Photo: WBZ NewsRadio \ Chris Fama
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Boston City Councilor and Suffolk District Attorney candidate Ricardo Arroyo spoke out after Boston City Council President Ed Flynn stripped him of his committee leadership roles on Monday amid sexual assault allegations first raised in a report last week.
Council President Flynn filed a notice that he is temporarily stripping Arroyo of his council vice presidency and chairmen council committee roles for two months, according to City Clerk office documents. Flynn did not cite that the allegations were the reason behind the shake-up and instead said the changes were in the best interest of the council.
"There are no grounds for my removal from any of my committees. What Ed Flynn is doing is undemocratic and is a clear attempt to impact redistricting. Maps are due by the start of November, sixty days away, and this is nothing more than a blatant attempt to hinder my mission as Chair to create more diverse and inclusive districts citywide," Councilor Arroyo said in a tweet.
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Arroyo lost several endorsements, including Flynn's, in his campaign for the Democratic nomination for Suffolk District Attorney after the allegations surfaced. The allegations include two investigations of sexual assault from when Arroyo was a teenager. Neither of the incidents led to charges.
The councilor denied the allegations in a statement he released prior to the Boston Globe's article that exposed the details of the investigation.
"Until a week ago, I had never been informed there were any such allegations ever made. I first learned of these allegations last week from the Boston Globe. I was never questioned by either Boston Public School officials or the Boston Police Department relative to any such allegations. I have never been disciplined by the Boston Public Schools for any reason," City Councilman Arroyo said in a statement on Twitter.
City Councilor Arroyo said in a statement he believed the current District Attorney leaked the information through documents to the media to hurt his campaign for Suffolk County District Attorney. D.A Hayden denied releasing the information, saying it would be illegal to release sexual assault investigation files. Hayden and Arroyo are both competing for the Democratic nomination for District Attorney.
The City Clerk documents revealed that Councilor Frank Baker filed a subpoena to receive all police and court documents in connection to the allegations against Arroyo. In response, Councilor Kendra Lara filed a motion to receive records connected to Councilor Baker's arrest in 1993 when he was charged with marijuana distribution.
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