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The Clam-splainer: 2025 Preliminary Edition

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Welcome, dear readers, to the Gloucester Clam’s no-nonsense, all-snark voter guide for our beloved mayoral preliminary. We promise to serve it up with a side of humor, because if we don’t laugh, we might just start throwing clams. We started working on this a couple of weeks ago but got caught up in public records – so sorry we’re posting at the last minute!

 

Greg Verga: The Incumbent (aka Greg Burger because letting AI handle city voicemails is hysterical)

Ah, Greg Verga. Where do we even start? Maybe with the infamous teacher strike gesture that was less “peace and love” and more “talk to the hand.” Greg’s got a bit of a habit of dialing and texting everyone like a teenager grounded with a flip phone these days with trash and recycling updates, but dude, read the room – we get it, we have been managing our waste for two months now so say less. Add in the last-minute scramble on private roads—because four years wasn’t quite enough runway—and you’ve got a mayor who’s now juggling more last-minute plans than a procrastinating college student. Overall, he’s fine enough but it’s clear that voters are shopping around this time as compared to the last two races so look for him to tout his accomplishments, but we gotta hear more on vision and get communications consistent on non-election years, too. We’ve liked Greg just fine over the last four years. Did he handle the teachers strike well? Not really. Did he help us stay out of the 3A weeds? Yes, he did, though more leadership would have helped. It was really the Yes For Gloucester team who pushed us over the finish line on that one. Has he been on top of the trash strike? Ehhh, maybe not so much – though he’s adapted after a couple of months. And our DPW workers are rockstars.

Jeff Worthley: Midnight Texter Extraordinaire

Next up, Jeff Worthley. If you ever wondered who’s burning the midnight oil sending texts, well, here’s your guy. He’s managed to turn a personal legal saga into a Gloucester soap opera, and we can’t help but chuckle at the irony: a guy who has struggled with his own mortgage now wants to balance the city’s $170 million budget. That’s especially funny considering he’s taken checks from donors without actually reporting to the state OCPF who’s giving what, and where that money is actually going, until recently. Perhaps there’s a reason he took so long to report his fundraising, but the silence is deafening. We have heard many stories that are credible enough to be even more alarmed at his actions, but his legion of FB fans applauding his every move is Sefatia-esque without any of the sass and all of the pandering instead. There isn’t a good thing in town that’s happened that he won’t take credit for, and when that’s pointed out, his fans are sure to attack anyone that isn’t drinking the Kool-Aid. If he didn’t have a porn lawyer turned first amendment watchdog ready to pounce, we think there would be a lot more scandalous news for voters to digest but here’s to journalism not being quite dead: the GDT has actually done some reporting on these claims in addition to everything else they have to do. At least it’s never boring with him around, but we do worry greatly about a JW mayorship and how batshit cray cray things would most assuredly be under his administration. 

Paul Lundberg: The Sweater Vest Sage

Finally, we’ve got Paul Lundberg, the guy who was basically drafted out of retirement like your favorite grandpa who suddenly becomes the town’s voice of reason. Picture Joe Biden’s sweater vest cousin, and you’ve got Paul. He’s the non-incumbent, non-elected official who’s here to give us all a dose of “let’s just be sensible, folks,” and maybe a cup of tea while we’re at it. He’s boring, he’s smart, and he’s a safe pick with very little controversy, even while serving as Council President alongside the Sefatia Administration, but perhaps that’s a bad thing in today’s never-ending-social-news-why-did-I-login-today-cycle as his biggest problem is answering, “who’s Paul Luxemburg?” and “hasn’t he ever done anything wrong?” But hey, he’s got hair (and pretty good hair, at that), so that’s something.

Two of these three will move on to the final election. We’re hoping it’s Lundberg and Verga, and a narrow majority of Team Clam are backing Lundberg – even though it’s good for our pageviews (too bad we never monetized it) we’d love a drama-free local government for a while so we can just snark about Fiesta, regret the loss of the Wendy’s Gloucester page (it was run by a Friend Of The Clam), and follow the national drama.. And we’re hoping that after this prelim we can forget the name Worthley forever.

