Do we have a next in line until election? Heard today he was leaving in February. Is this true? Will he move to Lynnfield ?
The Mayor has the right to appoint his replacement from a member of the Board of Alderman. He has stated that he will appoint Peter Mortimer to finish out his remaining 2 years if he gets Lynnfield job.
Interesting. Maybe he will move to Lynnfield for the schools?
Truth be told, my initial response to this news was a giant grin. Then reality set in.
First, the Lynnfield guy has the inside track. If he had any serious opposition or enemies in town, he most likely would have been eliminated already.
Second - and I NEVER thought I'd hear myself say this - I hope he doesn't get the job. Why? Because I started thinking about possible replacements. Is there anyone out there who thinks ANY current member of the B of A would make a good Mayor? Even if they can't arrive at a majority right away, they'll just vote over and over again until they do, unless there's a provision there can only be one ballot, which I don't believe there is. Someone will move to reconsider until they have a majority.
Is there a chance it gets to a special election? Maybe - hopefully. That's the only chance there is to get a qualified candidate, despite the onerous restrictions imposed by the Charter, which as you recall, was written to ensure there wouldn't be any qualified opposition to Dolan. Now that really could come back to bite us.
This is so Dolanesque - I got what I want. Screw the rest of you.
First, Current Lynnfield guy could just be a patsie and Dolan could have been the pick all along. Second, Thank God the pay got increased to a number where a qualified person would consider running. Charter allows for a 90 Day election should no one from BOA get the votes. I'm guessing even at $125,000 a year the potential candidates are limited.
List of Potential Candidates and odds of winning please
I hope you get the job. Finalist for the position of Lynnfield Town Administrator.
From the Boston Globe 3 hours ago: "Should Dolan vacate his seat to take the Lynnfield job prior to the start of the third year of his four-year term on Jan. 8, the Melrose charter provides that a special election would have to be called within 90 days to fill the seat. If the seat became vacant on Jan. 8 or after, it would be filled by the president of the Board of Aldermen, according to city solicitor Robert Van Campen."
Simply put, if Dolan is selected for the job and wants to keep the current President of the Board of Alderman and local Republican Don Conn from finishing out his term, he simply needs to vacate his seat before January 8th. That would force a special election which would probably result in a Democrat being elected.
So if he is offered the job and:
Leaves before Jan 8: Special election within 90 days.
Leaves Jan 8 or after: Board of Aldermen president becomes mayor (Zwirko)
It couldn't be Conn because he did not win reelection, and as the previous poster pointed out, his term ends on the 7th.
For Patti Wright to run.
Don't hurt those who are mourning for the loss of Patty, who passed away tragically in October. Honor her memory by paying better attention to what's going on and standing up for what's right.
To the people of melrose it takes a village for change.So let’s have that special Election and have are Voice be heard and vote in a true leader and not a
Rubber Stamper! So Let’s π³For Change. ππ
Be careful what you wish for.
ABZ.
I'm assuming that means "Anybody But Zwirko". I'll second that. Just the thought of that scares me to death.
It also raises another interesting question.
The Charter prohibits a Mayor from holding another job. Should he be named Mayor, he would then have to vacate whatever his full-time job is now for a two-year Mayoral term - unless they try to pull a fast one somehow and claim that he's an "interim" Mayor, and that the Charter restriction doesn't apply, which is pure bull$hit.
Assuming they don't try to get away with that, then what? If he gets defeated at the next regular election, he's unemployed. Would I do that? I would not, especially not for only a two-year term. Clearly he has not thought this through.
The optimum solution is for Dolan to leave before the cutoff date forcing a special election. That takes all the insider infighting out of it, and puts it in the hands of the voters, where it belongs.
Has there been a more sudden and immediate "First to Worst" moment than what Zwirko is experiencing now?
In November he tops the ballot. Full of himself, he runs for presidency even though he is the least experienced. He gets it! Dolan then drops the bomb.... he's gonna be MAYOR! Then everything falls apart.
Immediately upon learning the Dolan news all his colleagues show exactly how little they think of him. Multiple of them including his "best friend" Gail run against him. They all know he is a snivelling useless weasal and doesn't deserve to back into the mayorship. He tries clinging to a non-binding vote tearing apart any long lasting friendships he has ever made in town.
It has to be incredibly embarrassing for him. If he weren't a total jerk, I'd feel bad for him.
I hope it goes to an election vote.
Zwirko and Mederios work hard.
Tramontozzi is incompetent.
Infurna is a lying, gossipy, troublemaker who will stab anyone in the back. She would by far be the worst of the bunch!
