Mayor’s mouthpiece drubs Council; Capone: “Why are you his lawyer?”

[Leader Editorial Feature]

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Speaking to the city council are, from right to left, the mayor’s Attorney A. John Pappalardo, and Attorney Emily Bryan. Seated near to them is Mayor Carlo DeMaria, and Assistant City Solicitors Matthew Lattanzi and Keith Slattery. (Photo by Josh Resnek)

By Josh Resnek

The mayor sought to head off the council’s desire to question him about why and exactly how much he is spending for a noted criminal lawyer’s representation at a contentious and sometimes chaotic meeting of the city council Monday night.

Using a ruse to have the council addressed by his lawyer, A. John Pappalardo, the mayor avoided speaking to the council about the issue nor did he allow himself to be questioned by the council about the disbursements from his campaign account to Pappalardo’s law firm, Greenberg and Traurig.

Instead, the mayor imposed on the council and demanded it to hear from his attorney, and the council did just that – despite a meeting scheduled on March 9 for the mayor to answer questions about the legal representation and its reasons.

Pappalardo shed little light as to why the mayor has been paying his law firm $6,000 – $10,000 a month for the past two years, and large amounts to other lawyers before that, except to say, “the mayor has done nothing wrong.”

Pappalardo said the mayor hasn’t been arrested, indicted or convicted of a crime. He isn’t under criminal investigation according to his reasoned judgment.

“He’s done nothing wrong,” he said again and again. “That is absolutely unequivocal,” he added.

He spoke with a strong, stern voice. He has the persona of a seasoned prison warden when pontificating to the city councilors about his client’s purity which was akin to a lecture given to prison guards by the prison warden while at the same time ridiculing questions about the mayor’s honesty.

He described the government proffer the mayor signed with the US Attorney’s office in 2013 the cause for a medal rather than for concern. He said the mayor was one of 55 local people investigated by the FBI who agreed to sign agreements to give information to the government. “ Innocent people talk with the FBI. Those who have something to hide don’t,” Pappalardo said several times.

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Former Fire Chief Butler laid to rest

By Josh Resnek

David Butler came from a family connected at the hip to the Everett Fire Department and to this city for over 60 years.

Butler came up through the ranks becoming the chief in 2000.

He served with distinction for 16 years, retiring in 2016.

During his long career as a firefighter, he became afflicted with Firefighter Occupational Cancer.

Last week, Chief Butler succumbed to the cancer following a valiant fight.

He was 65.

He spent 39 years of his life as an Everett firefighter.

His wake at the JF Ward Funeral Home on Broadway Sunday afternoon attracted a huge throng from all walks of life.

Nearly all the present members of the EFD attended, including the honor guard, while retired firefighters, family friends and former neighbors also came to pay their respects.

Former Mayor David Ragucci appointed Butler to the chief’s position.

In comments to the Leader Herald Monday morning, Ragucci remembered Butler as a gentleman and a quiet, dignified professional who knew what he was doing.

“David was an easy going, conscientious, honest man – an absolute pleasure to work with when I was mayor,” Ragucci said.

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Matewsky running for rep?

By Josh Resnek

The political grist mill this week was rife with reports that former Rep and councilor Wayne Matewsky is considering running for the rep seat against Joe McGonagle.

“I am definitely considering a run,” Matewsky told the Leader Herald Tuesday.

The rep announced he is seeking re-election last week.

He will be facing Councilor Mike McLaughlin, who has already taken out papers and is actively campaigning for the position.

Matewsky said his consideration is serious but tempered with the reality that he is his mother Marion’s most important source of support.

She is 91 and Matewsky is extremely devoted to her well-being.

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Voting here already underway; Presidential primary next Tuesday

By Josh Resnek

Dependent upon who you speak with about the presidential race now underway, there are the dual beliefs that President Donald Trump must be beaten to save American Democracy and that Trump’s re- election is the only thing that will save it.

The nation is split.

The politics are divisive.

A lot of the news is fake.

And now its presidential primary time next Tuesday in Massachusetts.

Everett already began voting for the primary on Monday, according to officials in the Election Department.

“I am expecting about 1500 to 2000 votes out of a total that might reach 8500 cast before all is said and done,” predicted City Clerk Sergio Cornelio.

As he spoke Monday morning inside his city hall office, early Everett voters getting a jump on the primary were already casting absentee ballots, filling them out and the votes being filed by officials on the third floor of city hall inside the Keverian Room.

“All those ballots will be counted, logged properly and treated as absentee votes and walked into our office on Election Day,” Linda-Lee Angiolillo, of the city’s Election Department.

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— Eye on Everett —

The outside world

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By Josh Resnek

During the tenure of nearly every American president from Washington to Lincoln, America was a slave-keeper democracy.

Black men and women were sold to cotton farmers and planters down south to work without freedom as beast of burden.

This means from the formation of our first government in 1776 until Lincoln emancipated the slaves in 1863, people were bought and sold like property.

Hard to grasp, really, considering what we are taught in school as part of our national history.

Washington was the largest slave-holder in the land when he died. Lincoln would rather have died than own a slave.

Until President John F. Kennedy came along in 1962, blacks couldn’t attend school at the University of Alabama.

The Justice Department of the United States did nothing to alter this situation. In other words, all those finely trained and highly educated legal minds dedicated to upholding the US Constitution, couldn’t find the legal excuse to endorse the idea that all men are created equal – that is – until JFK ordered his brother the US Attorney General Robert Kennedy, to send the National Guard and US Marshalls down to Alabama to allow blacks to enter the university to change the world – and he did.

The Justice Department is not, and has not always been the last best hope of this country.

The Attorney General of the United States works for the president – even if the president is Donald Trump and you hate him.

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