Councillor Giovanni Recupero appeared poised to advance his long-pursued residency ordinance on Monday, but support evaporated quickly. He withdrew the measure before a vote could occur and referred it instead to a Committee on Conference.
“Why are these councillors so opposed to it?” he asked. “Everett has it. Boston has it. Revere has it. Everyone has it, but we don’t because some councilors say we’re wasting our energy and wasting our money. In the end, the people want this. Everett is 2.4 sq. miles and they have it. That’s only a little bigger than we are. If it’s good enough for me to live here, it should be good enough for the police…It’s good enough for these councilors to ask for the people’s vote and say they will represent the people, but then they do this and don’t represent the people right. I speak to my constituents all the time. This is what the constituents want.”
Two weeks prior, Recupero had directed the City Solicitor’s Office to prepare a residency ordinance with an April 1 effective date. The proposal would apply exclusively to new Police and Fire Department employees, requiring them to reside in Chelsea for five years following their hire. Under current policy, new police officers and firefighters receive hiring preference if they have lived in Chelsea for one year before applying, though no residency requirement exists.
Recupero has advocated for some residency requirement over the past four or five years. Monday seemed to offer a breakthrough opportunity.
With only eight councilors present, the vote count initially appeared favorable. As deliberation continued, however, key support shifted away, leaving Recupero with only three or four votes in support. Rather than proceed to a roll call vote, he chose to table the request and send the matter to Committee on Conference.
Confusion over costs presented a significant obstacle. Implementation would require the City Manager to engage in collective bargaining with the Police and Fire Unions regarding this new employment condition. Existing police and firefighters would need contractual compensation increases to accept the residency requirement for new hires.
“I think the situation deserves a little more attention and discussion,” said Councillor Luis Tejada, a past supporter of the proposal.
Councillor Calvin Brown, serving as Council president Monday in place of ill President Damali Vidot, stated he could not endorse the measure.
“I don’t think I’m ready to vote on this or have enough information from the unions,” he said.
Councillor Judith Garcia expressed her view that devoting resources to residency requirements represented a misallocation of effort.
“If our main focus is to have some of our own in the Police Department and Fire Department, the we should focus our attention on recruitment,” she said.
The matter proceeded to a Committee on Conference.