BOSTON (WHDH) - A commission has ruled in favor of Boston City Councilor Kendra Lara after several residents filed objections over the councilor’s eligibility to represent her district.
The Boston Ballot Law Commission held a two-hour hearing to review four objections on Tuesday. Officials listened to testimony before finding that claims of Lara not meeting the city council’s residency requirement did not meet the burden of proof.
Boston city councilors are required to live in their district for at least one year prior to their election. One of the individuals who filed an objection claimed the councilor had only lived in her district for five months.
“I think that these laws are in place to protect our constituents and this is just a moment where they were exploited for political gain and I’m glad that the ballot commission and the judge both ruled in favor,” Lara later told reporters.
The hearing was held two weeks after the councilor was arraigned on charges in connection with a crash in Jamaica Plain that left her son injured.
Police said Lara was driving with a revoked license and in an unregistered car when she crashed through a fence and into a home on June 30. Authorities also found Lara had not had a valid Massachusetts driver’s license since 2013, when her license was suspended after she didn’t pay a fine penalizing her for not wearing a seatbelt.
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