February 2022 – Page 2 – Everett Leader Herald

Councilor Lattanzi Must Recuse Himself

Councilor Al Lattanzi should not be allowed to vote on the mayor’s longevity pay when it comes up for a vote next Tuesday.

Doing so is blatant, outrageous, and transparently wrong.

The city solicitor should inform him to stand down, to recuse himself for to do otherwise is to perpetuate a lie.

Lattanzi participating in the debate and the vote about the mayor’s longevity, ie, the mayor’s salary, is an egregious error and a serious violation of ethical standards for the first term councilor whose devotion to the mayor above all is what matters to him.

And why not?

His son works as a lawyer for the city. His wife is employed by the city in the mayor’s office, and when not working, she is raising money for the mayor’s election efforts.

In addition, Lattanzi’s hardware store is a city vendor, reaping the benefits of his relationship with the mayor. And Lattanzi is now collecting a city salary.

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Mayor Must Pay His Water Bill Like Everyone Else Pays Theirs

The mayor has not yet paid his home water bill.

That bill is more than $2,100.

He has not paid the bill in months.

It is the mayor’s responsibility to set the example.

Instead, he is the problem.

A water bill unpaid by any of us is no big deal.

A water bill unpaid by the mayor reveals a number of things about the mayor.

He does not care about setting the proper example that most leaders bend over backwards to achieve.

Maybe he does not have the money to pay the bill.

Or maybe he has been told not to pay the bill by CFO Eric Demas or City Solicitor Colleen Mejia, who might have confided to him secretly that he shouldn’t pay the bill, that free water is part of his salary, perhaps.

Who knows?

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January Revenues Tumble at Encore; Down $9 Million From December

February 20: Encore Boston Harbor. (Photo by Jim Mahoney)

By Josh Resnek

January revenues at Encore Boston Harbor Casino and Hotel tanked in January, dropping about $9 million over December’s end of the year flourish.

January’s figures were down about 12%, according to figures released last week by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission.

Slot machines did more business by $1 million than table games in January.

Overall, 2021 figures were up 80% over 2020, when the COVID-19 disaster was wreaking havoc on every sector in the national and world economy.

No reason is given by the MGC or from Encore about the reason for such a dramatic drop in revenues.

Encore finished the year strong with several months over $60 million.

Such figures gave rise in the industry to the belief that Encore was finally finding its place in Boston and Greater New England.

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Waiting For Law Enforcement To Respond Is A Bad Bet

Is The FBI Investigating Surveillance Cameras Found In the Superintendent’s Office; Is the Inspector General Investigating The Mayor’s $40,000 Longevity Payment?

By Josh Resnek

February 12: Construction worker at the Greystar construction site on Vale Street. (Photo by Jim Mahoney)

When two surveillance cameras were found in the ceiling of the Superintendent of School’s office on Vine Street, the FBI was called.

That was three weeks ago.

There is always a great deal of speculation and some confidence that the FBI will investigate, report, and if necessary, question and arrest perpetrators and for the US Attorney’s office to take them to trial.

Three weeks have passed, and not a word from the FBI about whether or not the FBI is doing anything.

Of course, those of us who have been in the forefront of reporting municipal corruption for decades understand this – the FBI does not tell us what it is doing.

The wonder about the surveillance cameras is this: is the FBI investigating how old the cameras are, their serial numbers and tracing where they were bought, and whether or not they were working and who might have installed them?

Is the FBI doing any of this?

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Wynn Resorts Sells Everett Land for $1.7 Billion; Encore Leases Back Property

February 19: Encore Boston Harbor resort and casino. (Photo by Jim Mahoney)

How Does Everett Benefit From This, If At All?

By Josh Resnek

Wynn Resorts has sold the 33-acre parcel of land and the casino and hotel properties, but not including 13 – acres of land it owns across the street from the casino for $1.7 billion to a San Diego company, Realty Income.

As part of the transaction, Encore agreed to pay a triple net $100 million a year rent and leased back the properties it sold to the real estate company.

The company is expecting to sign a 30 year lease with the possibility of one 30 year extension.

Realty Income will have a 6 year option to buy the 13 acres from Wynn Resorts.

The sale and leaseback by Wynn Resorts was announced last week.

The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including required regulatory approvals, and is expected to be completed during the fourth quarter of 2022.

“Encore Boston Harbor is the premier gaming resort on the East Coast and the valuation we achieved in this sale reflects the property’s quality,” said Craig Billings, CEO of Wynn Resorts. “Equally important, the bespoke structure and terms of the lease allow us to maintain a great deal of operating flexibility across economic cycles. The proceeds of the transaction also provide us with liquidity for several of our upcoming development projects and the potential to retire other debt.”

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