The mayor of Fall River announced on Wednesday that he is not resigning. Mayor Jasiel Correia said in a Twitter statement that keeping him in office would be up to the people of Fall River. He credited his administration with improving emergency services and education funding in Fall River in the statement.
Correia captioned the Twitter statement, “Letter to the council.. we are in campaign mode!”
Correia will face a recall vote. He was indicted in October on federal charges of wire fraud and falsifying tax returns. The indictment alleges that Correia lied to investors in his app startup company, SnoOwl. It says Correia allegedly used more than $200,000 dollars of investor money on personal purchases, including travel and a luxury car.
No official response from the City Council has been made public. The Fall River Herald News reported that The Fall River Board of Election Commissioners gave the council two election dates to choose from: March 12 or March 19.
Residents on the streets of Fall River had mixed feelings about their mayor yesterday. Some, like Brittany Boutin, thought the mayor deserves the benefit of the doubt. “I believe people are innocent until proven guilty, so if he is innocent, and then gets his job taken away, that’s not fair,” she said. Mayor Correia has not yet faced a trial.
Other residents were less apologetic.
“What do I think? He’s a crook!” said resident David Meade.
A Fall River native, John Fidalgo, said he has become discouraged with Fall River politics. Fidalgo owns a bookstore on Main Street.
“I figured this young guy wouldn’t be as corrupt. And then when I heard he was arrested and everything, it really made me sad. It’s just sad. It’s just really disillusioned me a lot,” he said.
When he was elected at age 23, Jasiel Correia was the youngest mayor in Fall River history. Fidalgo said he would vote to recall Correia.
