Accomplishments

“My goal is to reset Gloucester in a form and fashion that we’ll all recognize. A City reborn in its own image. An even better place to live, to work and to visit. A place I’ll always be immensely proud to call my home.”

— Mayor Greg Verga, January 1, 2022

Inherited Impasses

Rebooted projects at a standstill and pushed them across the goal line. Permanently modernized Magnolia Pier. Delivered on restorations at Stage Fort Park and created our Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Carried out the rebirth of Mattos Field at Green Street Park with new amenities like a walking track, better parking, and a resurfaced basketball court.

First Term Wins

Launched a new reservation system to manage beach parking gridlock, and summer volume is more livable. Spearheaded a new ordinance making City parking free for all veterans. Initiated partnership with Backyard Growers to bring a new Farmer’s Market to Burnham’s Field next spring. Championed the recent financing agreement that’s powering The Cut on Main Street, a multipurpose entertainment venue—including stage, studios, a restaurant and bar—that’s coming soon to Gloucester to generate jobs and considerable tax revenue.

Transportation

Continuing his focus on bread-and-butter issues that every resident expects and deserves to be taken care of, Mayor Verga supplemented the FY’22 paving budget by $300,000, increased the FY’23 pothole budget by 480 percent and has designated $3 million in ARPA funding  for road repairs. 

He also commissioned a special report about maintenance issues on private roads, which educated the public regarding state-mandated limits, an online system for requesting DPW spot repairs to private roads as well as a betterment process for facilitating permanent repairs. For the first time in City history, the road pavement schedule is published and can be viewed here. 

The Waterfront

Mayor Verga revitalized the Fisheries Commission and is updating the Harbor Plan, with the goal of making sure Gloucester’s voice is heard on the state and national level.

Public Schools

Mayor Verga has invested federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds into Gloucester schools to complete new playgrounds at Plum Cove and Beeman elementary schools. He also supported the replacement of windows and doors at O’Maley Innovation Middle School, which includes matching State funds. The new East Veterans Elementary School was completed on time and on budget and had a successful opening on August 29. 

The Mayor’s most recent City budget included $2.7 million for Gloucester Public Schools, the largest single investment in local schools by any Mayor in history. As a voting member of the School Committee, Mayor Verga supported hiring the first Director of Career, Vocational and Technical Education at GPS, which will lead to a fifth CVTE program for medical assistants at the high school as early as next fall. 

This directorship was originally supported by grant funding in 2022, but with the help of the School Committee, of which Mayor Verga is a voting member, will be included in the General Fund of the Mayor's budget for the City moving forward. Since traditional views of vocational education have included some level of gender stereotyping, Mayor Verga Supports expanded pathways that aren’t gender-normative, so there’s more gender balance in accessing a vocational career.

Climate

Mayor Verga hired a full-time climate sustainability coordinator to lead the development, planning, and implementation of initiatives to reduce the City’s carbon footprint, integrate sustainability and resiliency throughout city-wide operations, and protect the long-term well-being of the City and its residents. 

This position, which has already paid for itself with subsequent grant funding, will look for efficiencies designed to save the City money. Click here to read more about recent climate-resilience milestones for Gloucester. 

Highlights so far:

  • Publication of the City’s Inaugural Climate Action and Resilience Plan

  • Small Business Sustainability Initiative Launch: Connecting local businesses with Mass Save incentives to foster sustainable practices.

  • Energy Efficiency Initiative: Studied energy efficiency at six of the largest energy consuming buildings across the city and identified high priority energy efficiency improvements. This resulted in several energy projects being implemented and several more projects have been submitted for grant funding this year. 

  • Gloucester Energy Coach hired: A part-time energy coach provides direct support to residents with reducing their energy bills and making energy efficiency updates in their home.    

  • Youth Engagement in Sustainability: Three students or recent graduates engaged as sustainability outreach interns, fostering the next generation of environmental stewards.  

  • Launch of Gloucester Climate Action website: Focused on empowering residents to take tangible steps towards climate action.  

  • Floodplain Ordinance: Supported the city council’s adoption of flood plain regulation designed to protect properties and address future flood risk by limiting new development in the current flood zone. 

  • Launched Coastal Road Vulnerability Study

  • Over 70 percent of municipal electricity consumption was offset by renewable energy in 2022-23

Read more about the Gloucester Energy Challenge here.

Housing

Mayor Verga revitalized the Affordable Housing Trust and directed tax receipts from short-term rental fees to the Trust to deliver a continual funding source. In addition, Mayor Verga was successful in directing $1.5 million from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to the Trust. He has begun the process for a new City Master Plan—to replace the previous plan from 2001— that will make housing a top priority with broad input from Gloucester residents.

Accountability And Efficiency

Mayor Verga appointed a group of citizens to hold virtual listening sessions to solicit views about how to spend $23 million federal American Rescue funds distributed to Gloucester by the state. Reimplemented employee performance evaluations to ensure accountability in City Hall; more than two-thirds of City workers have completed that process in the 22 months he’s been in office.

Sewer Treatment Plant

Gloucester is the last major city on the eastern seaboard to upgrade its sewer treatment plant. Mayor Verga entered into a consent decree with the EPA and DEP to build a new wastewater treatment plant, putting a stop to Gloucester’s legacy of sidestepping this issue. 

“This project will do the most good for the most people over the most time,” says Mayor Verga. “It’s an incredible investment in our residents and environment. This is also a major investment into economic development; these upgrades to the wastewater treatment facility will make Gloucester a more inviting and attractive location for current and future businesses. The lack of industrial pretreatment of wastewater limits the amount of fish processing and manufacturing in Gloucester and increases the cost of doing business in our city.”  

Read more about the upgrade here.

New Police Station

Mayor Verga a deal with the state to fund $5 million of the new police station and courthouse while getting a guarantee that the District Court would stay in Gloucester

Sawyer Free Library

Mayor Verga has supported the effort to renovate and expand the Sawyer Free Library, a project that was unanimously supported by the City Council. Fundraising for this project is ongoing. 

New features will include a digital makerspace, a dedicated teen room, a film production and editing suite, an audio recording studio and a 110-seat community room. Additional features will include a new Library History Center and a quiet reading room along with fully ADA/OSHA and state/local building-code compliance.

Paid for by the Verga Committee