Felix G. Arroyo (born May 25, 1979) is an American political figure from

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

. Arroyo was elected to an at-large seat on the

Boston City Council The Boston City Council is the legislative branch of government for the city of Boston, Massachusetts. It is made up of 13 members: 9 district representatives and 4 at-large members. Councillors are elected to two-year terms and there is no ...

in November 2009, and re-elected in November 2011, serving for two terms before unsuccessfully running for

Mayor of Boston The mayor of Boston is the head of the municipal government in Boston, Massachusetts. Boston has a mayor–council government. Boston's mayoral elections are nonpartisan (as are all municipal elections in Boston), and elect a mayor to a four- ...

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

. He subsequently served as the city's Chief of Health and Human Services from 2014 until his dismissal in 2017 following an investigation into sexual harassment allegations.

Early life

Arroyo is the son of former Boston City Councilor

Felix D. Arroyo Felix D. Arroyo (born Apr 16, 1948) is the Register of Probate for Suffolk County, Massachusetts effective 2018, and a former at-large member of the Boston City Council. Early years Arroyo was raised in a public housing project in Puerto Rico by ...

. He attended Boston public schools and is a graduate of

University of Massachusetts Boston The University of Massachusetts Boston (stylized as UMass Boston) is a public research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the only public research university in Boston and the third-largest campus in the five-campus University of Massa ...

. He also earned a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

from

Southern New Hampshire University Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) is a private university between Manchester and Hooksett, New Hampshire. The university is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education, along with national accreditation for some hospita ...

. Prior to being elected to the

, Arroyo served as a field director at Northeast Action and Political Director for the

Service Employees International Union Service Employees International Union (SEIU) is a labor union representing almost 1.9 million workers in over 100 occupations in the United States and Canada. SEIU is focused on organizing workers in three sectors: healthcare (over half of members ...

Local 615.

Political career

When he was twenty, Arroyo started working as the director of constituent services for Boston City Councilor Chuck Turner.

Boston City Council

Arroyo was an at-large member of the

from January 2010 to January 2014. During his time on the City Council, he developed legislation called "Invest in Boston" to invest Boston's money in banks that invest in Boston to help promote economic development. He led the effort on the council to save thousands of youth summer jobs and prevent the closures of libraries. In partnership with fellow councilor Michael P. Ross, Arroyo attempted to have the city to cancel contracts with companies based in the state of

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

after Arizona adopted

Arizona SB 1070 The Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act (introduced as Arizona Senate Bill 1070 and commonly referred to as Arizona SB 1070) is a 2010 legislative Act in the U.S. state of Arizona that was the broadest and strictest an ...

in 2010. Arroyo did not seek reelection to the council in 2013, instead seeking election as mayor.

Mayoral run

In April 2013, Arroyo announced his candidacy for the Boston mayoral election. He officially kicked off his campaign on June 15, at Villa Victoria. Arroyo lost in the September preliminary election, having received 9,888 votes and finishing fifth in a field of 12, where the top two vote-getters advance to the November general election. After being eliminated, he endorsed

Marty Walsh Martin Joseph Walsh (born April 10, 1967) is an American politician and former union official. He has been the 29th United States Secretary of Labor since March 23, 2021. A Democrat, he previously served as the 54th mayor of Boston from 2014, ...

in the general election.

Chief of Health and Human Services

In January 2014, Mayor

named Arroyo as the Chief of Health and Human Services for Boston. Arroyo was the first Cabinet-level position announced by the newly elected mayor. Walsh cited Arroyo's ability to bring people together and work collaboratively, as well as his understanding of the importance of addressing the needs of Boston's most vulnerable population.

Sexual harassment investigation and dismissal

On July 28, 2017, Arroyo was placed on paid administrative leave from his position at the Boston Department of Health. Although this was confirmed by Mayor Walsh, no further details were made available. On August 24, 2017, a spokesperson for Mayor Walsh announced that Arroyo had been fired after a "comprehensive investigation" into sexual harassment allegations. Arroyo's accuser initially filed a complaint with the

Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination The Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD) is the primary agency for civil rights law enforcement, outreach, and training in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Following the recommendation of a 1944 committee appointed by Governor o ...

(MCAD); that complaint was withdrawn in November 2017, in lieu of a civil suit against Arroyo and the City of Boston filed in March 2018. , the case was still active and had not yet gone to trial. In August 2020, Arroyo filed suit against the City of Boston and Mayor Walsh alleging breach of contract, negligence, and defamation.

Personal life

Arroyo is a lifelong Bostonian, born in the South End, raised in Hyde Park, and a graduate of the Boston Public Schools. He lives in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston. In addition to his father having previously served on the Boston City Council, his brother Ricardo Arroyo took office in January 2020 representing District 5. , Arroyo's

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profile lists his occupation as Chief Operating Officer at El Mundo Boston, a Latino media outlet.

Electoral history

City Council

Mayor

References

External links

Arroyo's mayoral campaign website
from April 2013 via

Wayback Machine The Wayback Machine is a digital archive of the World Wide Web founded by the Internet Archive, a nonprofit based in San Francisco, California. Created in 1996 and launched to the public in 2001, it allows the user to go "back in time" and see ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arroyo, Felix G Boston City Council members Living people Hispanic and Latino American city council members University of Massachusetts Boston alumni Southern New Hampshire University alumni 1979 births Service Employees International Union people American politicians of Puerto Rican descent Massachusetts Democrats People from South End, Boston People from Jamaica Plain People from Hyde Park, Boston