Councillor Serino’s Opposition to Promotions was ‘Nothing Personal’

Richard Serino is an emerging first-term councillor from Ward 6. Brian Arrigo is the popular, second-term mayor of Revere.

Serino didn’t let that gap in experience get in the way of being on different sides with Mayor Arrigo, who has earned a reputation for his brilliance in crafting city budgets while making city government more technologically advanced and his administration accessible in every way.

Councillor Richard Serino.

Some political observers may have been surprised that that freshman councillor would come out firing at the City Council Ways and Means Sub-Committee meeting last Friday. Serino jumped in from the outset in his opposition to Mayor Arrigo’s budget that sought to create a “cabinet-style” structure and give promotions to outstanding employees who would be taking on more duties in the new fiscal year.

“It was difficult to take a position against the Mayor,” Serino said candidly. “Personally I think Mayor Arrigo is doing a tremendous job. I support him and I think his vision for our city is going in the right direction. But I think the proposed promotions as the mayor called them – right now in this fiscal climate I feel that we cannot afford to give those types of pay increases when we are laying off people and people are taking early retirements, and vacant positions are not being filled. It’s just not the right time.”

Serino may have acquired some of those political instincts from retiring State Rep. RoseLee Vincent, for whom he works as a legislative aide at the Statehouse. Vincent has been known to state her case directly, no matter the political ramifications, with the prime mission of doing what she believes is in the best interests of her constituents.

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