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Ricardo N. Arroyo is an American lawyer and politician from the state of
Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...
. He is currently a member of 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 ...
.


Political career

Arroyo first ran for a 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 2019; at the time, he was working as a
public defender A public defender is a lawyer appointed to represent people who otherwise cannot reasonably afford to hire a lawyer to defend themselves in a trial. Several countries provide people with public defenders, including the UK, Hungary and Singapore, ...
. He successfully won the District 5 (
Hyde Park Hyde Park may refer to: Places England * Hyde Park, London, a Royal Park in Central London * Hyde Park, Leeds, an inner-city area of north-west Leeds * Hyde Park, Sheffield, district of Sheffield * Hyde Park, in Hyde, Greater Manchester Austra ...
and
Roslindale Roslindale is a primarily residential neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, bordered by Jamaica Plain, Hyde Park, West Roxbury and Mattapan. It is served by an MBTA Commuter Rail line, several MBTA bus lines and the MBTA Orange Line in nearby J ...
) seat on the council in the November 2019 election, took office in January 2020, and was re-elected in the November 2021 election. In June 2020, Arroyo (along with
Andrea Campbell Andrea Joy Campbell (born June 11, 1982) is an American lawyer and politician who is the Attorney General-elect of Massachusetts. She is also a former member of the Boston City Council. On the city council, she represented District 4, which inclu ...
,
Kim Janey Kim Michelle Janey (born May 16, 1965) is an American politician who served as acting mayor of Boston for eight months in 2021. She served as president of the Boston City Council from 2020 to 2022, and as a member of the council from the 7th dist ...
, Julia Mejia, and
Michelle Wu Michelle Wu ( zh, t=吳弭, first=t; born January 14, 1985) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the mayor of Boston, mayor of Boston, Massachusetts since 2021. She is a member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...
) was one of five members of the Boston City Council to vote against Mayor
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, ...
'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 Old age refers to ages nearing or surpassing the life expectancy of human beings, and is thus the end of the human biological life cycle, life cycle. Terms and euphemisms for people at this age include old people, the elderly (worldwide usage ...
received far less funding than the
Boston Police Department The Boston Police Department (BPD), dating back to 1854, holds the primary responsibility for law enforcement and investigation within the city of Boston, Massachusetts. It is the oldest municipal police department in the United States. The ...
. Arroyo was a prominent backer of an ordinance that would advance a home rule petition to make the
Boston School Committee Boston Public Schools (BPS) is a school district serving the city of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It is the largest public school district in the state of Massachusetts. Leadership The district is led by a Superintendent, hired by the ...
an elected body. The ordinance passed the city council 7–5 on February 15, 2023, but was
veto A veto is a legal power to unilaterally stop an official action. In the most typical case, a president or monarch vetoes a bill to stop it from becoming law. In many countries, veto powers are established in the country's constitution. Veto ...
ed two days later by Mayor Michelle Wu who felt it was an inopportune time to change the board structure. In early February 2022, Arroyo announced his candidacy for the position of
district attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a l ...
(DA) of Suffolk County (
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 ...
,
Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
, Revere, and Winthrop), Massachusetts. The position had previously been held by
Rachael Rollins Rachael Splaine Rollins (born March 3, 1971) is an American lawyer and politician who is the United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts. Rollins was formerly Suffolk County District Attorney in Massachusetts, which includes the mu ...
, prior to her appointment as
United States Attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal c ...
for the
District of Massachusetts The United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts (in case citations, D. Mass.) is the federal district court whose territorial jurisdiction is the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States. The first court session was hel ...
. Kevin Hayden, appointed by Massachusetts governor
Charlie Baker Charles Duane Baker Jr. (born November 13, 1956) is an American politician and businessman serving as the 72nd governor of Massachusetts since 2015. A member of the Republican Party, Baker was a cabinet official under two governors of Massach ...
as interim DA, declared his candidacy shortly afterwards. Arroyo and Hayden both gained spots on the Democratic ballot in the primary election scheduled for September 6, 2022. In the course of the election campaign, ''
The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...
'' reported that police had previously investigated Arroyo for
sexual assault Sexual assault is an act in which one intentionally sexually touches another person without that person's consent, or coerces or physically forces a person to engage in a sexual act against their will. It is a form of sexual violence, which ...
reports in two separate instances, in 2005 and 2007. (Neither investigation resulted in charges.) 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 Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
the following morning. After the past sexual assault accusations surfaced, City Council President Ed Flynn suspended Arroyo from his city council committee chairmanships. In 2023 Ricardo ran for reelection to the Boston city council and lost in the primaries.


