On the surface, Monday’s inauguration at City Hall was a festive and sedate event with everyone saying the correct things in terms of collaboration, listening to others, and getting things done in a constructive/productive way.
Mayor Sean Reardon, who was sworn in for his second four-year term, hit upon all those themes during his roughly seven-minute speech, saying progress and a better Newburyport require all parties to have their voices heard while working together.
Reardon also leaned on standard inauguration tropes by including his list of accomplishments during his first term and what he wants to tackle in his second term. In regard to the former, Reardon highlighted progress toward converting the former Brown School into senior affordable housing, completing Market Landing Park and the waterfront bulkhead project, paving more streets and sidewalks, and breaking ground at the future home of Recreation and Youth Services on Low Street.
When it comes to his second term, Reardon touched upon improving the city’s water infrastructure and making sure future Waterfront West development is handled properly.
All those projects aside, Reardon critics were likely rolling their eyes (including one who was spotted in the crowd doing so) when he talked about collaboration and working well with others.
During the last mayoral campaign, his detractors pounded him regularly and repeatedly for his long list of spats with the former City Council and his attempts to circumvent their role as a check on his power. Those spats got so bad that at one meeting, former Councilor Mark Wright referred to Reardon as “his highness.”
While Wright’s comment was out of line, there was plenty of proof that Reardon did indeed find the former council more of a nuisance than a collaborator.
Again, on the surface, it appears the latest iteration of the City Council – comprising six new members, many of them replacing Reardon’s biggest detractors – will be uber-friendly toward Reardon’s way of thinking, giving him virtual carte blanche to run the city.
Will that be the case six months or a year from now? I don’t think so.
Reardon caught an early break during Monday’s inauguration when Heather Shand was voted council president by her peers, fending off a challenge from Afroz Khan. Shand, who had been president before, received six votes while Khan got four.
Voting for Shand were Councilors Ed Cameron (who was the last president), Lisa Medina Smith, Brian Callahan, Shand, Beth Trach and Ben Harman. Voting for Khan were Mary DeLai, Sarah Hall, Stephanie Niektic and Khan. In a totally expected move, Sharif Zeid voted present.
While Khan has denied it to The Daily News when asked, it was well known around town that she supported Reardon’s opponent, former Ward 5 Councilor Jim McCauley, during last fall’s election.
Back in October, I was told by two sources that Khan was working behind the scenes with former Mayor Donna Holaday in supporting McCauley. Those opinions were augmented by sight of the former mayor and holding signs for Khan and McCauley outside Hope Community Church.
Back in November, I predicted that Khan, who collected the most votes during November’s general election, would be the next council president. Continuing my streak of poor prognostications, I was wrong. What happened? Sure feels like Khan blew away too much goodwill to win the council presidency by her past affiliations.
If you ask former Ward 2 Councilor Jennie Donahue, Reardon and his allies are to blame.
“The voters spoke loud and clear when they gave the most votes to Councilor Khan for reelection. Why are the majority voices of the public being completely ignored by the mayor and the incoming city councilors? The whole thing is just disheartening and discouraging,” Donahue wrote in a Facebook post Monday.
Some of those who left the council with their fists in the air, calling Reardon a virtual tyrant (like Donahue), were thought to be among some of his closest supporters back in 2024. It goes to show that even allies will be less warm and fuzzy should they feel like their voices aren’t heard and their thoughts are dismissed.
For history not to repeat itself, Reardon will need to do more than say the right things if he truly wants to live up to his inaugural words regarding cooperation and unity.
He will need to lean into the fact that the council is supposed to be an independent body that provides a crucial counterbalance to executive authority. He will need to live up to his inauguration promise.
Dave Rogers is the editor of the Daily News of Newburyport. Email him at: drogers@newburyportnews.com.