In the hours after polls closed Tuesday night in Boston's preliminary election, two embattled incumbents conceded in their races: City Councilors Ricardo Arroyo and Kendra Lara.
Thousands of Boston voters let their voices be heard in the election, which will narrow city council races to two candidates in four districts. The top two vote-getters in each preliminary race will move on to the ballot in November's general election.
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Arroyo was the first to concede, within about 90 minutes of polls closing at 8 p.m.
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"I am grateful to the residents of District 5 for the privilege of serving as their Councilor and I am thankful for my family, friends, and staff for their unwavering support," he said in a statement shared through a campaign spokesperson.
Unofficial results provided by the city showed Enrique Pepén with 39.92% of the vote, Jose Ruiz with 30.82%, and Arroyo with 18.71%.
Lara, meanwhile, was trailing two challengers in the early results when she stepped out of the race.
“When you fight the system, sometimes the system fights back, and today, we lost the battle," she said.
Lara finished with 19.89% of the vote, according to the city's unofficial results. Ben Weber received 42.11% while William King had 37.73%.
Arroyo, Lara and fellow incumbent Tania Fernandes Anderson have made headlines for ethics violations and even criminal charges.
Arroyo paid a $3,000 fine for an ethics violation after representing his brother, former City Councilor Felix G. Arroyo, in a sexual harassment lawsuit after being elected. When he ran for Suffolk County district attorney last year, documents came to light showing he had been investigated for sexual assault allegations in 2005 — he was not charged and denied any wrongdoing.
The same race drew renewed criticism against the councilor earlier this year, when U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins, who had previously held office as district attorney, resigned from her post after a watchdog report found she violated the Hatch Act by helping Arroyo's campaign.
Lara also faced criticism, as well as criminal charges, after crashing into a house in Jamaica Plain, injuring her young son. Police said she was driving an unregistered, uninsured car on a suspended license at the time, and later said her license has not been valid for 10 years. She defended her actions in an interview with NBC10 Boston in the days before the election.
“I had to make a decision and say, ‘I’m a mother first and I have to figure out how to do this for my son.’ And I’m apologetic for that,” Lara said.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is one of Arroyo's constituents, but she voted for Pepén.
“He knows city government inside out having run our neighborhood services office before,” Wu said. “He’s raising his two kids in Roslindale, he graduated from Boston Public Schools and he’s focused on trying to bring people together to get things done.”
“When I decided to run, I really wanted to show them what other options they have — someone that’s going to put them first,” Pepén said Tuesday. “I just want to put my head down on day one as their city councilor to just get the job done.”
Former Mayor Marty Walsh, now executive director of the NHL Players Association, backed Ruiz in the same race.
Weber, one of Lara's opponents in Tuesday's preliminary election, had steered away from commenting on her legal woes. He hopes voters value what he has to offer instead.
"I want people to vote for me. I don't want people not to vote for Councilor Lara," he said. "I want to show people that, you know, that they're going to have a positive voice for change on the city council, and that I can help the city council get back to business."
King, Lara's other opponent, has not responded to requests for comment.
Despite the controversy, Lara has received endorsements from groups like Jamaica Plain Progressives.
In District 7, Tania Fernandes Anderson paid $5,000 for a conflict of interest violation after hiring her sister and her son on her council staff. She was the only candidate to garner a majority in any of Tuesday's races.
With all precincts reporting, the results show Fernandes Anderson with 57.53% and former City Councilor Althea Garrison with 20.61%.
Another open seat in District 3, being vacated by Frank Baker, was also up for grabs. The unofficial results show John Fitzgerald — also endorsed by Marty Walsh — with 43.62% of the vote in a seven-person race. Joel Richards had 18.95%, with Ann Walsh receiving just 79 fewer votes than him.
Voters told NBC10 Boston Tuesday that they want elected officials who are going to address issues like the housing crisis, inflation and education.
“There’s a whole lot of scandals in the city of Boston and I picked the least scandalous person,” Sabina Yesmin said after casting her vote inside the St. Nectarios Greek Orthodox Church in Roslindale. “I want people to work on behalf of people and focus on policies, making people's life better, make the city affordable, and there’s too many distractions.”
The general election is set for Nov. 7.
