LAWRENCE — Former Planning and Development Director Awilda Pimentel is suing the city, Mayor Brian DePena and his chief of staff for harassment and retaliation in part for not supporting DePena politically when he ran for reelection in 2025.
The civil suit filed last week in Essex Superior Court alleges Pimentel was “wrongfully terminated” and retaliated against for refusing to support an unqualified candidate for a city job and not attending DePena political events on her own time.
She also alleges retaliation for continuing to work with the Lawrence Police Department on grant-funded programs when Chief of Staff William Castro didn’t want her to.
“You better stop right now and do whatever the mayor says or you will not be in that position anymore,” Castro allegedly told Pimentel according to the lawsuit.
According to the suit, Pimentel said she complained on numerous occasions to DePena about Castro’s treatment of her and asked not to meet with him alone. DePena said he’d stop it “but the abuse continued unabatedly.”
Pimentel also said she was removed from DePena’s private group chat because she would not drop harassment claims against Castro, according to the lawsuit by Andover attorney Paul Klehm.
Pimentel has 25 years experience working in public service. During three years as a Lawrence planning department employee, she brought in about $15 million in grant money for city projects, according to the lawsuit.
As the city’s planning and development director, Pimentel was earning $190,000. Her contract was not renewed in December 2025. In January, Santias Matias, a political supporter of DePena, was appointed acting planning and development director with a salary of $120,000.
DePena won reelection to his second term in November 2025 defeating challenger Juan “Manny” Gonzalez.
Castro was previously acting Lawrence police chief. However, he was stripped of his policing credentials by the state after he was involved in a high-speed chase in February 2025.
He returned to his previous position as DePena’s chief of staff after his policing credentials were suspended, which he is appealing to the state’s Peace Officers Standard and Training Commission, or POST.
As chief of staff, Castro was ordered by the city not to have any contact with the Lawrence Police Department.
Pimentel said she was asked by DePena to support Charlene Pascual, a planning department employee whose father is close friend of the mayor’s. However, Pimentel said she could not support her as she had “misrepresented” her education and experience on her job application, according to the lawsuit.
Pimental said DePena, Castro and Octavien Spanner, DePena’s senior adviser, demanded she speak in favor of Pascual as community development director when she went before the City Council. But Pimentel said she refused and Pascual later withdrew her interest in the job.
Also, from July 2025 to November 2025 DePena criticized Pimentel for not participating in his political events during off work hours.
In the lawsuit, Pimentel said she suffered work stress, migraines and anxiety, emotional distress, missed work and was placed on medications. She had trouble focusing and sleeping, lost her healthcare and benefits, incurred legal fees and suffered harm to her reputation.
Neither the mayor nor the city attorney responded to messages seeking comment for this story.
Follow staff reporter Jill Harmacinski on Twitter/X @EagleTribJill and on Threads at jillyharma.