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Opinion: Jeff Worthley’s Issues Extend Beyond Catfishing Constituents

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City Councilor Jeff Worthley has made his name by portraying himself as an affable figure, transparent and available to “get things done” to his fans. He seems to be more popular with residents than he was during his first two mayoral runs and first city council experience. 

However, the Jeff behind closed doors, in his financial dealings, and in personal communications has shown himself a much more worrisome figure. One who, in our opinion, is not fit to be mayor when there are two other options. While we won’t tell you who to vote for, we do have some concerns about this option in particular.

Let’s take a look at what we know of from readily available public documents and on-the-record statements.

Finances

One of the most important jobs of a mayor is setting a city budget. It’s a big responsibility, and it relies on prudent decision-making skills. It’s critical that when we vote, we’re voting for someone we can trust who has experience making sound financial decisions in their personal or professional life. Gloucester faces some serious financial issues that are structural with no easy fixes. As we reported earlier this year, we’re pretty much a sensible mid-sized sedan away from the brink. We all know what it’s like to be facing financial issues. You could argue that everyone reading this has had struggles at times paying the bills, or even making required payments on a loan, a credit card, or something else we owe money for. Unfortunately, Jeff has a long list of public financial issues that are far beyond someone running into temporary money trouble, and are chronic and show utter disregard for creditors and taxpayers alike. 

Firstly, taxes. Jeff has had multiple tax liens on his home for unpaid MA income tax reported to the Essex County Registry of Deeds, which makes these available to the public. The liens add up to over $25,000 and are as follows:

  • On May 18, 2022 a total of $18,298.67 is owed for 2014, 2015, 2016, 2019 and 2020. 
  • On March 6, 2024, a total of $3374.16 is owed for 2021. 
  • On June 10, 2025, a total of $4,153.76 is owed for 2022 and 2023. 

While full payment status at this time is unknown, the amounts and multiple years show disregard for paying taxes to fund state and municipal services in a timely manner. This is one of the more difficult things to understand coming from someone who says he believes in the community, who has kids in our school system, and who takes taxpayer money for his work as city councilor. I’m sure most of us would find it somewhat understandable and forgive if any candidate for public office had a lien for a year they didn’t calculate correctly, found out they owed taxes, and needed time to pay them off. This is a different situation, and runs nearly an entire decade. It matters that a candidate pays taxes to the Commonwealth where they receive services. 

Jeff has also faced two foreclosures in 2021 and 2025. One of these foreclosure documents seems to somehow state he did not pay his mortgage for ten full years. This document is available on the Essex County Registry of Deeds and/or MA Court websites for anyone to read. Another document from 2021 shows him 6 months behind in payments. 

 

Lastly, public records show two small claims cases for unpaid debts owed to collections services, with several other small claims debt cases with Jeff Worthley as a defendant settled or dismissed before a judgement was issued. 

  • On 10/25/18, a judgement for $1,792.49 was issued against Jeff in favor of Portfolio Recovery Services. This appears to have been paid in 2021. 
  • On 8/26/2024, a judgement for $1879.21 was issued against Jeff in favor of Midland Credit Management after he defaulted on debt. A Capias warrant  was issued for his arrest as he did not appear in court in October of 2024. 
  • Jeff’s FINRA broker disclosures also mention, in addition to his taxes, a judgement of $8,826.17 on 7/2/2019
  • His broker disclosures also mention a civil judgement for unpaid child support order on 4/30/2019 .

 

Interpersonal

Finances aren’t the only concerns we have with Worthley as a candidate. There are issues with Jeff’s relationships with others that are unsettling.

