New Bedford At-Large City Councilor Ian Abreu has quickly jumped out of the pack of potential candidates should there be a special election for mayor in 2021.
NEW BEDFORD A little over two weeks after Mayor Jon Mitchell’s Commission on Police Use of Force issued its final report, Mitchell has announced the city and its police department will implement its recommendations in a manner consistent with state law and the department’s collective bargaining agreement.
It’s not clear that any of the recommendations would necessarily be impacted by law or the bargaining agreement, according to the city’s Public Information Officer Jonathan Carvalho, but the recommendations will be reviewed by the city’s legal team.
Concurrently, NBPD Police Chief Joseph Cordeiro announced he is rescinding a controversial department directive, the former High Energy Patrol Initiative, superseded by the Department’s Walk and Talk directive and community policing philosophy, effective Thursday.
Tom Hunt, a former School Committee member, said he’s heard the rumors but there’s always a lot of rumors in New Bedford politics.
“I know that the mayor enjoys his job as mayor very much,” Hunt said. “Having said that I think he would be an excellent candidate for any position in the federal government.”
Mitchell worked as a federal prosecutor prior to first being elected mayor in 2012, so Hunt said Mitchell would be particularly suited for a position in the Department of Justice.
Former City Assessor Peter Barney also sees a role in the Department of Justice as a possibility, suggesting Mitchell could be selected to take over Andrew Lelling’s position as U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts. Lelling was appointed by President Donald Trump.
The speculation in New Bedford of a special election to replace Mayor Mitchell has clouded the reality that there's an open seat on the city council this year.
NEW BEDFORD By 2050, the city of New Bedford aims to be zero waste, use 100% renewable energy, and have thousands more trees planted, according to a climate action and resilience plan Mayor Jon Mitchell released Wednesday.
Just a week after the state released a roadmap to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, the city released its own roadmap, NB Resilient, to guide not only the city, but also its residents in adapting to climate change and mitigating its impact.
“In the midst of the pandemic, we in New Bedford know that the world goes on. There are other challenges we face, there are other opportunities we must seize – and top among all of them are the threats and opportunities presented by climate change,” Mitchell said in the website s launch video.