Acting Mayor Bob was introduced by Rinus Oosthoek. He came to the Salem mayor's office with many great experiences and professional pride stemming from his contractor background. Bob McCarthy's philosophy is to work with all stakeholders to help every aspect the city. The concepts of cooperation and community echoed throughout his entire speech. For example, he invited the entire city hall staff into his office for an Opening Day Party celebrating the new Red Sox season.
Acting Mayor Bob was introduced by Rinus Oosthoek. He came to the Salem mayor's office with many great experiences and professional pride stemming from his contractor background. Bob McCarthy's philosophy is to work with all stakeholders to help every aspect the city. The concepts of cooperation and community echoed throughout his entire speech. For example, he invited the entire city hall staff into his office for an Opening Day Party celebrating the new Red Sox season.
He dove right into his experiences taking over in an acting role for Mayor Kim Driscoll, who had served as mayor for 17 years. The transition period required a lot of work behind the scenes, working with all parties from the city council to Kim Driscoll herself. He spent some time going over leadership qualities that he hopes to emulate. The position that he is currently in is unique because there is no real clarity in the city charter about when the transition is to take place after the upcoming special election. The position has been "an experience" for him due to the unpredictability of running a city.
He has always found Salem to be a welcoming and diverse city, which is why he loves serving the community. Public service and commitment to the Salem community runs strong in the McCarthy family. His wife, Kathy, is Program Manager for the Salem Park, Recreation, and Community Services department. Kathy packed a family photo for Bob on his first day in office. Both of his sons, Will and Jack, are both graduates of the Salem Public School system and the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. Of all the perks of the job, he has enjoyed reading to the kids at the elementary schools
Bob McCarthy shared a few secrets of city hall with the group. One secret he shared was the existence of ropes that can open and close flaps in the ductwork for the city council chambers, so it could be used by the mayor to make the chamber uncomfortable if the deliberations were not going as the mayor would like. Apparently there is a button with no actual purpose in the mayor's office. Hopefully it is not the button that triggers nuclear war. He also says that he will not be seeking reelection as Ward I Councilor.