Fall River Mayor Jasiel Correia II has accepted the resignation of the city’s substance abuse grants coordinator.
Michael Aguiar, who was hand picked by Correia for the position that did not require city council approval, resigned yesterday. The resignation letter came less than twenty four hours after Council Vice President Linda Pereira noted Aguiar spent nearly $3,500 dollars to attend a conference in New York City in 2016, six months after he was appointed to the grant funded position. Pereira brought attention to the matter during budget discussions Tuesday night.
In response, Mayor Correia stated in a news release: “I cannot support what I believe to be excessive expenses by a city employee,” and accepted Aguiar’s resignation, after previously calling him a friend and mentor.
Aguiar was hired as the city’s substance abuse grants coordinator at a $65,000 a year salary. Before attending the NYC conference, Aguiar had gotten approval for the trip from the State Department of Human Services that oversees his position. In addition to the $800 dollar conference fee, Aguiar rented an SUV for about $12 hundred dollars, ordered room service, and previous to the trip spent $6,500 dollars on new office equipment.
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