The Radio Roundtable looks at the question of whether City Councilor Thu Nguyen should resign. They have said they will no longer attend city council meetings but will do other work related to their city council role, such as constituent service. They have said they are not resigning but will not attend meetings in protest of the inaction of fellow city councilors on having an independent investigation into whether the Worcester City Council is a hostile environment and if a fellow councilor referred to them as “it.”

Should Nguyen resign, Radio Roundtable panel member Guillermo Creamer will fill the seat. Creamer was the number seven vote-getter for the city council in the most recent election. When the subject came up, Creamer addressed it with a prepared statement. He brought the statement because, as he put it, his name has been circulating heavily lately regarding Nguyen’s post. Creamer states that the city charter is very clear on what happens if a councilor resigns, that the seat goes to the next highest vote-getter. Creamer then makes it very clear that this, a resignation, has not happened and that there is no vacancy. Councilor Nguyen has not resigned. Creamer clarifies that he is not a group member advocating for Nguyen to resign and for him to fill the seat. Creamer makes clear he will continue to serve the city through his role on the Human Rights Commission and elsewhere and speaks of his great love for the city. He is clear that given the opportunity to serve, he will rise to the occasion, but until then, he will keep doing what he is doing, showing up, and working for and serving the city’s residents.

The Radio Roundtable, Creamer, Randy Feldman, and Gary Rosen began with a discussion about the firing of the West Boylston Town Administrator.

Photo- Radio Worcester

The Radio Roundtable says that the national coverage of the Worcester Sanctuary City vote got it wrong. They focused on the appearance of the people who spoke not on the substance of what they had to say. They ignored people speaking about how they feel their government is trying to erase their existence. The vote on the petition, which is non-binding, was asking that the Worcester City Council reaffirm what is already guaranteed under Massachusetts law. That was ignored by the media in favor of a narrative of a city gone off the rails.

Photo- Radio Worcester

The Radio Roundtable, Hank and “Big” Ben, Matt Wally, Gary Rosen and Randy Feldman look at the charges brought by Councilor Thu Nguyen that the Worcester City Council is a hostile work environment. They trace the timeline and talk about if the charges would have been brought if the Mayor did not put forth two items, one about decorum on the council floor and the other about remote participation, that seemed to be aimed squarely at Nguyen’s behavior. It is an election year and the roundtable looks at the role politics is playing in these very serious charges and how Worcester wants to move ahead against the backdrop of a new national administration.

Photo- Radio Worcester