“NEW BEDFORD – Mayor Jon Mitchell is submitting a proposal to the City Council which would establish a mechanism to recall City elected officers, fulfilling a promise he made last year.

In the Friday, Feb. 23, filing to the City Council, Mayor Mitchell writes “While I believe that the recall of an elected officer should be an extraordinary remedy, I also believe that it is prudent to have a recall process so that voters can protect themselves against egregious breaches of public trust.”

The proposal establishes a high standard the public would have to meet in order to recall an elected officer.

The proposed guidelines for ward and at-large elected officers are:

Ward Officer: 100 voters of the ward initiate the recall petition by filing an affidavit with the Board of Election Commissioners, which will then issue recall petition blanks. The blanks must be returned within 45 days and contain signatures from at least 15% of the ward’s registered voters. Also, at least 15% of registered voters in the ward must vote in the recall election.

At-Large Officer: 600 voters initiate a recall petition by filing an affidavit with the Board of Election Commissioners that includes 100 signatures from each ward. The Board will then issue recall petition blanks, which must be returned within 45 days and contain signatures from at least 15% of registered voters across the City with 10% of such signatures coming from each ward. Finally, at least 15% of registered voters must vote in the recall election.

“I believe that these provisions strike the proper balance between providing voters with a necessary recall mechanism and ensuring that a recall of an elected officer cannot occur without significant deliberation and broad public support,” Mayor Mitchell writes.

Additionally, Mayor Mitchell’s proposal includes the stipulation that if an elected officer is recalled, they will be ineligible to fill the vacancy caused by their recall, either in a subsequent election or by appointment. If an elected officer is recalled, the vacancy will be filled in accordance with the City charter.

In a related housekeeping matter, Mayor Mitchell is also filing a proposal to clarify the process in how a vacancy in the office of Mayor is filled. The existing provision addresses how a vacancy is to be filled in the first and second year of a Mayor’s term, but it has not updated in light of the City’s adoption of a four-year mayoral term in 2017. The new provision makes clear how the process would work at any point in the four-year term.”

“NEW BEDFORD – Mayor Jon Mitchell will hold office hours on Wednesday, January 24, from 5:30-7 p.m. at Restaurante Algarve, located at 128 County St.

City residents are invited to attend and meet with Mayor Mitchell directly and share their concerns and ideas, as well as a bite to eat. The session is open to all New Bedford residents, no advance appointments are required, and meeting with the Mayor will be done on a first-come, first-served basis.”

Seeks Acceleration of Fine Schedule for Repeat Offenders; Chance to Reset After 1 Year.

NEW BEDFORD – “Mayor Jon Mitchell has submitted a proposal to the City Council which would accelerate the fine schedule for irresponsible absentee landlords and give them an opportunity to start fresh after 12 months of compliance.

Mayor Mitchell announced the proposed changes in his Inaugural Address on Jan. 1, and in a Thursday filing to the City Council, wrote that the “amendments would encourage more responsible management of residential property, strengthen neighborhoods, and conserve the City’s enforcement resources.”

The current fine schedule requires 25 separate violations before City inspectors can issue the maximum fine allowed by state law, $300. Penalties start with a warning and escalate in increments of $25 until the maximum is reached after 25 separate offenses. Mayor Mitchell said the current fine schedule is too gradual and has impeded the City’s enforcement efforts.

Over the last five years, more than 585 properties have had more than 10 violations. Of those properties, 177 had between 20-49 violations, 49 had 50-99 violations, and 12 had more than 100 violations.

“The City’s current fine schedule has proven inadequate to curb the irresponsible management practices of some landlords,” Mitchell wrote. “Some of them have violated the trash ordinance so often that it is evident that they are simply ignoring their fine tickets … in part because the current fine schedule does not create a strong enough incentive for repeat offenders to change their management practices.”

Mayor Mitchell proposed changing the fine structure to reach the maximum $300 penalty after seven violations, starting with a warning and increasing in $50 increments for each violation.

“I believe any landlord who fails to address a chronic problem after a handful of fines simply lacks the will to do it, and must be forced into compliance by the threat of higher fines,” he wrote.

City Council President Naomi R.A. Carney shared the Mayor’s sentiment that the number of fines to reach the maximum should be reduced.

“I agree that we need to look at the Code of Ordinance and reduce the 25 violations number before reaching maximum,” she said. “I look forward to the discussion.”

