Marlborough council ordains rollback of mayor's hiring-waiver authority

MARLBOROUGH — June 3, 2024 — Marlborough council strips mayor of salary-step and vacation waiver authority. The City Council ordained the Chapter 125 amendment in a single evening on three 6-vote standing tallies, deleting Sections 10C and 18A4 over Mayor J. Christian Dumas's public objections. Council President Michael H. Ossing, who sponsored the order, said the mayor had used the waiver for his "first four hires, which were his friends and confidants," and rejected the mayor's emailed claim to roughly 3,000 residents that the change was "politically and personally motivated." Ward 2 Councilor David Doucette and At-Large Councilor Mark A. Oram opposed, citing a pending compensation study. The Council separately approved a $70,000 transfer to outfit a new E-1 fire engine, a $75,000 Cummings Foundation grant for a Senior Center chef, and a 10-0 site plan for JW Capital Partners' 57 Main Street mixed-use project.