Dunphy Named to Be Interim City Manager

The Cambridge City Council last night named Public Works Commissioner Ralph J. Dunphy to serve as interim city manager until the council completes a 90-day nationwide search for a new manager.

Joseph A. DeGuglielmo '29, removed last week as city manager, sent the council a statement in which he branded his dismissal "arbitrary and illegal." He urged the council to consult with the city solicitor (who was selected by DeGuglielmo's predecessor) as to the measure's legality. He did not, however, say whether he would go to court to fight his removal.

Brought before the council, City Solicitor Andrew T. Trodden replied, "I think there is a conflict with the law." He urged the council to rescind the removal of DeGuglielmo, suspend him, name an interim manager, and let DeGuglielmo ask for hearings before his removal.

Councillor Edward A. Crane '35--who filed the dismissal motion--disputed Trodden's interpretation of the statutes. According to Crane, the council could not suspend the manager until after he asked for the reasons for his dismissal and for public hearings on them. Crane said that DeGuglielmo told news media that he would not ask for hearings.

Waived

"It's quite obvious that the hearing has been waived," Crane said, noting that DeGuglielmo had bid good-bye to City employees and moved out of his office on Friday.

Councillor Daniel J. Hayes Jr.--a chief supporter of DeGuglielmo--again resumed his attack on the so-called firing five. He attributed the dismissal to a "personal vendetta" by three councillors, supported by two new councillors who were "not aware" of City operations.

Hayes attacked the idea of an interim manager, saying that any interim manager would be unable to prepare next year's budget. "It's an impossibility" he concluded.

Vote

When the vote came on the interim manager, the five--Crane, Barbara Ackermann, Thomas W. Danehy, Thomas H. D. Mahoney, and Alfred E. Vellucci, along with Mayor Walter J. Sullivan, voted for Dunphy. Hayes and DeGuglielmo's other supporters voted present.

Following the open meeting, the council members met privately in the mayor's office to discuss the search for a new manager.