Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has an enormous “#Me Too” drawback in her administration, and easily whitewashing the investigation into one in every of her high aides doesn’t lower it.
Seems Wu’s largest drawback in her re-election marketing campaign will not be bike lanes.
In company America, Wu’s Chief of Financial Alternative and Inclusion, Segun Idowu, would in all probability have already been fired for allegations reported Monday by the Boston Globe that he inappropriately propositioned one other Metropolis Corridor worker, Marwa Khudaynazar.
However in Wutopia, Idowu has survived for now. The query is for the way lengthy.
No matter occurred to, “I believe the woman,” Mayor Wu?
Wu has chosen as a substitute to imagine Idowu, the up-and-coming member of her Cupboard who now will in all probability be the topic of an embarrassing lawsuit in the midst of a reelection marketing campaign.
Is she going to face by him or imagine a lady who says she was inappropriately harassed?
This scandal exploding throughout Wu is much less about whether or not Idowu propositioned one other metropolis worker however extra about whether or not the mayor tried to tamp down the investigation to forestall it from hurting her marketing campaign.
Police have refused to launch physique digital camera footage from the officers who arrested Khudaynazar and her boyfriend, Chulan Huang, who works for Idowu, citing legal guidelines that hold confidential home violence proof. Khudaynazar has additionally requested the physique cam footage and has been denied to date, in keeping with the Globe report.
Idowu is no longer speaking. The truth that he has employed distinguished protection legal professional Jeffrey Robbins, who additionally represents the Herald, is just not signal for Wu.
Robbins, in a blustery e-mail, stated metropolis officers did interview Idowu as a part of their investigation “and no finding of any improper, unethical or inappropriate conduct on his part was made, because he engaged in none.”
However that’s not the difficulty. The issue is that the investigators by no means requested Khudaynazar, who labored within the police accountability workplace, about Idowu’s alleged advances, she instructed the Globe.
Town’s inside assessment in fact “found no violations of laws or city workforce policies by any other city employees” apart from Khudaynazar and Huang.
Each of the town employees have been fired after being arrested for a home altercation that obtained out of hand when police confirmed up and Khudaynazar allegedly struck an officer.
The rationale given for his or her firing is as a result of they allegedly invoked their jobs at Metropolis Corridor once they have been being arrested, which Khudaynazar instructed the Globe was a misunderstanding.
Idowu’s alleged advances are what precipitated the home altercation, in keeping with Khudaynazar’s facet of the story. Each she and Huang have pleaded not responsible.
The query is whether or not Idowu’s alleged advances represent a breach of the town’s anti-harassment coverage. However the actual potential drawback for Wu is whether or not she is conveniently brushing the scandal underneath the carpet to guard her primary place within the polls.
Wu’s marketing campaign opponent, Josh Kraft, stated given the allegations by Khudaynazar and texts made public within the Globe “her claim that a thorough investigation ‘found no violations of laws or city workforce policies by any other city employees’ is simply not true. Clearly there was nothing thorough about the investigation, and that statement raises serious questions about Mayor Wu’s judgement and credibility in this matter.”
