Worcester City Council Criticizes Manager, Snitches on Itself

This is the third part in a series that will look at actions taken by some Worcester City Councilors over recent years that, when viewed collectively, display a disturbing downward spiral towards a council that serves the interests of its members, not of city residents.

The introductory piece of the series, The City Council Circles the Drain, looks at a Worcester City Council resolution supporting Worcester Police Department actions in several recent cases. In isolation, the resolution is harmless. When viewed in the context of the behavior of the majority faction within the council, the resolution tells a different story.

The second piece of this series, Worcester Council Holds Fewest Meetings in 20 Years in 2025, looks at the near-total elimination of the ability of residents to put issues before their local elected legislature and the events from October 2024 through January 2025, which some councilors cited as the reason for eliminating that ability.

This piece will review a discussion within the city council related to the specialized stretch code during its meeting on April 28. It’s not the stretch code itself that is important here, but how the discussion shows how the council operates and comes to conclusions.

The Worcester City Council has become for, of, and by the controlling majority of councilors.

Note: In the previous piece, I wrote that the next part of this series would involve the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) actions on Eureka Street in May 2025. That was my intention, but then the city council did council things. So here we are. The piece related to Eureka Street will come next.

Opt-In Building Codes in Massachusetts

Massachusetts maintains three versions of building codes. All three are based on the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) and amended at the state level.

The lowest level, the Base Code, applies to all. Just 50 Massachusetts municipalities operate on only the Base Code.

The next two levels require a municipality to opt-in for them to apply.

The Stretch Energy Code, which first became available in 2010 for opt-in, resulted from the Green Communities Act of 2008. It requires higher energy efficiency for new construction and major renovations. Since becoming available, 243 municipalities have adopted it. In 2011, Worcester elected to opt-in.

As part of Massachusetts’ goals for net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, the Specialized Stretch Energy Code became available in 2023 for municipal opt-in. It applies only to new construction. Since becoming available, 58 municipalities in Massachusetts elected to opt-in.

While these codes are complex, the focus of the Specialized Stretch Code is electrification. A new building using fossil fuels for energy must also wire the building to be electrification-ready and include a small solar panel as an offset to the use of fossil fuels. If the building operates on electricity alone, no solar is required. There are other enhanced efficiency standards included, such as the efficiency of the windows installed.

The City of Worcester opted-in to the Specialized Stretch Energy Code in 2023. The application of the code went into effect on July 1, 2024.

Recommendation to Pause Specialized Code

During the city council meeting on April 14, City Manager Eric Batista, based on recommendations from Chief Development Officer Peter Dunn and others, recommended a pause in applying the specialized code. A majority of councilors supported the pause and were ready to vote during that meeting.

The primary factor cited to support the pause was feedback from developers about the costs required by the specialized code.

Councilor Khrystian King asked for more data and held the item, an option each councilor has to delay action on an item until the next meeting of the council. King received significant criticism for holding the vote.

Most observers, myself included, expected that the council would vote for the pause at the next council meeting. However, in the intervening two weeks, Batista’s administration learned that state law and regulations prohibit the city from issuing an opt-out of the specialized code until three years after it opted-in.

There is also no option in the law to “pause” the specialized code. A municipality is in or out.

Councilors were quite unhappy when they found out they didn’t have the full facts.

Upset Councilors

Much discussion occurred during the April 28 council meeting, including these portions of comments by Councilors Moe Bergman and Gary Rosen .

On the one hand, I appreciate that there was some pushback on this fiasco by some councilors. I cheered out loud while watching from home at this portion of Rosen’s comments. No equivocating and no spending more time praising everyone under the sun than time saying anything even remotely relevant or critical. I love it.

On the other hand, these comments include a perspective that cuts right to the heart of why government in Worcester fails its residents.

Source of Information

Councilor Bergman refers to making decisions, in his words, “based on the information I receive.” He also listed several pieces of information that he believes the council should have received before it voted to opt-in to the specialized code.

Councilor Rosen criticizes the administration for not knowing that pausing the code isn’t possible and that the city cannot opt-out until three years after it opted-in.

Both councilors appear to expect that the city manager’s administration provides the council with the information councilors base their decisions on.

Within the way the city council in Worcester operates, these comments make perfect sense. Worcester’s governing system operates far from how it was intended.

Governing with a City Manager

Sumter, South Carolina, became the first city to adopt a council-manager system in 1912.

