The mayor is adept at turning lies into truths he does not wish to have questioned.
One such lie turned into truth by the mayor is the $180,000 he received in longevity payments which should not have totaled more than $10,000.
Bottom line: the mayor owes the taxpayers of this city $180,000.
How can we be sure of this?
Because he refused to task the $40,000 longevity this year. He didn’t take the payment this year because he was advised not to take it by lawyers.
He didn’t take the money because taking it would have created a further legal problem to the financial problem he is now facing having taken $180,000 that was not his to take.
The mayor said in a speech at the Chamber of Commerce recently that taking the money from him, the $40,000 a year longevity payment, can be construed as a garnishment of his wages.
Wrong.
The money was never his to take.
He knew this. He understood this. It was as clear to him as a $12,000 a year car allowance given to him by the city council he didn’t need. After all, he didn’t have a car.
The question is, what do you do when you awaken and find $40,000 in your checking account when you’re only supposed to get $2,500?
Most of us who are not pathological liars driven by greed would understand instantly – something is wrong.
In the case of Everett’s mayor, he believed nothing was wrong.
Everything was right. In fact, having $40,000 deposited into his account when it should have been $2,500 was a cause for joy.
After all, $40,000 is so much better than $2,500, isn’t it?
The only problem with such thinking is that once the mayor took the money, he would be liable for it when the ruse was discovered, as it was, and the council stripped him of the payment.
Mind you, Carlo would have taken yet another $40,000 payment this year unless he was told absolutely not to do so by attorneys.
Only after the mayor refused to take the payment – a bit akin to a hungry fish not taking the bait on a hook stuffed with food – did the city council reverse itself and take away the longevity.
Attorney Fred Capone has called the longevity a fraud and a theft. He has demanded the mayor pay back the money.
The city council has remained quiet as though it wants nothing to do with the issue.
The mayor has appeared before the city council and repeated the words of his lawyers: “It’s a matter of interpretation” whether or not I should have received the money, he said recently.
It is not an interpretation, however, that taking money that is not his and then spending it, does not shield the mayor from the responsibility of owning up to a simple fact – he took the money when he shouldn’t have, he spent the money or invested it, now he owes the money.
The mayor again Monday night attempted to turn the lie into truth.
That’s a bit like trying to turn dirt into gold. Nature indulges in so such fantasies.
Pay the money back, Mr. Mayor.
You’re not fooling anyone with your lies.