The mayor, who plans to run for a second term next year, said he had put together a committee to look at the procedures of the tourism office and denied that the indictment besmirched City Hall.
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Kenneth Brissette, Boston’s chief of tourism, was the only city employee charged Thursday with extortion for allegedly pressuring the producers of a biannual music festival to hire union labor.
The music festival ultimately did enter into a contract with Local 11 for eight laborers and one foreman. In a closely related claim, Brissette was allegedly involved in pressuring a non-union production company filming reality show Top Chef in Boston to hire union workers in the summer of 2014. The company told Brissette that it had already entered into a contract with a non-union company and hired all of its labor. Brissette has since been released on a $25,000 bond and will appear again in court on July 12, according to local news reports.
Brissette, 52, was indicted Tuesday in connection with extorting an arts productions company.
According to the U.S. District Attorney, Brissette and at least one other city official repeatedly told the music festival company that it would need to hire members of International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local 11 to work at the festival.
According to a press release from the USA attorney, the production company – which was not named because it is considered a victim – “had already contracted with a non-union company to provide workers for a September 2014 festival” when the alleged extortion occurred.
A Walsh spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In a statement released by his attorney, Brissette said he intends to fight what he called “false charges”. The necessary permits were not granted to the festival until afterward.
Last year, five Teamsters were charged with extortion in the “Top Chef” case.
In a statement, Christopher Welling, president of the IATSE Local 11, said it has “fully cooperated with the inquiry surrounding the Boston Calling music festival [and they] are unaware of any alleged illegal activity that may have been committed by any Boston city official”.
“I am deeply concerned about today’s news”, said Mayor Walsh in a statement.
“Everyone who knows Ken knows him to be a good and hardworking person”, Walsh said.
“That’s in the hands of the United States attorney now, we are going to work cooperatively with them”, Walsh said, referring to the city worker cited in Thursday’s eight-page federal indictment.
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Walsh introduced Brissette as his administration’s director of tourism and special events back in 2014 at one of the year’s premier fund-raising and social events in Boston’s gay community. “In my administration, I tell everyone to be honest and upfront and very open”, Walsh told reporters.