Today, a majority of cities with a population under 250,000 have a council-manager system where. like in Worcester, a city manager, appointed by elected city councilors, leads the administration of municipal government.

The intent of the system is simple: to take politics out of the operations of government. The system intends a city manager to be an operations expert who carries out policy.

In other words, the manager’s job is to implement and carry out policy. The council’s job is to create those policies. The council says what, and the manager implements and manages. They say, he does.

In reality, policy almost never comes from the Worcester council. Instead, it comes to the council from the manager’s administration.

This creates obvious problems.

Policy Making

Politics, in its purest form, is largely a competition to implement a platform as government policy. Any political party or faction seeks its platform implemented, believing it has the best solutions for the right challenges. That doesn’t stop at the border of Worcester.

As councilors Bergman and Rosen appeared to say, the council’s decisions are based on information provided to them, mostly by the city manager in reports.

Often, those reports are the administration providing its perspective on policies it proposes. The administration is selling its proposed solution.

That’s not nefarious; that’s natural. Expecting complete objectivity is to expect them not to believe in their own ideas.

A Council Against Its Own Resources

The city council majority, long led by Mayor Petty, has fought against resources for councilors, creating a near-total dependence on the administration for information.

Mayor Petty’s coalition has opposed hiring its own legal counsel and hiring more support staff.

A statistical comparison I compiled in 2025 showed the Worcester City Council’s budget as the third smallest as a percentage of the city’s total operations budget when compared to the top 10 cities in Massachusetts by population. Only Springfield and Lowell funded their city councils at a lower level.

The city council has five employees supporting councilors, and two of those work only for the mayor. That leaves 10 councilors with a total staff of three, leaving it with no ability to develop its own information in any significant way.

The city manager leads an organization of over 2,000 employees.

This is not Sparta. There is no Leonidas on the council. This is not the film “300.” When it’s 2,000 vs. 16 (with the 11 councilors part-time), the balance of power is quite clear.

While the council continues to refuse to play its policy-making role, it could investigate policy proposals from the administration and monitor the performance of those policies. That’s how the authors of the U.S. Constitution envisioned the role of a legislature and its power of oversight as checks and balances on administrative power.

The Anti-Oversight Majority

While the Worcester City Council doesn’t create policy, that could be tolerable if the council took a robust approach to oversight.

Mention oversight to some in the council’s majority and they become outright offended.

Oversight isn’t about uncovering wrongdoing, though that can be a result. Instead, oversight should analyze policy in practice to determine that programs operate efficiently and achieve intended results, safeguarding taxpayer funds. It is about learning from mistakes to prevent them from happening again.

Independent oversight is non-existent in Worcester, despite claims from administration officials that oversight of itself is somehow legitimate. It’s not.

The most irresponsible example is lawsuit settlements of two cases in 2025 totalling over $2.25 million.

Natale Cosenza was wrongfully convicted of a crime for which he spent 16 years in state prison. After his case was overturned, a civil jury found that a Worcester police officer manufactured and manipulated evidence in the case, and that another conspired with him to do so.

Dana Gaul spent 5 months held at the Worcester County House of Correction on a murder charge. He did not remotely match the description of eyewitnesses, and significant evidence showed that he couldn’t have been at the crime scene.

These lawsuits are over. Completed. Finished. The settlement agreement includes provisions whereby both sides agree all claims related to these matters are now closed. There is no liability in investigating these issues through city council committees.

Yet no one in city government has made any effort at all to determine how these things happened or attempt to identify policy solutions to prevent similar situations from happening again.

Do you think city government should take steps to prevent issues that cost over $2 million in taxpayer funds from happening again?

I think most of us do.

They don’t. Especially on police matters. That’s not in their political interest. The endorsement they received from the union that represents patrol officers in Worcester far outweighs ant obligation they feel to uphold their oath of office, which includes upholding the state and federal constitutions. The city council majority simply doesn’t care.

While I believe that is the most serious case of total indifference to residents within Worcester’s government, it’s not only police matters where oversight doesn’t exist. It’s everything. Checks and balances offend the majority of the council.

What Does the City Council Actually Do?

District councilors have the responsibility of responding to constituent issues. That’s a full-time job in itself. I don’t want to take away from the effort it requires for those representing a district.

That doesn’t excuse what it does with its responsibilities at City Hall, which it largely defers to the administration.

It does no investigation or substantive inquiry. It actively opposes additional resources for itself to enable it to fulfill those responsibilities. Instead, it takes the information it’s given from the administration on its own policy and decides almost entirely based on that information.

