Brockton: Mayor looking into nepotism

Brockton’s mayor says she’ll be looking into nepotism in municipal departments and may institute a policy requiring applicants for city jobs to reveal whether they’re ‘related’ to anyone already on the payroll.

The comments from Linda Balzotti come amid a series of published reports detailing the many family connections in the Brockton DPW.

The Enterprise reports found cases where fathers and sons worked together in the same division, and where some employees were hired without proper certification.

Brockton resident Ron Matta, who’s running against Balzotti in the mayoral election this fall, says nepotism is a big issue in the city.

A city councilor has already proposed an ordinance requiring municipal job applicants to disclose any family connections.

The DPW has been at the center of a long-simmering controversy over a failing water meter system that resulted in huge bills being sent to some residents.