The Reformation

You can hardly get a cup of coffee in this town without running into someone who wants to talk about the political event of the decade. Come January, we'll swear in a new strong mayor, and it will be Ray Mariano.

by Joe O'Brien

Tom Hoover sure is having a bad month. First the city council bludgeoned him for his efforts to reduce city spending by cutting the next class of firefighter recruits. Then on Sunday he woke up to find a powerful group of civic leaders calling for the elimination of his job. In an open letter in a recent Sunday Worcester Telegram, three of the city's business elite, John Nelson, Michael Angelini, and P. Kevin Condron, announced a push to restore "accountability" in local government by overthrowing the city charter. Their bottom line: a strong mayor form of government. Though talk of such a move has been uttered for more than a decade, this time the proponents have put together an all-star team of business, civic, and political leaders. And they have the power to make this dramatic change happen.

Poor Tom Hoover. The clock could run out on the city's Plan E form of government -- and real soon. To say that a panic has broken out at City Hall is an understatement. Department heads who stand to be replaced after a mayor with all kinds of new authority is elected must be cranking out their résumés. And that's because, though you may think this change will happen slowly, most political insiders believe that come November, Worcester will be electing its first strong mayor -- and it will be Ray Mariano.

In order to understand how things have changed so quickly, we must first review some history. In 1950, the city's business leaders convinced voters to change to the "Plan E" form of government, eliminating the mayor's position and replacing it with a city manager -- responsible for day-to-day city affairs -- and appointed by a newly formed, 11-member elected city council.

Everything hummed along until 1987, when voters revised the city charter, leaving the city manager's position alone, but allowing for the direct election of a mayor (the mayor had been chosen by city council) and modifying the council with five out of the 11 councilors being elected by district. The mayor's role was conceived to be "weak" -- in charge of city council meetings and the ceremonial head of state. It's a sharp contrast to the "strong mayors" that exist in Boston and Providence, politicians who serve as chief executive, hand-picking department heads, conducting government affairs.

But a strong mayor is something that local voters have definitely flirted with. In 1991, such an attempt was launched and voters approved a non-binding referendum that instructed the city council to replace the city manager with an elected strong mayor. But fearful councilors watered down the proposal to the point where voters ultimately rejected it in 1992.

Lots of people thought the failed 1992 referendum would end discussion about a strong mayor, but it appears to have simply postponed it. For more than a decade there has been growing frustration by business leaders with City Hall. More recently it's focused on the continued power struggles of city council and City Manager Hoover .

But most people knew that it wouldn't be until the local business community got behind it, that Worcester could at last change city government. That's why the Sunday op-ed piece, drafted by influential business leaders, was a telling sign that Plan E is on its way out.

We "felt that this is an idea whose time has come and that we need to restore accountability to city government," says Kevin Condron, president and chief executive of the Granite Group, a local plumbing-supply business. He's also chairman of the Worcester Business Development Corporation.

Condron says that part of the strategy was to create a "broad based" coalition to get the point across that it's not just business leaders who want change. So far, here are the people in the coalition: Jack Lynch, leader of the New England Regional Carpenters; Rev. John E. Brooks, former president of Holy Cross; Robert Thomas, who runs the Martin Luther King Jr. Empowerment Center; and Christos Liazos, owner of the Webster House and a leader within the Greek community.

"Our city needs a dynamic form of government that will be able to meet the challenges of the 21st century," says former state senator and current statehouse lobbyist Gerry D'Amico who supports the effort, and is a member of the coalition, because he believes that "our city is going through a period of booming expectations." He adds that Worcester lacks strong political leadership to meet changes that residents have longed for.

To strengthen its case, the group has commissioned a poll of Worcester voters, which they claim shows widespread support for such a change.

Although the Nelson/Condron/ Angelini group says it's in an exploratory phase and has no specific timeline, it is clear that the coalition will be moving on a "fast track." And that means, observers spent the week theorizing, that a new charter could be in place by November elections, and come January you'll see a strong mayor being sworn in.

If a new strong mayor charter change is drafted with some public input over the next few months, and then presented to city council, only a simple majority (six of the councilors) is needed. Once approved, the charter change proposal must be okayed by the State Legislature, which would authorize a local referendum.

Though the legislative outcome could be hard to predict, it's been speculated this week that D'Amico, the Statehouse insider, will move it quickly through the process and have the legislation approved in time for a June voter referendum.

And it's almost guaranteed that the referendum would pass -- since it would be presented to voters in a special election, which historically have low turnouts (usually 10 to 15 percent of the electorate cast ballots in special elections). And low turnout always favors those with the political machine, those that are organized.

Perhaps the one place where this process could break down would be with the council, which does have the opportunity to tinker with the plan as councilors did in 1992. Although the general mood of the council members is cautious, it is clear that the strong mayor initiative has their support if it's done in a way that provides for some council input. One member even speculates that there were already at least eight votes to move ahead on the fast-track approach.

"It's about time to kill the two-headed monster that Plan E has become," says one councilor who didn't want to be named.