That’s it. Anyone who asks councilors to do more, or proposes solutions that enable them to do more, becomes an enemy.

I appreciate Councilors Bergman and Rosen speaking up. However, their question shouldn’t be to the city manager, but back at the council.

Why didn’t the council know more?

The answer: Because it operates as a report-reading service.

Government by ChatGPT would be equally effective.

(Note: The original version of this piece said the city manager leads an organization of over 8,000 employees. That included Worcester Public Schools employees in error. That figure was corrected.)

Governor Healey Proposes New Regulations on E-Bikes, Mopeds

BOSTON – Governor Maura Healey filed legislation on Monday, May 4, to strengthen regulations of micromobility devices, like bikes, scooters and mopeds.

The Ride Safe Act, formally “An Act to enhance the safe use of micromobility devices,” intends to build on recommendations of a commission formed by Healey under the Mass Leads Act, respond to safety concerns, and eliminate confusion about regulation of these devices across the state.

The proposed regulations, which the legislature must pass before the governor can sign them into law, rely on a speed-based framework.

Riders of lower-speed devices, like e-bikes, would be required to follow bike lane rules and require helmets for riders under 16 years old.

The law would restrict the operation of higher-speed devices, like mopeds, requiring riders to be 16 years old or older. These devices would also require registration and insurance.

Some devices would require mandatory safety equipment, like lights, reflectors, and braking systems.

Devices operating at higher speeds would face new restrictions on where operation locations, including a prohibition on operation on sidewalks, bike lanes, roadways, and other high-risk areas.

The proposed bill also seeks to create clear, uniform enforcement authority across the state. Additional data on crashes related to these devices would also be collected.

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) would receive new authority to create new regulations for devices with emerging technology. Currently, MassDOT cannot apply new regulations without action by the legislature.

“Micromobility is already a part of how people get to work, school and around their communities, but right now, the rules are unclear and inconsistent,” said Governor Maura Healey. “We are seeing too much reckless behavior, more crashes and close calls, and too many people, especially pedestrians and young riders, are at risk. This bill is about protecting people and preventing tragedies before they happen. The Ride Safe Act will establish clear safety rules, hold riders accountable, reduce congestion and make our roads safer for everyone.”

Three Worcester County Schools Receive Tech Career Funding

BOSTON – The office of Governor Maura Healey and the Executive Office of Education announced $70 million in funding to expand career technical education (CTE) programs at 28 schools across Massachusetts. The funding will add 2,500 new CTE student seats, expand 23 programs, and launch 27 new programs. The funding will also provide for upgrading equipment, technology, and lab spaces.

Worcester Technical High School will receive $3.75 million in funding, tied with four other schools for the largest award received. Leicester High School will receive $3 million, while Leominster Center of Tech Education will receive just over $1 million.

See the full list of awards at the bottom of this page.

Assabet Valley Vocational High School in Marlborough, which also received $3.75 million, hosted the announcement of the awards. It will develop public safety and veterinary science CTE programs. No other information on new programs was announced.

“Across Massachusetts, we’re hearing from students and families who want access to career technical education. That’s why we’re making a $70 million investment to expand programs, create new seats and modernize training facilities so more students can get the skills they need and step into strong, in-demand careers,” said Governor Maura Healey. “This investment will expand capacity, create new opportunities and ensure more students can gain the skills they need to succeed, while strengthening our workforce and supporting employers across the state.”

Over the past three years, the state has approved 49 new CTE programs for 2,334 additional students.

The state also announced last month that it was accepting applications for $15 million in capital grants to support the expansion and modernization of CTE programs at comprehensive high schools.

The full list of awards:

