Everett News – Everett Leader Herald

Mayor, Adrien kick off election fundraising campaigns

MARCH 31: The newly elected mayor this fall will have new entrance to enter as a member of the city’s facility department cleans up pieces of the decaying facade from city hall. (Photo by Jim Mahoney)

Capone has not been raising money publicly

By JOSH RESNEK

In mayoral campaigns, money can often be the deciding factor.

Popularity counts. Perception counts. Momentum counts.

Who is running means everything.

Who might be running right now counts for a lot.

The mayor has announced.

Two others are doing a dance. The mayor is running again to make certain his hold on the city’s finances is iron-fisted, and his complete control of development can continue unabated.

Being mayor is not a job for the mayor. It is his business. He treats it as such.

His campaign account stands at about $95,000. According to his most recent campaign account filing, he spent about $5,000 in March for printing and Internet social platform services.

The money stream means everything to the mayor. Without a victory in this upcoming campaign, he is out of a job and the money stream dries up.

The mayor is expected to raise $100,000 to $150,000 to add to his campaign account.

Developers, business owners, city employees wanting to keep their jobs, and a wide variety of others like city vendors are expected to contribute to him.

Councilor Gerly Adrien, should she run, is believed to be capable of matching the mayor’s money-raising efforts dollar for dollar if push comes to shove.

Missing council video investigation comes up empty

Angry Capone asks why this is the only vanished

By JOSH RESNEK

The case of the missing city council video will not be solved any time soon following a thorough investigation by the mayor’s office, the mayor’s chief of staff Erin Deveney informed the council Monday night.

The efficacy of allowing the mayor’s office to investigate the missing video was not questioned.

The missing video from the meeting several months back detailed how Councilor Gerly Adrien was harangued and asked to resign by several of her colleagues because she refused to attend the meeting in person, among other difficulties her colleagues had with her presence on the council.

Adrien believes the attacks on her were racially motivated, a sentiment expressed by many of those who watched the proceedings that night.

Matewsky stricken while on vacation

Councilor hospitalized in Florida

By JOSH RESNEK

Councilor Wayne Matewsky suffered a heart attack while vacationing in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida late last week.

The popular and durable city councilor was placed in an induced coma until such time as surgeons will be allowed to operate on him.

As of Tuesday afternoon, he was resting comfortably inside his hospital room, out of the coma, conscious and aware.

Doctors refused to comment on his condition other than to say they are watching him carefully after what appears to have been a rather severe heart attack.

Two of Matewsky’s closest friends, former Representative and local businessman Stat Smith, and former councilor Nicky Saia, have both flown to Florida to be by Matewsky’s bedside.

School Committee finally meets in real-time

By JOSH RESNEK

The first three callers into the School Committee meeting Monday night all sounded as though they were calling from another planet, Mars or Pluto, or maybe from another universe. The fourth caller asked a question – which is really the wrong thing to do when calling in before the meeting.

Public commentary Monday night was about hearing the wind distort one caller; listening to another caller who made no sense while speeding in his car – those on Facebook Live could hear the car accelerating. A third caller mumbled and stumbled a bit and faded away into ZOOM oblivion. The fourth caller hung up after being informed politely by School Committeeman Frank Parker that public commentary is about that, public commentary. It is not for School Committee (SC) members to answer the caller’s questions.

The public comment thankfully over, the meeting began.

Superintendent Priya Tahiliani revealed that school attendance is at about 95% with everyday attendance showing strength.

Daily confirmed cases of COVID-19 have dropped dramatically. Everett reported less than 40 cases between the end of February and March 1.

The Electoral College acts

Whether you are a Biden or a Trump supporter, Monday’s unanimous vote by the Electoral College confirming Biden’s November victory appears to be the end of the road about questioning the legitimacy of the election.

Everyone in this nation can use the court system as the president has been using it to put off the inevitable or to overturn the outcome of an event that only a court can overturn.

The courts have roundly and decisively rejected the presdent’s claims of massive fraud.

On two occasions the Supreme Court refused even to hear the president’s complaints, tossing them out without discussion or rancor or animus.