By STEVE PINTO
With elections less than a year away, the mayor is already positioning himself for another term at city hall.
First with forty thousand dollars a year of political rhetoric being mailed to Everett residents at taxpayer expense. Thanks to Councilor Fred Capone for attempting to putting the brakes on this.
The mayor should pay out of pocket for his own political propaganda – not the taxpayers.
His power grab continues. The majority of the City Council has relinquished most of its power to the mayor years ago.
Now it is basically just a rubber stamp for the administration.
A few months back, the mayor gained control of the library system. He set his sights on the library board of trustees and removed them all. He made new hires. Every one of them presumably donates to his campaign. Now he’s made himself a voting member of the school committee.
The average Everett resident has officially lost their voice at city hall. Everett residents voted in school committee members. I don’t recall seeing the mayors name on the ballot.
Sounds like the majority of the council and the mayor don‘t trust the school committee and its new superintendent Priya Tahiliani.
And sounds like they also don’t trust Everett voters either. The council and the school committee are extensions of the mayor’s political machine.
Councilor Gerly Adrien is correct. The disrespect continues as a certain councilor tried to continue to silence her voice at Monday’s meeting.
When did the council turn into a group of mean spirited people? It’s very disheartening to observe. Now we are at the point of changing the charter on a whim. A charter that took years of hard work to make a reality.
Changes to the charter should go before Everett voters.
But voters are no longer to be trusted. The council made that statement loud and clear Monday night.
There are no longer checks and balances for Everett city hall and our politicians. Maybe it was a huge mistake to do away with the Board of Alderman. Maybe it was done that way on purpose. The Everett career politicians will make all the decisions. No need for Everett residents to vote anymore.
No such thing as democracy in Everett.
Councilor Fred Capone couldn’t have said it any better than he did Monday night: “I won’t vote for such a thing as the mayor voting on the school committee. The voters need to do that.”
Everett residents have one chance and only one chance. Everett elections are less than a year away.
We need to make sure our voices are heard loud and clear. Everett residents matter and our votes matter.
And it’s time to clean house at city hall.
It’s time for new leadership so city employees no longer have to live in fear.
Everett politicians should be able to vote as they see fit, not as the mayor directs them.
The mayor and council made the biggest blunder of their political careers recently by attacking and disrespecting Gerly Adrien.
No real or meaningful apologies have come forward from the council.
The mayor still hasn’t come forward to denounce the attacks.
Everyone that lives in Everett or cares about civil rights and human decency cannot overlook these events.
As for city council meeting tapes suddenly vanishing… it took a powerful but scared Everett politician to ensure the tape vanished. But the mayor will make someone else the scapegoat.
You can count on that.
Steve Pinto comments on social and political issues concerning Everett. He is a longtime resident.