The Ward Dismissal

Ralph W. (Stody) Ward ran as an Independent for the Cambridge City Council in the last elections and lost. The day after the official count was completed, former City Manager John J. Curry '19 fired Ward from his post as Cambridge youth worker, a post Ward had held since its creation in 1959. Curry offered no explanation, and replaced Ward with a man untrained in youth work, in fact formerly employed by the City as a carpenter.

The City Council agreed to hear Ward's case at its April 11 meeting, although it cautioned him that legally it could do nothing to reinstate him. At the meeting Councillor Alfred E. Vellucci strongly implied that the Cambridge Civic Association, and CCA-supported Councillor Thomas Coates, had pressured Curry into Ward's dismissal. Vellucci claimed that the CCA and Coates were taking revenge on Ward for the threat he posed in the last election.

Coates immediately denied any ill will toward Ward. Councillor Bernard Goldberg turned around and accused Velucci of using Ward as a pawn, trying to create an issue for his own political advantage. Vellucci only repeated his charges all the more strongly.

Was the dismissal a political move? Not necessarily. Judging from statements which Ward and his supporters made at the meeting, it seems that Curry had a long-standing personal animosity toward Ward. Ward claimed that Curry had consistently refused to include his requests for funds in the City budgets. He further alleged that Curry had insisted on monthly reports from him on his activities among Cambridge youths; after Ward announced his candidacy, Curry demanded weekly, then daily, and finally hourly reports. Curry also made Ward take a leave-of-absence without pay during the election campaign. Even if political pressure was indeed at work, the eventual dismissal was clearly in line with Curry's earlier non-political behavior.

The real problem is a civic rather than a political one. No matter why Ward was dismissed, a large part of the Cambridge population believes Vellucci's accusations. Anthony Bruno, a teacher at a local vocational school, said at the Council meeting that his students are convinced Ward was fired for political motives alone, and that they resent his successor. The danger exists that not only will an exceptional youth worker be lost, but that his accomplishments will be wiped out too.

At the Council meeting, CCA and Independent councillors alike acclaimed the job Ward has done with minimal funds and assistance. They expressed regret that the Council is powerless under the Charter to rehire him or find him a similar position. It is now up to the new City Manager, Joseph A. DeGuglielmo '29. He can do the City a great service by finding Ward a new position as soon as possible. The youth of the City need a man like Ward, and the City needs some semblance of unity if it is to face more important issues, such as the Inner Belt.