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Mayor Alex Morse, who is running for U.S. Congress, has not denied the relationships but said that they were all consensual.
City Councilors Linda Vacon and Mike Sullivan said since Morse has admitted to dating students that he should resign as mayor now.
“We have been shocked to learn that our mayor acknowledges that he used his position of power as mayor and candidate for Congress to engage in romantic and sexual activities with naive and innocent teenage college students,” Sullivan said in a statement.
Morse has denied using his power and influence to coerce students.
“I want to be clear that every relationship I’ve had has been consensual,” Morse said in a statement. “However, I also recognize that I have to be cognizant of my position of power. I am committed to meeting with any person or group, including the College Dems, to answer any questions and address any concerns.”
The University of Massachusetts Amherst is investigating claims against Morse made by the campus club College Democrats of Massachusetts. In a letter that was published in the university’s student newspaper, "The Daily Collegian,” club members said Morse used his power as professor and mayor to take advantage of students. The Holyoke City Council is likely to start its own investigation.
The letter from the College Democrats outlined their grievances with Morse and stated that the club would sever any connections to or events with Morse. Mayor Morse is 31-years-old and taught at UMass from 2014 to 2019. He is not a current UMass employee.
“Numerous incidents over the course of several years have shown that it is no longer appropriate to encourage interaction between College Democrats and Alex Mores,” the letter stated according to The Daily Collegian.
The students have three main complaints:
- Morse regularly matched with students on dating apps who were as young as 18 years old;
- Morse used College Democrat events to meet students, add them to his Instagram “Close Friends” story, and DM (direct message) them
- Morse had sexual contact with college and university students while a professor at UMass.
UMass has a policy against professors dating students.
Morse is well known in political circles for being such a young mayor. He was first elected to the job in 2011; he was 22. Morse has also attracted attention for being among the small handful of out, gay mayors in the U.S.
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