Haverhill Firefighter Ferguson Ponders Mayoral Bid

Entrance to the office of Haverhill’s mayor.(WHAV News file photograph.)

Entrance to mayor’s office at Haverhill City Hall. (WHAV News photograph.)

Another Haverhill firefighter has taken out nomination papers to seek city elected office—this time for mayor.

Pvt. Barry Ferguson took out nomination papers from the Haverhill City Clerk’s office prior to Friday’s deadline. He has until Tuesday at 5 p.m. to return the papers with signatures, but Ferguson told WHAV he may not actually choose to run.

“I don’t think I’ll end up doing it. I’m not sure I have enough time to do it,” he told WHAV Sunday. Wrestling with the decision, he added, “I’ve been on an emotional roller coaster ride for a while now.”

The 29-year veteran of the fire department, currently based at the Sixteenth Avenue Fire Station, said he believes the core issues are public safety, the opioid overdose crisis and “deplorable city buildings and streets.” He also told WHAV he doesn’t believe Mayor James J. Fiorentini should continually run unopposed.

A graduate of Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School, Ferguson, 53, said he considered running for mayor in 2013. Instead he supported the write-in candidacy of Tyler C. Kimball that year. Kimball ended up winning 2,191 votes after a brief campaign. Kimball said Ferguson did consult him.

“He called and asked me if I was running,” Kimball said. “He’s a good guy, a very good guy. He’s known by a lot of people. It’s a huge commitment,” he added.

Besides Ferguson, two other firefighters have expressed interest in seeking elected office. Lt. Gregory Roberts, a 17-year-veteran of the department and former president of Haverhill Firefighters Local 1011, and Timothy Carroll have also taken out nomination papers for City Council runs.

Making the jump from the fire department to the corner office has happened before. Fire Chief Lewis C. Burton defeated incumbent Mayor George K. Katsaros in 1975. Katsaros did win the seat back though in 1977.

9 thoughts on “Haverhill Firefighter Ferguson Ponders Mayoral Bid

  1. When Tyler Kimball ran for mayor he wanted to solve the city’s disastrous financial situation by having the city go into business by harvesting eels in the Merrimack River to sell to make money. What ingenious idea to you have Barry?

    What are these fireboys up to? When Kimball ran for office he waited until the last second too. Something’s smells fishy with these guys, and it isn’t Kimball’s eels.

    • Why don’t you run John Kleschinsky? You seem to think you know everything, so do it. Don’t just hide behind your keyboard and cry all night, do something. Come on “boy”, man up. You don’t have the stones little man. Just sit back and snipe like the coward that you are, the grownups wil do the heavy lifting so you dont have to.

      • Keith, I was thinking YOU would be the perfect candidate to represent the HFD as the new mayor!! Just think of the possibilities given your stellar background. You could be the truth and integrity candidate!! LOL!!!

        Just think of the campaign slogans you can come up with….
        “I promise no less than three AK-15s in every household”!!
        “Don’t ask what Haverhill can do for you, ask where else can you steal $1,800 from your employer and still keep your job”!!
        “Read my lips…no new Haverhill hack public employee union taxes !!
        “Haverhill government isn’t the solution to the problem, Haverhill government “is” the problem”.

          • You want me to provide the links naming all 30 of you thieves, from Akstin to Sullivan?
            You’re in a deep state of denial and reality, huh Keith?

          • Post what ever you want. I never stole a dime. I considered skipping one class, but I didn’t and I paid dearly for considering it. The last guy that did the same thing as me is another town received a letter of reprimand and nothing else. My punishment was severe, you don’t even know what it was. I screwed up but my debt is paid. You hated firefighters LONG before that anyway. Why not be a man and tell everyone why? You’re even a coward behind the keyboard Johnboy.