Former Boston City Councilor Chuck Turner Dies At 78

click to expand

BOSTON (CBS) – Former Boston City Councilor Chuck Turner has died. He was 78 years old.

Turner came to Boston to attend Harvard University. He was a community organizer in the South End, advocating for affordable housing and integrated education.

Turner was elected to represent District 7 in 1999. He was popular with constituents and gained a reputation as someone who would fight for those who didn't have a voice.

But he was expelled from the City Council in 2010 after a federal jury found him guilty of taking a bribe to push a Roxbury nightclub's liquor license forward and lying to federal agents. He spent 28 months in prison.

On Thursday, Turner was being remembered more for his work helping Boston communities.

"Councilor Turner was a staunch advocate for the people of Boston, who over the course of his lifetime helped bring about so much good for our city," Mayor Marty Walsh tweeted. "Boston has a heavy heart today with the news of his passing."