a broken arm and other injuries.
The laundry list of allegations and implications continued to dog Lantigua, including: his girlfriend came under fire for receiving federal aid on her heating bill at a condo that she, a City Hall employee, owned and shared with Lantigua; a lawsuit was filed against him by Attorney General Martha Coakley, whose office alleged that he never accounted for his political finances in 2011, a topic first made public by a Boston Globe report that showed Lantigua’s campaign finance reports were “rife with suspect gaps’’; and a former Lantigua aide was jailed after being found guilty of trying to strong-arm a Lawrence vendor into giving a garbage truck to a city in Lantigua’s native Dominican Republic, earning the aide the dubious distinction of becoming the first Lantigua “ally’’ to be convicted in a criminal case.
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Lantigua reportedly remains under investigation for his involvement in an alleged paving scandal in Lawrence, costing the city more than $600,000.
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Several municipal employees allegedly had their jobs threatened after advising Lantigua of the weather-related risks associated with paving streets in a cold climate. The contractor only did the work once Lantigua waived its liabilility for any consequential damage, which, of course, occurred during winter.
A petition to recall Lantigua from office was started in July of that year, but the effort ultimately backfired as some voters refused to sign out of fear of “retaliation’’ by Lantigua.
Through it all, Lantigua has emerged legally unscathed.
He was knocked from atop his political pedestal last year, when he lost his re-election bid to Daniel Rivera. But in classic Lantigua fashion, he put up a fight and contested the election’s results, demanding a recount, holding out hope for one final fortunate break to extend his rule.
He didn’t get it. But if the collection of comments on his Facebook page that champion Lantigua’s candidacy is any indication, a faithful Lawrence voting contingency could very well put him back in office next month.
Photos used courtesy of The Boston Globe.
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