Shaun Sutner: Strong Mayor On The Fast Track

 

Long simmering, a movement to scrap Worcester’s city manager form of government and install a “strong mayor” system has burst out of the shadows and is openly being touted by well-known civic and neighborhood activists and political opinion shapers.

In an interview with the Worcester Herald, former longtime city councilor and St. Vincent Hospital executive Dennis Irish, who is among those at the forefront of the charge, said the time is right because City Manager Ed Augustus is on his way out in the fall.

“Everybody I talk to is talking about it. Up until now it hasn’t been talked about in public. It should be dragged into the light,” Irish, a pro-business Democrat, said.  “We’re in a good position where’s there’s no incumbent city manager who would have to be thrown out.   “We need a strong mayor because now the focus and emphasis is on downtown and the neighborhoods are suffering,” Irish continued.

In addition to Worcester, Cambridge and Lowell are the only other cities in the state with a city manager.   Attempts to replace the Plan E form of government here, under which the city is run by an appointed professional city manager under the policy direction of the City Council with a popularly elected, largely ceremonial, mayor, have failed over the years.  These have involved a laborious, multi-year process including a petition with 15 percent of registered voters, a charter commission, many public hearings and finally a popular vote.

But there is another, much faster, way to do charter change.  That is by a council home petition, under which the council would vote to put the proposal to the public, the Legislature approves it, and the people vote.   Sentiment on the council was growing last year amid talk of the departure of former City Manager Michael O’Brien to do just that. But after a few incumbents were voted out and O’Brien left, that move fell apart.

It is unclear whether there is appetite on the council to do it now, though Mayor Joe Petty, a potential top candidate for strong mayor someday, is thought to favor it.  Interestingly, former mayor Tim Murray, now CEO of the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce, said recently that a strong mayor initiative would be a “distraction.”

But Murray himself, a former lieutenant governor, could never be ruled out as a nearly unbeatable candidate for a newly reconstituted mayor’s post, with all the power and high six-figure salary the job would command.   Other names that have been bandied about for the job are former mayors Jordan Levy and Ray Mariano, City Councilor Sarai Rivera, and former state rep Kevin O’Sullivan, now a biotech group executive. Even   Mike O’Brien could not be ruled out.

“There would be a host of good people would come out,” Irish said.
Irish is pushing for a quick timetable.   He said he’d like the council to move on this at its last meeting in July before the council goes on recess in August.  That would give state lawmakers time to vote on it by fall, and possibly put the measure before city voters in what is expected to be high-turnout state election in November.
“One of my frustrations with Plan E is that people aren’t engaged in civic life. When 14 percent is considered good turnout in an election, that’s terrible,” Irish said.   “We’ve got a bastardized form of government, with a popularly elected mayor but no one in charge.   Everyone is in charge.”

Among other notable local players supporting a move to strong mayor are lawyer and power broker Mike Angelini; former city councilors Paul Clancy and Juan Gomez (one of the few Republicans involved in the effort); frequent candidate for local office Bill Coleman; magazine publisher and Democratic strategist Paul Giorgio, Main South CDC leader Steve Teasdale; and Democratic operative and former Worcester State University trustees chairman John Brissette.

See a recent string on Giorgio’s Facebook page, with O’Brien’s former top aide Christina Andreoli, now vice president of the chamber under Tim Murray, notably dissenting from the strong mayor sentiment.

 

One knock against strong mayor and for the city manager format is that Worcester – unlike some cities whose strong mayors have been convicted of corruption and sent to prison such as Providence, Hartford and Waterbury, Connecticut – has been largely free of political corruption.

Irish responded that many cities with strong mayors have been free of scandal. Boston, under former mayor Tom Menino is a prime example. “I trust the people to make the right decision,” he said.

Contact Shaun Sutner by email and follow me on Twitter.

 

Worcester Supports Strong Mayor on Facebook created April 17, 2014

Colombia South Carolina recently voted to change to Strong Mayor but lost this past December.