Full and original article posted on This Week in Worcester.
This piece is the first in a series that will look at actions taken by some councilors over recent years that, when viewed collectively, display a disturbing downward spiral towards a council that serves the interests of its members, not of city residents.
Since 2024, the Worcester City Council has largely eliminated the role of residents in their own local legislature. The public participation portion of the meeting persists, although not without some discussion of further limiting it. However, the majority faction within the council insists on being in total control of what is and isn’t the business of the people of Worcester.
Soon after the Worcester Regional Research Bureau released its October 2025 report, which recommended that the City of Worcester create a civilian review board, City Manager Eric Batista told Talk of the Commonwealth with Hank Stolz that the report had little he wasn’t already familiar with. He said he studied the subject extensively while Assistant City Manager.
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