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Pressure is mounting on embattled Cambridge City Councilor Paul F. Toner to yield his seat on the Council as a majority of his colleagues are now calling for his resignation.
Councilors Patricia “Patty” M. Nolan ’80 and Burhan Azeem issued a joint statement late Tuesday calling on him to step down, joining similar calls from Councilors Sumbul Siddiqui, Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler, and Vice Mayor Marc C. McGovern.
Toner has faced fierce criticism from Councilors and Cambridge residents after he was charged with sexual conduct for a fee in March. According to a police report, Toner allegedly utilized services at a high-end brothel network more than a dozen times in 2023.
“Given the severity of the allegations and their impact on our community, we believe it is in the best interest of the city that Councillor Toner resign and not seek re-election,” Nolan and Azeem wrote.
Councilor Toner did not immediately respond to a request for comment on their statement.
Councilors Catherine “Cathie” Zusy and Ayesha Wilson, as well as Mayor E. Denise Simmons, have not called for Toner’s resignation. None responded to a request for comment on Nolan and Azeem’s statements.
In their statement, Nolan and Azeem acknowledged the mounting pressure on Toner to resign from residents and elected officials.
“In light of these considerations, we join those in our community including several colleagues and firmly believe that resignation is the appropriate step for Councillor Toner,” the pair wrote.
Their statement comes almost a week after McGovern reversed his previous statement and issued a call for Toner to resign after hearing residents’ concerns.
Sobrinho-Wheeler was initially the only Councilor to call for Toner’s resignation, releasing his statement on the Friday Toner was charged. Azeem and Nolan had originally signed onto a statement with Siddiqui and Sobrinho-Wheeler that condemned Toner’s actions but fell short of asking him to resign.
Along with a majority of the Council, two members of Cambridge’s delegation to Beacon Hill — Representatives Marjorie C. Decker and Mike Connolly — have called on Toner to resign in light of the charges.
The statement acknowledges the importance of due process as Toner’s charges make their way through the courts, but argues that other considerations outweigh that concern.
“Due process matters, and ordinarily it would be appropriate to await judicial proceedings,” Nolan and Azeem wrote. “Yet, this situation extends beyond specific legal outcomes, which might fail due to procedural technicalities or be dismissed as minor infractions.”
“Such framing ignores the reality that elected officials are rightly held to high standards, and prostitution is illegal in Massachusetts precisely because brothels commodify vulnerable individuals and undermine genuine consent,” they added.
Though Nolan and Azeem are starkly against Toner’s actions, the pair wrote that they respect the work Toner has done on the Council.
“We respect Councillor Toner’s years of public service and recognize that many community members have valued his responsiveness and thoughtfulness. For as long as he remains on the council, we will continue working with him to serve the city's best interests,” they wrote.
— Staff writer Shawn A. Boehmer can be reached at shawn.boehmer@thecrimson.com. Follow him on X @ShawnBoehmer.
— Staff writer Jack B. Reardon can be reached at jack.reardon@thecrimson.com. Follow him on X @JackBReardon.