Divorces and custody are messy situations all around. However, the publicly available civil documents regarding Jeff’s custody battle a few years after his 2nd divorce was final paint a worrisome picture. While we are not sharing all of it in respect for his kids, who are lovely people, it provides insight into Jeff’s personality and importantly puts on record to the world how he treats those in his world who he is at odds with. The highlights include the following text, taken directly from the judge’s ruling report in the public record (while removing some identifying information about his children and their school): 

  • The Guardian Ad Litem reported, “Mr. Worthley made serious attempts to manipulate me in order obtain a favorable outcome for himself in this evaluation – e.g. he asked to read my report before I submitted to the Court and he asked if he could pay me to testify on his behalf… Many times Mr. Worthley seriously distorted (and these distortions often verged on outright falsehoods) what I said to him.” 
  • The principal and teachers at the elementary school his children attended told the GAL that Father has tried to talk to them negatively about Mother and tries to involve them in the dramatics of this case. Ms. Morgan stated to the GAL, “He is always looking for us to find something wrong with mom. It gets very uncomfortable.”
  •  After asking Father about the children’s attendance issues, Father wrote the GAL an email accusing the school principal of lying about the children’s attendance records. 
  • The GAL credibly found Father as manipulative and that he questions the children repeatedly about Mother, coaches the children to say negative things about Mother, and disparages Mother to the children.
  • The GAL did not find Father to be a credible reporter and found that he did not know how to deal with the children’s problems in a constructive manner.
  • As found by the GAL, Father’s filing of the complaint for no harassment order (discussed hereafter), on almost eight year old son’s behalf, against his son’s best friend, was an unusual and concerning step for a parent to take on behalf of the child. In her twenty-three (23) years of juvenile experience, the GAL has never seen such a drastic response to conflict between two young children who are friends. 
  • Father is unable to effectively communicate with Mother regarding the children. Admittedly, he sends hundreds of emails and text messages to Mother. His communications often contains inflammatory and egregious allegations. Father berates Mother and sends messages to provoke Mother. Often times, to avoid conflict, Mother will not respond which causes Father to send additional messages. Father continues to file 51a reports against Mother and involve the local police alleging Mother is abusive and neglectful, yet no allegations have ever been supported. Father continues to insist Mother abuses the children and has even stated Mother is attempting to kill him. 
  • Father uses doctor’s appointments and meetings with the children’s educational providers as an opportunity to speak negatively about Mother. Father tries to involve others, including known mandated reporters. When individuals, such as the children’s teachers and principal, do not file 51a reports, or tell him not to speak negatively about Mother in front of them, Father has accused them of wrongdoing or inappropriate conduct. It is noted that Dr. Carbone and the Gloucester Mayor filed 51a reports against Mother and both were screened out.

This is not the behavior of someone I’d trust to be mayor.

There are other stories of odd personal behavior as well. With the recent GDT article, Jeff told the police as well as the paper that Janessa Williams was an intern that worked for him, and it was not him sending the messages to Kiley Davis through a fake profile. However, when Kiley came forward, a former longtime friend of Jeff’s, Vanessa McKenzie, asserted that Jeff and Vanessa had made the profile together. She corroborated this with a screenshot of an email of a Facebook message sent by “Janessa Williams” in 2022.

Vanessa’s statement was intriguing, to say the least. We here at The Clam specialize in digging, and dig we did. We were unable to find any Janessa Williams in Massachusetts using public records searches. At first, we thought Janessa Williams was British pop singer Tali Jackson because that’s what Google AI thought. But that seemed far too simple, and we dug in further using our human brains. That brings us to the conclusion that it is not actually Tali Jackson. Google AI just thinks that because a profile with her name uses it.

Definitely a real person.

In various places around the Internet, the photo goes by many names: Tali Jackson on SoundCloud, CDMixedBaby and Giselle on Twitter (we’re not calling it X), Karolina Protsenko on Pinterest, and Kelsey4447 on a booty call website that we will spare directing you to. TinEye, an image search website, first indexed the image in 2013. Whoever this poor girl is, her picture has been co-opted by all sorts of seedy backwater Internet sites. Don’t navigate your way to these sites without antiviral protection, kids. In fact, maybe just stay away from them altogether.  Suffice to say: We don’t know where “Janessa Williams” downloaded this picture, and we might not actually want to know.

Jeff attempted to explain away Vanessa’s intentions by telling another city councilor she owed him a whopping $50,000 and never paid him back. However, Vanessa denied owing such an amount and provided Cashapp and Venmo transactions that show Jeff routinely paid her small amounts “just because,” many during the same time period that his mortgage went unpaid for months and his unpaid child support obligations were reported to FINRA.

