Finance Committee rejects mayor's proposed communications director in 2-3 vote

MARLBOROUGH -- March 4, 2024, Marlborough Finance Committee rejects mayor's communications director in 2-3 vote. Mayor J. Christian Dumas returned to the committee on March 4 with a revised four-step salary schedule, letters of support from more than 10 department heads, and a slide presentation comparing Marlborough's stagnant website and absent Instagram presence to peer cities, but failed to win approval of a $25,900 transfer to fund the new position through June. The Council President said the roughly $80,000 salary exceeded that of a Marlborough firefighter or police officer and called the role "a PR spot." Councilor Navin cited pending DPW salary adjustments, expiring union contracts and a 3.6 percent water-rate increase in opposing mid-year action. The committee separately voted 4-1 to raise the senior assessor's workweek from 35 to 40 hours and transfer $3,653 to cover the change, honoring an August 2023 side letter between former Mayor Arthur Vigeant and the MMEA that the prior administration left unfunded.