WHAT COULD BE the best of times for Boston progressives looks like the worst of times when it comes to the behavior and public image of elected officials championing their causes.
The clear leftward shift of Boston city politics should have progressive activists feeling good about their fortunes and the prospects for driving change on big policy issues. Instead, they’ve been put back on their heels by shocking revelations about the driving record of one progressive city councilor and the ethical failings of two others.
The most jarring episode involves City Councilor Kendra Lara, who crashed a car last month into a house near the middle of the busy Jamaica Plain business district along Centre Street.
It turns out Lara has not had a driver’s license since it was suspended 10 years ago. What’s more, police said she was flying through the busy district at more than 50 miles per hour in an unregistered, uninsured car, with her 7-year-old son not properly restrained in the backseat.
Lara is now facing a litany of charges, including permitting injury to a child, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, reckless operation of a motor vehicle, speeding, driving on a suspended license, and driving an uninsured and unregistered vehicle.
It’s almost enough to make people forget about state Ethics Commission findings against two of Lara’s colleagues who form part of the council’s left-wing bloc with her.
Last month, City Councilor Ricardo Arroyo, a lawyer, agreed to pay a $3,000 fine for violating state conflict of interest laws by representing his brother, Felix, a former city councilor and city official, in a lawsuit involving the city while Ricardo Arroyo was a Boston municipal official. He is also facing questions about interactions with then-US Attorney Rachael Rollins, who improperly got involved with his failed run last year for district attorney.
Meanwhile, the Ethics Commission on Tuesday announced a disposition agreement with City Councilor Tania Anderson, who agreed to pay a $5,000 fine for violating ethics laws by putting her sister and son on her city council office payroll.
Lara, a first-term councilor who describes herself as a socialist, represents Jamaica Plain, probably the most left-leaning section of the city. A Black Dominican-American, she’s the first person of color to represent the district.
Two years ago, progressives rallied behind her campaign. Now, some say she’s hurting the causes they care about.
“It puts progressives in a very bad light,” said Anne Rousseau, co-chair of Jamaica Plain Progressives. Rousseau has committed years to grassroots work for progressive candidates and causes, including a $500 donation to Lara in March, and is indignant over her behavior.
“You put your shoe leather and your money behind a candidate, you do what you can for them. You feel they represent the same values you do, and policy-wise she did,” Rousseau said of Lara. “But you have your own personal accountability and judgments in the world. I’m still kind of shocked she would continue driving without a license, and the audacity of taking an unregistered, unlicensed car and parking it at City Hall – it’s all kind of mind boggling to me.”
Lara says she’s staying focused on doing her council job. But it can be tricky to simultaneously navigate legal court proceedings and the court of public opinion.
Lara has said she “wants to be fully accountable for my mistake.” But she pleaded not guilty to the raft of charges against her at her arraignment last week.
Two years ago, JP Progressives endorsed Lara. For this year’s election cycle, the group held a candidate forum prior to the June 30 crash for the district council race, where Lara faces two challengers. It has now scheduled another forum for next week to hear from the candidates before making an endorsement decision.
“I’m sure we’re going to ask some tough questions,” said Rousseau.
“I’m just surprised she’s still running,” Rousseau said of Lara. “If I were her, I would gracefully bow out of the race. I don’t see how she can be reelected, and it’s sad. I like her very much as a person.”
Rousseau said the string of charges against progressive officials is dispiriting and seem like they were entirely avoidable.
“I’m not a lawyer,” she said of the case involving Arroyo and his brother. “But if I got a paycheck from the city, I would know better than to represent someone pursuing the city.”
What JP Progressives will do in the council race is up in the air, but at least one left-leaning group is sticking with Lara. The local chapter of Democratic Socialists of America announced yesterday that Lara is one of three Boston area candidates the group is backing this fall.
A spokesperson for the group didn’t address the question when asked whether Lara’s crash and the charges she now faces are grounds for any concern, saying only that she “has done an amazing job as a representative for District Six.”