A faceoff in Lynnfield
December 19, 2017
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Faceoff is one of those words tailor-made to stir up excitement, and the faceoff between two candidates for the Lynnfield Town Administrator job tonight deserves to draw an audience when the Board of Selectmen begins interviewing the contenders at 6 p.m. in MarketStreet’s Al Merritt meeting room.
Board Chairman Christopher Barrett and his fellow selectmen have an interesting decision to make. One of the contenders for outgoing Administrator James Boudreau’s job is Robert Dolan, the mayor of Melrose who was first elected in 2002. The other finalist is Robert Curtin, a well-known name around town and assistant to the town administrator for the past eight years.
The contenders’ contrasting backgrounds and experience puts the selectmen at a crossroads when it comes to deciding the direction the town should go and who is best suited as administrator to take it in that direction.
Curtin knows Lynnfield inside and out as a town official and local newspaper editor (Lynnfield Weekly News). He knows the selectmen, the priorities they have set and, most important, he knows what Lynnfield people think about and how they feel about the town.
Mayors don’t often seek out town government jobs but Dolan has managed to survive a screening committee and hiring consultant review to be a finalist for the administrator job.
His long tenure in office speaks to his popularity in Melrose and his understanding of municipal affairs. Being mayor of even a small city involves gaining a working knowledge of state and federal government and making connections with legislators, even members of Congress.
It also means grasping an understanding of budget crafting, state and federal laws that translate into expensive local mandates and gaining experience with labor unions and liability laws. All that experience doesn’t mean Dolan can jump from a mayorship to the administrator’s job with seamless ease.
Curtin, on the other hand, is the candidate who can simply walk a few feet from his Town Hall desk to the one now used by Boudreau. He is also, in many respects, the person best positioned to know the pressing matters now occupying Boudreau’s inbox and Curtin knows the concerns, including finances, sure to be priorities in 2018 for the Board of Selectmen and the new administrator.
Town government is inclined more often than not to subscribe to the time-honored “if-it-ain’t-broke-don’t-fix-it” school of thought. With Boudreau headed to presumably greener pastures on the South Shore, Curtin is certainly equipped to keep Lynnfield on a steady course. Then again, with plans for a new library underway and a public safety building on the horizon, maybe a candidate with city government skills is a better fit for the administrator job.
The selectmen will have plenty of questions to ask Curtin and Dolan but the most important questions will be the ones they ask each other. They were elected to serve on the board with a mandate from town voters. Now they must ask themselves and their fellow board members how they should carry out that mandate when it comes to hiring a new administrator.Dolan and Curtin. Wednesday Dec 20 2017; Beginningy at 6 P.M .At the Al Merritt Center and Cultural Center'600 Market ST Lynnfield mass.
There is a larger issue in the interim Mayor decision that I hope the members of this community work to make their voices heard. I know I will be sending an e-mail to each Alderman. If Gail Infurna gets the post for the next 2 years the Mayors salary of $125,000 per year will be averaged into her high three, and she has over 20 years on the board of alderman, so its effectively giving her an $85,000 per year pension for the rest of her life. That's outrageous and any Alderman that votes for her is allowing her to engage in outright and blatant robbery of taxpayer funds. Zwirko is at the beginning. At least if he gets it he needs to stick around for 18 years to get his pension.
MELORSE, MA — There are Melrosians driving cars today that have never known life without Mayor Robert Dolan in charge. Now, after Dolan was unanimously approved as Lynnfield Town Administrator in a Wednesday night meeting, all eyes are on who will be next.
Dolan's 16-year-run indisputably transformed Melrose. While there is much to reflect on and celebrate, many are now asking who will take his place.
Much hinges on just when Dolan vacates the Mayor's office.
Melrose is going through some major changes! Subscribe to Melrose Patch for free for more local news and real-time alerts.
The City Charter states that if a vacancy occurs within the first two years of a term, then a special election will be held within 90 days of the vacancy. The winner of that election would hold the office until the initial term of the original mayor was set to expire.
If the office becomes vacant after the beginning of the mayor's third year, the president of the Board of Aldermen would assume the role of mayor. You can read the Section 3-10 of the City Charter below.
The third year of Dolan's four-year term would begin Jan. 8. The Mayor's office told Patch the date Dolan would vacate office is still undetermined.
Dolan is expected to start in Lynnfield in early February.
President Donald Conn Jr. lost his reelection bid in November and will leave office Jan. 8. The incoming board chose Mike Zwirko to succeed Conn on Dec. 4, but that was in a nonbonding caucus. A formal vote will take place on Jan. 8, and it's now looking like a more competitive race.
The Melrose Free Press reports Aldermen John Tramontozzi, Gail Infurna, and Monica Medeiros will be vying for the presidency now that it could essentially be a vote for mayor.
