The allegations made by City Clerk Sergio Cornelio against the mayor have a solid ring of truth. Revelations that the mayor recently received $96,000 of Cornelio’s money after threatening Cornelio’s financial well-being with the possible loss of his job, as well as a threat to cut the city clerk’s office budget, unless Cornelio gave him the money is one more reason for voters in this city to remove Mayor Carlo DeMaria from public office.
What the mayor did to Cornelio, threatening him, demanding money from him, receiving $96,000 from him for nothing but to satisfy the mayor’s greed, is a crime against Cornelio, a disgrace for the office of mayor of Everett and it is an abuse of his position, his authority, and his power as the mayor of the city.
The mayor could do such a thing with any number of people who are scared, indeed, petrified they could lose their jobs unless they satisfied his whims.
The mayor’s payment from Cornelio for $96,000 is a dark moment in mayoral history here.
This kind of rip-off done by the mayor privately, and quietly against an unwilling, honest, devoted high-ranking public official is an outrage.
The mayor’s rip-off of Cornelio is illegal, unethical, and way out of bounds by any standard of a fair measure.
We applaud Cornelio for his willingness to speak out against great odds about the mayor’s greed and wrongdoing in this instance.
Cornelio has described being threatened and badgered by the mayor to hand over $96,000 of his money to the mayor or else.
We believe the US Attorney’s Office and the Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office should review the details of Cornelio’s assertions.
And the State Ethics Commission should review whether or not the mayor reported the transaction as required by the law.
The IRS should investigate whether or not the mayor paid taxes on the $96,000 windfall or that he reported it.
We have detailed how the mayor is an FBI informant, that he signed a proffer agreement with the US Attorney’s Office in Boston to provide the FBI with information about wrongdoing.
His own possible and likely wrongdoing in this instance should raise some eyebrows at FBI headquarters in Chelsea and with Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan.
However, the true punishment the mayor should receive is the ultimate punishment by the ultimate jury, and that’s by the voters of Everett rejecting him on September 21.
The mayor is showing himself to be a dangerous guy, a hate- ful man, a jealous, greedy, manipulative leader who bullies those around him.
Demanding money that is not his, threatening Cornelio, and then taking the $96,000 from him and putting Cornelio on the list of those whose job he will try to take away if he is re-elected speaks volumes about Mayor Carlo DeMaria.
Maybe now the criminal attorney on the mayor’s campaign pay- roll for the past three years will be called upon to defend him for grabbing $96,000 from the city clerk.
What Mayor DeMaria did was wrong.
It was illegal.
Cornelio should get his money back and the mayor should be prosecuted.
It is time for the good people of Everett to stand up and to put to an end this type of thuggery and greed by Mayor Carlo DeMaria. This incident alone is a black mark against his mayoralty that cannot be lived down.