Boston Zoning Board Of Appeal Member Resigns Amid Corruption Investigation

A member of Boston's Zoning Board of Appeal (ZBA) is leaving amid a corruption investigation.

Craig Galvin, 50, has resigned, according to a spokeswoman for Mayor Marty Walsh's office. The Boston Globe reports he voted in support of a development project at the center of an alleged scandal involving a former city employee who last week agreed to plead guilty to bribery charges.

John Lynch, 66, was the assistant director of the city's Economic Development Industrial Corporation — a division of the Boston Planning and Development Agency — in 2017 when he allegedly accepted $50,000 in bribes to help an unnamed developer get a favorable vote. U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling's office said in a statement that Lynch helped influence the vote of a ZBA member. The planning agency and ZBA work closely together.

Galvin, who is also a Dorchester realtor, sent a letter to the ZBA's chairwoman over the weekend informing her that he would be stepping down, the Globe reports. He did not give a reason for the resignation.

The mayor has asked Boston-based law firm Sullivan & Worcester to conduct an independent review of the ZBA's processes. At the same time, Attorney Brian Kelly has also been retained by the city to interview each member of the ZBA, including Galvin.

"It continues to be a top priority to get to the bottom of what happened here," a spokeswoman for Walsh's office said in a statement. "We anticipate having our questions answered through Attorney Brian Kelly’s review, and Mayor Walsh is taking the action needed until we know more.”