One progressive Boston activist who did not want to be named suggested left-leaning activists are feeling demoralized and reluctant to have to defend Arroyo or Lara on the campaign trail, though some may still vote for them.
“I know people committed to voting for both incumbents because they value the work they’ve done and think they are superior to their challengers,” the activist said. “But they don’t really want to do stuff for the race.”
MICHAEL JONAS
FROM COMMONWEALTH
Lottery jackpot: The Massachusetts Lottery hit the jackpot on all fronts in the just-completed fiscal year, reporting record revenues, prizes, and profits. The $1.176 billion in profit will go back to cities and towns in the form of local aid. Read more.
OPINION
No to online Lottery: Will Austin of the Boston Schools Fund urges lawmakers not to allow the Lottery to move online. Noting the Lottery is reporting record profits, he says the state should not expand a gambling operation that disproportionately hits lower-income state residents. The issue of an online lottery is currently before a conference committee of lawmakers trying to settle differences between the House and Senate versions of the budget. Read more.
FROM AROUND THE WEB
BEACON HILL
Backers of the state’s new tax surcharge on million-dollar earners are pushing to end a loophole that allows couples to file joint federal tax returns but separate state returns to avoid the surcharge hit. (Boston Herald) CommonWealth wrote about a report spotlighting the loophole issue back in February.
All three of the state’s casinos were fined by the state gambling commission for accepting illegal bets on Massachusetts college sports games. (State House News Service)
Massachusetts lawmakers are considering a new fee on streaming services to support public access television. (Nieman Journalism Lab)
MUNICIPAL MATTERS
After 10 years of planning, an empty paper mill complex in Lee is torn down to make way for a new, long-awaited development. (Berkshire Eagle)
The Worcester City Council is considering creating commissions focused on Black and LGBTQ communities, taking cue from its existing Commission on Latino Affairs. (Worcester Telegram)
The New Bedford City Council could pass a motion in August that would send a ban on miniature alcohol bottles – which is scheduled to take effect in three months – back to the Licensing Board. (New Bedford Standard-Times)
ELECTIONS
Sharon Durkan, a local Democratic activist who had backing from Mayor Michelle Wu, cruised to an easy victory over Montez Haywood in a special election to fill the vacant district Boston City Council seat covering Beacon Hill, Back Bay, and Mission Hill. (Boston Herald)
BUSINESS/ECONOMY
UPS and the Teamsters reached a tentative contract settlement, averting a strike that would have massively disrupted the US economy. (Washington Post)
Cambridge-based Biogen said it will cut about 1,000 jobs, or 11 percent of its global workforce, in an effort to trim costs as it rolls out a newly approved drug to treat Alzheimer’s disease. (Boston Globe)
EDUCATION
The US Department of Education is opening an investigation into whether Harvard’s “legacy” admission policy that gives an edge to relatives of Harvard graduates and donors violates civil rights laws. (New York Times)
Officials from Bishop Fenwick High School in Peabody vow to go to court to overturn a decision by the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association banning the school’s sports teams from competing in the 2023-2024 state tournaments. (Salem News)
Two unions representing employees of the Hampshire Regional High School vote no confidence in the superintendent Diana Bonneville. (Daily Hampshire Gazette)
ARTS/CULTURE
Shocked by the sky-high prices and Live Nation/Ticketmaster lockouts of the Taylor Swift tour, Massachusetts lawmakers have filed companion bills in the House and Senate that would eliminate surprise fees and curtail “dynamic pricing” for tickets to live entertainment events. (Worcester Telegram)
TRANSPORTATION
The Cape Cod Times finds a sizable imbalance in which Cape towns are being served by the dial-a-ride, or DART, service offered by the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE/COURTS
A counselor at a federal prison in Devens pleads guilty to charges in connection with his acceptance of $140,000 from a wealthy inmate. (Associated Press)
Incarcerated people testified virtually on a package of proposed criminal justice reforms before the Joint Committee of the Judiciary. (Worcester Telegram)