By JOSH RESNEK
Several weeks ago, City Clerk Sergio Cornelio claimed he was taken advantage of by the mayor for a $96,000 payment when a property owned by Cornelio and paid for entirely by him for 18 months was sold.
This revelation has led to a battle between Cornelio and the mayor.
The mayor claims he was Cornelio’s partner.
A search of real estate transactions and LLCs filed at the Southern Middlesex Registry of Deeds indicates the mayor did not own a secured interest in the 43 Corey Street property as Cornelio has consistently claimed.
This leaves many to wonder, did the mayor own an interest in the property as he claims, or was Cornelio the sole owner as indicated by the public records?
More importantly, the mayor has not revealed if he is the unnamed and unre- corded owner of additional properties in Everett.
The mayor signed an eth- ics document indicating he might be partnering with Cornelio in the 43 Corey Street property.
However, when push came to shove for the property to be purchased, Cornelio and Cornelio alone financed it. The deed and the LLC formed by Cornelio showed only Cornelio as the owner.
Cornelio asserts he put all the money down, paid all the expenses, and was never given a dime by the mayor.
Now the 43 Corey Street property has been purchased from Cornelio by an LLC which is registered at the Southern Middlesex Registry.
The question remains – is the mayor a part-owner of the LLC?
The mayor’s name does not appear on the deed and he is not revealed as a part-owner of the LLC.
Is the mayor a part-owner of the property?
If he is a partner, how does he prove it?
More importantly, is he supposed to let Everett residents know?
Legally, the mayor is required to remove himself from any upcoming governmental, zoning, or otherwise, decisions about the 43 Corey Street property to avoid a conflict of interest.
The conflict of interest law can extend to neighboring properties.
The mayor could not involve himself in any actions on matters involving properties abutting 43 Corey Street.
The Corey Street property abuts the Everett Square rehabilitation footprint, making it especially difficult for the mayor to navigate the conflict of interest laws because as mayor he will be picking the developer of Everett Square.
What now, some wonder, will 43 Corey Street become under the mayor’s ownership – if indeed he is the new owner in part or in whole.
The Everett Leader sent the mayor a series of direct questions asking him to indicate whether or not he is a part-owner of 43 Corey Street or whether the investor who bought the property is holding a portion of it for him with a handshake or with documents which have not been certified and filed with the Middlesex County Registry of Deeds.
The mayor did not respond to Leader Herald’s email.