Category: Editorials

Kobe Bryant

The outpouring of grief over the early loss of Kobe Bryant at 41 in a helicopter crash that took the lives of nine, including his 13 year old daughter, has been quite a spectacle to watch.

The NBA great, one of the most prolific players of his era, of any era, had a very large following in basketball and sports circles everywhere, including a huge place in basketball in China, where Bryant was revered.

Fans across the nation, across the spectrum of the sports world, and among players and athletes everywhere is that Bryant was a giant competitor, a winner through and through, and a positive spirit in a game dominated by only a handful of outrageously talented players.

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Good luck to new appointments

Council President Rosa DiFlorio has announced committee assignments for the 2020 city council.

Councilor at Large Wayne Matewsky, the longest serving member of the council and a former representative will be the Chairman of the influential Ways and Means Committee, arguably the busiest and most sought after committee assignment. Councilor at Large Peter Napolitano is the chair of the Committee on the Budget.

Councilor at Large Mike Marchese is the chair of the Committee on Community and Business Development and Public Utilities.

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Can we do better than this?

The public park now being redone in North Everett is a glaring example of precious city money being spent – hundreds of thousands of dollars – to reconstruct the park which was already one of the loveliest public parks in the city.

Manyresidentshaveaskeduswhytheparkwasbeingredonewhenit gave the appearance of a park not at all in need of any improvements. The recent redo just a few years back of the park by GTA was flawless. The gazebo built by GTA is perhaps the most brilliant piece of period

style exterior construction in the city today.
Some have suggested this present redo of the park, (not by GTA) by

a contractor friend of the mayor’s, is what made the project possible. This sounds very likely but we have no proof of this.
The only proof we have about the park being redone – new and wider

sidewalks, new granite, landscaping, possibly a few benches, some paving and whatever else was planned for – is that it didn’t appear to need to be redone.

What has been gained?

Continue reading Can we do better than this?

Jeff Bouvier’s dream

The owner of the Bouvier Building in Everett Square went before the Zoning Board of Appeals Tuesday night to test the waters for a boutique hotel with 23 rooms.

This is a universe away from the perpetual state of affairs for this key structure in the heart of the Everett Square which the Bouvier Family has owned for 65 years.

Built in 1877, the building for longer than a century housed offices and apartments upstairs, and featured the popular jewelry store by the same name, Bouvier’s, and Brighams on the street floor.

That was then. This is now.

The building has been an eyesore and from time to time, a danger to the well-being of everyone congregating in the square.

Now comes Jeff Bouvier proposing a boutique hotel, promising to retain the historic aspects of the building which was all about Victorian splendor when it was built, and wanting to remake the place in a very big way.

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Kathleen “Kate” Donnelly

Kathleen Donnelly grew up here, was educated here and never forgot where she came from during an adventurous life.

She died recently at 86 in New York City.

As part of her wishes, her estate donated $400,000 to the public library system to be used for charitable purposes.

How she came of age here, how she graduated from Everett High School and Fordham University, how she travelled the world as a flight attendant for American Airlines are all indelible parts of her personal life narrative.

Continue reading Kathleen “Kate” Donnelly