And the mayor may have overstepped his executive bounds in granting the BRA $7 million of city funds to redevelop City Hall Plaza.
The City Council is suing the mayor, something that has not happened since 1985, according to Kelly.
“The council unanimously-and bear in mind that some of the councilors are very, very fond of the mayor-voted that this matter has to be dealt with in a legal way,” Kelly says.
While the lawsuit is not unprecedented, as it is played out in court it could become embarrassing for Menino. And Davis-Mullen’s campaign is using the issue to make larger claims about the mayor’s uses of funds.
“There are students in the Boston Public School system that don’t have textbooks, there are issues on going with the firefighter’s contract,” Sharma says. “It’s a priority issue.”
—Staff writer Lauren R. Dorgan can be reached at dorgan@fas.harvard.edu.