Worcester activist critical of city manager faces one-year city hall ban
On May 27, Batista issued a no-trespassing order to David Webb, a Worcester resident who has been a frequent critic of Batista's administration — accusing the city manager and his staff of not being transparent or truthful to the city's residents.
The full letter can be read at the end of this story.
In his no-trespassing order, Batista writes that Webb has approached employees both inside city hall itself and non-public workspaces in an 'intrusive and aggressive manner.'
Webb says he plans to sue the city for this decision but he intends to comply with the order for now — saying that he will be arrested if he does not.
The order reads that Webb engaged in behavior towards City Hall employees that Batista deems inappropriate — such as following them with a camera and phone 'inches away from their faces asking them for comments,' and jumping in front of an employee's vehicle, prohibiting them from moving and exiting the garage while 'shouting at them and recording the employee and their vehicle.'
Webb pushed back on Batista's claims, saying that he did not record his camera inches from people's faces and said he did not jump in front of a vehicle.
I was walking on the sidewalk and the city solicitor was exiting and I started recording — did not jump,' Webb said.
Batista also wrote that over the past 12 months, Webb sent 502 emails to the city solicitor, 478 emails to Batista's chief of staff, 370 emails to the city clerk, 209 emails to the deputy city clerk, 1,071 to the public records access officer and 912 emails to the assistant city solicitor.
He said that this 'barrage' of emails has made employees feel uneasy and fearful and has severely hindered them from doing their jobs.
'The direct contact, blind copying, and copying of several employees on most matters has become harassment and is severely hindering the ability of city employees to provide efficient services and perform job duties,' Batista wrote.
For one year, Webb is barred from being inside City Hall, its offices and in areas next to the building, such as the garage, porticos, entryways, paths of the front and rear plazas and sidewalks, according to the letter. The letter reads that Webb must also send emails to the department's general email that are intended for inquiries.
On numerous occasions, Webb has spoken out against both Batista and the city council, whether it's during the public comment period of a city council meeting or, more recently, at Batista's State of the City address, where he continuously shouted over the city manager until four Worcester police officers instructed him to leave.
Webb told MassLive he believes the city manager is not transparent and that he is lying to the people of Worcester.
'The city manager serves to manage our image and cash flow rather than functionality as a municipality, and only having part-time representatives means that it's pretty much exclusively landlords, business owners and lawyers rather than the people this city needs to actually serve,' Webb said.
Even though he is banned from City Hall, Webb still plans on being involved in Worcester politics.
'I'm going to make a video each afternoon before the council to help people know what's going on and do a Q&A about Worcester politics with people who want to get involved,' he said. 'Those who can't do, teach.'
Full letter is below. If you can't read it, click here.
Worcester restaurant serving food from Ghana seized by state due to unpaid taxes
Worcester father of 4-month-old deported after ICE 'violated his rights,' attorney says
Mass. Hidden Gems: Comfy classics and a mystery menu at Peppercorn's
Read the original article on MassLive.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Chicago Tribune
a day ago
- Chicago Tribune
Editorial: Chicago's taxicab regulations have fallen apart
As Chicagoans and tourists spilled out of Navy Pier on Wednesday night, a crowd of taxicabs waited for the post-shows and post-fireworks crowd. Their roof-lights all were lit, indicating availability for a ride. Chicago's taxicab regulations require those drivers to take folks without prejudice or favor wherever they want to go, to do so by the most expeditious route and to charge them a regulated price, perhaps accompanied by a nice tip for good service. The cost is determined by a meter. But none of the cabs we tried were willing to use their meters Wednesday night. Once we saw what was going on, we stuck our heads in and out of more than half a dozen, just to make sure this was not a rogue outlier or two. But it was ubiquitous. Cab number 2346 wanted $40 for a ride just a few blocks west. Cab 5660 wanted $50. Others had varying prices, all of which were at least three times the official rate. Tourists and Chicagoans alike were forced into sudden negotiations in what clearly has become an unregulated Wild West, more akin to one of those international cities where cabs don't have meters and routinely prey on visitors. The situation wasn't just outside Navy Pier, either. Even blocks away beyond Michigan Avenue, no cab would offer us a meter-regulated ride into the South Loop. And it wasn't just Wednesday night, either. As we told our story, we heard tell of many other times when cabs were ditching their meters en masse. Basically, whenever there was a special event or bad weather and Uber and Lyft had surge pricing in play. We're not unsympathetic toward cab drivers and we've