After Toner Identified as Suspected Brothel Client, City Council Splits Over His Next Steps

A Cambridge clerk magistrate found probable cause to advance charges against City Councilor Paul F. Toner for allegedly patronizing a high-end brothel run out of Cambridge — making him the first elected official in Cambridge to publicly face criminal charges in more than a decade.

Now, his future on the Council lies in limbo. Enmeshed in scandal, Toner has stayed quiet — issuing little more than a two-sentence apology shortly after his name was made public Friday — as his fellow councilors fracture over how to respond.

Though Friday’s hearing charged Toner with a crime, he has yet to be arraigned or go to trial.

The fallout from the hearing quickly rippled across the Cambridge political scene. Within hours, one of Toner’s colleagues on the council had already called for his resignation.

“Given the effect the allegations will have on his ability to carry out his responsibilities and the impact the charges will have on the City Council as a whole, it is in the interest of the body and the public that he resign,” Councilor Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler wrote in a statement.

Sobrinho-Wheeler added a call for Mayor E. Denise Simmons to strip Toner of his six committee chairships “to ensure that the Council’s work is not obstructed.”

A spokesperson for Simmons did not respond to a request for comment Friday night — but in a statement earlier that day, Simmons instead pushed for a “presumption of innocence as the legal proceedings unfold” and indicated that she had no plans to take immediate action.

“Allegations of this nature can raise serious concerns,” Simmons wrote in a Friday afternoon statement just hours after charges were filed against Toner, but added that “it is essential that we respect due process.”

“I will continue to monitor the situation closely and will have no further comment on this matter at this time,” she added.

Others quickly adopted a more pointed tone: in a joint statement Friday afternoon, Councilors Burhan Azeem, Sumbul Siddiqui, Sobrinho-Wheeler, and Patricia M. “Patty” Nolan ’80 urged Toner to “consider the impact” of his actions.

“If convicted, his actions would not simply be a lapse in judgment of a private individual but a crime and a violation of the trust placed in him by the public,” the three wrote.

“Illegal prostitution is inherently exploitative and is not a victimless crime. We stand with those hurt by exploitation,” they added. While Sobrinho-Wheeler called for Toner’s resignation separately, Azeem, Siddiqui, and Nolan stopped short of doing so.

Vice Mayor Marc C. McGovern, in a Friday night statement, also called the charge against Toner “deeply concerning.”

“Participation in the illegal sex trade is not merely a lapse in judgment. It fuels an industry that exploits and harms women,” McGovern wrote. “As this case advances, the Council, and more specifically, Councillor Toner, will need to make decisions on how to move forward.”

Ayesha M. Wilson was the only councilor to not issue a statement on Toner’s criminal charge.

But Councilor Catherine “Cathie” Zusy handed Toner a lifeline, calling for him to stay in office.

“He’s smart, conscientious, hardworking and fair and brings a thoughtful, balanced approach, legal understanding, and a deep knowledge of Cambridge to every issue we consider,” Zusy wrote in a statement.

“He did something really stupid. No, I don’t think he should resign from the Council. We need him,” she added.

The absence of a unified call from Toner’s colleagues for his resignation may let the embattled two-term councilor hang onto his seat as he weathers a political scandal of historic proportions.

But his future still remains uncertain: Cambridge voters will head to the polls this November, and Toner — like the rest of the City Council — is up for reelection.

Toner has given no indication of whether he intends to run again this year, and did not respond when asked Friday night if he intends to do so.

—Staff writer Matan H. Josephy can be reached matan.josephy@thecrimson.com. Follow him on X @matanjosephy.

—Staff writer Laurel M. Shugart can be reached at laurel.shugart@thecrimson.com. Follow them on X @laurelmshugart.