Elected officials are supposed to be held to higher standards, but some people, including the Boston City council president, are saying some members of the city council aren’t living up to that.
The president of Boston City Council says colleagues' recent "ethical and legal lapses" are drawing "negative attention" to the body and distracting from the work it's doing.
Ed Flynn referred to Councilor Kendra Lara's crash into a Jamaica Plain house last week, in which she was allegedly driving with a revoked license, and to Councilor Ricardo Arroyo's recent admission of an ethics violation for representing his brother in a sexual harassment lawsuit after he was elected.
"We're not living up to that high bar that we should be meeting," Flynn told NBC10 Boston Wednesday after releasing the statement.
Lara's car crash on Friday sent her 7-year-old son to the hospital. Both were expected to be OK, but Lara is facing potential charges, according to an incident report from the Boston Police Department in which her name was redacted. Along with allegedly driving on a revoked license, she's accused of using an uninsured, unregistered car and not putting her son in the back without a booster seat.
Police said a 51A report was filed with the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families, a step taken if a person is accused of child abuse or neglect.
A spokesperson with the DCF told NBC10 Boston it does not provide specifics on cases due to state and federal privacy requirements.
Lara has not been arrested and can request a hearing before a clerk magistrate. If probable cause is found at the hearing, the case will be set up for an arraignment.
People who live in Lara's district have expressed concerns about the crash, and in his statement, Flynn said said he has been contacted by many city residents concerned about it. He stressed he was glad no one was seriously hurt but said that the allegations, along with the conflict of interest Arroyo admitted to last week "continue to draw negative attention to the institution of the Boston City Council, and distract our city from focusing on the people's business."
He added that Bostonians want mature, responsible elected representatives who "demonstrate the ability to follow the same basic rules and norms as the people they serve when placing us in positions of public trust." The tweet that shared the post referred to "Troubling ethical and legal lapses."
Lara's office declined to comment to NBC10 Boston on Wednesday and Arroyo's office didn't respond to a request for comment.
Asked about Lara's crash, Wu told reporters Wednesday that "this is a process that's playing out in the court system and I'm just thankful that the councilor and her child are recovering and that it wasn't a worse situation."
She also noted that voters ultimately express "the greatest form of accountability" at the ballot box, a message that Flynn and City Councilor Erin Murphy echoed in interviews with NBC10 Boston Wednesday.
Flynn didn't want to comment on if Lara could face sanctions from City Council, saying she deserves a fair hearing in court and that those proceedings should play out.
Political strategist Jacquetta Van Zandt said it seems like unethical behavior is becoming the norm among members of the council.
"Every week, we're hearing about something or someone was doing something either undignified or finding themselves inside of a mess that they just can't crawl out of quick enough," Van Zandt said.
She suggested there's been a lack of mentorship and leadership on the City Council.