While some residents may be surprised to hear a person who was never on the mayoral ballot may be running the city, the City Charter makes the process clear. The charter was recently reviewed, and Patch was told the provision regarding a mayoral vacancy was not brought up for consideration.
Subscribe to Melrose Patch for more free local news and real-time alerts
SECTION 3-10: VACANCY IN OFFICE OF MAYOR
(a) Special Election - If a vacancy in the office of mayor occurs during the first 2 years of the term for which the mayor is elected, whether by reason of death, resignation, removal from office, incapacity, or otherwise, the board of aldermen shall immediately, in the manner provided in section 7-1, order a special election to be held within 90 days following the date the vacancy is created, to fill the vacancy for the balance of the then unexpired term. If a regular city election is to be held within 120 days following the date the vacancy is created a special election need not be held and the position shall be filled by vote at such regular election.
(b) President of Aldermen To Serve As Mayor - If a vacancy in the office of mayor occurs in the third or fourth year of the term for which the mayor is elected, whether by reason of death, resignation, removal from office, or otherwise, the president of the board of aldermen shall become the mayor. Upon the qualification of the president of the board of aldermen as the mayor, under this section, a vacancy shall exist in that seat on the board of aldermen which shall be filled in the manner provided in section 2-11. A president serving as mayor under this subsection shall not be subject to the restrictions contained in the third sentence of section 3-1(a), nor shall that person be entitled to have the words "candidate for re-election" printed against their name on the election ballot.
(c) Powers, Term of Office - The mayor elected under Section 3-10(a) or (b) shall have all the powers of the mayor. A person elected under subsection (a), shall serve for the balance of the term unexpired at the time of election to the office. A person chosen under subsection (b), shall serve until the time of the next regular election at which time the person elected to fill the office for the ensuing term of office shall serve, in addition, for the balance of the then unexpired term.
Posting the same thing on multiple strings is VERY annoying!
Willie You’re Right it’s annoying!
Is he gone yet?
Not a whisper.
At all a game to when he go to Mayor leaving for Lynnfield?
I give up. Are you off your meds again?
Announced last night by Lynnfield (notably nothing announced by our own mayor who is leaving his position mid-term) that the contract has been finalized and will begin Feb 5th. There is no reason he should not step down prior to his halfway point and let the voters decide who our next mayor will be. Not hand it to some 2 year Alderman handpicked by Dolan. (Don’t think for a second Zwirko’s presidency run wasn’t orchestrated.) Go take your kids on vacation before you start your next job and do right by this town that you’ve given so much of your career to, Rob!
Dolan will not resign before 2/1/18. It would cost him over $10,000.
The charter is clear, but the board could vote to have a special election with 8 out of 12 voting for a special election.
Zwirko is front runner to get the 6 votes needed to be board president and subsequently Mayor when Dolan finally resigns. There will be no special election. MM, JT will not have a second on their nomination as Board President. GI may have one other. If Zwirko gets 6 the math says you won't then find 8 to get to the special election. Mayor Zwirko should begin his term February 5th.
GOD, HELP US ALL.
Let's dig deeper into this prediction... Who you got as your 6 for Zwirko?
I don't see him getting 6, I see him topping at 5 (most likely 4).
If he gets 5 (which he has) he will get 6+. 5 blocks any chance of a special election. Once GI knows she can't get it she'll swing her support and current supporters to Zwirko...to prevent a special election that MM will run in. BOA would get hammered publicly if they gave it to her and her pension went through the roof...so she has no shot. After first ballot Zwirko may get 9 or 10.
"he won't because he is a horrible person"
Most certainly.
He's bailing because he knows the tides are turning. He wants to be gone before any more of his bad tidings start surfacing, hoping that the scurry to keep things hidden will continue. Cemetery scandal with his godfather/chief of staff was just the tip of the iceberg. He thinks that by planting MZ, his other homies will keep a safe haven for their patronage jobs and other goodies. He doesn't care a whole lot, though, and is gleeful at the thought of chaos in his wake. Other kinds of sabotage will unfold as well. As someone who was/is always projecting, he is the original "hater," while designating so many others unfairly with that ugly moniker. Any additional harm he can inflict will give him pleasure.
The clowns are running around in a tizzy a right now. A full blown bozo parade. They don't know what to do, celebrate that Dolan is leaving, wring their hands over who's next or wet themselves. Here is the math. Dolan just got a $75,000 dollar raise and added $60,000 a year to his pension. Its that simple. The only tide that's turning is his bank account. It's time for all you losers to break out the rubber feet and honk yourselves down to City Hall next week to the Alderman's chamber and see who you get to whine and bellyache about next. Honk, Honk!
"He is trying to stack the deck so an completely inexperienced weasel like MZ gets it even though he has served the city for the shortest period of time. It's a shame he was unaware of how completely almost everyone who has worked with MZ has come to dislike him."
