January 2021 – Page 2 – Everett Leader Herald

Staying alert the challenge as Covid-19 weariness settles in

Vaccine Phase 2 rollout starts now

JANUARY 15: A syringe is loaded with a dose of Moderna Covid-19 vaccine. (Photo by Jim Mahoney)

By JOSH RESNEK

The following is not an overstatement.

Everyone we know in Everett is tired of reading about the virus and extremely tired of the restrictions and the personal suffering heaped upon so many families.

Those individuals whose lives were taken by it or who were struck down with it and struggle to recover understand better than most of us that we must continue to pay close attention to the spread of the virus.

At the same time, we must all lobby our leaders for a rapid inoculation program to make much of the population safe from the virus.

To date, only Everett’s first responders and nursing home residents and aids, and those working inside the former Whidden Hospital have been inoculated, according to state officials.

Compounding the complexities of a nationwide inoculation program is the immensity of the numbers needing to have shots but also, the fact there is not enough vaccine to go around.

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Matewsky appointments aim to streamline and focus on issues

City Council president Wayne Matewsky and his mother Marian at Matewsky’s swearing as council president.

New council president sets committee for upcoming session

By JOSH RESNEK

Council President Wayne Matewsky has promised to take the repetition out of city government.

He has slotted key councilors to lead council committees in order to shorten council meetings and to focus on issues being fully vetted before committees before going to a vote before the council.

Bottom line, Matewsky says that too much time is being taken up with issues before the council when most of the issues should be resolved in committee and then voted on officially by the council.

Matewsky named Councilor Mike Marchese to chair the Ways and Means Committee.

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Encore resort to reopen 24/7

JANUARY 24: The sun rises over the Encore Boston Harbor. (Photo by Jim Mahoney)

A big step in return to the new normal

By JOSH RESNEK

Income numbers generated by the casino at Encore are expected to rise now that the state has al- lowed casinos and restaurants and a few other indoor commercial operations to extend their hours over the 9:30 p.m. closing. Encore officials announced that the casino will be open 24/7 beginning Wednesday.

The hotel will reopen, housing guests Thursday thru Sunday, according to company officials.

COVID-19 health and safety measures will continue to be in place, including operating under a 25 percent capacity model, temperature scans at all entrances, mandatory face coverings for all employees and guests, and frequent cleaning and dis- infecting of all guest areas.

The 25 percent capacity restriction is a killer, according to industry analysts.

However, without robust numbers of vacationers returning to the Boston tourism scene anytime soon, Encore faces much leaner times than when it first opened in June 2019.

Visitors coming to Boston via air travel remain woefully down.

Logan Airport visitations and departures are at all-time low poverty levels for the airlines and for everyone involved.

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Failed ECTV council meeting another outrage

ECTV error screen after city council broadcast failed again Monday.

Technological black-eye begs question who is in charge of the ongoing comedy of errors

By JOSH RESNEK

By our count, Monday night’s council Zoom meeting was the sixth council meeting cut short by ECTV’s unexplainable inability to conduct an off-campus Zoom city council meeting from beginning to end.

The technological requirements from the ECTV angle are like plugging in your computer and turning it on.

To be unable to perform a Zoom city council hearing is a bit like not knowing how to turn on your computer…or how to plug it in first.

Monday’s meeting ended with a succession of spurts and stops, finalized by the ECTV screen going dead at 8:40 p.m.

Once again, we heard no complaints. No questions. No efforts from anyone in a position of responsibility to correct whatever is wrong.

As usual, none of the councilors knew how foolish they appeared speaking as though anyone was listening but themselves as they continue the meeting.

Again, as long as they could hear themselves speaking, everything was fine with them.

No one from ECTV told them the meeting was stumbling and was not being broadcast.

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It’s official, Napolitano chosen to be new assistant city clerk

By JOSH RESNEK

Former City Councilor Peter Napolitano has won the selection process for the vacant assistant city clerk’s position.

The vote of his colleagues in confirming his nomination was 10-1.

When all was said and done and the selection process was at an end last weekend, it was apparently obvious to most observers that Napolitano was, and is, in fact, the most qualified local candidate for the job.

His former colleagues on the council all agreed.

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