Councillors: Mayor Should Give More Details On School Safety Plan

BEVERLY, MA -- Three months after approving $3.75 million for a secretive, school safety plan championed by Beverly Mayor Mike Cahill, some city council members are saying Cahill should offer more details on the plan. City Council deliberated the measure in a private, executive session and offered few details on the plan when it approved the measure in a public session in December. Cahill has maintained disclosing details would undermine the plan.

"Unfortunately, this is one of those items that is just so sensitive based on the security concerns and needs of protecting our kids and our teachers that the details, the specifics, can't be talked about in a public forum," Cahill said after council approved the spending.

But now, several councilors have told the Salem News, which first reported this story, Cahill should offer more information on the plan. The city has hired manager and design firm to implement the program. Ward 2 Councilor Estelle Rand, Ward 4 Councilor Scott Houseman and Ward 5 Councilor Don Martin all made comments to the newspaper suggesting the mayor is being too secretive.

"It seems to me there should be a happy medium that could be released without the situation we have right now," Houseman said.

For more on this story, see the Salem News.