By JOSH RESNEK
The mayor has missed many meetings of the School Committee in the past several months, an indication to voters how sincere he is about becoming a voting member of the School Committee.
However, the mayor showed himself to be a full-out sneak attending last Monday’s ZOOM School Committee meeting from his hotel room inside the Ritz Carlton on the beach side of the island in Aruba while at the same time pretending to be in Everett.
He did not mention where he was. He acted as though he was in Everett.
He made no mention or gave any indication he was in Aruba.
He has since returned to Everett from Aruba, refreshed and likely ready to go back…to Aruba…as soon as possible.
The mayor spent two weeks in Aruba, beginning at Christmas, despite the pleas of Governor Baker and Lt. Gov. Polito for all of us to stay put, to enjoy the holidays alone, inside our homes, and to do this by ourselves.
The Leader Herald Facebook site (EverettLeaderFacebook.com) has been visited by more than 3500 viewers since we first indicated the mayor was on the beach in Aruba.
More than 100 visitors have left messages replying to the mayor’s trip at a time of emergency in Everett.
Nearly all the messages related to the efficacy of the mayor escaping to Aruba while residents were left here to pay attention to the governor’s edict as well as well as edicts issued by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
A number of residents felt he did nothing wrong as if to say, what’s wrong with taking a vacation?
The assumption here at the Leader Herald is that the mayor didn’t break the law or commit a crime by vacationing in Aruba while telling everyone else to remain at home.
Suggesting residents grin and bear it while taking off to Aruba generated a great deal of chatter.
The following are a smattering of replies posted and signed on our Facebook site:
“Must be nice. I’d like to be on vacation. But I have responsibilities.”
“The guy is a gangster. What do you expect?”
“So, what. He tested prior to going.”
“Why does this bother anyone?”
“Good. I’m glad he’s being called out for what a slimeball he is.”
“We deserve to be on vacation, but we are staying home and social distancing because we care about the greater good.”
“Yes. We are upset if the mayor goes away…only because we are told not to travel.”
“I would love to take a million vacations right now, but I can’t right now because we are in a pandemic.”
“If the mayor tells us not to travel, stay home, social distance…then yes, he should be doing the same.”