Batista Discusses Immigration Policy, Police Oversight and Public Safety

By-Hank Stolz
Graphic-Radio Worcester/City of Worcester

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Worcester, MA- Worcester’s Immigration Enforcement Policy

The discussion covers the city’s immigration enforcement policy, established through an executive order in May 2025, which prohibits the use of municipal property for federal civil detainments while acknowledging the limitations of municipal authority against federal agencies.

“So back in May of 2025, I issued an executive order that really focused on the concerns of the municipality’s response, our response and our interaction with federal immigration agents.” said Batista, “And it also provided some guidelines for our local response and our local involvement with federal enforcement around immigration laws”

Civilian Review Boards and Police Oversight

Batista discusses the ongoing debate surrounding civilian review boards and police oversight, explaining the city’s current systems and the distinction between advisory and regulatory boards within Worcester’s Plan E form of government.

He feels that what is in place for oversight is adequate.

“My job is to put systems in place. And then my job is to hold people accountable. And that’s what I feel strong that I’ve done.”

He was asked if something besides the Civilian Review Board, such as an Inspector General, would make sense for more oversight, “First of all, there’s not many communities across the nation. There’s not one in Massachusetts, but not many across the entire nation that have an Inspector General model.” continued Batista, “Most oftentimes, most civilian review boards across the nation. And in this state, there is a board and there are investigators that are part of the municipality”

He says people are too quick to write off the POST commission, “The Post Commission is the only commission that has the authority to de-certify an officer. And so most, if not all civil review boards have no disciplinary powers”

Speed Cameras and Flock Technology

The conversation also addresses emerging public safety technologies, including speed cameras and Flock license plate recognition systems, with the city currently declining to adopt Flock while remaining open to technologies that enhance community safety.

Summer Events, the Canal District and Worcester’s Waterways

Additionally, Batista highlights Worcester’s successful summer season with increased tourism and community events, expresses support for street closures in the Canal District to create vibrant public spaces, and discusses ongoing efforts to address cyanobacteria in local lakes and ponds through community collaboration.

Worcester City Manager Explains Why Worcester Will Not Pursue a Civilian Review Board

Batista Says Existing Independent Investigations Already Provide Oversight

“I had the opportunity during former administration of doing a lot of research on this work. I was tasked with doing some research and looking into national models.”

By-Staff
Graphic- Radio Worcester, Photo of CM Batista – worcesterma.gov/city-manager

Questions, Concerns, Opinions?

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Worcester, MA-Worcester City Manager Eric Batista explains the administration’s decision not to recommend establishing a civilian review board, citing the city’s existing independent investigative process for police misconduct cases.

Batista details his research into national models and comparisons with other municipalities, emphasizing that Worcester’s current structure includes independent outside attorneys reviewing cases related to civil rights and implicit bias. He distinguishes between board independence and investigative independence, arguing the city prioritizes the latter.

The discussion addresses concerns about chain of command oversight, the role of the Human Rights Commission, and the importance of building community trust through comprehensive police reform efforts beyond a single policy mechanism. Batista clarifies that the Human Rights Commission’s role is policy review rather than police oversight, and discusses plans for providing documentation to the commission once ongoing DOJ and equity audit reports are completed.

• • “I had the opportunity during former administration of doing a lot of research on this work. I was tasked with doing some research and looking into national models” – Batista, 2:02
  • “in our comparison and looking at what we and what under my administration we’ve been able to build in the past three years, I felt pretty strong on what we build” – Batista, 3:12
  • “I believe that public trust happens when you have leaders who are willing to lead, leaders who are doing the work day in and day out” – Batista, 17:31
  • “there are significant communities with civilian review boards who communities still don’t trust police” – Batista, 18:45

Worcester City Manager Eric Batista on Tobacco Rules, Traffic & Youth Jobs

City Manager Eric Batista Discusses Worcester’s Latest Initiatives

“I think our role was to really try to put together a policy… that was balanced not only to address the health of our communities, but also give businesses and hookah lounges the opportunity to thrive.” — Eric Batista

By-Staff
Graphic- Radio Worcester

Questions, Concerns, Opinions?

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Worcester, MA- Radio Worcester’s Hank Stolz speaks with Worcester City Manager Eric Batista to get an update on some of the biggest issues facing the city.

Hank begins by asking about the role of Worcester’s city administration in implementing the city’s new tobacco regulations. “I think our role was to really try to put together a policy, a regulation that was balanced not only to address the health of our communities, but also give businesses and hookah lounges the opportunity to also thrive in our community,” said the City Manager.

The Worcester Board of Health has approved new regulations that balance public health objectives with business interests, particularly for hookah lounges and smoke shops. The regulations consolidate previous rules into a single document, strengthen enforcement mechanisms, and impose stricter caps on smoke shops, where youth access to tobacco products has been a growing concern.