Additionally, Mayor Mitchell proposed a reset for landlords who actively seek to improve the conditions of their property. Under the filed amendment, the violation tally would reset to zero for any property that goes an entire year without a new violation.

“If a property owner is making genuine improvements, that landlord should have the opportunity to start over,” he wrote. “I believe this would create a compelling incentive for a landlord to improve their management practices.””-City of New Bedford.

“Former Mayor John A. Markey passed away Sunday at 89. Mayor Jon Mitchell has ordered flags at City facilities be flown at half-staff in his honor. Mayor Mitchell’s statement on Mayor Markey’s passing:

“I was saddened to learn of the passing of former Mayor John A. Markey, whose legacy is evident across New Bedford today. Mayor Markey was first elected in 1971, winning a three-way race between incumbent George Rogers and former Mayor Edmund Harrington.

The history of the City would show that Jack Markey was the right leader at the right time. Arriving in office in the wake of riots and strikes that rocked the City, and a time when America’s democratic institutions were losing credibility, Mayor Markey restored trust in municipal government and stability to the City. His tenure in office would come to define New Bedford in the 1970s, one marked by an unfailing integrity and clarity of purpose.

Despite the headwinds of a contracting manufacturing economy, he maintained the City’s focus on the long term, and hired a capable team of public servants to carry out the work. His tenure was replete with investments that make up much of the bulwark of the City today, nearly 50 years later: The construction of New Bedford High School and GNB Voc-Tech, four new elementary schools, a modern drinking water plant, and numerous major housing and road projects. But his signature achievement was the establishment of the Historic District and the restoration of its cobblestoned streets.

In 1977, the City was allotted $13 million from the then new Community Development Block Grant program, and despite calls to spend the windfall on various immediate needs, Markey was convinced that an investment to help bring the City’s storied past to life would pay off in the long run. No one today doubts that his decision was the right one. Thanks to Mayor Markey’s clear understanding of the City’s core interests and the courage to advance them, the Historic District is today the most photographed part of the City, and an enduring source of pride for our residents.

Mayor Markey prevailed in six mayoral elections, leaving office in 1982 as the longest continuously serving mayor in the City’s history. In his second act in public service, he served as the presiding judge of the New Bedford District Court until his retirement, where he was known for his fairness, his incisive analysis of the law, and his commitment to justice for all. In 2014, the City officially named the plaza along what is arguably the City’s most central intersection and the gateway to the Historic District “Jack Markey Plaza” in honor of his long and distinguished service to New Bedford.

Mayor Markey left New Bedford a stronger, more confident City for his efforts. His accomplishments are many, but he will be remembered most by those who knew him as a thoroughly loyal, honest and humble man, committed unwaveringly to his family, his City and his Faith. I will be forever grateful for his support and encouragement, especially at the beginning of my tenure. Ann and I offer our condolences and prayers to his wife Carol, his children, John, Carol Ann, Chris and Jennifer, his grandchildren, and his many friends. I have ordered the flags at City facilities to be flown at half-staff in his honor.”-Jon Mitchell.

“The City’s annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Community Program will be held on Sunday, Jan. 14 from 2-3:30 p.m. at the International Church of the Nazarene located at 278 Pleasant St.

Sponsored by the City of New Bedford’s Department of Community Services and its Human Rights Commission, and the Office of the Mayor, the program will feature musical performances, remarks from Mayor Jon Mitchell, and keynote speaker Rev. Dr. Sandra Gatlin Whitley.

Rev. Dr. Whitley is the senior pastor at Bethel A.M.E. Church in New Bedford. She served 22 years as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Air Force before pursuing ministry. Rev. Dr. Whitley attended Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary and earned a Master of Divinity and a Master of Arts in 2004. She was ordained Itinerant Elder in the African Methodist Episcopal Church in 2007 and served as pastor for 14 years at People’s A.M.E. Church in Chelsea. She currently serves on the Governor’s Advisory Committee on Women Veterans.

“New Bedford is committed to Dr. King’s timeless values of peace, justice, and service,” Mayor Jon Mitchell said. “Our City will come together at this annual remembrance ceremony to celebrate Dr. King and his message.”

Sunday’s program features musical performances from New Bedford native Candida Rose Baptista, Councilor at-Large Shane Burgo, Elliot Talley, Vanessa Marques, the International Church of Nazarene Youth Choir, and more.

All are encouraged to attend. For more information, contact the MLK Planning Committee at MLK@newbedford-ma.gov or at 508-979-1692.”-City of New Bedford.

City of New Bedford photo.