Framingham Democrats were asked to reconsider Mike Hugo as chair. What they decided

FRAMINGHAM — A motion that would have created the possibility of removing Michael Hugo as chair of the Framingham Democratic Committee, in the wake of his heavily criticized remarks during a recent City Council meeting, failed to garner enough votes from the panel.

The motion was made by committee member John Stefanini, who also represents District 8 on the City Council, during Sunday’s regular business meeting. It was seconded by Priscila Sousa, a School Committee member and state representative.

Stefanini proposed to place an item on the next committee meeting’s agenda to discuss potentially vacating Hugo as chair. But the motion failed, with 16 Framingham Democratic Committee members voting in opposition, and just 11 in support. One member abstained.

Stefanini

The committee did overwhelmingly support a separate motion that called for its membership to endorse a statement previously released by the FDC Executive Committee repudiating Hugo’s remarks.

Stefanini told the Daily News on Monday night that the position of FDC chair is important and public-facing, and that people need to trust the person in that role, something he feels Hugo has lost.

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“There has been a pattern of unhelpful behavior to Democratic interests, manifesting most recently in the form of his written and verbal statements, which were repugnant to anybody who heard them,” Stefanini said. “It’s important to us as a party to have leadership that we trust. We as a group need to be able to advance our interests by pulling Democrats together and not pulling them apart.”

Hugo, who has served as FDC chair since 2020, was criticized by fellow Democrats following comments he made during a City Council meeting on Feb. 7. Saying that he was speaking on behalf of the FDC in regards to a proposed citywide proclamation against crisis pregnancy centers, Hugo said the centers have been accused of offering inaccurate medical advice to expectant mothers in regards to the health of their child, which could lead to Framingham being financially responsible for educating children with severe disabilities.

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Hugo

“Our fear is that if an unqualified stenographer misdiagnoses a heart defect, an organ defect, spina bifida or encephalopathic defect, that becomes a very local issue, because our school budget would have to absorb the cost of the child in our special education budget,” Hugo said during a public comment portion of the Feb. 7 meeting.

FDC reacts to comments

Those comments drew immediate backlash. Fellow Democratic Committee members Pat Dunne and Cheryl Tully-Stoll each condemned them later that same night. And the FDC Executive Committee called an emergency meeting, which was held Feb. 16, and released a statement about Hugo’s comments the following day.

“The Chair’s remarks were harmful, misleading, and wrong,” the FDC stated. “They did not accurately reflect the vote of the full Framingham Democratic Committee and we fully disavow and denounce them. We are deeply sorry to all for these remarks and have put in place processes to avoid future occurrences.”

Hugo issued a public apology, also on Feb. 17, to the committee and “more especially my fellow members of Framingham’s disability family community.”

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“Nothing in my comments was meant to be derogatory or hurtful, and although the Framingham Democratic Committee authorized me to express support for the proclamation, the committee did not see or review my full remarks that were sent out at 12:46 a.m. the night before the City Council vote,” he said. “Unfortunately, my remarks were poorly drafted, hastily put together and as a result, they did not accurately reflect the meaning of what I was trying to say.”

Stefanini said he didn’t think Hugo’s apology was sufficient enough to cover the damage of his original comments, and that the comments were grounds for removal.

“I didn’t hear him in any of his remarks disavow his words,” the city councilor said. “If you listen to his apology, he said, ‘I’m sorry for my remarks which I know hurt people…’ His comments were filled with that he didn’t have enough time to speak, I didn’t hear a clear repudiation of the words in a remorseful apology for the words themselves. I don’t think his comments are grounds for removal from the committee, but you need to have a higher standard for the person who is the presiding officer over conversation.”

Hugo grateful for support

The Framingham Democratic Committee chair is elected by committee members. The position runs in two-year terms, with Hugo being first elected in 2020 and reelected in 2022. His current term expires in April 2024, and Hugo said there is an informal rule to limit each chair’s tenure to two terms.

After Sunday’s vote, Hugo issued a public statement saying he is grateful that his fellow committee members voted to support him as chair.

“On Sunday night, the Framingham Democratic Committee heeded the call for furthering our commitment to the common good,” he said. “As caring Democrats, we seek to promote racial, ethnic, social, and economic equality for the people of Framingham, our Commonwealth, and our nation. The evening featured a robust discussion and a heartfelt debate, for which I am grateful. I am thankful for our committee’s understanding and empathy. Our Democratic Committee is dedicated to caring and advocating for the disenfranchised, marginalized, victimized, and oppressed. We unite under democratic principles which are at the core of our work and our values.”

Hugo told the Daily News on Tuesday that he hopes the vote will allow the FDC to put the situation behind it.

“We have some incredibly important races coming up in the next cycle, in 2024, and we need to focus our attention on what our mission is, which is to speak to those who are afraid to speak, to advocate for people who are among at-risk populations and make sure our values are represented on election day,” he said.

“We need to move beyond this issue.”

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Motion to reconsider Mike Hugo as Framingham Democratic chair fails