Six councilors supported the measure, three voted present and one voted against it. The vote is symbolic: a recall is the only way to remove DePeña from office, and organizers are seeking to gather 7,000 signatures within 30 days to advance that effort.

Council President Jeovanny Rodriguez said the council is the only body that can issue a no-confidence vote and called the result the city’s official opinion. The lone councilor voting no said beforehand that voters, rather than the council, should decide whether they have confidence in the mayor.

DePeña was arraigned this month in Essex Superior Court on 14 counts of wiretapping and one count of witness intimidation. He pleaded not guilty and was released on personal recognizance. A status hearing is scheduled for Dec. 9.

The state case centers on a security system installed in the mayor’s office in 2023, according to the Massachusetts attorney general’s office. Prosecutors allege the system recorded audio and video of a conversation between two city employees in March without at least one participant’s knowledge, and that DePeña distributed copies of the recording to 14 people. Prosecutors also allege he violated a witness-intimidation law in August.

DePeña’s attorney, Neil Faigel, has said the mayor did not know how the cameras worked, did not have their passcodes and could not access the recordings.

The mayor also faces federal charges including wire fraud and money laundering. Federal prosecutors have separately alleged that he obtained a pandemic loan and used it to help fund his election campaign and pay high-interest mortgages and personal taxes. DePeña has said he will not resign.

The council’s vote does not determine the criminal cases or remove DePeña from office. The recall campaign is a separate process that would put the question of his tenure before voters if organizers meet the signature requirement.