HAVERHILL — Voters narrowed the field of candidates for mayor from five to two in the city’s Sept. 12 preliminary election, choosing City Councilor Melinda Barrett to face off against retired Haverhill police officer Guy Cooper in the Nov. 7 city elections.
Barrett, who if elected would become the city’s first female mayor, was the top vote getter with 3,888 votes to Cooper’s 1,024 votes in the preliminary election. This is Cooper’s second attempt at running for mayor as in 2021 he did not get enough votes to make it though that year’s preliminary election. This is Barrett’s first attempt at running for mayor.
In advance of Election Day, The Eagle-Tribune asked the two candidates to respond to several questions, including what they see as the top three issues to address if elected.
Barrett’s top priorities are public safety, education, economic development and infrastructure.
“I feel it is of the utmost importance for the city government to ensure public safety throughout the city,” she said. “Improving public safety requires adequate funding for staffing and equipment for the police and fire department.”
Barrett says that striving for educational excellence in our schools and increasing the opportunity for jobs and expanding the tax base through commercial growth will also improve the city’s well being.
“Maintaining our public buildings and ensuring our roadways and the vital services under our roads are updated and maintained will be a priority,” she said. “I will work to establish strong relationships at the state and federal level to ensure that Haverhill receives all resources and funding available.”
Another priority is to encourage small business growth and foster responsible growth.
“We need to push for responsible growth, create opportunities for home ownership, protect the character of our neighborhoods and increase affordable housing while balancing the need to have the appropriate infrastructure in place to support it.”
Cooper’s top priorities are public safety, education, and infrastructure. He wants to ensure both the police and fire departments are properly staffed and that they have the latest and updated equipment they’ll need to perform their duties safely.
Education as another priority for Cooper, who says he would support efforts to procure the best curriculum and staff development and training opportunities for new and modern materials.
“I would make sure our buildings are properly maintained to be safe and that they are a successful and positive learning environment,” he said. “I would also lead efforts in conjunction with youth groups to increase availability of programs, sports, and arts.”
Another of Cooper’s priorities is the city’s infrastructure. “I want to establish a plan for more parking in the downtown area,” he said. “I will work with local organizations to create more community events. I want to work on bringing a music/theater hall to attract more tourists and offer more culturally diverse opportunities.”
City elections are Nov. 7
The city’s municipal elections are scheduled for Nov. 7, when voters will see a different form of representation. Voters in November will elect 11 councilors – one each to represent the city’s seven voting wards and four at-large councilors who will represent the city as a whole. There are now nine at-large councilors and no ward councilors.
The School Committee will be increased to 11 members, one each to represent the city’s seven wards, three at-large members to represent the city as a whole, and the mayor serving in the 11th seat. The mayor serves as chair, per the city charter.
The new system also reduces School Committee terms from four to two years. Those elected to four-year terms in November 2021, however, will complete their current four-year terms.
After Mayor James Fiorentini announced he would be retiring at the end of the year after serving 10 straight two-year terms for a record smashing 20 years, a number of candidates stepped into the fray with Barrett and Cooper both seeking to lead the city for the next two years.
Barrett profile
Barrett, 60, is a third generation, life-long resident of Haverhill. She is a graduate of Haverhill Public Schools (HHS Class of 1981) and the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she earned a degree in Political Science.
Melinda and her family were a staple of the small business community in downtown Haverhill for over 100 years where her family owned Barrett’s Menswear, which was started by her grandfather and where she worked for 15 years before opening Barrett’s Specialty Foods on Merrimack Street with her brothers.
She has served on the Haverhill City Council for 10 years and was the first woman elected to the Council Presidency and helped lead the city through the pandemic.
She has also served over four decades for community organizations such as the Greater Haverhill Chamber of Commerce, the Friends of the Haverhill Public Library, the Haverhill Historical Society and the Board for the Griffin White Foundation. Barrett announced her candidacy to be the first woman to lead Haverhill as mayor in February 2023 and advanced past the Preliminary Election by a near 4-1 margin.
Cooper profile
Cooper, 54, was not born in Haverhill, but he has made this city his home since he was a young child. He attended grammar school at St. Joseph’s and graduated from Haverhill High School in the Class of 1988.
After graduation, he served in the U.S. Marines. A few years into his service, a back injury put him on the disabled veteran’s list. He returned home, recovered and began working at the Essex County Sheriff’s Department as a corrections officer and was later sworn in as a deputy sheriff. Six years later, he became a Haverhill police patrolman.
While being a single parent to his young daughter Cassandra, and beginning his career as a full-time police officer, he enrolled in the Criminal Justice program at Western New England University, graduating in 2005 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice.
Cooper served as vice president for the Haverhill Police Relief’s Association and remained in that position for 19 years. He also served as treasurer of the Policeman’s Union. Cooper recently retired after 26 years with the Haverhill Police Department.
