Ray Mariano: Worcester City Manager Batista fumbles cable contract process

I remember the first time I heard about something called cable television. It was in the early 1970s and I saw a sign promoting Parker Cablevision. When a friend explained the concept of cable television to me, I remember laughing and telling him that no one was ever going to be stupid enough to pay to watch television when you could get it for free.

A decade later, I had cable television along with more than 40,000 other Worcester households and I was answering phone calls, at all times of the day and night, from irate citizens who wanted to scream at one of their city councilors because their cable had gone out — again!

By 1999 about 60,000 Worcester households were cable subscribers. Since that time, the number has withered to less than 24,000 today.

Problems with the contract

Over the past few years the city’s Cable Television Advisory Committee, a group of private citizens appointed by the city manager, hired experts to review the existing contract so that they could make recommendations to the manager. According to the CTAC’s vice chair Stephen Quist, the committee found a number of serious contract violations. Among them, they found that the cable company illegally removed the senior citizen discount in 2015. Quist points out that Charter/Spectrum kept nine years of discounts he describes as “stolen from seniors.”

CTAC members contend that Charter/Spectrum sent some bills out later then what was appropriate — as late as one day before they were due and then charged customers late fees when their payment didn’t arrive on time. In 2023, the CTAC claims that Charter/Spectrum raised customer rates for broadcast channels three times instead of once as dictated by the contract and federal law.

They also claim that Charter/Spectrum paid the city its money late, that it has failed to provide the proper level of timely customer service, and that three required connections to certain public buildings never happened.

So far, I haven’t heard anyone dispute these claims.

In March, the CTAC voted unanimously to recommend that the city manager not renew Charter/Spectrum’s contract. A few weeks later, the CTAC found itself locked in combat with the manager.

Batista’s missteps

On May 1, the city manager published a post on social media announcing that the city had entered the contract renewal process with Charter/Spectrum. Much of the resulting controversy could have been avoided if the city manager had taken the time to talk directly to members of the CTAC, listen to their concerns and then explain why he felt differently. He could have told them that the issues they raised would be addressed during upcoming negotiations. He could have, but he didn’t.

Beyond that, even though the city manager had agreed to place the chair of the CTAC, John Keough, on the negotiating committee, the city submitted a redlined contract to Charter/Spectrum for its review and has already received some initial reaction back without ever notifying Keough about the redlined contract or its contents.

Then the manager made things worse. Two weeks ago, out of frustration, Keough and Quist decided to file a petition with the City Council essentially asking them to express their opinion on the contract renewal. But the city solicitor said that members of the CTAC didn’t have a right to petition the City Council.

“Employees, even unpaid employees, do not have a right under our form of government to jump over the city manager, who (is) their appointing authority, and petition the City Council to change the manager’s mind.”

The city solicitor is a highly respected lawyer and he may technically be right. But there is nothing stopping the city manager from allowing them a chance to speak — cops and firefighters have been doing it for years. As a result of the manager’s ham-handed attempt to stifle debate, four of the five members of the CTAC resigned in protest.

So where do we stand? Well, the city has begun negotiations, for the contract that expires in October, with Charter/Spectrum. At some point, the city will hold at least one hearing where the public will be invited to comment. Talk about putting the cart before the horse. What’s the point of a public hearing after the city has already decided what issues it wants to negotiate?

As a result of the CTAC raising the issue, Charter/Spectrum has begun sending letters to seniors who might be owed money (I got one). In my opinion, these letters were purposely written to confuse people, minimize what the company will be forced to pay, and are deceptive.

The city manager needs to get the now-resigned members of the CTAC in a room and get things back on track. Both sides need to put any personal feelings aside and focus only on the people they serve.

Then, before the city gets any further along with negotiations, the manager needs to ask the council to hold a few public hearings to allow the public to be heard. Most people have serious concerns about Charter/Spectrum. Many are angry. They need a chance to weigh in before the city settles into another 10-year deal.

Over the past 10 years, the city hasn’t done a very good job getting the cable company to live up to its contract obligations. The manager needs to explain why the next 10 years will be any different. And the manager needs to explore other options and talk to other vendors to ensure that city residents get the best deal.

Cable television is struggling to survive. But, as long as it’s still around, the city needs a better deal and better performance.

Email Raymond V. Mariano at rmariano.telegram@gmail.com. He served four terms as mayor of Worcester and previously served on the City Council and School Committee. He grew up in Great Brook Valley and holds degrees from Worcester State College and Clark University. He was most recently executive director of the Worcester Housing Authority. His column appears weekly in the Sunday Telegram.His endorsements do not necessarily reflect the position of the Telegram & Gazette.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Worcester City Manager Eric Batista fumbles Charter/Spectrum contract