 

We’ll end with one more odd message, sent to a then-19 year old. While we aren’t claiming any of it is illegal – it’s still not acceptable and unbecoming of anyone representing Gloucester.

 

We’ve heard a lot of rumors of women who may have had similar experiences, but we are only sharing here what can actually be corroborated. We aren’t here to spread rumors, just verifiable truth. And while Jeff has rabid fans who claim anything negative about him is a smear, we believe every candidate for public office needs to take responsibility for their own actions and words when they ask for our votes.

In our opinion, Gloucester deserves a Mayor who can keep his or her own house in order to keep Gloucester in order and out of the news for some salacious scandal.

We want and deserve a Mayor we can trust, even a little bit. Based on the evidence, that is not what we’re seeing from Jeff Worthley. We hope that next week, you cast a vote for either of the other two candidates, based on your preference. 

2023 Gloucester Municipal Election – Clamsplainer

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Hey all – it’s the brief return of Your Clam with our latest effort in groupthink – the biennial Clamdorsements for the Gloucester municipal elections. A couple of years ago we wrote these for Salem and Beverly too, but frankly their elections are a lot more boring right now so they’re not worth the effort. Maybe we’ll do a snarky Facebook post about them the week before. But most of us live in Gloucester, and that’s first in our bivalve hearts. Plus it’s batshit crazy here in town.

MAYOR 

The Clam’s choice for Mayor: Incumbent Greg Verga. 

The Clam has been hard on Verga in past elections, but we give a tip of the hat to him: he’s been a steady hand during this term. He’s tackling the big issues (secondary sewer treatment plant kicked down the road for 40 years; climate changes; long-range planning with community involvement; allocating ARPA funds to improve infrastructure) and the softer, fuzzier ones (participating as much as possible in Gloucester’s 400+ anniversary events).

He hasn’t shied away from difficult issues. He’s managed to increase the City’s road budget by 500%, no mean feat. He helped get us through a severe drought accompanied by days-long wildfires. He has repeatedly said he wants Gloucester to be a place his grandchildren can enjoy well into adulthood. That also means making it as affordable as possible to live here, and he has been a man of his word as far as working toward more diverse housing stock for all including directing $1.5M of ARPA funding to that end.

And to be clear, we were big Sefatia stans during her time in office. She had a good staff, she was entertaining and generally competent, and she was basically the more fun Id of Gloucester. Despite that, we’re enjoying the lack of drama associated with Mayor Verga a lot more than we ever expected to. He doesn’t make a lot of fuss, he just does the job well.

Challenger: Mary Ellen Rose

Where do we even start? This is MER’s second or third time running for office in Gloucester. She ran for Council in 2011 but did not win. She was our Health Department director for…five months and three weeks. Yes, she has a Ph.D., but what good does that education do when she thinks “Sound of Freedom” is legitimate journalism?

Comments during her public, Zoom-recorded job interview included an anecdote about how she told a room full of Black graduate students they had no idea what it was like to be in her position as a white person with no support at home, basically saying she feels she has been overlooked for opportunities because of the color of her skin. She said that! With a straight face! Tell us you don’t understand white privilege without telling us you don’t understand white privilege, Mary Ellen. And, no, it is not our job to explain it to you. 

Perhaps out of sheer desperation, MER was hired for the Health Department director job but stayed only 5 months. She did say during the Lanesville debate she’d be happy to share her personnel file with whoever is interested. We at The Clam are wondering if she would allow the City to release the record. Sure, she says she has her personnel file on hand. If it is also the same as the one in the City of Gloucester Personnel Department, why not just make that one public? As a former City employee, she could do that. 

What we do know is, thanks to a Public Record request for MER’s City-owned cell phone records, it seems her political stance is in line with the far-right. We’ll put the screen shots on our Facebook page because, honestly, this is long enough already and we don’t want you to leave this blog post yet.

Still not sure? Here’s a fun new game we’re calling “Match the quotes below to the candidate for Mayor who said them!”*

*these things could have been said in past bids for office as well. All public statements are fair game. 

