LAWRENCE, MASS. (WHDH) - The Lawrence City Council Tuesday delayed a vote of no confidence in Mayor Brian DePeña, pushing the vote to a committee to take up next week. DePeña, 61, is facing more than a dozen state and federal charges.
The City Council had five votes to make the decision Tuesday, but needed six.
Last month, a Statewide Grand Jury returned 15 indictments against DePeña, including 14 counts of Distribution of a Wiretapped Communication and one count of Witness Intimidation. State prosecutors accuse him of distributing a secretly recorded conversation involving city employees.
In August, DePeña was federally charged with one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering after being accused of fraudulently obtaining more than $1 million in small-business loans during the COVID pandemic and using that money to pay off personal expenses.
DePeña has pleaded not guilty to the federal charges.
In a response to Tuesday’s vote, DePeña said he will not resign. He instead urged city councilors to put aside differences for the betterment of the city.
Many Lawrence residents spoke at the City Council meeting Tuesday night, both in favor and against the mayor.
“Let the system work. Let the mayor go through his process, and then we’ll deal with it. In the meantime, he’s doing his job,” one Lawrence resident said.
“Public officials can accomplish positive things and still lose confidence in the necessary to effectively lead,” another man said.
(Copyright (c) 2026 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)