• Assabet Valley Vocational High School in Marlborough: $3,750,000
• Boston Madison Park Technical Vocational High School: $924,515
• Bristol-Plymouth Regional Vocational Technical in Taunton: $1,500,000
• Chicopee Comprehensive High School in Chicopee: $3,500,000
• Dighton-Rehoboth Regional High School in North Dighton: $1,500,000
• Greater Lowell Regional Vocational Technical in Tyngsborough: $2,500,000
• Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical: $3,750,000
• Holyoke Dean Tech High School: $1,250,000
• Leicester High School: $3,000,000
• Leominster Center of Tech Education: $1,027,700
• Lower Pioneer Valley CTEC in West Springfield: $3,750,000
• Lynn Vocational Technical High: $2,000,000
• Martha’s Vineyard Regional High: $2,000,000
• Medford High School: $1,750,000
• Nashoba Valley Technical High School in Westford: $3,250,000
• New Bedford High School: $1,750,000
• Newton South High School: $1,415,833
• Norfolk County Agricultural High School in Walpole: $3,500,000
• Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational Technical in Wakefield: $3,750,000
• Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical in Rochester: $2,000,000
• Pathfinder Regional Vocational Technical in Palmer: $3,500,000
• Taconic High School in Pittsfield: $4,000,000
• Salem High School: $3,750,000
• South Shore Regional Vocational Technical in Hanover: $2,250,000
• Taunton High School: $1,100,000
• Tri-County Regional Vocational in Franklin: $2,000,000
• Upper Cape Cod Regional Vocational Technical in Bourne: $2,000,000
• Worcester Technical High: $3,750,000

Image credit: John Phelan, Worcester Technical High School, Worcester MA, CC BY-SA 4.0

Worcester City Manager Proposes $1 Billion FY 2027 Budget

WORCESTER – The City of Worcester released City Manager Eric Batista’s operations budget proposal for fiscal year 2027, a balanced budget that totals just over $1 billion.

The $1,001,107,417 budget includes $446.9 million in funding from the state for education. State education funding increased by $26.9 million compared to FY 2026.

The Worcester City Council must approve the budget for it to go into effect. It only has the power to remove funding from the budget. It cannot add to the total budget or reallocate funds it removes. The council rarely makes adjustments to the budget proposal.

Education is the single largest expenditure for any single department, with a total budget of $612.4 million. The city’s contribution to education is $165.5 million.

The proposed budget assigns a $1.2 million (1.9%) reduction in the budget of the Worcester Police Department. Most of that reduction in budgeted funds transferred to the Public Facilities Department, which is taking over responsibility for managing the police department headquarters facility. The number of approved positions at the police department declined from 535 to 533.

The proposed budget assigns a $4.9 million (9.9%) increase to the Worcester Fire Department, all assigned for salaries. The department’s approved headcount remains flat at 459.

The largest percentage increases from the FY 2026 budget to departments in the FY 2027 proposed budget are:

• Sustainability – $921,727 (148.2%) increase
• Public Facilities – $2 million (42.8%)
  • partially transferred from the WPD budget, as mentioned above
• Union Station – $86,695 (12.8%) increase

The largest reductions are:

• Law/Insurance/Court – $872,892 (20.3%) decrease
• Auditing – $73,416 (7.1%) decrease
• Transportation – $147,769 (3.7%) decrease

The largest fixed costs the city faces in FY 2027, according to the proposed budget, are:

• Debt Service – $44.7 million
• Pensions – $39.9 million
• Health Insurance – $37.9 million

The proposed budget assumes revenue from:

• Property tax – $435.5 million
• State Aid – $55.4 million
• State Education Aid – $446.9 million
• Local Receipts – $63.3 million

The full budget proposal is available on the city website.

Brookfield Home Where Brittany Tee Lived Listed for Sale

BROOKFIELD – Over three years ago, on Jan. 10, 2023, 35-year-old Brittany Tee left her home in Brookfield and has not been seen since.

The home she left—located at 16 Main St.—is now listed for sale. The four-bedroom, two-bath farmhouse sits on 87 acres and is priced at $749,000.

According to reports, Tee left the house on foot. Her family reported her missing two days later, on Jan. 12, 2023, at the Massachusetts State Police barracks in Brookfield.

Tee had been living at the home with her boyfriend, whom she had been dating for about six months.

She is described as 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighing approximately 120 pounds. Anyone with information about her whereabouts is asked to call the tip line at 508-453-7589.

For more on the case, listen to the Unsolved: Worcester podcast episode, “The Disappearance of Brittany Tee“.

(Editors note: A previous version of this story said Tee left the home headed west. According to a family member, that information is unverified. It has been removed.)

20-Year-Old Woman Arraigned for Fatal Crash in Barre

WORCESTER – A local woman appeared before a Worcester Superior Court judge on Thursday, April 30, for arraignment on charges related to a fatal single-vehicle crash in December.

Faith O’Rourke, 20, of North Brookfield, faces charges of:

• Involuntary manslaughter (2 counts);
• Manslaughter by motor vehicle;
• Motor vehicle homicide by reckless operation (2 counts);
• Motor vehicle homicide by operating under the influence and reckless operation (2 counts);
• Operating under the influence; and
• Negligent operation of a motor vehicle.

