Framingham Councilor Mike Cannon Explodes at Superintendent Tremblay

In a recent City Council meeting, Mike Cannon angrily attacked the Superintendent despite the Council Chair asking for respectful dialogue.

​In the Framingham City Council meeting on July 16, 2024, the first agenda item was:

"A continued discussion of previous discussions regarding school safety and violence in respect to school behavioral management with Superintendent Dr. Robert Tremblay and Chair of the School Committee Jessica Barnhill."

​Bob Tremblay lead out with opening remarks which laid out the issues:

The City Council Chair, Phil Ottaviani, then opened the floor to Councilor comments and questions, with a special request that a collaborative approach be taken. Councilor Mike Cannon was first up.

What followed, despite Phil Ottaviani's request, was an angry, unrelenting attack on the Superintendent, reminiscent of the time earlier in the year when the Superintendent spoke at a City Council on student safety and handling violence and Mike took an aggressive approach in asking questions.

However, this was much more combative and made it clear that Mike preferred to skewer the Superintendent in public, than pick up the phone, visit the schools, engage in a productive, problem solving approach, or follow sound advice from the City Council Chair.

Here are Mike's comments:

Bob Tremblay then responded, after being interrupted by Mike, and explained all of the very sound actions which had been taken since his first visit with the City Council on safety issues. It was abundantly clear that Mike had never taken the time to check in with Bob, before launching his assault.

Take a look at Bob's response:

Then School Committee Chair Jessica Barnhill, gave Mike Cannon a lesson in how City Councilors should behave when dealing with constituent-raised school issues:

Through all of this the entire School Committee was present, supporting Bob and undercutting Mike Cannon's wild commentary, including his assertion that the School Committee was being kept out of the loop by Bob.

It is rare to see such an intemperate display as that put on by Mike Cannon, including his admission that he was angry.

The other City Councilors were entirely reasonable in their questions and comments to such a degree that Mike Cannon seemed to be the complete odd man out in a group of City Councilors aiming to collaborate for the betterment of the schools.

The entire City Council meeting video can be accessed at:

Framingham City Council Meeting, July 16, 2024​​

for full details.

The bottom line here is that City Councilor Mike Cannon needs a lesson in civility and a lesson in collaboration with the Superintendent and School Committee​​​.

It does Framingham no good to have a City Councilor who is intemperate, insulting to guests invited to City Council meetings and who does not do his homework before meetings.

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