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Former Mayor Scott Lang and Ward 1 City Councillor Leo Choquette called for the resignation of Ward 3 City Councillor Shawn Oliver, five days after an accident for which Oliver was charged with operating under the influence.
In an appearance on WBSM’s “SouthCoast Now with Chris McCarthy” on Thursday morning, Lang became the first elected official to publicly say that Oliver should step down.
“What’s good for the city is Shawn Oliver taking care of his legal and personal issues, whatever they are, and resigning from the City Council,” Lang said on the program.
While Lang complimented Oliver on his work as a city councilor, he indicated that Oliver’s legal situation has become a distraction.
“The City of New Bedford doesn’t need this cloud, or this blemish, or to be besmirched,” he told WBSM.
Choquette called for Oliver to step down in a statement sent Thursday night to WBSM. Choquette did not respond to multiple requests for comment from The Light.
“I never thought I would be writing this release, as Shawn is a friend and colleague who has been a respected leader on the floor of the chambers for several years,” Choquette wrote. “However, the events which he set in motion this weekend have accelerated beyond his control, and I pray he and his family step back and address them.”
Choquette said the City Council has had to deal with “a gauntlet of reporters, protestors, and national scrutiny” during meetings this week because of Oliver’s arrest.
Oliver, a Republican who suspended his campaign for lieutenant governor at the behest of running mate Michael Minogue the day after the crash, did not respond to a phone call or text message requesting comment. The Light left a message at the offices of John Hendrie, Oliver’s lawyer, requesting comment as well.
As the situation stands, resignation is the only option for Oliver to leave the position before his next election. Even if the remaining members of the City Council were to agree that Oliver should not be on the City Council, there are currently no legal mechanisms in place to remove a sitting councilor.
The City recently passed a measure to enable recall elections that is waiting on approval by the Legislature. Should that pass, any recall effort would need to meet onerous requirements for the number of signatures on a petition required to trigger such an election, as well as a minimum voter turnout for the election to have an effect.
Contact Kevin G. Andrade at kandrade@newbedfordlight.org.
