Keller @ Large: What message did voters send by ousting Kendra Lara and Ricardo Arroyo?
BOSTON – Voters made a statement at the ballot box last week during a Boston City Council shakeup. But what exactly was the message they sent?
Embattled councilors Kendra Lara and Ricardo Arroyo were both defeated in their primary elections.
Lara is facing charges, accused of driving without a license, speeding and crashing a car into a home in Jamaica Plain in June.
Arroyo was accused of sexual assault and was fined for representing his brother in a lawsuit after joining the Boston City Council. He was also involved in a scandal involving former U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins, who resigned after she was accused of trying to leak information to help Arroyo in the district attorney's race.
WBZ-TV political analyst Jon Keller asked Boston City Council president Ed Flynn what voters were saying with that decision.
"I think that was the message I received from those results. Voters are smart. They're paying attention, and they want us to provide positive, ethical leadership and put the city back on track, continue to work with the mayor and with the residents and colleagues so we can improve and move the city forward," Flynn said.
Flynn was also asked about how Boston can deal with the influx of migrants to the city.
"Certainly Boston is an immigrant city. We welcome immigrants here," Flynn said. "We don't have enough housing in Boston, we're struggling as it is. We're struggling with the Mass and Cass crisis as well. I think that's an emergency, we have to place these people that are living in tents. We need to be compassionate as we always are, but we have to acknowledge that cities and towns across New England have to do their fair share as well when it comes to supporting migrants coming into the Boston area."
Keller @ Large: Part 2