According to the Worcester County District Attorney’s office, O’Rourke drove a BMW on Dec. 26, 2025, when the vehicle exited the roadway on Hubbardston Road in Barre. Both Connor Post, 20, and Michael Publicover, 19, died in the crash.

The judge set bail at $5,000 with conditions that O’Rourke have no contact with the families of Post and Publicover, or contact with any witness in the case.

The Worcester County District Attorney’s office says the crash remains under investigation.

U.S. Attorney Announces Keeping Kids Safe Online Webinar

BOSTON – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts will hold a virtual webinar on Thursday, May 7, focussed on keeping kids safe online.

Topics during the online session will include social media, gaming, sextortion, extremist threats and the rise of generative artificial intelligence.

Subject matter experts from the Federal Bureau of Investigations, Homeland Security Investigations, and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children will make presentations during the session. There will also be a live question-and-answer session and additional resources for further learning.

The Keeping Kids Safe and Secure Online webinar begins at 6:30 PM on May 7. Registration is required to attend. Sign up here.

The Circus Comes to Worcester City Hall

The circus of the specialized stretch code (building code) returned to the city council on Tuesday, April 28. There were confrontations, accusations, and more drama. See all the good clips here.

Free Medical Services Program Launches in Worcester on May 4

WORCESTER – A free medical clinic in Worcester, dedicated to serving uninsured and underinsured residents, will hold a public dedication ceremony at 4 PM on Monday, May 4, at the First Unitarian Church at 90 Main St.

The Worcester Evening Free Medical Clinic Program (WEFMSP), part of the Worcester Free Care Collaborative (WFCC), will dedicate the Hart-Wood Free Medical Program location, named after founders Dr. Paul Hart and Rev. Barry Wood. The program, formerly at the Epworth United Methodist Church, now operates within 6,000 sq. ft., over 50 percent more than its previous location.

“This move is an important step forward for our patients and our volunteers,” said Dr. David Runyan, WFCC president and WEFMSP chief operating officer. “As demand for free care rises, we need a space that supports efficient operations, improves the patient experience, and allows us to care for more people with dignity.”

The WFCC operates seven free medical programs across Worcester and Shrewsbury. The organization says over 300 volunteers provided care to over 7,000 patients in 2025.

Hart-Wood and the WFCC’s other programs provide services that include physical exams, sick visits, vaccinations, lab work, specialty care, and more.

The WFFC program locations include:

• Hart-Wood Free Medical Program – First Unitarian Church, 90 Main St. – Mondays 6 PM to 8 PM
• Wesley Eye Program – Wesley United Methodist Church, 114 Main St. – Mondays 6 PM to 7:45 PM
• St. Anne’s Free Medical Program – St. Anne’s Parish. 130 Boston Turnpike – Tuesdays 6 PM to 8 PM
• Free Health Stop – India Society of Worcester, 152 Main St., Shrewsbury – Wednesdays 6 PM to 8 PM
• St. Peter’s Free Medical Program – St. Peter’s Catholic Church, 929 Main St. – Thursdays 6 PM to 8 PM
• Worcester Islamic Center Social Services – Worcester Islamic Center, 248 East Mountain Rd. – Thursdays 6 PM to 8 PM
• Akwaaba Free Medical Program – New England Ghanaian Seventh-day Adventist Church, 67 Vernon St. – Thusdays 6 PM to 8 PM

Learn more about any of these programs at the WFFC website.

Worcester Public Library Awarded 500 Chromebooks

WORCESTER – The Worcester Public Library (WPL) announced at an event at its main branch on Wednesday, April 29, that the Massachusetts Broadband Institute awarded the library 500 Chromebooks and laptops.

The event also recognized eight additional organizations in Worcester that were awarded devices through the program.

Residents and students enrolled in a college or university in Worcester are eligible to apply for a device. Apply here. Applications are accepted through May 15.

“We know that access to technology is no longer a luxury, it’s a necessity,” said Jason Homer, Executive Director of the Worcester Public Library. “This incredible investment allows us to meet people where they are, providing the tools they need to learn, work, and thrive.

The WPL will also partner with Worcester RISE for Health, Literacy Volunteers of Greater Worcester, and Genesis Club, Inc to provide them 100 devices for use within their facilities.

The MBI Connected and Online Program launched in 2025. The $28.5 million statewide initiative will distribute 35,000 laptops, tablets, and other devices across the state