New Bedford Fourth of July Fireworks Get a Sponsor, Will Go On

NEW BEDFORD (WBSM) — The City of New Bedford has found a sponsor and will have fireworks to celebrate the Fourth of July, after the city council previously voted not to fund the display using the City’s free cash.

The annual fireworks display on the waterfront is usually funded by sponsors. However, City Councilor Linda Morad told WBSM that this year, Mayor Jon Mitchell’s administration was looking for council approval to use free cash to pay for them.

Morad spoke out against using taxpayer dollars for the fireworks, and the council voted against doing so.

“I do not think that’s an appropriate use for the City’s free cash,” Morad told WBSM Friday. “We told them to go find a sponsor for the fireworks.”

WBSM’s Barry Richard was told by the administration today that there will indeed be fireworks to celebrate Independence Day despite the council not approving the use of free cash.

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Morad said she was “glad to hear” that there is a sponsor that will foot the bill for the fireworks display, which the veteran councilor of over 20 years says is always the way it has been done in the past.

“I do not recall ever funding fireworks with taxpayer money,” she told WBSM. “I recall press conferences in the past when we publicly thanked the sponsors.”

Richard was told that the City plans to issue a press release regarding the fireworks next week.