An lawyer for the Boston City Council filed an inside grievance in opposition to three metropolis councilors, alleging that she was “intimidated, ridiculed, harassed and bullied” by them after she offered recommendation on a redistricting matter at an April assembly.
Two of the accused councilors dismissed the assertions as “baseless,” nonetheless, saying that whereas the tense change cited within the grievance did happen, it was between two members of the City Council and didn’t contain the workers lawyer.
“I believe that the events that occurred at the City Council meeting on April 12 create a hostile and toxic work environment, as I was intimidated by a city councilor and ridiculed by other councilors when I was duly conducting my responsibilities as the City Council’s compliance director and staff counsel,” Christine O’Donnell wrote in an April 18 letter that was obtained by the Herald.
The grievance is one among a number of cases that led City Council President Ed Flynn to suggest that the physique implement a no-tolerance coverage for bullying within the office. The council held its first anti-bullying working session final Thursday, and O’Donnell shared her expertise. Only 5 councilors attended, Flynn stated.
At the crux of the matter is a disagreement that occurred between Flynn and Councilor Ricardo Arroyo at an April 12 assembly. The two had differing opinions on what committee ought to contemplate fellow Councilor Erin Murphy’s public information request for inside redistricting communications.
Flynn had wished to ship the listening to request to the committee of the entire council, however Arroyo objected, stating that the request must be despatched to the redistricting committee.
O’Donnell states that she was “intimidated and bullied” by Arroyo and “ridiculed” by Councilors Kendra Lara and Julia Mejia whereas she was having a sidebar dialog with Flynn and the town clerk — about whether or not metropolis council guidelines allowed Arroyo to object to a committee project made by the physique’s president, Flynn.
O’Donnell had opined that the rule Arroyo was making an attempt to invoke was “not applicable,” since committee assignments “are not questions of order, but rather administrative actions from the council president,” the letter states.
The metropolis clerk had a differing opinion, the letter states. Arroyo’s movement for reconsideration was ultimately granted, with the Council opting to overrule Flynn’s committee project, by voting, 8-4, in favor of Arroyo’s suggestion.
“While myself, President Flynn and the city clerk were discussing the issue, Councilor Arroyo was yelling out from his seat continuously, saying who is the decision maker and yelling out the rule in question,” O’Donnell wrote. “I felt intimidated and bullied by Councilor Arroyo’s actions.”
She goes on to state that Arroyo’s actions had been “discriminatory and harassing based upon sex.”
At the identical time, O’Donnell states that Councilors Lara and Mejia had been making feedback that had been heard by different councilors and staffers. According to the letter, Lara said that the councilors didn’t must hearken to O’Donnell and Mejia advised Arroyo that Michelle Goldberg was the council’s “real attorney.”
When she was strolling again to her seat after the sidebar concluded, O’Donnell states that Mejia was heard as saying, “Look at that heat, look at all of that angry energy.”
“These actions are leading to the point where I am not able to do my job effectively without fear of retribution or retaliation,” O’Donnell wrote.
Arroyo and Lara disputed the allegations, nonetheless, saying that the change was a disagreement between Arroyo and Flynn over the council guidelines. Neither had been conscious of the grievance till the Herald offered them with a duplicate of the letter.
Mejia, who was additionally supplied with the letter, didn’t reply to a request for remark.
“I think the complaint is baseless,” Arroyo advised the Herald on Monday. “The entirety of this exchange was between myself and Councilor Ed Flynn on the floor, on video, in front of media and the public. The video will make clear that at no time were my actions discriminatory or directed at anyone other than the Council president.”
Lara agreed, saying that “it was a disagreement regarding the Council rules and nothing more.”
“Any comment I made was in regards to the matter before the Council and certainly not directed toward staff counsel,” she added.
While each Arroyo and O’Donnell state that the change cited within the grievance is captured on video, a recording of that City Council assembly reviewed by the Herald doesn’t present what might or might not have transpired.
O’Donnell is seen strolling as much as Flynn, who then requires a recess. At this level, the video cuts out for 5 minutes, with a message indicating that the assembly is in recess. It resumes once more with the town clerk stating that the council might maintain a vote to rethink the committee project.
Arroyo, nonetheless, pointed to a Boston Globe report, which outlined a part of what transpired throughout that off-camera change. Arroyo and Flynn are reported as having a spat, however O’Donnell isn’t talked about.
Flynn wouldn’t communicate to the letter straight on Monday, however stated that he intends to implement an anti-bullying coverage for the physique throughout his tenure as council president.
“It is of the utmost importance that we promote a culture that is inclusive and attracts talent to public service at City Hall, where everyone feels welcome in the workplace, and not subject to any type of bullying or harassment,” Flynn stated.
Source: www.bostonherald.com”