Haverhill City Council Vice President and former local funeral director Robert H. Scatamacchia says he will continue to consider seeking a new term while facing theft accusations in superior court.
Scatamacchia also told WHAV Monday he will finish out his current term on the council and is not going to consider taking a leave of absence, as reportedly suggested in a conversation Sunday with Mayor James J. Fiorentini. While declining WHAV’s request for a recorded interview, Scatmacchia said he is “definitely going to finish” his term.
Scatamacchia’s comments are consistent with reports first aired last week on WHAV.
“There are people who have been encouraging me to run and my decision is going to be based upon my conversations with my family and my close friends,” Scatamacchia said. “I have a lot on my plate.”
Scatamacchia was arraigned in Salem Superior Court last week after being secretly indicted by an Essex County grand jury on two counts of larceny over $250. He is accused of stealing $72,000 in funeral prepayment money and pocketing $200,000 in other business funds.
Scatamacchia is set to appear again Salem Superior Court on Aug. 7.
This is still America, for the time being anyway, and Mr. Scatamachia is innocent until proven guilty. If he decides to run again, it will be up to the residents of Haverhill who vote to decide if he returns to office.
Scatamacchia IS innocent until proven guilty, but my issue is that his defense is going to take up most of his time, thoughts, and concerns. How does this man plan on doing justice to both his defense AND his very demanding position as City Councilor which requires a clear head, and maximum attention to detail in order to resolve all of the knotty issues that come before the City Council.
Scatamacchia’s refusal to resign as City Councilor is an insult to Haverhill taxpayers. I would like him to tell taxpayers how he thinks he can be an effective councilor while he has two major theft charges pending, and how he intends to successfully juggle his fiduciary responsibility to Haverhill taxpayers while defending himself against these pending charges.
Nothing is ever his fault. He signed a Healthy Pharma letter without reading it and without understanding the implications of his signature, and that wasn’t his fault; he blamed it on the Mayor. Now the saga continues with charges that he stole money from elderly folks who trusted him and from whom he took money which disappeared. Then he allegedly stole money from his partners and put it in his personal bank account.
What next? When he falls on his face because he has too much on his plate, who will he blame then????
Scatamacchia’s refusal to resign his City Councilor position is insulting and makes him the laughing stock of the City. Shame on him, and shame on those who encouraged this fiasco to continue. I hope the City has a good E&O policy that will pay for his mistakes when he makes them.
The nerve of this lying, cheating mayor is beyond scummy.
He’s suggesting that someone who ‘allegedly’ did something step down from his job?
Why doesn’t he step down for the fraud he ‘actually’ committed in the performance of his job? In FY 2013 he submitted a budget which resulted in taxpayers incurring a 2.5% tax increase and then he ended the year with a $3.5MILLION surplus!! He intentionally and knowingly over estimated the needs of running the city government by $3.5Million and then he turned around and kept the money!!! THAT’S FRAUD!!! It is literally no different than what he is suggesting Scatamacchia step down from his job as city councilor for, except the money wasn’t put in a personal fund. And there’s no difference…the mayor knowingly over estimated the needs of the city to embezzle and defraud the taxpayers of Haverhill.
If it turns out Scatamacchia did steal the funds he is being accused of do you think he’ll be able to keep the money like the mayor did????