Move To Replace Worcester City Manager Put On Hold

WORCESTER, MA — A decision on Worcester Mayor Joseph Petty's pick to replace outgoing City Manager Ed Augustus Jr. will be delayed by at least a week.

At Tuesday's City Council meeting, Petty voluntarily held an order to appoint Assistant City Manager Eric Batista as an interim city manager for nine months beginning on June 1. Augustus' last day as manager will be May 31.

Petty did not specify during the meeting why he held the item, but Petty told Spectrum News on Tuesday that a councilor asked him to delay the discussion for one week.

At-Large Council Thu Nguyen publicly addressed the issue on Twitter, highlighting a tweet by School Committee member Tracy Novick questioning how Batista could be picked as Augustus' replacement without a public process.

"Not sure whose speaking for me or whose trying to dictate council. Send us your theories peoples. Please brief me on this plan!" Nguyen's tweet said.

RELATED: Worcester City Manager's Departure Heralds Change Year In City

Worcester hasn't selected a city manager in a public search process since 1993, according to an analysis by Worcester blogger Nicole Apostola. Thirty years ago, former mayor Jordan Levy created a committee to search for a new manager. But during subsequent city manager searches in 2004 and 2014, when Augustus was hired, the City Council converted interim managers without much deliberation.

Batista, 39, began working at City Hall under Michael O’Brien in 2012, two years before Augustus took over as city manager. Batista started off as a project manager in the city manager's office, and later served as the director of the Office of Urban Innovation under Augustus. He was promoted in September to become an assistant city manager along with Nicole Valentine.

"A close advisor to the city manager, Batista has led or been involved in a number of other key projects and initiatives, including the city’s first telework policy, the Myra Hyatt Kraft Elm Park Footbridge, the Worcester Youth Violence Prevention Initiative, the creation of Recreation Worcester and the city’s Municipal Strategic Plan. Batista also manages the School Safety Taskforce and Municipal Broadband Taskforce," a Sept. 29 press release said.

Batista also recently became the city's diversity officer after the departure of Stephanie Williams.

In a separate piece of business Tuesday, the council voted unanimously to accept Augustus' resignation. Petty said there will be a tribute to Augustus at a later date, but councilors did give him a standing ovation after accepting his resignation.