City Government – Page 28 – Everett Leader Herald

Elm Street reconstruction project moving ahead as planned

Leader Herald Staff

Elm Street reconstruction. (Photo by Josh Resnek)

A picture tells the story better than 10,000 words at times. Such is the case with the Elm Street reconstruction project now in full swing and causing a nightmare of detours and traffic diversions along the path of construction.

Seems simple but it isn’t. The street and sidewalk reconstruction along Elm Street is exacting work requiring great skill and talent of contractors to achieve.

The work will be continuing for 18 months.

The complex represents about the largest and most comprehensive street and public infrastructure improvement in the city’s modern history.

It appears the inconvenience caused by the reconstruction will be worth the wait.

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Encore Figures solid at $66 million while expansion talks abound

**Sports betting having an impact on earnings.** (Photo by Joe Resnek)

By Josh Resnek

Encore Boston Harbor Casino and Hotel took in $4 million more in March than it did in February, according to the monthly earnings report issued by the MGC last week.

Total revenue figures for gaming at Encore exceeded $66 million in March, up from $62 million in February, according to a report issued by the MGC late last week.

A $4 million rise in revenues from slots and gaming tables represents a hefty month of revenue gains for the gaming giant.

With revenues coming close to annualizing $800 million just from the casino, Encore is one of the largest generators of taxes and revenues in the state of Massachusetts.

Not included in the monthly gaming figures are the hotel income figures including occupancy rates and room rental fees collected by the city.

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Public Speaking Monday Night at City Council

Peggy Serino

Excoriated the city government for outrageous spending practices.

Lillian Gorham

Residents wishing to pay their taxes with a credit card should be allowed to do so without incurring an extra fee from the city. Go back to quarterly water bills.

Steve Iannaco

Questioned the efficacy of spending $1.5 million for replacement of lead water delivery systems in 150 homes.

Wanted to know who the contractor is doing the work for the lead water delivery pieces.

Questioned employees being able to take home city owned vehicles.

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— Eye on Everett —

Editor Josh Resnek discussing everything about Everett with the Blue Suit, Everett’s most famous off the rack blue suit

The Blue Suit returned to Everett after spending a week in the White Mountains in the town of Bethlehem. He loves Bethlehem, which has become a town populated almost entirely by Hassidic Jews. For two weeks, he studied the Talmud, the Jewish law. He also ate Jewish food and followed all Jewish customs and rules. The Hasids, as they are known, are extremely devout, almost radically devoted to their religion and to God.

Tuesday afternoon the Blue Suit recounted a chance meeting with Councilor Wayne Matewsky in great detail.

“Wayne loves me,” he said. “We’ve been pals for years. He is always there for me. He is loyal. He understands how the world works in Everett. I value his judgment,” the Blue Suit said to me.

“Where did you meet Wayne?” I asked the Blue Suit.

“We just ran into one another on Vine Street,” he said. “Wayne was doing errands in his Mercedes. I was standing around waiting for you.”

“Wayne rolled down the driver’s side window, smiled broadly at me and held out his hand. We shook hands. It’s always good to see Wayne. I mean we’ve been close for almost 15 years. He’s the real thing…the longest serving councilor in the city still serving in office. I mean he’s got staying power!” the Blue Suit said.

“Wayne and I talked with one another. He told me he was feel- ing tired. He was in the hospital recently with pneumonia. Everyone knows about the heart attack he had last year. That almost killed him. It’s hard to kill someone like Wayne. He’s a fighter, a very resilient guy. Anyway, we traded some secrets which I will not be repeating to you because a secret can’t be a secret if I talk about it with someone else.”

I tried to imagine what Wayne and the Blue Suit might have talked about, and what secrets they traded. In the end, I decided to let them share their secrets.

I know Wayne pretty well. I talked with him recently myself. He said he was thinking about not running again. I don’t believe he will give up his seat no matter how tired he feels. We’ll see soon enough as papers for the upcoming election will shortly be available.

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The mystery of legal probes

The city remains in the midst of a title V11 federal investigation being run by the US Attorney’s office and the Justice Department.

A shroud of secrecy doesn’t allow for much light to be cast on what exactly is happening – or what is not happening.

Neither the US Attorney’s office nor the city or its lawyers, Greenberg Traurig will jeopardize lawyer client privilege by making public statements about where the probe is, where it might be heading or when it will be resolved, if in fact it is resolved in favor of the city.

What we know for sure is that so far the city’s lawyer’s costs have exceeded $750,000 and are apparently rising by about $50,000 a month at least until June, or so the public has been led to believe through public questioning led by Councilors Darren Costa and Stephanie Smith.

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