We’re out

Meeting adjourned, much earlier than we anticipated.
We’ll be back tomorrow.
9:44

Subcommittee priorities

Councilor Clancy wants all the subcommittees to discuss and report on the respective top two or three priorities in the coming term, and report back to the council in April.
7:35

More on the charter

“The one thing I have learned is city councils should stay out of charters,” says Councilor Bill Eddy, who signed on to the item. He’s got some background in the issue, having been involved in charter review issues back in 1983.
“Charters should be looked at by…a charter commission.”
“I’ll only support this if it goes [...]

Charter Review?

The big item tonight: Why are Gary Rosen and colleagues bringing up a charter review process?
“You shouldn’t draw any conclusions,” from who and who did not sign on, Rosen says.
He says he is raising the issue of charter review after a number of conversations he has heard and been a part of over the past [...]

An excuse to use BREAST in a headline

Rick Rushton wants the city to allow breastfeeding in public; he says it’s important, independent from the state effort to do the same.
(By the way, if you have never listened to Rick Rushton espouse the health benefits of breastfeeding…you haven’t lived.)
8:29

Next: Outsourcing Worcester call centers

Kate Toomey is reaalllllly annoyed at calling city departments and getting a machine as their “first line of defense.”
“We are a service provider.  We are responsible and answerable to the public and it’s important for us to bring government to a point where we are responsive to the public.”
“Wherever possible…put real people at the end [...]

WOW

The entire Economic Development report was just referred with no comment.  Just think about that: 11 councilors chose not to talk on the broad item that can take up to two hours every month while they discuss every major project at once.
That’s the equivalent of…ahh, hell.  We can’t think of a good comparison, but it [...]

More on asphalt

Interesting turn of phrase by Councilor Palmieri in response to the 50% Pagano Plan. “We voted education over asphalt,” Palmieri says he told Pagano. He also acknowledges that while there may not be class warfare, the concept would benefit Councilor Smith’s district more than Palmieri’s or Haller’s.
Let’s remember something here: The idea [...]

The 50% plan

The council just asked for a report from the City Manager on the feasibility of Joe Pagano’s so-called 50% plan—the idea that residents could pay to fix or install sidewalks near their homes, and receive a tax rebate equal to a 50% reimbursement.
Councilor Germain tried to allay fears that it would become a “class warfare” [...]

Bureau responds

The Research Bureau’s report is really getting a lot of juice.  Union shops are banging away, and now Bureau Head Roberta Schaefer is responding to criticism from the city councilors.
“We are not anti-union, we are not anti-anything.  We are PRO WORCESTER.”
“Above all…officials need to consider responsibility…
“Every Worcester taxpayer suffers from the burden of artificially inflated [...]