Massachusetts Mayor Brings Gun To Meeting With Political Rival

A Massachusetts mayor disputes claims that he pulled out a gun during a late night meeting and says his gun was tucked in his waistband. The Fall River, Mass. Mayor says he was only trying to show town councilman Jasiel Carreia how to defend himself.

[su_center_ad]Carreia has accused Mayor William Flanagan of “intimidation” after he allegedly pulled out a gun during the informal, late-night meeting in an SUV between the two officials.

Talking Points Memo reports:

Fall River, Mass. Mayor William Flanagan (pictured above) met with town councilman Jasiel Carreia II around midnight on Aug. 15 in a Ford Explorer to discuss a recall petition targeting Flanagan.

Carreia signed the petition filed by town residents to recall the mayor over tax hikes and garbage fees. Flanagan, who has challenged the petition’s validity, allegedly asked Carreia to call the Fall River Herald News and say he was intimidated into signing the recall petition.

According to Carreia, Flanagan took a gun out of the center console in the SUV and told the councilman that he never leaves home without his firearm.

“Obviously when he took out a gun, the whole thing escalated,” Carreia told the Boston Herald on Monday. “This is the mayor. I don’t know what he’s capable of. He didn’t forewarn me he had a gun. I thought, ‘This is ridiculous. This is crazy.’ There’s no doubt in my mind there was intimidation being used. No doubt.”

However, Flanagan said that the gun was in his waistband and that he never took it out. He claims he only showed Carreia the gun and was trying to show Carreia how to protect himself.

Another city councilman enter the mayor’s vehicle partway through the meeting and said he didn’t “feel that anyone was threatened,” according to the Herald.

Because we all have late night meetings in an SUV with a gun at our side. This sounds more like a scene from “The Godfather.” TPM notes, “Flanagan had previously been investigated by a local newspaper in October 2013 about his alleged connections to Joe Ruggiero, an associate of former mob boss Luigi “Baby Shacks” Manocchio.”

“Obviously when he took out a gun, the whole thing escalated,” Carreia told The Herald.

“This is the mayor. I don’t know what he’s capable of. He didn’t forewarn me he had a gun. I thought, ‘This is ridiculous. This is crazy.’ There’s no doubt in my mind there was intimidation being used. No doubt.”

The Daily News reports, “Flanagan, mayor since 2009, is a former state prosecutor. Flanagan said he was showing Correia how to handle people the councilor claims had bullied him into signing the petition against the mayor.”[su_csky_ad]

D.B. Hirsch

D.B. Hirsch is a political activist, news junkie, and retired ad copy writer and spin doctor. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.