Indicted mayor undeterred by recall effort

Fall River Mayor Jasiel Correia, accompanied by an aide, arrives at the groundbreaking for the new B.M.C. Durfee High School. Photo by Steve Klamkin WPRO News

By Steve Klamkin WPRO News

Facing a potential recall election in the wake of his indictment on federal wire fraud charges, Fall River Mayor Jasiel Correia continues carrying out his duties, presiding at the groundbreaking of a new high school construction project.

“I just keep doing my job as mayor, you saw today,” Correia told reporters at the site of the $263 million B.M.C. Durfee High School replacement project, adjacent to the existing school.

“You’re always under pressure as the mayor, I under a little bit of added pressure,” Correia said when asked whether the brief groundbreaking ceremony on a cold and windswept athletic field was a relief from the kind of pressure he faces.

A petition being circulated by Correia’s critics and opponents has reportedly gathered more than the more than 2,500 needed signatures to schedule a special recall election, with organizers saying that want to collect far more than the necessary number.

A recall would present Correia with the opportunity to resign, which he said he would not do, or to run in a special recall election, which he has indicated he would pursue.

“I think we’ve done a good job. I think the people like the way the city’s been run, and I think that’s what they care about at the end of the day.”