Quincy News: Recall the mayor? Residents to examine new form of local government.

Indicted Fall River Mayor Jasiel Correia
A Jonathan Wiggs/Boston Globe image
– News covered by Quincy Quarry News with commentary added.

Recall the mayor? Fall River residents to examine a new form of local government.

In the midst of a second mayoral recall election in just over four years, the Fall River City Council is organizing a task force to study whether Fall River should ditch the position of mayor altogether and go with a different form of local government.

Soon to be former Mayor Correia?
A Turtleboy Sports meme
The current mayor of Fall River, Jasiel Correia, was indicted in October on 13 federal charges of wire fraud and filing false tax returns.

Seven Fall River residents – led by City Councilor Steven Camara, who proposed the idea and would serve as the group’s chairman – will “explore” the form of local government that establishes a professional City Manager as Fall River’s chief administrator and so reduce the office of mayor to a more ceremonial role such as acting as the chair of the city council and to which a city manager would report.

Old school governance
A Quincy Quarry meme
Needless to say, mayors across the Commonwealth who are strong Plan A mayors have to be nervous.

After all, Cambridge has long operated under a Plan E charter and is so managed by a city manager – and as are a number of similarly chartered communities across the Commonwealth – is among the most financially sound and well-run municipalities in Massachusetts even if the local politics are more than a bit out of the mainstream.