by The mayor of Methuen is calling on the Market Basket board to bring back Artie T., the popular CEO who was placed on paid leave amid alleged family drama.
“Let me be clear: whatever is happening behind closed doors at Market Basket needs to stop. Now,” the mayor said.
Mayor D.J. Beauregard sent a letter to the board of Demoulas Super Markets, or Market Basket, Thursday calling on the leaders to end the “drama” and “the corporate chess.” Methuen has two Market Basket stores, he notes.
“My city’s residents rely on those stores to feed their families,” Beauregard wrote. “Many rely on those jobs to pay their bills. And what they see right now is a company drifting dangerously off course.”
Arthur T. Demoulas, also known as Artie T., was
placed on paid leave
at the end of May by the supermarket chain’s board, which cited disagreements over succession planning and alleging that he had been orchestrating a potential work stoppage, which some executives within the organization strongly dispute.
Two Artie T. allies and top executives – Joe Schmidt, the director of operations and grocery supervisor Tom Gordon – were fired this week after working decades for the company.
The pair were allegedly engaging in “insubordination, making false and derogatory remarks about the company and people associated with it, and inappropriate communications with colleagues,”
Market Basket said in a statement
.
Gordon and Schmidt
spoke at a press conference Wednesday
, with Schmidt positing the supermarket culture could suffer moving forward.
“If Mr. Demoulas does not come back, the company’s changed. And it’s not going in a very good place if it continues on the trajectory we have, especially when there’s three board members that, in my opinion, are completely out of touch with the culture of the organization,” Schmidt said.
Beauregard lauded the company’s culture under Demoulas, saying Methuen’s local Market Basket stores “represent something that’s become far too rare in today’s economy – a business model that puts people first and still manages to work.”
But, “all of that is now at risk because of yet another round of boardroom drama,” Beauregard said. He referenced the 2014 episode where Demoulas was similarly removed from his position by a rival faction within his family, which triggered employee-led protests and customer boycotts that ultimately forced the board to reinstate him.
“On behalf of the City of Methuen, I’m calling on the Market Basket board to do the right thing: resolve this internal dispute and bring back Arthur T. Demoulas – before the damage becomes irreversible,” Beauregard wrote. “Because what’s on the line here isn’t just one man’s title. It’s a business model, a culture, and a community lifeline that’s been built over decades.”
Molly Farrar is a general assignment reporter for Boston.com, focusing on education, politics, crime, and more.
Sign up for the Today newsletter
Get everything you need to know to start your day, delivered right to your inbox every morning.
