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City Hall attorney running for mayor reportedly placed on leave
John Houton said he has done everything “above board.”
A City Hall attorney who announced his bid in the Boston mayoral race last month has been placed on administrative leave, CommonWealth Beacon reports.
John Houton, an assistant corporation counsel with the city, told the publication his bosses put him on leave on Friday. He said he was told by city officials that outside counsel was being sought to determine whether or not he could run a campaign.
Houton, who has worked at City Hall for 18 years, told CommonWealth Beacon he believes the move is an intimidation tactic by Mayor Michelle Wu’s administration. He also reportedly acknowledged that an attorney working for the city also running for mayor is a unique case.
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“Everything has been above board by me,” he told the publication.
According to CommonWealth Beacon, a Wu administration spokesperson said the city’s human resources office, along with outside counsel, is handling any decisions about Houton’s employment, and the mayor is not involved.
“In order to perform its essential functions, the Law Department’s work depends on being fully non-political in its operations, and, importantly, the Department must be perceived as non-political by Cabinet Chiefs and Department heads seeking advice and counsel,” the spokesperson told the publication.
Houton, whose job at City Hall involves serving as in-house counsel to the city’s treasury department, is currently collecting signatures to get his name on the 2025 ballot, according to CommonWealth Beacon.
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“I’m very disappointed that I’m being challenged and intimidated to not run,” Houton, 58, told The Boston Globe. “It’s caused some issues, but I’m holding steadfast in trying to get my signatures so I can be on the ballot.”
Wu is running for a second term, with her most prominent challenge coming from Josh Kraft, a philanthropist and son of Patriots owner Robert Kraft.
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