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Mayoral aide Kineavy to take leave as e-mail controversy swirls

E-mail|Link|Comments () October 6, 2009 08:46 PM

By Michael Levenson, Globe Staff

The aide at the center of an investigation into thousands of deleted e-mails at Boston City Hall said this evening that he is taking a leave from Mayor Thomas M. Menino's office.

Mayoral aide Michael Kineavy

“I’ve asked the mayor to grant me a leave of absence until we get by this," Michael J. Kineavy said in a brief telephone interview, declining to take questions. "I’ve become a distraction and that isn’t good for the mayor or the city so, until this straightens out, I won’t be a part of city government.”

The unpaid leave by a trusted aide in the throes of the mayor's most contested reelection campaign marks a dramatic and unexpected twist for Menino, who has been dogged by questions over Kineavy’s deletion of city emails and the city’s response to it.

Kineavy, the mayor’s Cabinet chief of policy and planning, is intimately involved in nearly every decision at City Hall, and has been a key political strategist on the mayor’s campaigns since Menino first took office in 1993.

Kineavy’s leave came as the investigation into his deleted emails continued to explode in the mayor's race. Earlier today, Menino's challenger, City Councilor Michael F. Flaherty Jr., renewed his call for an independent investigation, saying he sees a "cover-up and/or obstruction of justice."

Kineavy's leave also came after the Globe today reported that he had requested and been given a new computer days after receiving a public records request from the newspaper for copies of his emails. City officials said they did not initially know that his computer had been replaced because they had been relying on what Kineavy had told them and Kineavy still does not remember getting a new computer.

UPDATE: Menino issued a statement tonight accepting Kineavy's request for a leave. Here is the entire text of the mayor's statement:

Late today Michael Kineavy sought permission to take an unpaid leave of absence from city government and the administration will honor his wishes. It is unfortunate that these things happen during political times but we hope this time will allow Michael to clear his name. I appreciate tremendously Michael’s dedicated service to Boston and this administration. The city will continue to seek out information of any deleted items from within Michael’s computers and will continue to work in cooperation with the Secretary of State’s Office in this effort. In an effort to be transparent in this process the city will continue to move forward with posting retrieved emails online and will continue to update as new information becomes available.

UPDATE: Flaherty also issued a statement tonight. Here is the full text:

For the last three weeks all you have heard from the Menino Administration is a troubling pattern of deceit and contradictions. This isn't about Michael Kineavy. This is about the lack of transparency and honesty throughout the Menino Administration. This is about Mayor Menino and the culture at City Hall. The fish rots from the head down. The citizens of Boston deserve the truth. I am once again calling on Attorney General Martha Coakley to immediately begin a thorough investigation into the wholesale destruction of public records by the Menino Administration. This is a breach of the public trust that must be rectified.