The Enterprise of Brockton
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Harrington: Steady, sensible
By Maureen Boyle, Enterprise staff writer
BROCKTON — It was a house that convinced James E. Harrington to make Brockton his home.
An affordable house, that is.
It was 1972 and, with three children at the time, Harrington and his wife, Karen, then living in Somerville, were scouring the region for a house that would match their budget.
They found it on Algonquin Street.
"We thought it was out in the country at the time," he said.
Today, at age 59, with four grown children and six grandchildren, Harrington lives in a different house in the city and, as mayor, extols the virtues of the city as an affordable and family-friendly alternative to Boston.
"We didn't forget where we came from," Harrington said. "I want to try to give young families the same chance I did."
Harrington won the mayor's race in 2005, taking the helm from John T. Yunits Jr. in January 2006.
Now, he is facing two challengers for the mayoral seat — Gayle Kelley and Jass Stewart — in his re-election bid for the city's top job.
Harrington's path to the mayor's office was a winding one.
Harrington cut his political teeth in the city as president of the Ashfield School Parent Advisory Council and then moved up to the City Council before finally running for mayor in 2005, when Yunits announced he wouldn't seek another term.
"I was in a place in my business life when I knew I could afford the time to do it," Harrington said.
"He knew that there were going to be some trying times for the city ahead and he knew I would try to be there to do what I could. I had been the fiscal conservative to the city on the council and that's what was needed," he said.
Born in Somerville, Harrington was the third eldest of nine children born to Francis and Theresa Harrington. His dad worked in a warehouse; his mom stayed home.
"I came from a hard-working family background," Harrington said. "I learned that nothing is easy. Whatever you want, if you are not willing to work hard for something, you're not going to get it."
No-nonsense leader
Harrington said he takes a no-nonsense, get-to-the-point approach to politics and to running the city.
When he took office, Harrington told staff to make City Hall more user-friendly to residents, the customers of the city. He stopped the practice of closing shop on Good Friday, a decision that drew the ire of workers. He stopped a longstanding practice of allowing dozens of city workers to take home municipal vehicles to save insurance and gasoline costs, an unpopular move among employees.
"It is a community with more than 1 billion dollars in assets we have to protect," Harrington said. "You are the CEO of a very big corporation in a sense."
Harrington said he's been faced with budget shortfalls — thanks to state funding cuts — but has still been able to balance the budget without cutting services.
The assets to protect go beyond the buildings and the land, he said.
Fighting crime and finding ways to stop street violence is a top priority, he said, but the solutions aren't easy or quick.
Harrington said he's met with religious leaders in the city to forge a "faith-based" coalition, pressed for grant money to expand programs and find ways to link existing services, and works closely with police and the district attorney's office.
"There is no single solution," he said.
Harrington, to some, comes across as tough and aloof, several said.
"His hair is in place, his clothes are in place. His tie is straight. Is there a little bit of the perfectionist in him? Yes," said Mary Waldron, executive director of the Brockton 21st Century Corp.
"His management style is very straightforward," Waldron said. "That is in contrast, I think, to Jack Yunits, who I worked for. Jack wasn't as forceful. He tried to bring the team together. Even for Jack's mindset, I think he realized it was taking too long to get things done.
"Jim, also, being a fiscal financial planner, knows what is looming in his back yard. He knows this is the year to get things done. He is very much a numbers man. He tends to be on the conservative side."
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