They saw Rutland had one and so they needed to get one.

Yes...
and let's keep handing out TIFs w/o any oversight and compliance.

Feels like some folks need a little reminder.
Mayor Petty and Councilors King, Toomey, Ojeda, Bilotta and Rosen all signed Worcester's 2025 Responsible Development Pledge in which they agreed to "work and vote to claw-back part, or possibly all of the TIE tax subsidy to the Menkiti Group"

Once again we're in the situation of a developer asking Worcester taxpayers to approve a major tax-break but they decide they don't need to meet face to face with Worcester taxpayers, they think they can just phone it in.

Why does Worcester continue to allow developers to hide behind a veil?

Getting underway in a few minutes in Courtroom 22. If you're, able please come by for court support.

Etel takes the stand this morning.

If you're able, please come tomorrow.
Thanks to everyone that came today.

Jury in place, trial starting shortly and then lunch break.

We're in curtain COURTROOM 22 for anyone wanting to support Etel. Lunch at 1pm, trial resumes at 2pm.

Source: YouTube
search.app/2y5oG Three students were arrested... wow

Nice job Natick. The Select Board unanimously ended the police pilot of Flock license plate readers in response to resident concerns. Watertown too.

2 Framingham officers no longer with department after misconduct probe Two Framingham police officers placed on leave in September 2025 are no longer employed by the department after an internal misconduct probe.

“Two #Framingham police officers placed on administrative leave in September 2025 are no longer employed with the department. … [Framingham Police Lieutenant Rachel] Mickens did not identify either former Framingham officer, nor specify whether they were fired or resigned.”

#Massachusetts

It must be some kind of miracle.

Where are all the angry posts about how terrible it is to drive and live on Mill St. ?

100%
There's so much that's broken. The Carpenters continue to raise frustrations about how building permit review has been removed.

It took 2+ years, residents weren't included in the planning/review and we now got a mess.

Nice job by @adambassofmass.bsky.social summarizing where things stand with the Menkiti Group's request for taxpayer subsidy (TIF/TIE) for the bldg it purchased in 2018 at 401-409 Main St. If approved this would be Menkiti's 3rd TIF.

We'll be planning to attend the Econ Dev. mtg when scheduled.

I'm nominating Fr. Jonathan Slavinskas for a 2026 Toomey.

Every part of his performance at tonight's Human Rights Commission was impeccable.

The Worcester Human Rights Commission is meeting virtually on Monday and has a 45minute discussion on the Civilian Review Board on the agenda. Zoom in link.

worcesterma.primegov.com/Public/Compi... (PDF)

The Carpenters and other construction unions are asking the Mayor and City Council to NOT give the Menkiti Group another tax break since they have shown no willingness to take Worcester's Responsible Development Ordinance seriously.

In October, Mayor Petty, City Councilors and State electeds signed the Responsible Development Pledge which included the call to take back some or all of TIF for the current project because of these "minor" citations.

The Menkiti Group has sought to minimize and dismiss everything that has happened calling the citations a minor infraction, but for the workers that were cheated out of $73,000+ wage theft is actually a very very big deal.

These aren't "allegations" as Councilor Bergman describes buy the results of months long investigations by the AGs Office. This was all after both the Carpenters and the City of Worcester had expressed to Menkiti the expectations behind Worcester's Responsible Development Ordinance.

This summer the Carpenters found the Menkiti Group had Barber Drywall working at the project at 204 Main St. This is a company the Carpenters have been tracking for a while which has received wage theft and other wage/hour citations from the Mass. Attorney General in 2024 and then AGAIN in 2025.

The Menkiti family has operated under 30+ LLC's in Mass., buying/selling properties in Worc. & Southbridge for 8yrs.
They are speculators w/ a good PR machine.
In Worcester, in addition to Main St. properties they own/ed apt bldgs on Chandler (Vendome), Allen St, Charlton, Beacon & Cambridge Sts.

In addition to the Main St. Project, Menkiti Group is looking to get a THIRD TIF to build two apartment buildings on top of the Denholm building site.

I bet you the seven businesses owned by the Menkiti family that got shut down for 3 weeks+would appreciate a tax break, and probably have something to say about these developers.
www.telegram.com/story/news/l...

THEY HAVE OWNED this project since 2018. Giving them a TIF/TIE is NOT attracting NEW investment . We should not be giving taxpayer dollars to developers that have bought something 7 years ago and just sat on it. It has been proposed re but we still do not give TIFs to local small businesses.

We're asking folks to come out and also to speak to City Councilors asking them to oppose giving the Menkiti Group any more TIFs. They are currently asking for a TIE (market rate housing TIF) to renovate 401-409 Main St.

Never voting for this guy.

At least five police officers monitoring tonight's City Council meeting.

I'm assuming that's because residents were here asking the City Council to move forward the proposal for a civilian review board.

Silverbrick is the same developer that the Carpenters union flagged as a problem in both Springfield and Worcester.

The Mayor just allowed Brad Wyatt to read a letter from DJT praising Donna Colorio.

I know I didn't see that on the agenda.

Gonna be a lot of people losing sleep tonight trying to figure out who the WHA picked.