NEWBURYPORT — Recent drama surrounding now interim Human Resources Director Donna Drelick reached new heights Wednesday as Mayor Sean Reardon and city councilors traded barbs over what both sides claim to a declining political culture within the city.
Tensions grew higher after Reardon named her as interim director for a period of 90 days, with two possible 30 day extensions, shortly after the City Council rejected Drelick’s reappointment.
The City Council on Monday voted 6-4 against Drelick’s reappointment, which would have been valid for three more years, after roughly 12 minutes of public comment that saw multiple residents speak out against her. Ward 6 Councilor Byron Lane was absent due to illness.
City Councilors Ed Cameron, Afroz Khan, Ben Harman and Heather Shand voted in favor.
In a Tuesday statement to the Daily News, Reardon called out the City Council for what he said has been a “troubling pattern” over the past two years.
“Unfortunately, the council has too often been divided, dysfunctional and at times vindictive,” Reardon said.
He said that in his three years as mayor, this is the only appointment the council has targeted in such a way.
“This same employee also saw her salary reduced by the council,” Reardon said.
He accused some councilors of being more concerned with political games than helping the city.
“Even more concerning, they frequently disregard legal advice and fail to uphold our city charter. This behavior mirrors the dysfunction we see in Washington, and that should concern all of us,” Reardon said.
Continuing, he said now is not the time for the city to be without an HR director.
“We are in the middle of union contract negotiations and actively searching for two key positions in DPS, including the director. After consulting with the city solicitor and in accordance with the city charter, I have appointed Donna Drelick as interim HR director,” Reardon said, referring to the Department of Public Services.
Cameron appeared to back Reardon’s interpretation of the city charter.
“After the Council’s vote, the mayor followed the charter’s provision on temporary appointments to appoint Ms. Drelick for 90 days. Speaking for myself, it is unclear whether Council has authority to approve or reject such temporary appointments. The Council will likely meet to consider this matter,” Cameron said, in an emailed statement.
Targets of Reardon’s comments took issue with various statements, not the least of which the claim that their actions have been modeling those taking place in Washington, D.C.
Ward 5 City Councilor and Reardon’s mayoral opponent Jim McCauley said Reardon was not far off with his comparison to Washington politics but had the roles wrong.
“The mayor is correct in his assertion that behaviors locally are mirroring those in Washington, except he is playing the role of king and the one spreading disinformation,” McCauley said.
At-large City Councilor Connie Preston said dysfunction within Reardon’s administration is why she is not returning to the City Council next year.
“The Reardon administration is mirroring the Trump administration – complete loyalty or be pushed out and when the other branches of government don’t comply, change the rules,” Preston said.
McCauley said the council and mayor’s office are supposed to check each other, but that the system only works when there is respect on both sides.
“The actions by this mayor have been disrespectful of the process, and to the people involved,” McCauley said.
Harman, one of the four councilor to vote in favor of reappointing Drelick, explained his reasoning.
“I think it’s clear that the director has made some missteps, but owned those pretty clearly and publicly, and spoke to a plan to improve going forward,” Harman said.
He said he understands some councilors do not have a great relationship with Reardon, but shared his hopes that this issue can cool down and that both sides can focus on working to better the city.
“These are people’s livelihoods. These are people who are public servants. And I’d hope that we could deal with those things level-headed and just based on the facts,” Harman said.
Cameron, in the same email, said the mayor was “best positioned to judge fitness for this role.”
“Having served on Council for 14 years, I know every HR director and mayor has faced difficult personnel decisions, often without the general public or even the Council knowing the full facts for reasons of confidentiality. With only two staff handling HR responsibilities for hundreds of employees, many unionized, the job is inherently demanding. Ms. Drelick herself acknowledged areas for improvement,” Cameron said, in his statement.
Ward 2 City Councilor Jennie Donahue said that by appointing Drelick in an interim role after the council refused to reappoint her, Reardon is continuing a trend of circumventing the council when it comes to personnel.
“The real problem is that the mayor and his chief of staff have consistently ignored what the council has expressed as concerns,” Donahue said.
Speaking about why she did not vote for Drelick, Preston said she felt Drelick consistently failed at the job.
“Under her watch, we have lost seven department heads and have several lawsuits related to employment. The staff report that morale is at an all-time low and many staff stepped up to implore me to remove her. A new, better HR director will help to put the city on a better course because we are way off course,” Preston said.
Returning her focus to Reardon, she accused him of not giving the council credit for its involvement in a number of critical projects in the city including streets and sidewalk improvements, the new recreation center, various infrastructure projects, and the development of the former Brown School.
“None of these things could have happened without the council. Much like Trump, he likes to take all the credit and disregard the work and input of everyone else involved,” Preston said.
Ward 1 City Councilor Sharif Zeid said he found it disrespectful that Reardon attributed the votes to politics rather than reasoned analysis. He stressed that the City Council and mayor’s office working together is not just an ideal, but is necessary under the city charter.
“The City Council is absolutely part of the continuum of power and deserves respect as a voice of the people,” Zeid said.