Marty Walsh Is 'Absolutely Going to Run Again'

Boston, MA - Boston Mayor Marty Walsh dismissed the critics Wednesday, saying he fully intends to run for a second term despite the indictment of his administration's tourism chief on extortion charges earlier this month.

Kenneth Brissette, Director of the Office of Tourism, Sports and Entertainment under Walsh's administration, is accused by the U.S. Attorney's Office of using his position to pressure companies on behalf of local unions in connection with the Boston Calling music festival.

• Follow Boston Patch on Facebook for the latest local news

Depending which quarter you're hearing from, the charges represent either a phony crusade on the part of the justice department, or an ever-tightening circle that will inevitably implicate Walsh himself, or at the very least kill his second-term reelection bid.

To those who believe the case endangers his future political prospects, Walsh was defiant Wednesday.

"I'm absolutely going to run again," Walsh said during WGBH Public Radio's recurring "Ask the Mayor" segment. "There's no question about it."

• Walsh Tourism Chief Released on $25K Bond in Extortion Case
• City Official Arrested, Charged with Union-Related Extortion: Update
• Read the Mayor's Initial Statement on Brissette Arrest

As Brissette's case unfolds, Walsh said he's continued "full force as mayor."

"Me, as Mayor of Boston, I'm not running away from anything," he said. "I don't have time to go into a shell and kind of hide. That's not my style."

The Brissette indictment cited another administration staffer involved in the alleged pressuring of Boston Calling music festival officials in 2014. Walsh told WGBH interviewers his office is not trying to track down the alleged second offender.

Brissette, for his part, has been placed on paid administrative leave. He has pleaded not guilty, and was released the same day of his arrest on a $25,000 bond.

"I look forward to my ultimate vindication in the United States District Court," Brissette said in a statement at the time.

>> Photo via Facebook