The Latest Fiasco from Boston City Hall Centers on Apparent "Hit List" of Mayor Wu's Political Opposition
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For many residents, the past several weeks can be viewed as blunder after blunder for Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and her administration. Unfortunately for residents, the most recent revelation, stemming from a public records request, is proving no different.
An internal City of Boston document, obtained via a public records request, is making the rounds with many referring to it as a “political hit list.”
The message dated June 10, 2022, was sent from then Director of Constituent Services Dave Vittorini to Boston Police Department Captain Robert Ciccolo.
On the surface, and in the absence of comment from the City of Boston, this list certainly appears to be comprised of the mayor’s political opponents.
Vittorini’s list to Captain Ciccolo contains the names of no less than fifteen individuals who have been outspoken critics of Wu and her policies.
One notable inclusion on Wu’s list is Councilor-at-Large candidate Catherine Vitale whose documents obtained by Judicial Watch show as having been arrested in the past for what appears to be opposition to the Mayor.
Vitale is currently campaigning for one of four at-large seats, a position that Wu herself held prior to becoming Mayor. You can visit Vitale’s campaign website by clicking here.
Also included in the email from Dave Vittorini, a Hyde Park native, are Wu appointees Tiffany Chu and Brianna Millor.
It is important to note that many individuals on this list served as the impetus for City Ordinance 16.63 – the so-called “Targeted Picketing Ordinance,” - which was proposed by Mayor Wu upon the recommendation of Corporation Counsel Adam Cederbaum.
This legislation, ardently defended by a former candidate for District Attorney and current District 5 Councilor Ricardo Arroyo, was viewed at the time to be a highly controversial and legally questionable enactment that many saw as an attempt by the Wu Administration to hinder the first amendment rights of city residents.
Arroyo himself is no stranger to scandal as, just earlier today, news that the District 5 representative admitted to violating “Conflict of Interest Law” in regard to a separate incident involving his brother and former City Councilor Felix Arroyo emerged.
Additionally, an internal Boston Police Department email obtained by public records requests indicates that departmental “Policy Regarding the Mayor’s House,” requires police officers to “attempt to identify all suspects” in attendance and that the department has “a master list of protestors that will help with identification.”
One of the many lessons that history affords us is the fact that creating lists of political dissidents rarely, if ever, has helped to foster the principles of democracy and civic engagement that we as Americans hold so dearly.
Due to several troubling implications regarding the Wu Administration’s compiling a list of private citizens, we at BAN firmly believe that Mayor Wu and her team have an obligation to provide the public with clarification.
Although we have reached out to the Mayor, her administration, City Council, and Boston Police command staff for answers, to date we have not received any response.
Additionally, several individuals named on the “political hit list” have reported to BAN the stonewalling they are receiving not only from the City of Boston’s Public Records Office but also from officials at the MBTA.
As a result, we are publicly submitting the following questions to these individuals/agencies in order to provide the public with the accountability and transparency they rightly deserve:
- Why was this list created by an appointee of Mayor Wu that works within a department at City Hall that has absolutely nothing to do with public safety or community policing?
Why are other Wu appointees (Tiffany Chu and Brianna Millor) included on this message thread? What do the Mayor’s Chief of Staff and Chief of Community Engagement have to do with peaceful protests or public safety? What about the Mayor’s Director of Constituent Services, now turned Senior Advisor?
What was the intention behind creating such a list? Who is ultimately responsible for its creation?
Do you, Mayor Michelle Wu, think the existence of such a list is appropriate? What does this say to others who want to exercise their constitutional freedoms within the City of Boston?
Is the City of Boston willing to release the other messages involved in this email exchange? Why haven’t they already been released as part of the records request that was submitted?
Mayor Wu, did the creation of this list have any impact on Dave Vittorini’s promotion to Senior Advisor?
Mayor Wu, did the creation of this list have any impact on Robert Ciccolo’s promotion to Superintendent of the Bureau of Administration and Technology?
Mayor Wu, is it city policy to refer to peaceful protestors as “suspects?” Is the practice of compiling “master lists” of protestors one that has been used by your predecessors?
As always, the work of BAN is only as effective as the community that drives it.
To help ensure that accountability and transparency are delivered to the people of Boston, we humbly request you contact the following individuals/agencies and urge their prompt response on this matter by clicking here.
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