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Ryan Pereira won in a unanimous election of his peers to become the president of New Bedford’s City Council on Monday night. The position vests the Ward 6 councilor with the power to steer the council through committee appointments and, for a one-year term, become the figurehead of the city’s legislature.
Pereira, the council’s youngest member at 28, said his term will pursue “a vision of functional leadership.” He implored his fellow councilors in opening remarks: “Let our discourse be marked by the same dignity that this chamber demands.”
The bonhomie of Monday night’s swearing-in and the broad support for Pereira’s presidency is a departure from one year ago, when rival campaigns from councilors Shawn Oliver and Shane Burgo resulted in a surprisingly contentious race for the position, with Burgo ultimately succeeding.
Both of last year’s candidates, however, shared their unabashed enthusiasm for Pereira.
Oliver, the Ward 3 councilor, rose in the chambers to extol Pereira as a leader and as a friend. “He is someone who is genuine, even if he disagrees with you,” Oliver said. “He understands that every decision we make here, every vote that we cast here, affects the city as a whole.”
Burgo, the at-large councilor and outgoing council president, said, “It’s an exciting and powerful moment to hand the gavel over to not only my colleague, but truthfully my friend.”
The council’s unanimous support, Burgo said, “speaks to the future, showing the unifying principles that [Pereira] holds. He can bring opposing sides together and get a lot accomplished this year by reaching consensus among opposing viewpoints.”
The swearing in of councilors and new School Committee members took place at the Whaling Museum, during a recess of Monday’s City Council meeting.
Among the 11 councilors who took an oath to serve New Bedford were two new faces: Scott Pemberton and James Roy. These new councilors had placards placed on the desks that formerly belonged to outgoing councilors Maria Giesta and Linda Morad.
For the School Committee, Von Marie Moniz and Richard Porter joined the incumbent Melissa Costa to begin their four-year terms.
As for what this year could bring, Pereira said in an interview on Tuesday that he intends to “continue our work on zoning changes, making New Bedford more developable and business friendly.” He said he intends to continue working on the budget, adding, “I’m a bit of a budget geek.”
Pereira has also said he’ll pursue some small reforms to the council’s committees, changing some of the assignments so that not all are “committees of the whole” — or requiring the attendance of all 11 councilors.
Pereira intends to keep some committees whole — those which he describes as “the core functions of the council,” including the Ordinances, Finance, Appointments & Briefings, and Public Safety Committees. Other committees, including Housing, Veterans, Memorials, and Internal Affairs, could be made into “subcommittees,” with a membership of five.
“I’m trying to be as efficient as possible,” Pereira said.
Lean government paired with lofty idealism as Pereira invoked the nation’s founding and the upcoming semiquincentennial. Pointing toward the 8-foot painting of George Washington which looms over the chamber, Pereira said, “We are not just heirs of this 250-year legacy; we are the authors of its next great chapter.”
“New Bedford has never been a city that watches history pass by,” he said, before concluding: “The task is great, the tides are high, but our resolve is stronger.”
Email Colin Hogan at chogan@newbedfordlight.org
While this is a hopeful change for Ward 6 to have its leader at the head of the body, it’s a warning for the rest of the City if they don’t keep up the same amount of pressure on this Council.
I’ve been a resident of Ward 6 for nearly three years now and I also recently opened a small business here. And while the downtown may improve, I can promise you that Ward 6 has seen little benefit. Addiction and homelessness run rampant. Trash runs in the gutters. Public parks are unkempt and underused – though Ashley Park just got a new playground, which is nice but it will fall into disrepair yet again when the shine wears off. Our immigrant neighbors are going missing and the ones that remain live in fear. Roads are unsafe and parking is a nightmare. That’s just naming a few.
To be fair, Brian Gomes lives down the street from me and I believe Shane Burgo does as well. So we can’t completely lay the blame for the disrepair of the South End at our Ward 6 councilor (who, for the record, I have never voted for), but it is curious to me that he has unanimously ascended to leadership while his own Ward is a case study in urban decay.
I am hopeful because the South End is a beautiful place with so much potential, but I am skeptical and I am tired. I hope to see the Council President focus more on his Ward in the coming weeks and months, then replicate those changes to the rest of the City.
I hope this guy will not let this mayor increase the city’s operating budget. With revenue losses like he has in the past. Massive cuts to all Departments is what the Doctor Ordered.
We can only wish this councilor the best as he has a tough task ahead of him as President. The council has been weak for years and has to accept some responsibility for the state of city. With failed economic growth, no new jobs, rising taxes, and a city government and school department that continue to expand, he would be fool not to realize that New Bedford Residents have had enough.