lamented before how this city's full-on embrace of ride-share companies decimated our once-thriving taxi industry. Not unlike the great parking meter scam, which loses this city tens of millions of dollars a year, City Hall was taken in by the initially low rates those companies used to get a toehold into a market where they had spread lots of money around local politics, and even hired a few of the council folks who they wanted on their side. Now, those prices have risen, and if you stick out your hand on the street, as we all used to be able to do in the city's center and many of its neighborhoods, good luck to you. You don't have to be an economist to see the problem. Cab drivers can see the surge pricing and they want in. Of course, they don't reduce their prices when demand is low. Oh no. And in our experience Wednesday, and also following a Soldier Field concert, they are charging far above even the elevated ride-share price. This is both illegal and predatory. Meters protect people from rip-offs. Cab drivers breaking the law with apparent impunity is damaging to visitors to the city, especially since Navy Pier, for all its success, has no light rail or other visitor-friendly transportation to get people over there. Even the trolley rides are long gone. And for many visitors, bus routes are confusing. It's anarchy out there when you are looking for a ride during a busy period. Clearly, this city's taxi regulations are going unenforced. We've been around for a while. This did not widely happen in previous administrations. No functional U.S. city that we know allows a total free-for-all when it comes to taxi rates; such a policy fails to protect citizens who need them and who certainly don't want to have to get into an aggressive negotiation every time they slip into the back seat. That does not make people feel safe. Chicagoans and visitors to our city deserve clarity and fairness. Cabs, clearly, are out of control. Mayor Brandon Johnson's administration needs to wake up to the problem, crack down on the scofflaws and enforce its own regulations.
Los Angeles Times
2 days ago
- Los Angeles Times
L.A.'s bid to rewrite its City Charter starts off with a spicy leadership battle
Good morning, and welcome to L.A. on the Record — our City Hall newsletter. It's David Zahniser, with an assist from Julia Wick, giving you the latest on city and county government. Here you thought charter reform would be boring. A 13-member citizens commission is just getting started on the painstaking, generally unsexy work of poring through the Los Angeles City Charter, the city's governing document, and coming up with strategies for improving it. Yet already, the commission has had a leadership battle, heard allegations of shady dealings and fielded questions about whether it's been set up to fail. But first, let's back up. Mayor Karen Bass, City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson and former Council President Paul Krekorian chose a collection of volunteers to serve on the Charter Reform Commission, which is charged with exploring big and small changes to the City Charter. The commission is part of a much larger push for reform sparked by the city's 2022 audio leak scandal and a string of corruption cases involving L.A. officials. The list of potential policy challenges the commission faces is significant. Good government types want the new commission to endorse ranked-choice voting, with Angelenos selecting their elected officials by ranking candidates in numerical order. Advocacy groups want to see a much larger City Council. Some at City Hall want clarity on what to do with elected officials who are accused of wrongdoing but have not been convicted. 'You are not one of those commissions that shows up every few years to fix a few things here or there,' said Raphael Sonenshein, who served nearly 30 years ago as executive director of the city's appointed Charter Reform Commission, while addressing the new commission last week. 'You actually have a bigger responsibility than that.' The real work began on July 16, when the commission took up the question of who should be in charge. Many thought the leadership post would immediately go to Raymond Meza, who had already been serving as the interim chair. Instead, the panel found itself deadlocked. Meza is a high-level staffer at Service Employees International Union Local 721, the powerful public employee union that represents thousands of city workers and has been a big-money spender in support of Bass and many other elected city officials. Meza, who was appointed by Bass earlier this year, picked up five votes. But so did Ted Stein, a real estate developer who has served on an array of city commissions — planning, airport, harbor — but hadn't been on a volunteer city panel in nearly 15 years. Faced with a stalemate, charter commissioners decided to try again a few days later, when they were joined by two additional members. By then, some reform advocates were up in arms over Stein, arguing that he was bringing a record of scandal to the commission. They sent the commissioners news articles pointing out that Stein had, among other things, resigned from the airport commission in 2004 amid two grand jury investigations into whether city officials had tied the awarding of airport contracts to campaign contributions. Stein denied those allegations in 2004, calling them 'false, defamatory and unsubstantiated.' Last week, before the second leadership vote, he shot back at his critics, noting that two law enforcement agencies — the U.S. attorney's office and the L.A. County district attorney's office — declined to pursue charges against him. The Ethics Commission also did not bring a case over his airport commission activities. 