He could not care less if MZ is inexperienced, let alone another nasty, game-player like himself. In fact, he's likely hoping that MZ makes a mess so that comparisons will be made about with that "incredible" mayor Melrose used to have. And with a wife already on the city payroll in a major position, nepotism will set the stage quite perfectly for more of the filthy patronage that already marks mayorship. He also doesn't care if MZ is a charlatan who quickly alienates former allies, again because he (like so many of Melrose politicians) is a vile, game-playing creep who will relish the chaos in his wake. Can't you hear his giddy cackle already?
Anyone who thinks this is happening because of the money is quite deluded. RD cares much more about power (and the ability to abuse it as he has) than about the bucks. He is forsaking power to a situation where he will not be the boss and will be answerable fully to the selectmen, something he has many times decried as an inferior form of governance. He's reading his tea leaves and knows he has a lot to fear, so the added money and significantly less power/responsibility are better than the other options, which ultimately involve some unpleasant accountability for things from which he needs to be removed. The added bucks will come in handy when he has to start paying tuition for private schools, since there are some dark tea leaves there, too, and the charter school lottery didn't go the way he'd hoped.
Vile Politics has been selected as the leader of the clown parade and driver of the clown car. Parade to commence just prior to the January 8th Alderman's meeting. Pull your head out of your @ass and make sure the rubber nose doesn't fall off while you are doing it...you will need it for the parade. Dolan doesn't care about the money? The raise itself is clearly more than the bozo's on this site make in a year. MZ won't be his choice. That's clearly in the hands of the alderman. They have the power to declare a president who will then serve as Mayor or vote for a special election. Too bad the Bozo Brigade's candidates got smashed in the election...I guess the silent majority is no different than the BS peddled here. You clowns don't know what you are talking about. A bunch of whiners and cry baby's.
As usual, nothing from you but insults and ignorant vitriol. If you have nothing to contribute, why do you bother? What are you so afraid of - that your godfather won't be there any more to protect you? When Dolan finally does bail, will you go with him please?
To Clown (since that is a more apt moniker):
Why do you care?
You seem to have quite the loaded agenda, albeit one that remains inarticulate and quite vile in and of itself, all bluster and smear without any grounding in a reasonable perspective, let alone an ethical one. You obviously embrace the bullying and juvenile approach of the current holder of the city's bully pulpit.
What makes you think you know who any poster's "candidates" were in the last election? You seem to be referring to the Republican candidates when you cast your general disparagement. What about those of us who are disgusted by both parties and are seeking better from both? What about those of us who have a more nuanced approach and value what the best of each side brings to the table? Clearly you don't seem interested in intelligent discourse, but prefer your ugly and ineffectual imagery.
What makes you think you know how this business of who next gets to be mayor is going to turn out? You don't seem to have enough vocabulary to know much beyond puppeting the current mayor's juvenile bullying language.
I sort of feel bad for Lynnfield. when they find out exactly what a complete a$$hole they've hired, they'll regret it.
In his interview he told them he'd done all his stuff in Melrose without ever needing an override. He neglected to tell them about the two he championed and swore up and down he needed, but got stuffed down his throat. He's a fake and a liar.
Clown Patrol, there are times where I agree with you even though you come off like a jerk. This isn't one of them. This is not a typical R vs D battle, it is far too important for that. I would be willing to bet my at-large alderman vote lined up with yours and probably has for all previous local elections.
I wish for myself (and am willing to bet a lot of other voters feel similar) that I knew this had the potential to happen prior to voting in November. I would have definitely changed my vote from Manisha to Don Conn. I regret that vote more than any other vote I have taken in my whole life. This process would be much easier with Don around. Melrose is worse for it.
I'm just glad to hear C.P. is still having fun.We havnt heard from him since the last overide went down faster then the "Hindenburg":kissing:
Whiners, cry me a river. These last 3 posts sum up the MM Bozo Brigade perfectly.
"As Usual" takes offense to ignorance and vitriol? Can I get me some hypocrisy please...Isn't that what this blog was created for. The clowns anonymously slander, rant and rave at anybody and everybody in Melrose...but baby Huey here gets her panties tied in a bunch by a different point of view.
"Question" ramps up the hypocrisy a notch and adds a little intellectual snobbery. I'm impressed. Go get your GED off the wall and pat yourself on the back.
But "Regrets" takes the cake. "I voted for the young multi-cultural liberal candidate but would have voted for the old white guy republican had I known Dolan was leaving." ICARUMBA. Before you wet yourself worrying about your vote try to deal with the schizophrenia first, combine some meds and vodka and sleep for a while.
What a bunch of pant loads.