Wants suspension of parking fees
By Josh Resnek
Councilor at Large Gerly Adrien has asked the mayor to act on a number of issues to ease the stress and disruption caused by the city closing down.
Adrien and her husband also pledged the first $1,000 of a $20,000 goal to create an emergency fund called the Everett Stands Together Resiliency Fund to be used as necessary to aid those in need of it as a result of the coronavirus.
She also asked the mayor to suspend all parking fees and fines until April 1.
She asked that the mayor ensure that the city’s elderly living in low income housing receive assistance for their food needs, and she further noted the closure of the food pantry so many rely upon.
She asked the mayor to make certain that city employees, including those in the city clerk’s office, answer all e-mails within 48 hours to keep city services flowing and relevant.
She urged that city council and committee meetings be allowed to go on using technology and the Internet to keep the public informed.
Adrien and Councilor Mike McLaughlin, are the only members of the city council to reach out to the mayor to implore him to take care of the city’s business as well as its residents.
Late Tuesday evening, the mayor’s assistant Deanna Deveney responded to Adrien on behalf of the mayor.
Deveney rejected outright Adrien’s call for free parking and no ticketing during the crisis. The city will not suspend parking fees, she wrote.
In addition, she said the food pantries aren’t closed and that the city is exploring different avenues to reach senior citizens.
She said that the city’s IT Director Kevin Dorgan is working on putting together the technology to report council and committee hearings.