Worcester council delivers mixed review of city manager, presses for clearer communication and more services

WORCESTER — Councilors on the Worcester City Council on Tuesday completed a formal performance review of the city manager, praising fiscal management and long-term planning while pushing the manager to improve communication, community outreach, staffing for public health and human services, and responsiveness on infrastructure and neighborhood issues.

The review — conducted using a new evaluation form developed by a council committee — drew extended remarks from councilors across districts and several members of the public. Councilor Bergman, chair of the committee that drafted the form, said he rated the manager highly overall but highlighted contract renewals and library safety as areas needing more attention. Mayor Joseph M. Petty and multiple councilors commended the city’s bond rating, reserves and budget preparation.

Why it matters: The session combined a formal personnel appraisal with public comment about policing and civil rights and with councilors’ policy expectations. Councilors’ concerns — about homelessness services, police-community trust, staffing in public works and more transparent project updates — signal priority areas for the manager as Worcester moves into the next budget year.

Council feedback and scores

Councilor Bergman said he gave the manager top or near-top marks across most rubric categories but flagged delays in renewing union contracts and worker-safety concerns at the public library; he said, in the evaluation, the manager received a total score of 159 of a possible higher mark. “The buck stops with him,” Bergman said as he explained his scoring and urged clearer responsibility for outcomes.

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