Wu dragged into court after staffer says she was sacrificed for top aide

Wednesday, September 17, 2025
7 min read
MDN Staff
Wu dragged into court after staffer says she was sacrificed for top aide

Khudaynazar says her firing was about politics, not misconduct

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BOSTON — Scandal, lawsuits, and double standards: Mayor Michelle Wu’s City Hall is turning into a circus.

Former staffer Marwa Khudaynazar just detonated a lawsuit against Wu, the City of Boston, and even a police officer — charging that she was tossed out of her job to shield Wu’s golden boy, economic chief Segun Idowu.

Khudaynazar, once chief of staff at the Office of Police Accountability and Transparency, was arrested in May. Wu didn’t just can Khudaynazar. She also dumped Chulan Huang, the administration’s Chinatown liaison and a familiar face in the neighborhood circuit. Within five days, both were history.

Out in days: Former City Hall staffers Marwa Khudaynazar and Chulan Huang were arrested in May and fired within five days, a swift downfall that Marwa now says was less about the incident and more about City Hall politics.
Out in days: Former City Hall staffers Marwa Khudaynazar and Chulan Huang were arrested in May and fired within five days, a swift downfall that Marwa now says was less about the incident and more about City Hall politics.

But the lawsuit says the real story isn’t about a messy arrest — it’s about power. Khudaynazar claims she accused Idowu of making unwanted advances that night, and that Wu’s City Hall moved swiftly to bury the problem by cutting her loose while circling the wagons around him.

Idowu, Wu’s handpicked “economic opportunity” chief, was later investigated by an outside law firm and cleared of violating city policies. He denies it all. But the optics are poison: Wu protected her economic czar while the accuser and her partner were tossed aside like trash.

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And City Hall’s track record makes the stink even worse. Back in April, another Wu appointee, Daunasia Yancey, was arrested after allegedly slamming a woman against a wall. She faced a felony assault charge that was later continued without a finding, sparing her a conviction. She lingered on paid leave for weeks, later shifted to unpaid leave — but never fired.

City Hall staffer Daunasia Yancey was arrested in April after allegedly slamming a woman against a wall. Her felony charge was later continued without a finding, but unlike others she was never fired — remaining on leave months after the incident.
City Hall staffer Daunasia Yancey was arrested in April after allegedly slamming a woman against a wall. Her felony charge was later continued without a finding, but unlike others she was never fired — remaining on leave months after the incident.
Under fire: Boston’s economic development chief Segun Idowu has been accused in a new lawsuit of sparking the downfall of a City Hall aide. Cleared by an outside probe but shielded by Mayor Wu, he remains in power even as Boston’s economy sputters.
Under fire: Boston’s economic development chief Segun Idowu has been accused in a new lawsuit of sparking the downfall of a City Hall aide. Cleared by an outside probe but shielded by Mayor Wu, he remains in power even as Boston’s economy sputters.

So let’s spell it out: two staffers were axed in days. Another aide arrested for violent assault? Still on the city’s payroll. What’s the difference? The ones canned threatened Wu’s inner circle.

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And at the center sits Idowu — not a savior of Boston’s economy, but its undertaker. Under Wu and Idowu, small businesses are closing, rents are punishing families, and Boston’s recovery limps behind rival cities. Instead of fixing it, Wu clings to Idowu like a political shield, terrified of admitting that her economic agenda is a flop.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Justice is already suing Wu and the city for blocking federal immigration enforcement. Add Marwa’s lawsuit to the pile, and Wu’s administration looks less like a government and more like a courtroom sideshow.

Wu promised reform. What Boston got is an economy in decline, staffers arrested, lawsuits flying, and a mayor who protects her insiders while throwing everyone else to the wolves.

Mayor Michelle Wu is facing a lawsuit from a former aide who says she was fired to protect a top official, even as other City Hall staffers arrested on serious charges were allowed to stay on the payroll.
Mayor Michelle Wu is facing a lawsuit from a former aide who says she was fired to protect a top official, even as other City Hall staffers arrested on serious charges were allowed to stay on the payroll.

One scandal after another, one cover-up after another — it’s the Wu way. And the people of Boston are the ones paying for it.

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