By Josh Resnek
There is no shame with Mayor Carlo DeMaria.
There is no bottom to where he is sinking.
When Councilor Jimmy Le went down last week, the mayor rounded up his acolytes and prepared the typical backroom dealing that has become his hallmark.
The mayor understands sexual harassment better than most of us, having been involved in a number of rather difficult situations that don’t ever go away.
The mayor can’t make a truthful speech denouncing sexual harassment.
Weeks ago, he promised and announced an investigation into Anthony DiPierro’s racism.
To date, that investigation remains in play in words only, or so it appears.
Cathy Draine, the city’s Black equity chief who the mayor hired, has made no public comments about DiPierro.
Le is expendable. The mayor will not advocate for him as he has been advocating for DiPierro.
The mayor will let Le go down. He will support quiet efforts among his cadre to bring Le down.
He is likely urging his council lackeys to call for Le’s resignation.
In fact, the mayor is hoping the council shouts out for Le’s resignation.
This, after all, takes the pressure off DiPierro – but only temporarily.
The city would welcome the mayor sitting down at his desk and delivering a speech in front of television cameras and reporters lamenting Le, DiPierro, longevity, Corey Street, the racism and sexism suit by school superintendent Tahiliani against him, and the chaos in general engulfing Everett city government.
But he can’t.
He is as good as paralyzed.
Better yet, he is boxed in at every move.
He can’t talk about Le without causing his own sexual harassment imbroglios to be dredged up.
He can’t beg for Le’s resignation because he will be forced to call for DiPierro’s – and some will then call for the mayor’s.
He can’t call for DiPierro’s resignation because the mayor’s racism has been shown to be almost equally as pervasive – an ineradicable part of him that exists nearly all the time like cancer.
The mayor wants to get rid of Sergio Cornelio as city clerk but he can’t speak out against him because he’s suing Cornelio for making the claim that the mayor took $97,000 from Cornelio in a real estate deal that never should have happened and into which the mayor contributed nothing.
Last week, at a Chamber of Commerce time, the mayor lamented to the crowd during a short speech that the $40,000 a year hidden longevity he lost when the city council took it away, was, in reality, a garnishment of his wages. Some of the attendees actually believed him.
The mayor made no comment about the $180,000 in city funds he was given improperly and which he owes, and which in his own mind, he is never going to pay back.
Whatever direction the mayor turns, he is beset by opposition that never existed two years ago.
Even six months ago, he seemed to have a hand in controlling nearly everything to do with Everett city government.
That control has not ended. Rather, it is slipping away.
Control is vastly different from leadership.
He won re-election by 210 votes.
Reports have surfaced of several people checking signatures of those who voted from out of town in the mayoral election have added up to about 175 at the present moment.
This too, spells potential trouble.
Many say if the election were held next week, he’d be dumped from office. The mayor just reported taking in $46,000 at his recent fund raiser.
Gone are the off-year fundraisers netting $100,000.
An immediate $23,000 went to lawyers for law suit representation. About $7,000 went to Encore for the time that was held.
That doesn’t leave much room or spare cash to meet current expenses.