  1. “I don’t want this city to become a bedroom community of Boston or a welfare state”
  2. “You have no idea what’s it like to be a white person from an uneducated background”
  3. “Public participation is a crucial piece around the future of the former East Gloucester School site”
  4. “Beware of those who share information who do not have generational roots in Gloucester”
  5. “I believe housing is a basic human right”
  6. “It was a privilege to share a moment with 97 immigrants”

Vote Verga, yo. Bonus: good alliteration. 

(answer key: 1 – MER, 2 – MER, 3 – Verga, 4 – MER, 5 – Verga, 6 – Verga)


CITY COUNCIL

COUNCILOR-AT-LARGE

Incumbents: 

Tony Gross 

Jason Grow 

Jamie OHARA

Jeff Worthley

 

Challengers: 

Val Gilman (Current Ward 4 Councilor and City Council President)

Chris Dimercurio-Sicuranza (but he’s finally going with the shorter name on the ballot)

 

The Clam endorses the following candidates for Councilor-at-Large: 

Val Gilman 

Tony Gross 

Jason Grow

Chris Sicuranza 

First of all, we’re huge fans of both Jason and Chris. Jason Grow is admittedly a good friend to a lot of the Core Clams. We love his practical approach to government. Chris was the person who did a lot to help keep the Sefatia administration on track, and he’s a government pro. Val and Tony are both longtime Gloucester leaders. Val is stepping out of her Ward 4 role and going for At-Large this term, which would be her 4th on City Council. Gloucester City Council has finally been able to resume hybrid meetings as of September. Val has repeatedly expressed her desire to follow Council rules of procedure and Robert’s Rules of Order. We’ve seen what happens when Council meetings go off the rails. As the Council President, Val is charged with reining in her rowdier colleagues and members of the public, many of whom do not care to learn how Open Meeting Law or City Council agendas actually work. We want representation with experience running meetings, please and thank you. This hearkens back to when Jim Destino was the Council President and streamlined the agendas so not every meeting went past 11pm.

Tony also goes by Robert’s Rules and all that other stuff, and he is intimately familiar with the struggles of everyday Gloucester citizens here. He’s an OG, as the youths sometimes say. 

Jamie O’Hara has admitted to spending the majority of his last term in Florida. Or maybe in West Virginia? This he told a CBS Boston reporter, sounding almost bemused. 

What the hell, dude? Is this a joke to you? You are supposed to be representing Gloucester, not Pensacola. We don’t care how many American flags you use for your Zoom background photo. You are out for yourself and you are making a mockery of our government. 

Hybrid meetings do have their flaws.

For real, tho 

 

Jeff Worthley: The Clam is once again not endorsing Jeff Worthley. We are too tired to even bother saying why. Like, if Jeff was our boyfriend, we’d be muting his notifications because gurl, he just does not stop with the DM’s. We already told him we have work tomorrow.

 

Besides that, Jeff is a blatantly opportunistic politician. One of many examples: How much control does he have over Gloucester Public Schools Paraprofessional salaries? None. Zero. That’s up to the School Committee. Yet he has somehow managed to convince swaths of locals that some of his competitors aren’t in favor of a living wage (laughably untrue). What happens if he’s re-elected and the paraprofessionals are still in the midst of mediation with the School Committee? We somehow don’t think they’ll lay the blame at Jeff’s feet despite the ownership he’s taken of the situation. 

Two Alaskan mayors on each end of the standard deviation? Yep. We couldn’t believe it, either.

On a scale of political opportunism from Stubbs, 20-year Mayor of Talkeetna, AK (least) to Sarah Palin, Tina Fey impersonator (most), the Clam finds Councilor Worthley somewhere between Springfield Mayor Joe Quimby and Schitt’s Creek Mayor Roland Schitt.

 

WARD 1 

Incumbent: Scott Memhard. Scott has been a steadfast and calm listener during his time as the Ward 1 Councilor, even as he was undergoing major heart surgery during the COVID pandemic. We haven’t always agreed with his votes, but it is obvious his colleagues respect him, and that instills confidence in us. Scott picks up the Clamdorsement for Ward 1. 

