More Political Drama in Fall River [OPINION]

The never-ending cycle of political drama continues unabated in Fall River. In this edition of "As the River Turns," the foil is embattled School Superintendent Matt Malone, who ran the education department under former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick.

Superintendent Malone is refusing to resign even though the Fall River City Council, which is powerless in all of this, voted on Tuesday to pass a resolution of "no confidence" in Malone and asked him to resign immediately. Eight councilors voted in favor and one voted "present" because his wife works for the Fall River School Department.

Malone, who has been in charge of public schools for four years, is accused of being verbally abusive towards school department employees and others. The school committee voted last month to dock Malone a month's pay worth some $17,000.

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The Herald News reports Malone has admitted to inappropriate behavior. “I admit that I used salty language and could be loud and verbose," he said. The paper reports that Malone said of the sanction, "I got what I deserved."

The school committee conducted an investigation but has not made the results public, which has angered some on the city council. Members of the school committee are angry with the council for meddling in school committee matters, and there are concerns about possible lawsuits.

All of this as former Mayor Jasiel Correia II is preparing to stand trial on two federal corruption indictments.

A friend from Fall River tells me the high drama that is such a part of Fall River's political scene will likely continue until the current cast of characters retires or gets voted out of office. The people of Fall River deserve better than what they are getting from their public servants. It's time to turn the page, Fall River.

Barry Richard is the host of The Barry Richard Show on 1420 WBSM New Bedford. He can be heard weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. Contact him at barry@wbsm.com and follow him on Twitter @BarryJRichard58. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.