City Council – Everett Leader Herald

Reputation is Everything

Everett City Hall. (Photo by Jim Mahoney)

Spotlight to shine brightly on mayoral candidates

By JOSH RESNEK

We are all responsible for our own actions in this life. What we do, how we act, how we think, what becomes of us during a long life follows us and sticks to us like glue.

Assuming Everett is going to have possibly three mayoral candidates, the spot lite will be on more than what the candidates bring to the table as financial experts, leaders of people, creators of municipal policy, and protectors of the public trust.

A major spotlight, a much harsher and glaring light, will be to determine the reputations of those running.

Who is the better person?

Who is most honest?

Who carries less baggage?

Who carries baggage at all and what kind of baggage is it?

Who lives by a higher code that deserves to sit in the corner office at city hall?

The upcoming campaign will include all of this…and much more.

In the end, when all the votes are counted, the mayoral race will be the peoples’ verdict – kind of like a jury verdict in court after the presentation of evidence.

The evidence will ultimately reveal nearly everything about those who run.

It is impossible to keep secrets these days about who we are, or who we were, or who we pretend to be.

If you are the mayor, this is especially true.

Letter to the Editor

Dear Publius,

Re: People getting out a notebook and keeping track of how a Councilor voted on an issue.

They shouldn’t have to.

The Open Meeting Law requires that that information be kept as part of the minutes.

I have an Open Meeting Complaint on this in the process now.

The minutes are also supposed to contain who attended the meeting and a summary of what the discussion was on each agenda item, as well as the outcome.

I got a tepid response to my public records request.

Council meeting postponed, ECTV tech issues continue

By JOSH RESNEK

For the fourth time out of the last six ZOOM meetings, ECTV technicians have been unable to properly broadcast the meeting to the public.

Monday night’s disaster, heaped atop all the others, is becoming an embarrassment and making a mockery out the City Council’s effort to conform to new standards during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The City Council meeting scheduled for Monday night has been rescheduled for Wednesday night.

However, viewers are losing faith in ECTV’s ability to broadcast while the City Council has done nothing to voice its concern that management at ECTV, in addition to guidance from the City Council, is woefully lacking.

The mayor’s office, the de facto chief of operations and hiring for ECTV, has remained mum about the situation.

Monday’s meeting was typical of those that have been fumbled during the past two months.

The meeting began late, with those awaiting the broadcast confused when the ECTV screen remained black after the 7:00 pm start time.

At about 7:15 pm the broadcast began.

Mind you, a ZOOM televised hearing does not require much technology but whatever little is required, needs an experienced technician to broadcast to the public.

Napolitano’s resignation, new Asst. Clerk’s job raises eyebrows

Councilors question move’s legality

By JOSH RESNEK

Saying he has a great working relationship with City Clerk Sergio Cornelio, Councilor Peter Napolitano resigned his position last week to wait for his certain appointment to the empty position of assistant city clerk.

With the retirement of assistant city clerk and former mayor David Ragucci, the mayor has apparently chosen Napolitano to succeed him without advertising the position’s availability.

The mayor’s colleagues on the city council, except for Councilors Gerly Adrien and Fred Capone, have all pledged their votes to Napolitano, which explains his resignation and acceptance of the position before it has been advertised.

“I’m anxious to be of service,” Napolitano was quoted in a local newsletter.

Investigation into missing council video continues

By JOSH RESNEK

Two weeks ago, an investigation was ordered when a City Council tape of a racially charged meeting disappeared, was destroyed, or was stolen.

When a Boston Globe reporter asked the City Communications director for a copy of the Zoom recording, she was informed that someone had hacked into the City of Everett server and deleted the recording of the meeting and the post-meeting assault fest.

Many expressed first thoughts that went like this: what an amazing coincidence? Of all the files that could have been deleted, that was the one file that miraculously vanished.

The attacks on Councilor at Large Gerly Adrien had been erased, or so it appeared.

An Immaculate Deletion?