 

Challenger: Mary-Ann Albert Boucher, known in some circles as Queen MAAB. Vocal NIMBY. Says she educates herself by listening and participating in meetings, yet somehow still believes she understands traffic studies better than people who do them for a living. 

 

WARD 2 (open seat):

Dylan Benson

Dan Epstein

 

Both of these men are professional, well-educated, and invested in their neighborhoods. Dylan and Dan have both earned the Clamdorsement, we believe either would serve the Ward well. Lucky you, Ward 2!

 

Just before publication, we received word that NEITHER of the Ward 2 candidates received an official invitation to participate in the 10/25 Chamber of Commerce debate. They both heard about it that morning, and apparently not through official channels. Rather than scramble to get ready for it at the last minute, both teams talked to each other and issued a joint statement. Good for them. We are even more impressed. 

We wish more campaigns operated this way. Really.

WARD 3

 

Marjorie Grace: Liberal and can’t stand Trump, which we Clammunists appreciate, but another vocal NIMBY. Also hates tourists, yet relishes being a tourist elsewhere. Yr The Clam is, itself, not too fond of tourism. It’s a reality of our economy, though, and we want our many friends who rely on tourism for income to be able to stay put. 

Joe Orlando (no, not that one, and not that one, either.) This Joe Orlando was on the Council in the ‘80’s. Unlike Marjorie, Joe answered the recent Housing4All municipal candidate survey and seems to have a good grasp of the housing crisis here. That’s good enough for us. Joe gets the Clamdorsement for Ward 3. 

 

WARD 4

 

Frank Margiotta (current Ward 3 Councilor): even-handed and well-thought-out responses during meetings. Responsive to constituents. Does his research. Does not play favorites. Frank handily picks up the Clamdorsement.

 

Mary-Pat Da Rosa: Cape Ann GOP favorite. Don’t do it, Ward 4. 

 

WARD 5

Unopposed Incumbent: Sean Nolan. Yr The Clam is a big Sean Nolan stan. We’re thrilled he is willing to put up with all this nonsense for another term.

We’ll cover the School Committee race in a couple of days – but that’ll just be a Facebook post.

Everyone Clam Down Just A Minute

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[ed: This is a guest posting from a friend of the blog who wanted their voice heard – and we love it!]

Greetings, Clam Nation.

So unless you’ve been busy stockpiling dry goods for the next pandemic spike, you’ve probably seen Gloucester Health Department Director Karin Carroll’s allegations in the Gloucester Times that Mayor Sefatia Romeo-Theken has been interfering with the City’s COVID-19 response. If you haven’t, here’s the link.

We in the Clam Bunker have had some lively discussions about these and other issues brought forth over the past week and prior. Again, unless you’ve been busy counting rolls of toilet paper, you’ll recall Harbormaster TJ Ciaramitaro’s suit against the City. Community Development Director Jill Cahill has now joined the chorus.

Your The Clam prides itself on its scrupulousness. While the Clameditorial Board was raised on memes and GenX snark, our moral compass is much clearer than the muddy flat we call home. We do stan some good grit.

How’s This for Muckraking?

 

Mayor Sefatia’s language is unapologetically colorful. She has been this way for her entire two terms in office, not to mention beforehand. She is famous for her colloquial and authentic turns of phrase, from Saint Peter’s Club to the State House. Her unflinching takes on all the issues – all of them – are a lot to swallow for some. There is no denying her love for Gloucester, though. Everyone here is family.

Regarding the Ciaramitaro/Cahill complaints, perhaps that’s the mistake she made. This is a tender time. We are, as a people, tired. Words hurt more than usual. It is tough to remember ourselves. Mayor Sefatia is no exception. She aimed for an open door policy, but a boss also has to draw clear lines. A boss has to be at least a little reserved. This is a tough balance to strike even without the looming threat of an untimely viral death.

Which brings us to the Gloucester Health Department.

The allegations Karin Carroll brought forward are very serious. Your The Clam is waiting to see what happens next. In the meantime, we are withholding judgment. There are accusations, yes, but there must be evidence. With evidence – and with proper oversight from the State – comes clarity and the ability to move forward.

