Mayor Shows Up Like Santa With a Gift for Taxpayers… Vetoes
- Dec 23, 2025
- 3 min read
Update 10:05 PM December 23rd ... Literally moments after posting the article below.
The Council has pushed an alert calling an emergency session Tuesday 7PM via Zoom.
More to follow.
In a move that landed like a lump of coal in City Council's stockings, Mayor Beauregard has formally vetoed three resolutions passed by the outgoing Methuen City Council at its final meeting of the term.
Enter, Mayor Veto Clause...
The vetoes, issued December 23, stop the following measures dead in their tracks:
A resolution allowing City Councilors (and, by amendment, School Committee members) to opt into city health insurance
A resolution calling for a vote of no confidence in the Superintendent and School Committee
An ordinance expanding eligibility and cost waivers for temporary repairs and reconstruction of private ways
But the most important part of this story isn’t just what was vetoed… it’s when and, from a purely political viewpoint, how it was so beautifully executed.
Because the veto arrived just days before the new City Council is sworn in, the outgoing Council has no practical ability to override it... Well except an emergency meeting on New Year's Eve.
There is no time to:
Post a legally compliant meeting notice
Call an emergency session
Reconvene with a quorum
Take a veto-override vote
City Hall is closed tomorrow (Christmas eve), Christmas Day, and the following day, not reopening until Monday. If the Council wanted to have an emergency meeting to address these issues, the soonest it could happen would be New Year's Eve. Remember, during the meeting Councilor DiZoglio did mention that he knew there were plans for an emergency meeting if the agenda was charter objected. This shows the urgency which all other Councilors were acting upon.
Can you imagine… a self serving emergency session on New Year's Eve…?
Once the new Council is sworn in, the old Council ceases to exist and so does its chance to respond.
In other words, the veto isn’t just symbolic. It’s final.
In his memo (pictured below), Mayor Beauregard grounded all three vetoes in variations of the same concern: decisions made without clear financial impact or practical outcomes.
For the health insurance resolution, the Mayor pointed out that:
No complete financial impact statement was provided
Recently added School Committee members were not fully costed
FY27 health insurance rates are already expected to rise sharply
He cited Chapter 278 of the Acts of 2018, the state’s push for responsible municipal financial management, noting that adopting benefits without full fiscal clarity runs directly against its intent.
The no-confidence resolution didn’t fare any better. The Mayor called it “divisive,” saying it solved no real problems, offered no accountability mechanism, and provided no path forward for the school system. Realistically, this is more symbolic than the other two vetoes but this is what MPS needed right now… someone to show some faith in the district.
As for the private ways ordinance, the City’s own Chief Administrative and Financial Officer reportedly could not quantify the impact at all with project scope, cost, and exposure left undefined.
In short: unknown costs, expanded liability, and no guardrails.
Whether you agree with the vetoes or not, one thing is undeniable: timing matters in government.
The outgoing Council passed sweeping measures at the very end of its term. The Mayor exercised his veto power at the very end of his statutory window. The result is a clean procedural checkmate.
No override.
No do-over.
No emergency save.
As Buddy the Elf might say, “You sit on a throne of lies.” Or, more accurately in this case, a throne of rushed votes and unresolved math.
And to borrow another holiday classic phrase: cotton-headed ninny muggins might be a little harsh but passing measures with no fiscal clarity and no time left on the calendar certainly isn’t legislative best practice. Especially following the outpouring of community rejection for all three resolutions.
What Happens Now?
All three items are effectively reset to zero.
If the new City Council wants to pursue:
Health insurance participation
A no-confidence action
Changes to private way repair policy
…it will need to start over with new filings, new debate, and, ideally, actual numbers attached.
The lesson here is simple but important: power doesn’t just come from votes. It comes from process, timing, and preparation.
Written by: Dan Shibilia
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