The Mayor's first veto... Council meeting cancelled due to threats made on FB

The Mayor is flexing her muscles... and so is Giombeti over the appointment process. As we've seen, the process is being called into question.  It's a power grab by the council in my opinion.

FRAMINGHAM, MA – Today Mayor Yvonne M. Spicer issued her first veto on a City Council Order. Mayor Spicer vetoed the “Appointments Ordinance” (Order #2019-045) because it is inconsistent with and contrary to the Framingham Home Rule Charter. The Charter defines the role of the Mayor and the role of the City Council for making appointments. Under Article III, Section 3 of the Charter, the Mayor is the appointing authority for a variety of municipal positions and is responsible for defining the process.

Under Article II, Section 10, the Council approves certain appointments made by the Mayor. The Appointments Ordinance proposed by the Council purports to govern the entire course of the process, including those used by the Mayor’s office to solicit, interview and recommend candidates.

“I share the Council’s interest in making the appointments process better for all parties and will seriously consider adopting portions of the ordinance provisions as part of my administration’s policies and practices regarding appointments,” said Mayor Spicer. “However, too many of the provisions in the proposed ordinance restrain me as Mayor from carrying out my role as Chief Executive under the Charter. These provisions conflict with the clear division of legislative and executive powers under the Charter, and until that conflict is addressed, I will not support and will decline to carry out this measure. I am choosing under the circumstances to use my power to veto the Council’s order as it has been presented.”

The City Solicitor has previously provided the Council with a redlined version of the ordinance (May 30, 2019, June 10, 2019, July 13, 2019, and August 9, 2019), providing specific recommendations to address the existing conflicts with the Charter. The Mayor has encouraged the City Council to collaborate with the City Solicitor, herself and staff to revise the proposed ordinance so that it will help both branches of the City government achieve the intent of the ordinance to the fullest extent permissible under the Charter.


For those of you who don't follow the social media platforms, Rizoli made a you tube video, (which I have not seen) slamming the candidates who are running for elected office this year. Of coarse, that lead to others who rail against Rizoli. That lead to racist remarks from people I've never heard of and that lead to the threats. The cops are looking for the individual and I suspect, he'd be in a world of trouble. This country would be better off without FB and the the platforms that allow such ignorance to be seen.

FRAMINGHAM – The City Council meeting was cancelled last night, September 3.

It will be rescheduled to Thursday, September 19.

City Council Chair Dennis Giombeti issued a statement this morning, September 4, just before 8 a.m. to SOURCE

“After a series of offensive, threatening comments by an individual over the past weekend with an abundance of caution I, in consultation with councilors and police, decided to cancel last night’s city council meeting,” said Giombetti.

“In my opinion, and others, holding the meeting was not worth the risk to the public, councilors, and professional staff attending the meeting. In addition, with this climate as well as the extensive police presence as a backdrop, it would not have been conducive to a deliberative meeting,” said Giombetti.

Editor’s Note: SOURCE, and myself personally, were a part of the angry comments and attacks this weekend. I was in attendance at the meeting last night before it was canceled.

The individual who made the attacks had many of his Facebook posts removed by Facebook over the weekend and yesterday. One of his pages was also removed by Facebook.

Police are seeking the individual at this time. But no other information is being released to the public.