Christmas tree is beautiful but cost Everett $8000
By JOSH RESNEK
The new wreaths placed on poles throughout the city were the talk of the town last week.
After all, they are beautiful, green and golden and impeccable, more so in many
ways than what the Town of Wellesley installs on its
After all, they are beautiful, green and golden and impeccable, more so in many
ways than what the Town of Wellesley installs on its poles every Christmas.
The only difference – Wellesley can afford it – Everett should think more carefully about its spending in the face of the crisis the city is facing with the virus and Encore.
The juxtaposition of lines of people wearing face mask along the length of Chelsea Street underneath these stunning wreaths, brings to mind one of the cruel ironies of the Christmas season. Everything that glitters, like the wreaths, brings to mind one of the cruel ironies of the Christmas season.
Everything that glitters, like the wreaths, isn’t gold.
The real gold is the free food being distributed out of necessity to the working poor and other residents of the city. Those hundreds of men, women, and children lining the sidewalk in front of the Connolly Center all the way back to Ferry Street and at other food distribution spots in the city, concentrated on picking up their free food.
Many of those waiting eyed the long line of humanity snaking in front of them.
Many of them wondered, “How long will this take? Will there be any food left for my family when it is our turn?”
In other parts of the city, among the 4,000 or so Encore employees who were laid off, there is the harsh reality of unemployment benefits ending the day after Christmas.
Many hundreds more living here are about to be evicted as the ban on evictions is running out at the end of the year.
The end of the year is only 30 or so days away.
Without wishing to be a downer about beautiful Christmas decorations, I wonder what causes public officials to spend so much money on decorations when there is such a great deal of pain and need being felt by many thousands of struggling men and women living in the Everett community?
Two weeks ago, the mayor told the people: “Eric Demas makes the money decisions. I do whatever he tells me.”
If this is so, then it is the city’s CFO Demas who is the de facto mayor.
If Demas did in fact OK the purchase of these expensive decorations, then it would appear the city must be flush with money it can spend on such things.
If the mayor bought these deco- rations, then he owes many taxpayers – nearly all of whom celebrate Christmas (except for the city’s growing Muslim population) – an explanation.
The mayor is withholding $1.3 million from the School Department because he claims the city can’t af- ford to let the School Department keep the funds.
Excuse, if we are to believe the
mayor’s words, it is Demas that is withholding the money from the School Department.
When Demas tells the mayor to give the money to the School De- partment, then the mayor will do as he is told – or at least this is what the mayor would have us believe.
The wreaths are beautiful.
The Christmas tree is special – and at $8,000 – it ought to be.
The question is, can Everett do better with its limited resources during a time of near-disaster?
Or does the city need to overspend itself to put on a show?
Can Christmas be Christmas here without $800 wreaths?
Could the city get by without an $8,000 tree?