There will, of course, be a few dissenters. Councilor Janice Nadeau is one of the few councilors who believes that the issue should not move on a fast track.

"If it looks like you are shoving this down people throats they might vote it down," says Nadeau who supports creating another charter commission, expected to be proposed at this Tuesday's council meeting. Though it was tabled, it's likely to go down in defeat. Several councilors argue that a commission would be a mistake because it would drag out the process and distract city leaders from other issues.

"Last time the charter commission failed to give voters the chance to address this issue," says Councilor Tim Murray, who is likely to support a strong-mayor proposal. "Ultimately we should let the voters decide."

If all goes as planned, the biggest winner in the charter-change sweepstakes is "weak" Mayor Raymond Mariano, who has prepared for this race for several years and is the best- positioned of all potential candidates. During his two terms, Mariano has increased his exposure through highly published neighborhood walks and other well-orchestrated initiatives.

Money will, of course, be important, and Mariano has built up an impressive war chest of more than $100,000. He also has recruited several of Worcester's best fundraisers to work on his finance committee to start raising even more money this spring.

Though the backers of the strong mayor initiative are all quick to point out that this effort is about accountability and not about promoting a specific candidate, a quick reading of Mariano's donor list could make you think differently. In the last election cycle, Mariano received campaign contributions from three of the leaders of the strong-mayor effort: Mike Angelini, John Nelson, and Gerry D'Amico. His list also reads like who's who of Worcester's movers and shakers, with donations from lawyers Francis Ford and George Tetler, powerbroker John Spillane, and chamber president Bill Short, to name just a few.

He's also received support from former Assumption President Dr. Joseph Hagan and Worcester State College's Kalyan Ghosh.

Mariano leaves little doubt that he will out-raise any competitors.

Perhaps most important, Mariano has a strong grassroots organization that will be complemented with troops from the sheriff's organization and local unions (the same troops that can be tapped for the upcoming referendum). Unless he makes some serious mistakes over the next few months, it will be his race to lose.

But that won't quiet the rumors about other possible candidates. A number of political observers think that first-term councilor Murray, who has youthful organization and a base of Irish voters, could make the race competitive. When asked, Murray says he would probably not be a candidate but adds "it is still early and there is a lot of what ifs."

The most talked about potential contender is former mayor and current talk-show host Jordan Levy. Although Levy is no longer in office, he is still one of Worcester's popular political figures. But sources close to Levy say he's content as the chief executive of Parker Metals and as a member of the Turnpike Authority.

By joining the strong-mayor coalition, Levy pretty much takes himself out of the running. For if he turned around and ran for the post, it would appear self-serving -- a move his competition would surely point out.

Former state rep. and chamber of commerce executive Kevin O'Sullivan is also talked about as a possible candidate, one who would draw the support of the city's business leaders. His pro-business beliefs appeal to many of the Worcester Club types, some of whom may privately fear a strong Mayor Mariano. Yet, O'Sullivan recently signed on to a new role promoting biotechnology with his friend and former gubernatorial candidate Mark Roosevelt. It's unlikely he would abandon the post to get into a street fight with Mariano.

No matter what happens, the Condron/Nelson/Angelini opening salvo has gathered momentum -- thus far like a tidal wave. Front page news every day, fodder for political junkies. In fact, it may be the most excitement in Worcester politics for years. And one man, Tom Hoover, who's always kept his nose out of it, is being forced to play the game. Just this week he was at a downtown breakfast for business leaders arguing the merits of maintaining a city manager. Poor Tom Hoover.

The proposed charter change sure has brought a lot of people out of the woodwork, but not everyone. It was a surprise that noted strong mayor activist Robert Spellane was not listed as a member of the Condron/Nelson/ Angelini steering committee. Two years ago Spellane launched TEAM, a grassroots pro-strong-mayor group, which met with civic leaders and community activists attempting to create a charter stir. But the effort petered out last year because members were not able to get key business leaders on board.

But it's clear that Spellane's efforts were not in vain. Although he has not been formally asked to join the new group, he promises that he will be involved in some capacity. Spellane says he has concerns about "fast track" approach and a special election that will draw only a small percentage of the voters. Instead, he proposes that the charter vote happen in the fall with the new mayor elected the following year during a statewide election cycle, thus ensuring a higher turnout.

Paul Giorgio, out of the loop? While most of Worcester's key political leaders received a heads-up call before the Condron/Angelini/Nelson Sunday op-ed piece appeared, someone clearly forgot to tell political powerbroker Paul Giorgio. On the Friday before the story appeared, Giorgio and a group of community leaders announced the formation of a group called People for Effective Government (PEG). Unfortunately, their efforts were confused by the T&G as that of the strong-mayor effort. Although the group is the victim of bad timing, its efforts are worth noting. The group is interested in encouraging people to run for public office. A public forum will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on March 4 at the Irish Times.

From the Campaign Files

Although most voters are still recovering from the recent state and federal elections, a number of people are already announcing campaigns for city council for the upcoming November elections. The latest entry into the race is small businessman Neil Brosnan. Brosnan, who is making his second run for the council, will kick-off his campaign at Club Maxine's on February 25th.