The busy boating season in Gloucester, Massachusetts, is beginning with a scandal at the harbormaster's office over theft and forgery.
TJ Ciarametaro says he was wrongfully terminated by the city earlier this month. The former harbormaster says he worked with Gloucester police to catch the shellfish warden stealing petty cash. The warden then pointed the finger back at the deputy harbormaster for forging signatures on state grants totaling at $24,000.
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"Just a really disappointing and unfortunate set of events that transpired after a pretty long seven-year career here giving it my all," Ciarametaro said.
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"Sort of petty stuff, a signature here, there, whatever — got to play by the rules — but TJ had nothing to do with it except to say 'whistleblower,'" said Gordon Baird, the Gloucester High School sail team coach. "Somebody did this and he gets fired for that?"
Gloucester Mayor Greg Verga's office said via email that it could not comment on personnel matters, but that Verga recently met with the interim harbormaster, a former Gloucester police chief.
"The Department is eager to get to work and motivated to provide exceptional service to our residents, visitors and businesses," Verga said in a statement. "I feel confident in the Department's ability to meet the needs of our community."
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"The thing that bothers a lot of Gloucester people is the transparency issue with how it was handled," Baird said. "Not just this mayor, but in other mayors, there's always this sort of smoke screen."
City Councilor and former Gloucester Police Chief John McCarthy is taking over in the interim, but the shakeup comes at a time when the harbormaster's office has its hands full.
Captain Johnny Karvelas of Cape Ann Whale Watch drives the Hurricane 2 — the biggest boat in the harbor, measuring at 115 feet.
"Boats are going to be speeding around and doing stupid things stuff like that, so that could be a disaster, but once I'm past the breakwater, no one bothers me," Karvelas said. "If there's a situation that I need help from the harbormaster — I wish TJ was there to help me out."
Both Karvelas and Baird said the department was never run so well.
"They used to have 10 moorings out there that would be used. Now all 200 are being used," Baird said. "They are terrific, and they've saved our butts a few times, too, when sudden squalls came up."
Many, including Ciarametaro, are hoping he'll get his job back.
"I need to clear my name. I think originally, I wasn't able to say anything, and some really bad info came out of City Hall that left people more confused," Ciarametaro said. "We've since been trying to clear the record, and that's what I'm trying to do now."
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