Greg Verga official announcement –
After long consideration and many conversations with colleagues, friends and family, I have decided to run for Mayor of Gloucester in 2015.
I seek the Mayor’s office because I believe I am the right candidate, given my knowledge of our City, my commitment to building community by respecting the City’s past and embracing its future, and because of my proven abilities as an active participant in the issues and people of Gloucester for many years.
Now is the correct time for a new approach to the City’s administration. To be an effective Mayor requires experience, proven leadership, and, more importantly, a willingness to listen to all sides of an issue. A true leader is not timid and must want to listen to all points of view from all the City’s constituency, and must be flexible enough to adjust plans which will serve the best interests of our City.
In the coming months, I look forward to discussing how my four terms on the School Committee, two terms as a Ward Councilor, and now as an At-Large Councilor establishes my experience to become the next mayor of Gloucester.
I would like to mention two highlights of this experience at the present time. One is my demonstrated commitment to transparency and inclusiveness. In my early days as a member of the School Committee, I pushed to have agendas and minutes posted online, and later, as its chair I moved our meetings to City Hall where live broadcasting was available. On the City Council I have always insisted on more public engagement and accountability from us and the administration.
Secondly, is my record of willingness to embrace and consider change that would benefit the City and its people. An example of this commitment during my time on the City Council, and after careful review of the facts and listening to all points of view, I have welcomed and encouraged new ideas such as the Beauport Hotel and the DPA revisions of the new Harbor Plan.
As Gloucester’s Mayor, I will ensure that an open door policy will not just be a slogan, and there will be no surprises. We will generate ideas in public not behind closed doors. Our public buildings will not be neglected, and I believe that the ‘team’ is more than a select few.
My roots are deep here – with my mother’s family making their way here from Portugal and Nova Scotia at the end of the 1800’s and my father’s family’s immigration from Italy. It was nearly 100 years ago when my grandmother, Ma Verga, sailed across the Atlantic to this community that opened its arms to her. My goal is to keep Gloucester a welcoming city that remains full of hope for all who now and in the years to come will seek to build their homes, businesses, and lives here.
Good Morning Gloucester 