Ricardo Arroyo (politician)
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Ricardo Arroyo | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Boston City Council from the 5th district | |
| In office January 1, 2020 – January 1, 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Timothy McCarthy |
| Succeeded by | Enrique Pepén |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1987 or 1988 (age 38–39)[1] Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Relatives |
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| Alma mater | Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, Loyola University Chicago Law School[1] |
| Website | votearroyo |
Ricardo N. Arroyo is an American lawyer and politician from the state of Massachusetts. He was previously a member of the Boston City Council.[2]
Arroyo first ran for a seat on the Boston City Council in 2019; at the time, he was working as a public defender.[3] He successfully won the District 5 (Hyde Park and Roslindale) seat on the council in the November 2019 election,[4] took office in January 2020, and was re-elected in the November 2021 election.[5]
In June 2020, Arroyo (along with Andrea Campbell, Kim Janey, Julia Mejia, and Michelle Wu) was one of five members of the Boston City Council to vote against Mayor Marty Walsh's 2021 operating budget for the city. Arroyo criticized the budget as insufficiently addressing the issue of equity, and pointed out that matters such as fair housing, the city's Disabilities commission, and support services for senior citizens received far less funding than the Boston Police Department.[6]
Arroyo was a prominent backer of an ordinance that would advance a home rule petition to make the Boston School Committee an elected body. The ordinance passed the city council 7–5 on February 15, 2023,[7] but was vetoed two days later by Mayor Michelle Wu who felt it was an inopportune time to change the board structure.[8]
In early February 2022, Arroyo announced his candidacy for the position of district attorney (DA) of Suffolk County (Boston, Chelsea, Revere, and Winthrop), Massachusetts.[9] The position had previously been held by Rachael Rollins, prior to her appointment as United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts.[9] Kevin Hayden, appointed by Massachusetts governor Charlie Baker as interim DA, declared his candidacy shortly afterwards.[10] Arroyo and Hayden both gained spots on the Democratic ballot in the primary election scheduled for September 6, 2022.[11]
In the course of the election campaign, The Boston Globe reported that police had previously investigated Arroyo for sexual assault reports in two separate instances, in 2005 and 2007. (Neither investigation resulted in charges.)[12] Arroyo lost several key endorsements in the wake of the reports. Following the Democratic primary election held on September 6, and with results showing Hayden with a lead of approximately seven points (53.8% to 46.2%), Arroyo conceded the race via Twitter the following morning.[13]
After the past sexual assault accusations surfaced, City Council President Ed Flynn suspended Arroyo from his City Council Committee Chairmanships.[14] In a September 14, 2022 Council meeting over half of the Council, not including Arroyo, rose to demand he be reinstated to his Chairmanships.[15] Arroyo was formally reinstated to his Chairmanships soon thereafter.[16] In April 2024 Kevin Hayden paid a $5000 fine to the Massachusetts State Ethics Commission who concluded that Hayden improperly used his office to discredit his political opponent – then-Boston city councilor Ricardo Arroyo – who was challenging him in the Democratic primary.[17]
Arroyo and councilors Julia Mejia and Brian Worrell introduced an ordinance to create an Office of Cultural Affairs in the city. While the city council passed the ordinance in October 2023,[18] and was subsequently signed and enacted by Mayor Michelle Wu. The office is situated the city's Equity & Inclusion Cabinet.[19]
In 2023, Arroyo ran for reelection to the Boston City Council and lost in the primary election.[20]