Camara: Correia violating law by suddenly ditching pay-as-you-throw

Mayor Jasiel Correia II’s refusal to work with the City Council led to the delay of eliminating the pay-as-you-throw program that he recently unilaterally ended, announcing it without prior notice during a press conference.

“He simply wanted to have people think that he’s eliminated the program for the right reasons. I’ve always been against the program and he could have eliminated the program in the last budget had he’d have a working relationship with the City Council,” said Camara.

Now five weeks before the recall election, Correia got rid of the PAYT program for political reasons, said Camara, calling it in Correia’s best interest.

“The problem I have with it is more than anything else is it speaks to his character. We were all sworn into office. I raised my right hand to uphold the Constitution of the United States, uphold the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and also uphold the ordinances of Fall River, and so did he,” Camara said.

With the program under ordinance, Correia is violating local law, telling residences to violate the law and “knowing there is no consequence,” said Camara.

“It’s extremely unfortunate and it’s not fair to the people that do abide by the ordinance of the city of Fall River.”

As part of Correia’s argument that the city could absorb the loss of the more than $2 million loss of revenue from the purchase of purple bags he claimed that over the next five years the city would see steady revenue increases due to state aid.

The numbers, said Camara, were immediately obsolete.

“What he doesn’t understand is this is a moving budget. It is extremely premature to say whether the budget is balanced or not. It’s impossible,” said Camara.

He agreed that if elected as mayor, he would be walking into a sanitation program with a number of unknown variables.

Camara said he supports the city establishing its own transfer station to deal with solid waste and recyclables, a plan that Correia has said he is currently implementing through a public/private partnership that would be located at the current location of the Department of Community Maintenance on Lewiston Street.

He said Correia has not discussed his plan with the City Council.

Camara questioned Correia’s plan to locate a facility in the densely populated area with an already congested Plymouth Avenue.

“I’m telling you when I do get elected; we will find a solution that best fits the needs of the city as far as trash goes.”