Stay healthy. Wear your masks. Be good to one another. Stay tuned.

AOK – Champion of Human Rights?

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We’ve been presented with a Clamsplaining conundrum today. And we had to have a full group discussion in order to fully wrap our heads around it. We’re still a bit puzzled, so we’re going to open up the conversation and the problem to you all in Clam Nation.

Do we take the time to explain to the good people of Gloucester, that if you are a fan of Human Rights, you need to send a message today to the City Council, to prevent the appointment of Amanda Orlando Kesterson to the Human Rights Commission? Or, do we explain to that same woman, that this city commission she has applied to join, is in fact, responsible for ensuring the rights of ALL people (gay, straight, trans, cis, undocumented, women and their reproductive rights) are protected, and advanced?

We assume that the good people of Gloucester may need a heads up that the vote is this week, and that we are certain the city can find a person better suited to serving on this commission (or perhaps, couldn’t find a WORSE person). Please, send an email. Make a call.

Upon reflection, we actually don’t think it is possible that AOK understands the function of the Human Rights Commission, nor the responsibility that she would be tasked with. This is not a chance to debate the importance of “men’s rights”, or to affirm the notion of “reverse racism”.

BASICALLY THIS

Briefly, the Commission is tasked with ensuring that:

No person in our city shall be unlawfully discriminated against in matters of housing, employment, education, contracts, purchasing or public accommodations, on the basis of: age, ancestry, citizenship, color, disability, economic status, ethnicity, family or marital status, gender, military status, national origin, race, religion, sexual orientation or source of income.

We feel it might be helpful to help Amanda understand that, by being appointed to this commission, she would be expected to be a loud voice in our community advocating for the right, and ABILITY of all people in Gloucester to live a life of freedom and liberty. The Commission does not debate IF people are worthy of basic rights, but rather, to provide support, insight, and advocacy for people when their rights are at risk.

Her letter asking for consideration to the city council suggests that she is unclear on this aspect of the position. She offers that she can’t know in advance what her positions will be on issues coming before the commission… there will not be debates about who deserves to be treated with equity, it should be pretty easy to say “if appointed, I commit wholeheartedly to offering the full spectrum of my gifts to ensure that human rights are protected, full stop”.

 Seeking political support from people who have fought hard AGAINST the ACTUAL RIGHTS OF OTHERS, IS, IN FACT demonstration of an inability to treat “ALL people with respect, kindness and understanding”.

 In nearby communities, Human Rights Commissions have led forums on Immigrant rights, and Sanctuary. Educational opportunities to enter into challenging dialogues around race, and support for those in our state recently targeted with the efforts to roll back civil rights protections for trans people. We hope and expect the same here in Gloucester.

IS A FRIEND OF JIM LYONS A FRIEND OF HUMAN RIGHTS?

 

It is fascinating to us, that in the same week that her appointment is to be reviewed, she held a fundraiser with Jim Lyons, arguably the most prominent ANTI-LGBTQ politician in the state, before he lost his seat in that liberal hotbed of Andover, he was particularly known for his championing of GAY CONVERSION THERAPY, and his efforts to prevent the state from providing civil rights protections for trans people in MA.

A Human Rights Commission is a sign of a community that cares about those on the margins, and specifically, members of a Human Rights Commission need to be capable of handling difficult and sometimes sensitive information. Members of a Human Rights Commission need to be people KNOWN for compassion, for commitment to those who don’t share the same privileges, and for being willing to step up and step forward for those whose rights are most at risk.

We have seen time and again, how Amanda has leveraged local politics to gain a voice at the state level, and even nationally. Little about her past performance suggests that she has the ability to

“increase mutual self-respect, harmonious intergroup relations and the peaceful enjoyment of life in our diverse community;”

We applaud her desire to stretch and grow in this new and unforeseen way, but until she has had a chance to demonstrate the ability to offer voice and advocacy for those already oppressed, we think her past actions, statements, and fundraisers (as long ago as 1/09/2020) suggest she is not an appropriate fit for this role in our community. And we’d urge Gloucester’s City Council to reject her appointment.