Mayor Seeks Resignations

Two members of the Licensing Board have been asked to resign by Mayor Dan Rizzo according to sources who claimed the board members had already received their letters.

In addition, two members of the Zoning Board of Appeals are also being asked to resign.

When the mayor is done with those resignations, he is expected to ask at least four city hall employees to resign their positions as well.

According to the source, Members Bob Marra and Tom Henneberry were asked to resign their appointed posts on the Licensing Board. Neither Henneberry nor Marra could be reached.

Mayor Rizzo declined to comment on the matter.

Mara and Henneberry were close with former Mayor Tom Ambrosino, with Marra being the City Solicitor for part of the time under the former mayor.

The source indicated that they have been asked to leave. If they do not choose to leave now, they will fulfill their term on the Board and will not be reappointed by the mayor.

The third member, Linda Guinasso, is apparently being retained.

Mayor Rizzo is apparently sending out letters asking for the resignation of two members of the Zoning Board of Appeals. Those letters were expected to be in the mail Tuesday afternoon, according to the source.

Again, Mayor Rizzo declined to comment on the matter.

However, the source said the letters asking for the resignation of two Appeals Board members were a certainty.

Over the years, Chairman Michael Tucker has been controversial in his stoic stances while serving on the Board. However, several city hall insiders believe it would be unlikely that Tucker would be asked to leave.

Members such as John Cammarata have been valuable additions in the recent past, and with Cammarata a strong Rizzo campaign supporter, it is unlikely he would be targeted.

Two of the most vulnerable members on the Board are believed to be Harvey Corin, who has served for many years with distinction, but was a vestige of the last administration.

The other is Al Buccilli, who has lived in Lynnfield (not Revere) for many years, and had his support from the crew of the late former mayor and councillor George V. Colella.

Other members include Nick D’Angelo and Alternate Member Steve Colometo – both of whom are rather new to the Board.

Mayor Rizzo said he did not want to comment on the matter at this time except to say that he believes he has the right to make changes on various boards that will enhance his administration’s ability to maneuver in the weeks and months to come.

Mayor Rizzo cannot simply cut city hall employees represented by the union. Asking for people to terminate their jobs, is much more difficult this time around than in any previous transition of administrations.

This time, there is a union that represents just about every City Hall worker, including department heads.

The source didn’t indicate who was in line to be removed, but indicated it was at least four people in City Hall.

Letters will apparently be sent to at least four additional city hall employees. However, this set of terminations or resignations will require a bit more background work and legal opinion as the union is now involved.

However, union membership and representation is not a certifiable guarantee of any kind when the mayor acts.

It is really the first time the municipal unions have been tested with a hiring or firing due to a transition of power, but it is exactly why city employees brought in the union some 10 years ago.

The sources indicated that these were the first of, perhaps, a number of other changes that would come down within the next few months.

Several weeks ago, Ambrosino’s former mayoral secretaries were reassigned, one to the Police Department and another to the Department of Public Works.

Insiders say this first spate of changes at city hall is only the beginning of a much more expansive change in personnel as Rizzo makes the effort to take full control of the city hall apparatus.

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