Editorials – Page 2 – Everett Leader Herald

Stealing from Everett’s kids is like stealing from the church

The mayor is refusing to shed light on his involvement in an apparent scheme to divert a donation made to the city by Catholic Memorial High School of three professional grade basketball nets and stanchions worth tens of thousands of dollars to himself and a friend.

The mayor received one of the nets. It was delivered to his front driveway. A friend living in another town received two. They were placed in front of his home.

As usual, the mayor is telling friends and anyone who will listen “not to believe what you read in the newspaper.”

In this instance, we believe that is bad advice, short of the mayor explaining how the basketball net ended up in his driveway when the net was donated by a Catholic Memorial High school official to the city of Everett.

The mayor may believe he owns the city and the city treasury.

He does not, however, cannot take for himself and for his own use expensive gifts given to the city. For that matter, ethics regulations would not allow him to receive gifts of any kind over the price of $50 in value.

The appearance of the basketball net in the mayor’s driveway is made worse by the Electrical Department two Fridays ago installing lighting on a city pole to shine upon the basket for nighttime use.

As we understand it from the source of the donation at Catholic Memorial High School, the three baskets were handed over to city employee Jerry Navarro. Navarro allegedly knew exactly what to do with the donation, which was to have them delivered to the mayor’s driveway and the driveway of the mayor’s friend.

Priya Tahiliani takes center stage

Everett is not an easy city to win over by acclimation – but the new Superintendent of Schools Priya Tahiliani is doing just that, according to a variety of school department officials and employees interviewed for this piece.

“If you have a kid in the Everett public schools at this time it is a good thing, she’s in charge,” said a longtime school official. “She is not using plays from the old time playbook. She is making decisions. She is owning them. Most important to note, she isn’t complaining,” said the source.

Tahiliani announced last week she is cutting the budget by 5% just to be safe to start, and that it might, in a worst case scenario, have to be cut another 5% – 10%.

In years past during the past two decades, the school department almost annually would announce deep cuts being made- as if crying fire in a crowded theater, only to rescind the cuts and rehire back nearly everyone that was set to be let go before the new school year began.

No such tactic is being used by Tahiliani, who understands better than most the exigencies of the new normal brought on by the profound effects of the Coronavirus.

“She is trying to do layoffs strategically. It isn’t about who you are with her. It is about what you are doing,” said a source.

“She is sane and fair in negotiations. She is trying to make arrangements for the coming school year without knowing for certain what bumps there will be along the road,” said a member of the School Committee. “She is very smart. She understands how things work. She has a ton of integrity,” added the School Committee member.

Continue reading Priya Tahiliani takes center stage

Chief Mazzie proves knowledge is power

Police Chief Steven Mazzie’s appearance at the virtual city council meeting Monday night proved once again that having a humble, smart, savvy longtime police chief who knows what he is doing with the Everett police force is worth its weight in gold.

He answered Councilor at Large Gerly Adrien’s questions about the police department’s various policies regarding report- ing police violence against residents, the use of choke holds (which have been banned since the 1990’s here) and annual training parameters to meet the demands of the new age that appears to be upon us.

Without raising his voice or batting an eyelash, Mazzie answered the councilor’s questions like the consummate professional he has always shown himself to be.

He is a very hip guy, who firmly is in command of a first-rate police force that knows the laws and follows them.

Continue reading Chief Mazzie proves knowledge is power

Mayor hypocritical about race

The mayor’s call for racism to be considered a city health emergency is ludicrous given his absolute disregard for inte- grating the city’s entire workforce for the past 12 years.

The mayor has steadfastly stood against the integration of the city’s workforce and the make-up of every department in this city during the past decade. A simple count of the numbers of minority people working for the city reveals the mayor’s ap- palling disinterest, with breathtaking honesty and simplicity, in hiring minorities to position with the city.

It is typical of the mayor’s transparent smoke and mirror public announcements to complain righteously about racism while overseeing a city of minorities where the minorities are under- represented across the board when it comes to who the mayor hires.

The mayor’s hypocrisy is so naked and raw that his attempt to be considered a man for all seasons by the city’s minorities is made to appear ridiculous.

There are so few men and women of color and ethnicity employed by the city that it stands as a daily reminder, and as a depressing embarrassment, to all of us who care about integration that it hasn’t yet happened in Everett.

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The economic reopening

The “new normal” is the main feature of the city’s economic reopening.

As long as the Coronavirus remains lurking among us and infecting thousands of us, and killing thousands, the economy cannot be expected to work as it used to do.

Most major economists agree – a solid economy cannot stand side by side a pandemic running wildly in this nation and around the world.

These new restrictions on crowds and added health and sanitary requirements, augmented with social distancing elements that are evident everywhere, makes doing business a great deal more difficult than ever before.

In no business – place can a crowd now appear.

Large assemblies of every kind are no longer allowed but with excruciating health and sanitary requirements.

Continue reading The economic reopening