Although unopposed, Haverhill Mayor James J. Fiorentini and his entourage greeted residents Saturday. (Fiorentini campaign photo.)
Haverhill voters head to the polls today to decide the municipal election races for nine city council and three school committee seats.
Fifteen candidates for city council and six for school committee appear on today’s city ballot. Mayor James J. Fiorentini is running unopposed for an unprecedented seventh, two-year term. The city council race includes incumbents Melinda E. Barrett, Colin F. LePage, William J. Macek, Michael S. McGonagle, John A. Michitson, Mary Ellen Daly O’Brien, Thomas J. Sullivan and William H. Ryan; former councilors Michael J. Hart, David E. Hall and Kenneth E. Quimby Jr.; and School Committeeman Joseph J. Bevilacqua, along with Katrina Everett, Fred A. Simmons and Andy Vargas.
For school committee, incumbents Scott W. Wood Jr. and Shaun P. Toohey are joined by challengers Pamela Conte, Gail M. Sullivan, former City Councilor Sven A. Amirian and Michael Shurman.
Polling places opened at 7 a.m. this morning and will be open until 8 p.m., tonight. After the polls close, WHAV will break into its regular programming to bring you election updates and reaction as they become available.
WHAV will air a series of special reports as result become known after 8 p.m., tonight. See the Listen page for options.
You can add another new scam implemented by this lying, conniving mayor to the long list he’s already pulled on city residents. He’s been promoting a homeowner energy reduction plan that will save homeowners 30% off their bill, when it will only save them 4%!!! Did anyone read the fine print on the letter the mayor sent out? The mayor is using this plan to charge residents a FEE for this!!! He’s turned this program into billing the roughly 26,000 homeowners in the city a fee for what he calls paying for the “City Energy Manager” position. This hidden FEE will be costing homeowners approximately $6,500.00 per month and most likely over $80,000.00 per year. Did anyone EVER see any mention of this????? City councilors….did he mention it to any of you?
Residents of Haverhill have ALREADY paid to fund the position of Energy Manager!!! Not to mention, he was hired to receive incentives….or a commission….for reducing energy in the city…..and yet no mention whatsoever of what additional compensation he will be making.
Sitting this one out – first time ever I’ve done that as it is only more of the same tired hacks and gutless wonders who will raise your taxes, fees, and ensure that we continue to borrow money and mortgage the future with Brian Dempsey
Haverhill should actually be in receivership – but most don’t realize it – or are ignorant enough to ignore facts.
Since this failure of a mayor has taken office 12 years ago the average homeowner is now paying over $1.000.00 more EVERY year in taxes than before he took office. Taxes are now so high that as he continues to raise taxes 2.5% EVERY year it will now take only 8 years for taxes to go up another $1,000.00 per year. His negative impact on the quality of life for families in Haverhill is astounding. No single politician in the history of Massachusetts has done more structural damage to the quality of life of taxpayers than this incompetent, corrupt, lying failure.
~He advocated for the purchase and then sale of Hale Hospital leaving the city $100Million in debt.
~Created parking taxes downtown, which he is aggressively trying to raise.
~Bought a city vehicle and hired employees to drive around downtown to ticket as many cars as possible
~Created a meals tax on restaurants throughout the city
~Hired Trash Police to go door to door to fine people for not putting garbage at the street correctly
~Guaranteed increase in property taxes of 2.5% EVERY year
~Taxes have increased over 25% in just the past 12 years
~Increased taxes in 2013 by 2.5% and then ended the year with a $3.5Million budget surplus and kept the money to give out in the form of raises
~Increased water rates
~Increased sewer rates
~Inconvenienced visitors and business owners downtown to make a few thousand dollars from a movie studio
~Double dipping on all youth sports leagues by charging a fee to use fields they have already paid to maintain
~Charges a fee to park in a garage downtown taxpayers paid to build
~Charges a fee to drop recycling items off at DPW that he turns around and sells at a profit
~Entered into private sector investment again with Harbor Place using taxpayer funding
~Kept 29 city employee felons on the city payroll after they committed larceny of over $54,000.00
~Allowed a city cop to easily retire after he was found to be literally sleeping every night while on duty
~He even clear cut a forest to raise a few thousand dollars
He’s messed up this city so bad no one in their right mind would want the job given the debt he’s run up. He’s running unopposed so we’re stuck with him. But that doesn’t mean you have to vote for him. Don’t check the box next to his name. Send a message this hack is a failure and Haverhill deserves better.
Very well stated Jack – 100% correct. I feel bad – but I can’t vote for ANY of these people – if you have a suggestion I am unaware of, please do tell.
I wish I had an answer for you, I don’t.
The hackarama has taken over this city forever. There’s no coming back from it. The only solution is full receivership to put those doing all the harm to the city out of control.