Casino Job Seeker Gets job; And what a Great Job it is
By Josh Resnek
I interviewed a fellow from the North Shore who went to the Encore job fair in Boston two weeks ago.
He’s a guy in his 50’s looking for something new to do with his life.
He told me he read about the jobs being offered by Encore for thecasino hopefully about to open. This guy knew nothing about the politicsof the issue going on – the hearings, the suitability stuff. That was alllike a foreign language to this guy.
He’s a college grad. He’s got a wife and 2 kids and he lives a nice life on the North Shore.
He even has a small business.
Anyway, he showed up at the Encore job fair at the convention center in Boston..
“Unbelievable!” he told me. “Just unbelievable how many people were in line to get a job,” he added.
He got there early in the morning, about 9 a.m.
He recalled being in line with hundreds of people.
Many of those in line, he said, were working-class types looking to better themselves.
“Many of them were wearing track shoes and parkas. Many of them didn’t speak English very well,” he said.
The line moved very slowly, he said.
As time went by, people in line were separated, sorted, kind of. Lunchtime came and went.
The line in front had lessened. The line behind him had grown larger. He said the wait was interminable
Finally, around 3:30p.m. he was called into an office.
Then interviewer asked perhaps a dozen questions – about his education, ability, work record and stuff like that.
He spoke with her in his friendly, confident way.
He was dressed nicely in a sports jacket and button down shirt as someone like him would expect to be dressed when going for a job interview.
“We went over a few things. She said with my qualifications I could be a manager, one of a number of them who need to oversee the quality control of the benefits given to Encore’s more than 200,000 Red Cardholders,” he said.
“You want the job?” he said she asked him after a moment of quiet. He recalled being startled by the decisiveness and speed of the offer. “I am offering you the job,” she said.
He asked her what the salary would be.
“Between $60,000-$70,000 with benefits,” she told him.
The fellow thought about it a moment.
“OK. I’ll take it,” he said.
They shook hands. She told him he’d be receiving all the particulars in a few days regarding hours, benefits and all that stuff.
“I was absolutely amazed. What a thing,” he said to me.
Indeed.
About four days passed, and the employment information arrived. “Incredible,” he said again.
“Unbelievable,” he added.
What a thing to get a job like that when you’re in your mid-50’s and you attended a job fair on a lark.
Would you wait in line all day for a $60,000-$70,000 job at the casino? I would, if I needed it.
I’d do it in a heartbeat.
Therein lies the value of the casino and hotel opening.
More than 4000 jobs are being handed out right now.
Jobs, income, disposable cash, benefits, that’s what all of this hooplaover the coming of the casino is about.
No business in this nation right now is hiring 4000-5000 people with jobs where they can have their self-respect.
No business but Encore in the city of Everett is doing anything that even comes close to this level of investment in people.
So many people signing up right now for so many jobs. As the North Shore fellow told me, “Unbelievable!” “Just unbelievable.”
Searching for the perfect School superintendent
The search has begun in earnest for a new school superintendent.
From all outward appearances, it seems as though the process will be real, that is to say, untouched by politics, although everything we do has a social and political angle to it when you come right down to it.
Who will come forward to be interviewed by the School Committee and some community members, everyone taking part in the process,when the moment comes when finalists have been assembled?
Good question, isn’t it?
Who will want to lead the Everett Public School System?
A man or a woman?
A few things appear certain at this point but anything can happen during a process of selection.
There is little to no stomach for or interest in a local candidate.Although one of the 14 local candidates certified to be a superintendent could in fact be the superintendent, tit is very likely one finalist will be chosen j to satisfy the political and legal angles – having a local finalist but no cigar for the local finalist.
This way, the local candidates cannot complain that they were systematically excluded.
What the School Committee is looking for, is for an outsider to come here with stellar qualifications, and perhaps a doctorate, who speaks beautifully, who is obviously brilliant, and who tells them what he or she would do to make the Everett Public Schools great.
They are also hoping for someone who wants to live here, who is intrigued by life as he or she sees it in this city.
That is a bit harder to find. It is not impossible, just harder to findsomeone who would want to live here. After all, Everett isn’t for everyone, and certainly not for high minded, highly paid education professionals.
In Massachusetts today there are 14 open superintendents positions across the state.
How many superintendent candidates can be found who will wantto sit themselves down here in Everett?
Also being discussed is what kind of person would want to lead thepublic schools here?
Would it be someone fiercely independent who will do his or her own thing without interference?
This is hard to predict.
It is even harder to imagine a new superintend either sidesteppingpolitical forces or fiercely confronting them.
And what if after a careful selection process and hiring a newsuperintendent, he or she doesn’t work out?
What do you do then?
Everything about this process and the possibilities I find exciting.What exactly will the candidates think after talking with the members of the School Committee?
What will fancy PHD superintendent candidates think about the locals, the politics, the reading scores, the poverty, the difficulties one faces heading up the Everett Public Schools.
Who will grasp onto this with a passion and want the job? Who is that person and can we find such a person?
We will shortly find this out.
This I know for certain.
If the School Committee announces the salary for superintendent of schools here will be paid $250,000 a year and that they will receive a housing allowance to come here, we will attract the most aggressive,ambitious, hard fighting and smart educators in the land.
The high pay will bring us the best candidate to choose from.
You get what you pay for these days in almost every category of industry.
A bonus should be offered to the candidate who promises to raise thereading scores here by 25%.
Now that would be something, wouldn’t it!.