'I was forced to protect my good name by having to hire an attorney and having to spend over $200,000 in legal fees [over] something where I had done nothing wrong,' he told his fellow commissioners. The city reimbursed Stein for the vast majority of those legal costs. Stein accused Meza of orchestrating some of the outside criticism — which Meza later denied. And Stein spent so much time defending his record that he had little time to say why he should be elected. Still, the vote was close, with Meza securing seven votes and Stein picking up five. Meza called the showdown 'unfortunate.' L.A. voters, he said, 'want to see the baton passed to a new generation of people.' The 40-year-old Montecito Heights resident made clear that he supports an array of City Charter changes. In an interview, Meza said he's 'definitely in favor' of ranked-choice voting, arguing that it would increase voter turnout. He also supports an increase in the number of City Council members but wouldn't say how many. And he wants to ensure that vacant positions are filled more quickly at City Hall, calling it an issue that 'absolutely needs to be addressed.' That last item has long been a concern for SEIU Local 721, where Meza works as deputy chief of staff. Nevertheless, Meza said he would, to an extent, set aside the wishes of his union during the commission's deliberations. 'On the commission, I am an individual resident of the city,' he said. Stein, for his part, told The Times that he only ran for the leadership post out of concern over the commission's tight timeline. The commission must submit its proposal to the council next spring — a much more aggressive schedule than the one required of two charter reform commissions nearly 30 years ago. Getting through so many complex issues in such a brief period calls for an experienced hand, said Stein, who is 76 and lives in Encino. Stein declined to say where he stands on council expansion and ranked-choice voting. He said he's already moved on from the leadership vote and is ready to dig into the commission's work. Meza, for his part, said he has heard the concerns about the aggressive schedule. But he remains confident the commission will be successful. 'I don't think we have the best conditions,' he said. 'But I do not believe we've been set up to fail. I'm very confident the commissioners will do what's needed to turn in a good product.' — STRICTLY BUSINESS: A group of L.A. business leaders launched a ballot proposal to repeal the city's much-maligned gross receipts tax, saying it would boost the city's economy and lower prices for Angelenos. The mayor and several other officials immediately panned the idea, saying it would deprive the city's yearly budget of $800 million, forcing cuts to police, firefighters and other services. — INCHING FORWARD: Meanwhile, another ballot proposal from the business community — this one backed by airlines and the hotel industry — nudged closer to reality. Interim City Clerk Petty Santos announced that the proposed referendum on the $30-per-hour tourism minimum wage had 'proceeded to the next step,' with officials now examining and verifying petition signatures to determine their validity. — GRIM GPS: The Los Angeles County Fire Department had only one truck stationed west of Lake Avenue in Altadena at a critical moment during the hugely destructive Eaton fire, according to vehicle tracking data analyzed by The Times. By contrast, the agency had dozens of trucks positioned east of Lake. All but one of the deaths attributed to the Eaton fire took place west of Lake. — CHANGE OF PLANS: On Monday, Bass nominated consultant and Community Coalition board member Mary Lee to serve on the five-member Board of Police Commissioners. Two days later, in a brief email, Lee withdrew from consideration. Reached by The Times, Lee cited 'personal reasons' for her decision but did not elaborate. (The mayor's office had nothing to add.) Lee would have replaced former commissioner Maria 'Lou' Calanche, who is running against Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez in the June 2026 election. — SEMPER GOODBYE: The Pentagon announced Monday that the roughly 700 Marines who have been deployed to the city since early June would be withdrawing, a move cheered by Bass and other local leaders who have criticized the military deployment that followed protests over federal immigration raids. About 2,000 National Guard troops remain in the region. — HALTING HEALTHCARE: L.A. County's public health system, which provides care to the region's neediest residents, could soon face brutal budget cuts. The 'Big Beautiful Bill,' enacted by President Trump and the Republican-led Congress, is on track to carve $750 million per year out of the Department of Health Services, which oversees four public hospitals and roughly two dozen clinics. At the Department of Public Health, which is facing its own $200-million cut, top executive Barbara Ferrer said: 'I've never actually seen this much disdain for public health.' — HOMELESS HIRE: The commission that oversees the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority selected Gita O'Neill, a career lawyer in the city attorney's office, to serve as the agency's interim CEO. O'Neill will replace Va Lecia Adams Kellum, who stepped down Friday after more than two years in her post. — THE JURY SPEAKS: The city has been ordered by a jury to pay $48.8 million to a man who has been in a coma since he was hit by a sanitation truck while crossing a street in Encino. The verdict comes as the city struggles with escalating legal payouts — and was larger than any single payout by the city in the last two fiscal years, according to data provided by the city attorney's office. — LOOKING FOR A LIAISON: Back in May, while signing an executive directive to support local film and TV production, L.A.'s mayor was asked whether she planned to appoint a film liaison as the City Hall point person for productions. 