Two Holyoke councilors call for Mayor Alex Morse to resign amid UMass investigation into alleged ‘inappropriate behavior’
Two Holyoke city councilors are calling for Mayor Alex Morse to resign as UMass Amherst investigates allegations of “inappropriate behavior” leveled against the former adjunct instructor by three college Democrat student groups.
Councilors Michael Sullivan and Linda Vacon are demanding the four-term mayor step down as the city’s chief while pushing for an additional probe at the local level.
“I am in full support of the University’s decision to launch a full scale investigation of Mayor Morse’s behavior,” Sullivan wrote in an email Sunday. “Separately, I will be working with members of our City Council to begin our own investigation into any violations of municipal statutes, ordinances, or policies.”
Vacon told the Herald in an email Saturday “there needs to be a further and broader investigation into these allegations.”
Morse’s campaign again declined to issue a statement Sunday. He previously said all his relationships were “consensual.”
College Democrats of Massachusetts, UMass Amherst Democrats and Amherst College Democrats issued a joint email to Morse Thursday telling the 31-year-old he was “no longer welcome” at their events after acting in ways that “made young college students uncomfortable.”
Morse, the first openly gay mayor of Holyoke, last taught a course in urban government and politics at UMass Amherst in fall 2019. The university is reviewing Morse’s behavior for any violations of school policy and Title IX law, saying in a statement that “dating or sexual relationships between faculty and students or post-docs are inherently problematic.” Morse’s profile page on the school’s website had been removed Sunday.
College Democrats of Massachusetts doubled down on their claims in a new statement Sunday saying they wrote the letter “at the direct request” of those “affected by Mayor Morse’s behavior” and that Morse “did not deny any of our allegations” in his initial response.
Morse’s stature in the community “makes the task of refusing his advances fraught for college students who wish to enter progressive politics themselves,” the statement posted to Twitter Sunday reads.
It also knocks the idea that sending the letter was a “quid pro quo” deal with the campaign of U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, whom Morse is running to unseat.
In a statement to the Massachusetts Daily Collegian and Politico on Friday, Morse said “every relationship I’ve had has been consensual. However, I also recognize that I have to be cognizant of my position of power” and offered an apology to “anyone I have made feel uncomfortable.”
The allegations could lead to wider political fallout for the Justice Democrats-backed congressional hopeful who has been racking up endorsements from major national activist groups. Several organizations supporting Morse have not responded to a request for comment from the Herald.
College Democrats of Rhode Island and Brown College Democrats issued a statement saying they would no longer publicize events with the Morse campaign. Western New England University law professor Jennifer Taub tweeted, “I am withdrawing my support for Alex Morse.”
from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/2Ce68Sz
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