The conversation also turns to the city’s comprehensive traffic safety initiative, which is built around the “three Es”—enforcement, engineering, and education—rather than enforcement alone. A major infrastructure project featuring two roundabouts at the Chandler Street and May Street intersection near Worcester State University has been in development since 2016 and is being funded with federal dollars. The project is designed to improve traffic flow while reducing crashes and increasing pedestrian safety.

The administration plans to hold community meetings this fall to address resident concerns and explain the benefits of the project. However, Batista notes that making significant changes becomes increasingly difficult as projects move through the design process. “…oftentimes when the design gets to 100% design, it’s very difficult to go back and alter the design completely,” he explains.

Batista also highlights the success of the city’s summer youth employment program, which has placed more than 108 young people in jobs across multiple city agencies and community organizations, including new opportunities with the Department of Public Works.

Finally, the discussion focuses on Worcester’s ongoing efforts to bring more people downtown. Community engagement has been strengthened through initiatives such as FIFA World Cup watch parties on the Worcester Common, which have attracted thousands of visitors, along with popular events including outdoor movies, roller skating, and the Out to Lunch series.

“It helps people to actually frequent businesses,” Batista says. “It allows me to say, ‘Hey, you know what? I’m going to park in this garage… and I’m just going to walk the next few blocks.'”

Worcester City Manager Eric Batista Discusses City’s First-Ever $1 Billion Budget

Batista Breaks Down Worcester’s Billion-Dollar Budget and Major DPW Investment

“So, this is a big milestone for the city, but what it shows, it shows the economic growth that we’ve experienced over a number of years,” Batista said.

By-Hank Stolz

Graphic – Kill the Ball Media

Worcester, MA- Worcester City Manager Eric Batista joined Hank Stolz at Sherwood’s Diner to discuss the city’s proposed fiscal year budget, a historic financial plan that marks the first time Worcester’s budget has surpassed the $1 billion mark.

Batista described the milestone as a reflection of the city’s continued growth and expanding responsibilities.

“So, this is a big milestone for the city, but what it shows, it shows the economic growth that we’ve experienced over a number of years,” Batista said.

While the billion-dollar figure may appear dramatic on the surface, Batista explained that a large percentage of the budget is tied directly to education funding and fixed obligations that leave only a portion available for day-to-day municipal operations.

Education Funding Drives Much of the Increase

According to Batista, more than 60 percent of the total budget is connected to education spending, largely due to increased state funding through the Student Opportunity Act.

He explained that approximately $612 million of the total budget is dedicated to education costs. Additional large portions are allocated to fixed expenses including pension obligations and debt service.

After accounting for those commitments, Batista said the city has roughly $220 million in discretionary funding available for operational spending.

The budget process now moves to the Worcester City Council, which has the authority to approve or reject the overall budget proposal. Councilors may also vote to reduce individual line items if a majority agrees.

Major Investment Planned for Department of Public Works

Batista identified the Department of Public Works as one of the largest areas of new investment within the city’s capital budget.

“The area that we made the biggest investment was in the capital budget. In that capital budget, we made significant investments, especially in DPW. We had a 60% increase in that department in terms of the budget.”

The increased funding is expected to support infrastructure improvements and equipment investments as Worcester continues to manage growth across the city.

Updates on Union Station and World Cup Watch Parties

During the discussion, Batista also shared updates on several ongoing city initiatives, including a new request for proposals connected to the event space at Union Station.

The city is also preparing for public World Cup watch parties connected to the upcoming international soccer tournament. Batista emphasized that the events are intended to create community engagement opportunities rather than generate revenue.

“We’re not in this to make money. This is really more so to provide an opportunity for our residents and the visitors and people.”

Mental Health Crisis Response Continues to Evolve

Batista also discussed Worcester’s evolving approach to mental health crisis response, an issue many municipalities across the country continue to evaluate as cities look for alternatives and supplemental support systems beyond traditional police response models.

The conversation highlighted the growing complexity of municipal budgeting as Worcester balances infrastructure needs, education funding, public safety, economic development, and quality-of-life initiatives within a rapidly growing city.

Batista: Pausing Stretch Code Could Spur Housing Development in Worcester

“If we can pause it… does that help bring units and improve affordability?”

By-Hank Stolz

Photo-Radio Worcester

Worcester, MA- Worcester City Manager Eric Batista stopped by the Talk of the Commonwealth to discuss the administration’s recommendation to pause the enforcement of the specialized stretch code for new construction, citing economic challenges and a desire to spur housing development. He said the pause may help let some smaller projects happen, “There’s a lot of people in this community; they may not be looking for these units that have all the amenities in a pool and a gym and all that stuff, right? They just want a roof over their head and a great unit.”  

The administration has proposed pausing the specialized stretch code until January 2028 due to changing regulations, the high cost of materials, and the reduction of federal and state incentives, which made development more difficult. In explaining the rationale behind the pause, Batista said, “If this code, based on what’s in our control, if we can be able to control the enforcement here and pause it for a period of time, does that help to spread development, bring units and help with the affordability of some of the units? That’s something that we wanted to explore and that’s why we put it forward.”