Mayor Needs To Get Out Of The Weeds
by Bill Gouveia for the Sun Chronicle
The most recent issue to pop up on the Attleboro political scene perfectly highlights the main problem plaguing city government since the change in administrations about a year ago: Too much time spent in the weeds.
City Council Vice President Heather Porreca was recently contacted by constituents with concerns about the spraying of herbicides along public roads by city workers. The veteran councilor responded by calling the state for more information. When told what was being done was improper, she went to Mayor Paul Heroux with the problem.
It turns out the city had unintentionally been doing things incorrectly in this area for many years. When brought to officials' attention, they set about complying with all state requirements. A representative from the DAR (Department of Agricultural Resources) said it is not unusual for municipalities to be unaware of the regulations.
The story might well have ended there had Mayor Heroux simply issued a statement along the lines of: “We thank Councilor Porreca for bringing this to our attention. We are now in the process of fully complying with all rules in this regard. We look forward to working cooperatively like this with the city council in the future.”
But he didn’t. Instead, he took an antagonistic tone and -- in what has become a disturbing pattern -- made the situation more about himself than his city.
In an email to the Sun Chronicle, Mayor Heroux wrote, “Rather than allowing me to manage this issue and take the appropriate steps to make everything right, I’m very disappointed that someone decided to tip off the state.” He went on to add, without ever naming Porreca, “There really was no need to run to the state or the newspaper with this issue. It just goes to show you how petty political opponents can be.”
The mayor is absolutely right about this being a case of political pettiness. Unfortunately, he is the source, not the victim.
The city was doing something incorrectly. It was apparently happening long before either Heroux or Porreca were in government. Now it is fixed, the citizenry is better protected and served, and there are other important issues to be addressed.
“Tip off” the state”? Is Heroux seriously suggesting the accidental violations should have been hidden from state regulators? Is his primary concern addressing the immediate problem, or making sure blame for it can be deflected away from himself and his administration?
This is not the first time the mayor has appeared to overreact to criticism, real or perceived. His personal political sensitivity meter seems to be set very low. While politics is always a possibility, the truth is -- it’s just not always about him.
A city councilor responded to concerns expressed by a constituent. This is an independently elected official, not a department head appointed by and directly responsible to the mayor. She went to the appropriate state agency, confirmed the situation, then brought it to the mayor’s attention. She did her job, and it is hard to see any malice towards the mayor or city government in her actions.
Mayor Heroux needs to dial down his political sensitivity and not get caught up in the weeds -- political or otherwise.
Bill Gouveia is a local columnist and longtime local official. He can be emailed at billsinsidelook@gmail.com and followed on Twitter at @Billinsidelook.
Mayor Needs To Get Out Of The Weeds
by Bill Gouveia for the Sun Chronicle
The most recent issue to pop up on the Attleboro political scene perfectly highlights the main problem plaguing city government since the change in administrations about a year ago: Too much time spent in the weeds.
The most recent issue to pop up on the Attleboro political scene perfectly highlights the main problem plaguing city government since the change in administrations about a year ago: Too much time spent in the weeds.
City Council Vice President Heather Porreca was recently contacted by constituents with concerns about the spraying of herbicides along public roads by city workers. The veteran councilor responded by calling the state for more information. When told what was being done was improper, she went to Mayor Paul Heroux with the problem.
It turns out the city had unintentionally been doing things incorrectly in this area for many years. When brought to officials' attention, they set about complying with all state requirements. A representative from the DAR (Department of Agricultural Resources) said it is not unusual for municipalities to be unaware of the regulations.
The story might well have ended there had Mayor Heroux simply issued a statement along the lines of: “We thank Councilor Porreca for bringing this to our attention. We are now in the process of fully complying with all rules in this regard. We look forward to working cooperatively like this with the city council in the future.”
But he didn’t. Instead, he took an antagonistic tone and -- in what has become a disturbing pattern -- made the situation more about himself than his city.
In an email to the Sun Chronicle, Mayor Heroux wrote, “Rather than allowing me to manage this issue and take the appropriate steps to make everything right, I’m very disappointed that someone decided to tip off the state.” He went on to add, without ever naming Porreca, “There really was no need to run to the state or the newspaper with this issue. It just goes to show you how petty political opponents can be.”
The mayor is absolutely right about this being a case of political pettiness. Unfortunately, he is the source, not the victim.
The city was doing something incorrectly. It was apparently happening long before either Heroux or Porreca were in government. Now it is fixed, the citizenry is better protected and served, and there are other important issues to be addressed.
“Tip off” the state”? Is Heroux seriously suggesting the accidental violations should have been hidden from state regulators? Is his primary concern addressing the immediate problem, or making sure blame for it can be deflected away from himself and his administration?
This is not the first time the mayor has appeared to overreact to criticism, real or perceived. His personal political sensitivity meter seems to be set very low. While politics is always a possibility, the truth is -- it’s just not always about him.
A city councilor responded to concerns expressed by a constituent. This is an independently elected official, not a department head appointed by and directly responsible to the mayor. She went to the appropriate state agency, confirmed the situation, then brought it to the mayor’s attention. She did her job, and it is hard to see any malice towards the mayor or city government in her actions.
Mayor Heroux needs to dial down his political sensitivity and not get caught up in the weeds -- political or otherwise.
Bill Gouveia is a local columnist and longtime local official. He can be emailed at billsinsidelook@gmail.com and followed on Twitter at @Billinsidelook.
