Council postpones Brockton Redevelopment Authority appointment amid payroll concerns

Brockton City Councilors on Monday voted to postpone for two weeks the confirmation of Dr. Eliza J. Wilson to the Brockton Redevelopment Authority (BRA) after members raised concerns about payroll changes and possible data deletion at the authority and proposed seeking a federal review.

Councilor Farwell, who introduced the issue during consideration of the appointment, said the BRA had undergone a HUD financial review and that documents showed unexplained payroll increases and possible data “scrubbing.” He said, “on 05/02/2023 without the authority of the executive director, 3 salaries were increased 1 from 71,000 to 82,500, another from 90,000 to 97,500, and 1 from 60,000 to $70,000.” Farwell said those records and other documents prompted him to recommend asking the U.S. Attorney to review BRA records before adding a new appointee.

The move to delay was offered by Councilor Rodriguez, who said she wanted to avoid voting “against the dedicated individual” while allowing the council to gather more information; Rodriguez said, “I would make a motion that we postpone this for about 2 weeks, which would allow us some time to figure out exactly what's going on before we put this, this well qualified individual into this particular position.” The motion was seconded and carried by hand vote. The council president announced, “This matter's been postponed for 2 weeks.”

Other councilors raised procedural and operational concerns. Councilor McCastro noted that adding a third member would create a quorum for the BRA’s upcoming March 19 meeting and that postponing confirmation would delay the authority’s ability to address development matters. Councilor Lally asked whether a formal request to the U.S. Attorney would be a council resolution and whether two weeks would be sufficient time to prepare such a request. Councilor DeCastro (Linda Castro) said she believed the volunteer nominee should not be penalized for past staff conduct and indicated she would withdraw her second to a postponement motion until she had spoken further with the nominee and the solicitor’s office.

Farwell argued the council needed a clearer picture of the BRA’s financial position before confirming another member, asking, “Does anyone here know how much money they have? Does anyone here know how much property they own?” He said the concern centered on protecting the city’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds and ensuring federal compliance.

The council did not vote on the appointment itself at the meeting. Instead, the postponement places the item on the agenda two weeks later so the council can request and review additional information, consult the city solicitor, and consider whether to seek a federal review. No formal investigation was authorized by the council at Monday’s meeting; councilors discussed the possibility of a written request to the U.S. Attorney’s office, which Farwell said he would file if the council agreed after postponement.