Controversies


Sexual Assault Allegations

On August 23, 2022, ''
The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...
'' published an article regarding two instances of
sexual assault Sexual assault is an act in which one intentionally sexually touches another person without that person's consent, or coerces or physically forces a person to engage in a sexual act against their will. It is a form of sexual violence, which ...
reports involving Arroyo that were investigated by police in 2005 and 2007. Arroyo was not charged in either instance, and he denied the allegations reported by the ''Globe''. An attorney, speaking at a news conference on behalf of the 2007 complainant, stated that Arroyo never assaulted her client. Further that her client thought the ''Globe'' twisted her words. Arroyo stated that he was unaware of allegations until being informed by the ''Globe.'' He was required to disclose being the subject of any criminal investigation that he may have been aware of when applying for his law license in 2014. The report led to the withdrawal of some endorsements in his run for the Suffolk DA position. The president of the Boston City Council, Ed Flynn, also removed Arroyo from two committee chairmanships and from his position as vice president of the council. On August 30, the ''Globe'' published comments from an August 29 interview with the woman who accused Arroyo of assault in 2005—she stood by her accusations of coerced sex by Arroyo. The following day, Arroyo lost the support of senators
Elizabeth Warren Elizabeth Ann Warren ( née Herring; born June 22, 1949) is an American politician and former law professor who is the senior United States senator from Massachusetts, serving since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party and regarded as a ...
and
Ed Markey Edward John Markey (born July 11, 1946) is an American lawyer, politician, and former Army reservist who has served as the junior United States senator from Massachusetts since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the U.S. representati ...
and Boston mayor
Michelle Wu Michelle Wu ( zh, t=吳弭, first=t; born January 14, 1985) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the mayor of Boston, mayor of Boston, Massachusetts since 2021. She is a member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...
, as they withdrew their endorsements of him for Suffolk DA.


Involvement in Rachel Rollins Election Integrity Scandal

On May 17, 2023, the US Dept of Justice released the results of two parallel investigations into ethical misconduct by US Attorney Rachel Rollins.US Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General, Oversight and Review Division. "An Investigation of Alleged Misconduct by United States Attorney Rachael Rollins." May 202

/ref> Both reports showed, during his 2022 campaign to be District Attorney for Suffolk County, Arroyo had asked Rollins to leak secret information and help him in the election. During Arroyo's campaign, Rollins had become aware that her federal US Attorney's Office was likely to begin an investigation into criminal allegations against Arroyo's opponent. Although information about the investigation was legally required to be kept confidential, Arroyo and Rollins had exchanged text messages to coordinate its release:
8:57 p.m., Arroyo: “Are y’all announcing an investigation into he former Transit Officersituation with Hayden?” 8:57 p.m., Arroyo: “Would be the best thing I can have happen at this moment.” 9:02 p.m., Rollins: “You need he Law Professorto release his letter.” 9:06 p.m., Arroyo: “Rachael you know what I am dealing with right now with the globe.” 9:06 p.m., Arroyo: “Im icnot currently calling electeds to write opeds.” 9:07 p.m., Arroyo: “Im icliterally fighting a punch meant to end my career.” 9:08 p.m., Rollins: “Understood. Keep fighting and campaigning. I’m working on something.”
Both reports showed that Arroyo and Rollins had communicated about Arroyo's campaign throughout July, August, and September 2022, and that he had sought her guidance as a campaign advisor. Ultimately, Arroyo did not win election to be Suffolk County District Attorney. He conceded the race to his opponent Kevin Hayden on September 6. Two days after the release of the investigations into her misconduct, Rollins resigned her office on May 19. Arroyo defended his actions in interviews and social media, saying "I never asked her to do those things" and that the investigations did not allege misconduct by him. Arroyo received criticism from several colleagues on Boston City Council. Councilor Erin Murphy said he should "consider resigning" after the release of the reports. City Council President Ed Flynn said in a statement "Recent reports and troubling information has once again cast a shadow over the Boston City Council...the residents of Boston deserve better."


Ethics Violation

On June 27, 2023, the Massachusetts State Ethics Commission announced that Ricardo Arroyo in a Disposition Agreement had "admitted to violating the conflict of interest law by continuing to represent his brother elix Arroyoin a civil lawsuit against his brother and the City of Boston after he became a City Councilor." Ricardo Arroyo agreed to pay a $3,000 fine. According to the Ethics Commission, Ricardo Arroyo had acted as his brother's attorney prior to January 2020. Ricardo Arroyo became a city councilor that January, and continued to serve as attorney for over a year.


Personal life

Arroyo's father,
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 ...
, and brother,
Felix G. Arroyo Felix G. Arroyo (born May 25, 1979) is an American political figure from Boston. Arroyo was elected to an at-large seat on the Boston City Council in November 2009, and re-elected in November 2011, serving for two terms before unsuccessfully runn ...
, both previously served on the Boston City Council as at-large members.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arroyo, Ricardo Living people 1980s births American politicians of Puerto Rican descent Year of birth missing (living people) People from Hyde Park, Boston Lawyers from Boston Hispanic and Latino American city council members Boston City Council members Massachusetts Democrats 21st-century American politicians Public defenders