by When two employees were dismissed last month for allegedly participating in a domestic dispute, which also resulted in accusations of wrongdoing against one of Mayor Michelle Wu’s top cabinet members, drama erupted in Boston City Hall. This week, some Boston City Council members attempted to demand an independent probe of the situation, but their attempt was unsuccessful.
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The councilors’ discussion subsequently turned into a dispute over whether certain rules are being implemented selectively to prevent discussion of contentious issues like this one.
Chulan Huang, a former city community liaison, and Marwa Khudaynazar, the former chief of staff of the city’s Office of Police Accountability and Transparency, are involved in the incident. After police arrived at the scene of an incident between the two, both were taken into custody.Following an internal human resources probe, they were let go.
According to Khudaynazar, she was let go in order to shield Segun Idowu, a significant figure in the Wu administration and the city’s head of economic opportunity and inclusion. She claims that Idowu kept a hotel room and invited her to stay with him, but she turned him down. According to a police report, an altercation that escalated into violence started when Huang learned.
Idowu disputes any misconduct and claims Khudaynazar’s accusations are political in character. According to the city, there have been no claims of sexual harassment in connection with the incident, and he was not engaged in their termination.
Nevertheless, earlier this month, the Wu administration declared that it would support an outside inquiry into the claims of wrongdoing against Idowu.
Selective application of City Council rules
However, some members of the City Council believe that this is insufficient. Councilors Ed Flynn and Erin Murphy submitted a motion requesting a third-party, completely impartial investigation. Flynn and Murphy stated in their resolution that even if the city engaged an outside legal firm to evaluate the incident, the Wu administration would still have some control over and involvement in this probe.
Although the resolution was on the schedule for this week’s council meeting, it had previously been blocked. Murphy seemed to expect that it might be blocked once more.
Attempts like these are too frequently dismissed as political games by people who do not want to accept hard votes. As she introduced the measure, she stated, “This is not just lazy, in my opinion; it’s a way to avoid accountability and shift blame.”
The implementation of a City Council rule that specifies what issues are within the body’s purview was the subject of a memo sent by Council President Ruthzee Louijeune before to the meeting. Louijeune concluded that the City Council should not entertain resolutions and/or hearing orders pertaining to particular employment actions involving an individual’s employment with the City of Boston.
In order to prevent discussion and force Louijeune to refer the resolution to a committee led by Councilor Ben Weber, Councilor Sharon Durkan stated that she agreed with Louijeune’s assessment and objected to the proposal. However, Louijeune stated that she had no intention of having the resolution moved to a committee and that her memo would have resulted in the file being declared out of order anyhow. More confusion seems to result from Durkan’s move.
How is this meant to be handled by my committee? Weber stated, “I will not set up a hearing on a matter over which we lack jurisdiction.”
Murphy criticized Louijeune’s memo, claiming that the council president was selectively applying the rule and eroding public confidence in the City Council as a result.
Murphy remarked, “I don’t understand why some people are just so willing to shut down discussions and so afraid to have them.”
In response to Weber’s remarks, Flynn offered a more comprehensive criticism of the City Council’s operations. All too frequently, resolutions are referred to committees only to be essentially abandoned when the committee chairs fail to promptly schedule hearings. He called this conduct unprofessional.
A chair will do that; they will just keep it in committee and never hold a discussion. Flynn continued, “I know they won’t have a hearing on it, and there are a lot of mine that are just sitting and waiting.”
Weber emphasized that his committee does not let hearings drag on. Citing Louijeune’s memo, he said that he would not break any council regulations. He said that his choice to forego a hearing was unrelated to the resolution’s actual content.
Councilor Julia Mejia then expressed her dissatisfaction with Louijeune’s leadership and urged the council president to be more consistent in her implementation of the regulations, stating that she does not fully comprehend the council’s norms and standards.
You are in charge of this body and the president. Mejia told Louijeune to “keep us in check and keep us there.”
In response, Louijeune stated that Mejia had previously expressed similar concerns, which is why she chose to compose her memo.
Since 2022, Ross Cristantiello has been a general assignment news correspondent for Boston.com, covering a variety of topics including as local politics, crime, and the environment.
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