Council President George Tyros utilized closing remarks to address what he described as a pattern of financial mismanagement within the City Administration over the last six months. Gardner Magazine reached out to Mayor Michael Nicholson for his reaction and/or response and we have updated this article with the Mayor’s response below:
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Council President George Tyros describes a pattern of “financial mismanagement” within the City Administration Over the last 6 months
Update: Mayor Nicholson’s response is below: CLICK HERE.
At the Gardner City Council meeting of March 2, 2026, Council President George Tyros utilized closing remarks to address what he described as a pattern of financial mismanagement within the City Administration over the last six months. Key concerns cited include: Operational failures with utility bills for city services going unpaid resulting in shut-off notices on several occasions, procedural lapses such as donations needing retroactive approval months after the fact, transparency issues such as information regarding new revolving account submitted with incomplete details, misappropriation such as funds for the salt shed appropriation allegedly spent on unauthorized items, budgetary caps, and the library director reporting a total lack of communication regarding the fiscal year 2027 budget. Listen to the Council President’s remarks on any device, CLICK PLAY.
Listen to the entire City Council meeting on any device, CLICK PLAY.
Gardner Mayor Michael Nicholson’s response: “I’ve said throughout my time in office that our job as public officials is to make sure our residents know what we are doing in City Hall every day on their behalf. This is why increased transparency has been such a such a big priority of my administration. I think there are a lot of places where improvements can be made in internal operations to make things more efficient and effective. We’ve made improvements in this area, as we saw with the Community Development Department over the last year, and I look forward to continuing that process working with other departments to ensure our residents receive the best possible outcomes from City Hall. Training staff on the correct policies and procedures that need to be followed is something that we have made an increased effort in doing. As we move into the FY27 Budget season, I look forward to working with the City Council to get the best results for our residents as possible.”
In other matters: The City Council recognized the 65th anniversary of the Peace Corps, having proclaimed March 1st National Peace Corps Day, updated sign regulations, updated the non-union salary item, struck an accidental “password” from the meeting minutes, and referred the GCAT item to the City’s law department to get clarification on legal standing to use City accounts.
