Education

Gloucester mayor raises middle finger while leaving tense negotiations with striking educators

Mayor Greg Verga said his frustrations “got the best of” him but denied his gesture was aimed at teachers or the crowd supporting them.

Teachers Andrea Swinson, of Gloucester, left, and Eric Leigh, of Rockport, center, display a flag and a placard during a rally, Monday, Nov. 11, 2024, in Gloucester. Steven Senne / AP

By Abby Patkin

November 15, 2024

3 minutes to read

Gloucester Mayor Greg Verga says he was concerned for his family’s safety and his frustrations “got the best of” him when he raised his middle finger while leaving negotiations with the city’s striking teachers Thursday night.

“Anyone who knows me knows that this is out of character,” Verga said in a video statement Friday.

Footage from The Gillnetter, Gloucester High School’s student newspaper, shows Verga flashing the profane gesture as he drives away from West Parish Elementary School. The surrounding crowd can be heard chanting “shame on you!”

According to Union of Gloucester Educators Vice President Matthew Lewis, the crowd was channeling its rage over the lack of a new wage proposal for Gloucester paraprofessionals, but no demonstrators blocked city officials from leaving.

“We are disgusted by this obscene gesture made by the elected official who was supposed to represent this city,” Lewis said in an emailed statement, referring to Verga. “We had no issues being outside, and the police were there to make sure that everyone was safe and staying in line.”

Live updates: Educators on the North Shore are on strike

In his statement, Verga said the city and its educators were “moving in the right direction” during negotiations Thursday, but tensions rose outside as the day progressed. He said at one point he checked in with his wife, who was home alone and informed him a crowd had begun to gather outside their house.

“She said things like she was scared, sick to her stomach, and urging me to be careful,” Verga said.

He said the city has had a police detail onsite throughout negotiations, and the officer called for backup due to the size of Thursday night’s crowd. Police cleared a path to the parking lot, but Verga said a “former public safety official” approached his car window and began shouting at him as he drove away.

“At this point, my frustrations got the best of me and I responded to the nastiness being hurled at me as I was trying to make my way home to my frightened wife,” he explained. “The gesture — which I wish I hadn’t done — was directed toward that individual. Not the crowd, and certainly not the teachers.”

Lewis argued the behavior was “unbecoming” for an elected official, no matter the target.

“Regardless of the intention or direction of the gesture, parents and students were present and appalled at what they saw,” Lewis said, adding that the action conveyed “alarming” disrespect to all who were gathered to support Gloucester’s paraprofessionals.

Lewis also pointed out that Verga hasn’t offered an explicit apology to the community.

Gloucester Mayor Greg Verga delivers an inaugural address in 2022. – Josh Reynolds for The Boston Globe, File

Verga, meanwhile, accused union members of “engaging in intimidating behavior” Thursday and calling for escalation with language such as “agitating is the name of the game.” He said he arrived home around 9:30 p.m. to find his wife in tears as more protesters arrived and formed a “mob” outside his home.

“As an elected official and a public figure, I signed up for this. But my wife and our families did not,” he said. “I never expected to fear for the safety of my family in my own home from members of my own community.”

Addressing the alleged calls for agitation, Lewis replied: “The community saw the mayor’s disrespect in full force last night. This disrespect has lasted for 505 days that our paraprofessionals have been without a contract and for months while teachers have been without theirs. Members of the community and our association are rightfully agitated.”

Gloucester is one of three North Shore communities to cancel classes this week due to educator strikes, alongside Beverly and Marblehead. Gloucester’s educators have been on strike since last Friday, and the city’s teachers union is now facing tens of thousands of dollars in fines.

“Mayor Verga’s flippant response to our demands that they stay and bargain all night was met with a middle finger to the students, community members and educators who were there,” Lewis said. “The community and educators will continue to use their outdoor voice to make sure that politicians are at the bargaining table rather than playing games and stalling.”

In his own statement, Verga expressed a desire to see cooler heads prevail.

“We all need to do better to solve this crisis, and I intend to lead the way,” he said. “This is not who we are as a community. Gloucester has always come together in a time of crisis. This is that time.”