Another way Cooper says he was able to give back to his community was to volunteer his time to coach youth football in Haverhill. He played semi-pro football and wanted to extend the joy of the game to the youth in our city. A member of Sag-Aftra who has his own IMDb page, Cooper has appeared in more than 20 movies both on Netflix and on the big screen. Other hobbies he enjoys are taking his 2002 Harley Davidson Road King out on the road, taking care of his chickens, and dining in and around Haverhill.
The Eagle-Tribune questions
What can we expect in a new era of mayoral governance?
Barrett: I hope to have more transparent and easily accessible information about all city functions. I will streamline communication between city hall and community organizations and community organizations and each other. I will empower city employees to do their jobs with a greater degree of autonomy. I will welcome new approaches to issues, and come up with innovative solutions and problem solving. Collaboration and civil disagreement will be welcome as it often leads to the best solutions.
I will repair the relationship between City Hall and our municipal unions by negotiating fairly and in good faith so our police, firefighters and teachers, including ESPs can concentrate on providing vital services to the community and not fighting for a contract that’s fair to them and the city. I will treat all employees and residents equally and with respect. I will work on developing an 18 hour economy and maintain responsible growth so Haverhill can afford to maintain our infrastructures and public services while keeping taxes down.
Cooper: I want to focus my ideas on keeping people here and encouraging people to want to move here such as adding a theater, incorporating more parking, welcoming more businesses, increasing programs for our children, increasing programs within our schools to allow our students to be more academically successful, personally responsible and healthier in their social emotional status.
“As well as adding more police officers and firefighters to alleviate the constant holds our first responders have had to endure for years, and making sure they have the equipment they need to keep us safe,” he said.
What has the current mayor done that you’d like to either keep or applaud?
Barrett: I agreed wholeheartedly with the efforts to develop the long underutilized almost five acres of prime downtown real estate on Merrimack Street. The Goecke Deck is failing and was never what the city envisioned as its construction inhibited growth rather than encouraging it. When I was a child that area had store fronts, office spaces and housing. I hope to see that area of downtown developed and help create an 18 hour economy that can support business small and large while making Haverhill a place to live, work and play.
Cooper: The building of the new Hunking school was greatly needed and the current mayor supported this critical necessity for Haverhill. Also, being able to keep our taxes reasonable over the last 20 years has been important for our residents and I will work to continue with this to the best of my ability. I am a taxpayer also and I appreciate and understand the importance of keeping taxes fair.
What has he done that you disagree with and why?
Barrett: I don’t think it’s a secret that while I think I have worked successfully with Mayor Fiorentini, we often disagreed. I think the mayor often turned a blind eye to issues of maintenance of public property and infrastructure. His personal style also produced some unneeded hostility with city council, school committee and public unions. It is my goal to bring collaboration, transparency and civility to all aspects of city government.
Cooper: He does not fully listen to the needs, concerns or questions from his constituents. I disagree with the amount of new construction in the city, and not being attentive to the needs of our infrastructure. Also, it’s been many years that Haverhill does not have an animal control office that should have been built. Our lost pets are being housed in a building not suitable for anyone and a temporary trailer is being used for staff costing the city unnecessary bills. I also disagree with the downtown parking concerns not being addressed, due to the increase of new apartments being allowed with no specific plan for parking spots. Our downtown businesses are greatly affected by this. I also feel that avoiding the essential work of cleaning our river, as well as addressing the needs of our homeless population, are two more points to mention.
Will you support a debt exclusion for a proposed $446 million Whittier Tech School Building? Did you support a debt exclusion for the Consentino School?
Barrett: I have not yet decided on my support of the Vo Tech, the costs seem out of proportion with the number of students it services. I know the Consentino and Hunking building committees fought mightily to keep costs down and I am not sure this has been the case at the Vo Tech.
In my brief conversation with some of the other community leaders there are definite concerns with the price as presented.
I hope to take a deep dive into the issue in the next few weeks. The numbers that I have heard seem like they will be an incredible burden to the taxpayer yet we know there is an incredible need for the job training and educational opportunities provided by the Whittier Vo Tech. This is not an issue I will take a hard stand on without knowing all of the facts and understanding all sides and potential pitfalls. I also want to ensure the State is providing all the financial resources we are eligible for.
Yes, I supported Consentino debt exclusion because it was essential that we have the flexibility to tap into that debt if necessary knowing that the Whittier Vo Tech rebuild was on the near horizon.
Cooper: I would work with other participating local communities to seek state and federal funding along with using Haverhill’s strong bond rating. I would not support a debt exclusion for this project. I do agree that Whittier Tech needs an upgraded school to educate our students, but supporting a debt exclusion is a risky situation because depending on who manages the city’s taxes, we could be looking at larger tax increases over time due to money being spent on additional areas of the city other than the school.
I did not support the debt exclusion for the Consentino for the same reason mentioned above. Again, we do need a new Consentino school but a debt exclusion is risky.