These paying consideration at a downtown Boston public security summit could have seen a recreation of musical chairs among the many panelists that largely concerned Frank Baker, a metropolis council candidate who abruptly left his seat about 45 minutes into the occasion.
Baker may very well be seen talking with a girl earlier than getting up from his seat on the desk of panelists upon the arrival of Councilor Sharon Durkan, who arrived late and was marked as being seated within the spot Baker was positioned on the desk.
Whereas Durkan stood close to the place Baker and the girl, an occasion organizer, had been conversing, Councilor Ed Flynn, who was a panelist, stood up and introduced a chair over, seemingly to create area for each Baker and Durkan to take a seat on the desk.
As a substitute of Durkan sitting down within the chair provided by Flynn, Baker acquired up and left the stage and returned to the viewers on the Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre. Durkan then sat within the seat vacated by Baker, a former District 3 councilor operating for an at-large seat, creating confusion as to what prompted his departure.
It seems Baker wasn’t invited to be a panelist eventually Thursday’s downtown public security summit, and his determination to take a seat on the desk of elected officers, cops and downtown stakeholders prompted some confusion amongst occasion organizers.
“We noticed that he was up there,” Rishi Shukla, president of the Downtown Boston Neighborhood Affiliation, informed the Herald Friday. “We asked our team, the DBA team, to ask him to kindly leave, which ultimately he did.”
Shukla mentioned Baker registered to attend the occasion, however was not a part of the panel, so he was “surprised to see him up there.” Occasion organizers selected to attend till after the awards ceremony to talk to Baker, as they noticed it as “the first logical break in the action for us to have him leave the stage,” and thus, forestall disruption.
Having Baker be requested to depart as Durkan arrived to seek out him seemingly in or close to her seat was purely coincidental, Shukla mentioned.
“It was unfortunate timing,” Shukla mentioned.
Durkan is an ally of Mayor Michelle Wu, who Baker was essential of throughout her final time period on the Council.
Councilor Henry Santana, one other Wu ally who Baker is attempting to knock off in Tuesday’s at-large election, additionally arrived about half an hour late, however opted to take a seat in a unique place on the panel, relatively than subsequent to Councilor John FitzGerald, the place his place was marked and Baker was seated in his absence.
FitzGerald gained the Dorchester-centric District 3 seat after it was vacated when Baker selected to not search reelection two years in the past.
Santana moved along with his identify placard to take a seat subsequent to Council President Ruthzee Louijeune, who was seated subsequent to Flynn. Louijeune and Flynn, who preceded her as Council president, have clashed at instances all through this two-year time period.
Baker mentioned the seating confusion was a misunderstanding on his half. He mentioned he thought it was a candidates’ discussion board and that he was on the panel.
“I thought that that was a forum, and was coming in hot from another interview I was doing, and just went up on the stage,” Baker informed the Herald Friday. “So yeah, kind of funny.”
He mentioned he wasn’t paying a lot consideration as a result of he was operating late.
“When I was up there, I was like, I don’t think I’m supposed to be here, but yeah, not that big of a deal,” Baker mentioned. “We laughed it off and just moved along.”
