Holyoke Mayor Joshua García stood by Councilor Israel Rivera, who was characterized as a “threat” by the independent consulting firm’s research on the city’s Police Department Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats.

The inclusion of Councilor River as a “threat” reflects the Police Department officers who were contacted by the firm.

In the category of Threats, Councilor Rivera, who a decade ago served five years in prison for a weapons violation and possession of drugs, was deemed by enough police departments officers to be noted in the category, said Mayor García.

Notwithstanding, said the mayor: “I think it’s progress that we have somebody like Izzie that’s the chairman of the Public Safety Committee that’s giving his perspective, his experiences, that offers groups opportunities to learn from him. Councilor Rivera has done a lot of good work in the community and certainly is no threat.”

At minute 7:00, Mayor García talks about next year’s budget. His goal is to make sure that every department — he said they are all priority number 1 — manages their own paperwork and management of their respective budgets to help the city improve its services.