Boston City Council President Ed Flynn has quietly restored chairmanship of the Government Operations committee to Councilor Ricardo Arroyo, cooling a flashpoint that split the council, mostly along racial lines, months earlier.
Neither Arroyo nor Flynn would comment on the decision, but the move appears to close the book on the controversy that arose during the Suffolk County district attorney's race when the Boston Globe reported that Arroyo, as a teenager, was investigated by the Boston Police in two cases of alleged sexual assault. No charges were ever filed in connection with either incident.
A revised committee assignment chart dated Nov. 8 lists Arroyo as chair of Government Operations, the committee that reviews proposed laws as well as existing city programs and agencies.
The reassignment comes more than 70 days after Flynn pulled Arroyo from leading both the Government Operations and Redistricting committees. Flynn made the move back in August citing “the best interest of the Boston City Council” as Arroyo was embroiled in controversy.
The removal prompted immediate backlash from Arroyo supporters both in and outside the council.
The redistricting committee, which Arroyo also previously chaired, remains in the hands of Allston-Brighton Councilor Liz Breadon, who steered the contentious process of redrawing boundaries for the city’s voting districts over the last several weeks. Mayor Michelle Wu approved those new boundaries earlier this week, but a court challenge is pending.
