Council Falls One Vote Short on No-Confidence Measure
The Lawrence City Council fell one vote short of immediately acting on a no-confidence resolution against Mayor Brian E. DePeña, sending it to committee instead.
Select Board · Meeting of October 6, 2026
LAWRENCE — The Lawrence City Council fell one vote short of immediately acting on a no-confidence resolution against Mayor Brian E. DePeña, sending it to committee instead. The suspension motion needed six votes and got five, 5-4, with Councilors Infante, Mamo, Miguel, Vice President Ana Levy and President Giovanni Rodriguez voting yes.
The resolution cites 15 state indictments against DePeña, including 14 wiretapping counts and one witness-intimidation count, on top of earlier federal fraud charges. Councilor Infante said "I can say I do not have that confidence" in the mayor's leadership. Separately, the council rejected, 5-4, a home rule petition that would have granted enhanced pension benefits, estimated at $824,295 through 2036, to the family of Sergeant Charles Sandin, who died in 2024.
The council also approved $767,000 in youth-safety grant funding and a 30-year, $84,000-a-year airport land lease, and referred eight Lawrence Redevelopment Authority property transfers, representing roughly $500 million in potential investment, back to committee.
In the full story:
- Who Was There
- Organizations And Documents Referenced
- The complete report — 2,827 words
Source: the Select Board meeting of October 6, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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