Lawrence City Council votes no confidence in Mayor Brian DePeña

The Lawrence City Council has passed a no-confidence resolution against Mayor Brian DePeña following a series of state and federal criminal charges. The vote, which saw five councilors in favor and one opposed, serves as a formal political statement, as the council lacks the legal authority to remove him from office.

DePeña faces 15 state charges, including 14 counts of distribution of a wiretapped communication and one count of witness intimidation. Prosecutors allege he used a private security system to secretly record city employees and distributed those recordings. Additionally, he faces federal indictments for pandemic loan fraud involving the alleged misuse of over $1.5 million, as well as money laundering.

Despite the legal proceedings and growing calls for a recall election, DePeña has refused to resign and intends to continue serving his term. He is scheduled to return to state court in December.