'Absolutely,' Bass said during the news conference, adding that she planned to do so within a few days. That was two months ago. Asked this week about the status of that position, Bass spokesperson Clara Karger touted the executive directive and said the position was 'being hired in conjunction with industry leaders.' She did not provide a timeline. That's it for this week! Send your questions, comments and gossip to LAontheRecord@ Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up here to get it in your inbox every Saturday morning.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
New Mayor Matthew Stroia ready for North Canton leadership role
NORTH CANTON ‒ Matthew Stroia is now the 25th person to lead the city as mayor. "I'm really excited to get started," he said after a swearing-in ceremony on July 25 at City Hall. "It's very emotional because I love this place. This is my hometown and when I gave my first stump speech six years ago, I said I bleed orange and black. And I do." Stroia, 49, who was council president since December 2021 and at large council member since December 2019, succeeds Stephan Wilder, who announced July 22 he was stepping down. Related: North Canton Mayor Stephan Wilder to retire after long career with the city Wilder attended the ceremony. The city charter says the council president becomes mayor if the mayor resigns. Stroia took the oath by a wall with the portraits of his 24 predecessors. Stroia's wife, Jessica Stroia who is the president of the North Canton City School Board, and their 14-year-old son, Aiden, sat in the front row. The room at the North Main Street entrance of City Hall was filled with city employees, nearly all of City Council and well-wishers. They applauded loudly and Wilder embraced Stroia. "Thank you Mayor Wilder," Stroia said. "Over 40 years of public service, and the best thing is you have a big heart and you're a great man." Talking about the city staff and community, Stroia said, "but we're a team. I mean we're all together. So let's always have each other's backs. Go forward and let's always try to improve for all the people. For our community. .... To be the 25th mayor, I wasn't expecting it on this timeline. But I'm very happy to serve." Stephan Wilder issues support Wilder addressed the crowd and thanked the community and city staff. "We have come across so many things in these last few years. We've made major decisions. We've had obstacles. We've had challenges. But we also with working with council, administration and our whole (city) staff all of our decisions are made (for) the welfare of our city," he said. Wilder said he is not moving out of the city. He plans to serve on local boards for nonprofits like North Canton Cares Pantry and the North Canton Heritage Society. Stroia said he will file by the Aug. 6 deadline petition signatures seeking to run for the two-year term starting Dec. 1. Wilder has endorsed Stroia's election. "I think he's going to give all his best. ... He's rounded. He's a hometown young man. He comes from a great family. I think he has good working knowledge of city government in his time on city council," Wilder said. The mayor is a part-time position, according to the city charter. The mayor hires with approval of council the director of administration who serves at the pleasure of the mayor. The mayor has the power to veto legislation approved by council. By state law, Stroia will earn $19,418 a year, a pay increase from $8,809 a year that he earned as council president. North Canton mayoral history Wilder was the eighth mayor of North Canton to resign before the end of his term. This last happened in 1998 when William Hines resigned to become the city's law director. Then-Council President Darryl Revoldt became the mayor. Council member Stephanie Werren, At Large, becomes the council president. Council will appoint a resident of the city to the vacant at-large council member position to serve the remainder of the two-year term until Nov. 30. Stroia owns and operates the tax filing firm Buckeye Tax, the investment advisory firm Investment Network and two businesses at Oakwood Square in Plain Township, the cigar bar OSI and the brewery Spider Monkey. Stroia has not announced any plans as mayor, other then talking with staff and learning more about city departments. Twenty-four others have served as mayor of North Canton. The first mayor was William H. "Boss" Hoover, from 1906 to 1909, when the community was a village known as New Berlin. Three of the 25 served as mayor in two non-consecutive periods. Reach Robert at This article originally appeared on The Repository: Matthew Stroia becomes 25th mayor of North Canton Solve the daily Crossword
