In an on Demand World, Revere Director of Municipal Services Michael Wells Works to Provide the Best Services for Residents

By Melissa Moore-Randall

A self described “people person” lifelong Revere resident  and Director of Municipal Services, Michael Wells enjoys many aspects of the position he was appointed to in 2020.

However, helping the residents of Revere is what he enjoys most. “I enjoy helping the residents of our great city!  I am a people person!  The residents really appreciate when you return their calls and respond to their emails and needs promptly.  And more importantly help them through a process or guide them in the right direction to where they need to be. Every day is different.  We deal with many different issues.. However, we also educate the residents of the rules and ordinances of the city and make a difference in the community, being transparent with the residents and ensuring that our department is providing the services that the residents need.”

Wells was born and raised in Revere.  He attended the Paul Revere School (K-8) and is a 1992 graduate of Revere High School.  He is from one of Revere’s most popular and well-known families. His father, Stanley, is a retired Revere Firefighter, mom, MaryEllen, was a waitress for 38 years at the popular Maggio’s Restaurant on Revere Street, and his sister, Jen, a former RHS softball and field hockey standout, is a Physical Education teacher at Revere High School.

Michael married his college sweetheart, Joan Dudley, who he will celebrate 25 years of marriage with this October. He is the proud dad of four children. Mackenzie, 23, a  graduate of N.E. Metro Regional Technical School in Wakefield attends SNHU majoring in Business Administration and works full time at Salem Five Bank Corporate Office as a Sr. Commercial Loan Specialist, Jenna, 21, a graduate of RHS where she was Class President and presently attends Salem State University majoring in Elementary Education in the Master’s program and is a student teacher at the Hill Elementary School, Michael, 19, also a graduate of N.E. Metro Regional Technical School who works for the City of Revere in the Water and Sewer Division of the Department of Public Works, and Jonathan, 15, a freshman at RHS.

His road to Inspectional Services began at Johnson & Wales University where he earned an Associate’s Degree in Culinary and Bachelor’s Degree in Food Service Management. After graduating JWU in 1996, he joined Spirit Cruises (Boston Harbor Dinner Cruise) in Boston as a Restaurant Manager. He went on to spend the next decade working in the food services industry at Salem Beer Works as Assistant General Manager, at 99 Restaurants as a General Managing Partner, and at Bertucci’s Italian Restaurant – Children’s Hospital Location as a Managing Partner.

After leaving the food services industry, he began working for the City of Revere in 2016 as a Code Enforcement Inspector and then became the Food Inspector in 2018 before becoming Director in 2020.

His Department oversees a variety of divisions keeping his days busy. “Every day is different!  â€œI am at work most days by 7:30 am.  My day mainly involves in person meetings, Zoom calls, conference calls, phone calls,  visits from residents, addressing city councilor concerns, after hours meetings, and answering more than 100 emails daily. It’s a good thing I’m organized! I absolutely love my job and the team we have at ISD!  We are a big “work family”!  Everyone gets along well and works together to serve the residents of our city!”

One of the main aspects of his position is his interaction with residents. “We don’t get instant results!  We have to go through a process.  If we get a complaint on a property we have to get in touch with the property owner.  We send letters and ask them to respond.  That doesn’t always happen.  If we have properties that are not code compliant or blighted properties and the property owners do not comply with our notice, we will have our Safe Housing Taskforce Team address the issues.  The properties are fined and if needed an administrative search warrant is obtained from the courts to address the issues.”

Another part of his department’s day to day operations is related to addressing city ordinance/building codes. “Trash ordinance is a big one that is enforced daily.  It is the job of Inspectional Services to enforce the ordinances of the City. Although they are not always popular, it is about the safety and well-being of our community. Ordinances are the rules and regulations of the City. Often residents or contractors are found doing work without a permit.  A permit is required for most home renovations (building / plumbing / electrical).  When in doubt, ask us!  A permit is to ensure that the work is being done properly by a licensed professional.  That the wiring in your home is safe, the gas burner was installed properly, the new deck isn’t going to collapse, etc…!  Safety First!”

One of the more unpopular enforced ordinances is related to trash.  â€œFour years ago our city was inundated with rodents.  We did not have any trash rules in place at that time.  The administration heard it loud and clear that there was a severe rodent issue.  The city hired 4 exterminating companies and each company was responsible for addressing the rodent issues in their respective areas.  The city provided free baiting to homeowners (and continues to do so) with their consent by signing a rodent baiting waiver.  This is also when the city issued blue trash carts were introduced and a city wide trash ordinance was signed by the city council.  We have 3 exterior trash inspectors that follow the trash routes each morning starting at 7am.  The inspectors are looking at trash violations.”

When asked what constitutes a trash violation, Wells went on to say, “The use of non-city issued blue carts, open lids, trash on ground, and trash on top of the carts are violations. I tell the residents when they come in to talk about their violation that it’s not about the $25 fine.  It’s about changing behaviors and fixing the violations.  Our department has worked really hard to get where we are today in regards to the rodent population.  We are never going to have a rodent free environment, but I can say that we get very few complaints and the hard work enforcing the trash ordinance has worked! Often we have to go through the process of getting the owner’s attention to correct violations.  Oftentimes the owners don’t live in the city.”

With so many new restaurants and residential developments, the Health Inspections Division has been busy carefully monitoring the sanitary health of properties and food establishments. “All establishments that have a food license issued by the City of Revere (full service restaurants, quick service restaurants, convenience stores, gas stations, schools, bakeries, bars, etc…) are inspected at a minimum of twice a year.  We have roughly 250 food licenses.  All routine inspections are unannounced.  A detailed inspection is performed by the Food Inspector ensuring compliance of the food and sanitary code.  If violations are found during inspection, the establishments are given up to 10 days to correct all violations and a re-inspection will be conducted to ensure that all violations were corrected.  Some examples of violations include:  improper temperatures, bare hand contact, improper storage of food product, sanitation of premises, expired products. The Food Inspector is also responsible for responding to any complaints that are reported.   All rental properties are inspected when there is a vacancy. The Interior Housing Inspector manages the Certificates of Fitness to ensure that the rental units are habitable.  The housing inspector also responds to housing complaints (no heat / broken appliances / etc…)  The inspector will remedy the situation between the tenant and the landlord / property owner and ensure that the issues are resolved.”

Mayor Brian Arrigo’s administration is “dedicated to delivering high quality, efficient municipal services to the residents and business owners” of Revere and Wells echoes that sentiment. “We are always looking at ways to make it easier to better serve our residents.  311 has been an invaluable addition to our City. They received every phone call to the City and route them to the appropriate departments.  They track all of the requests from the residents. We are currently working on on-line bill payment for Inspectional Services. We are almost there!”

For more information about ordinances, permits, and inspections, you can contact Michael Wells at 781-286-8311 or [email protected].  His office is located in the American Legion Building (Basement), 249R Broadway, Revere, MA 02151.