Josh Resnek – Everett Leader Herald

— Eye on Everett —

I’ve witnessed some very poor behavior.” – The mayor’s Blue Suit to Josh Resnek

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Screen-Shot-2020-07-09-at-7.36.09-PM.png

By JOSH RESNEK

“We have to stop meeting like this,” The Blue Suit said to me. He was concerned, looking from side to side to make sure the mayor wasn’t going to catch him talking to me.

“He’s going to slice me up, tear me apart, and toss me into the trash. I know he is,” the Blue Suit said.

“How do you know?” I asked.

‘I can tell by the way he looks at me, and tugs at me, and stretches me. He’s guaranteed pissed off at me,” said the Blue Suit.

“Look. You don’t want to risk him getting really angry because I know what the mayor is capable of,” I answered.

“I’m the one who knows what he’s capable of,” the Blue Suit insisted. “After all these years of being abused by him, I’d like out of his world. It is a dark world. Plus, I’m tired of being broke.”

“Is the mayor broke?” I asked.

“He never has cash reserves. He lives from week to week off his salary – and other things.”

“I can’t believe he’s broke. What other things?” I asked.

“You know, other things I can’t talk about in specific. I don’t want to get myself arrested or in the crosshairs of the FBI. Take it from me, there are other things that produce a steady round of income for the mayor.”

You mean he gets payoffs?” I asked. “Is that what you mean. I can’t believe that,” I answered. “Or should I believe that?”

Mayor hires new chief of staff, communication specialists

By JOSH RESNEK

The mayor revealed a series of new hires for his corner office in city hall last week.

Through a series of costly shifts and reassignments of key personnel, the mayor was able to make three new key hires as he attempts to stay within the $1.1 million office budget voted for him by the city council.

The way the mayor spends taxpayer dollars, he will be hard-pressed to stay within the $1.1 million.

The mayor is gearing up for his re-election bid. So what does that require?

He shifts his loyalists around while keeping them on the public payroll to do his bidding.

There is a nearly invisible line of separation supposed to exist between city work and campaign work performed by city employees.

That invisible line does not exist at all when it comes to black and brown hires because, frankly, there have been very, very few of those hires to the mayor’s team.

Everett needs a relief program for the needy like Chelsea’s

City councilor Gerly Adrien supports as-needed stipend to help pay medical, food bills and improve quality of life

By JOSH RESNEK

Everett’s failure to help out the working poor and the welfare poor who live in our city is highlighted by a program just launched in Chelsea, where that city has taken $3.5 million and will be giving it away on an as-needed basis to that city’s poor.

“I strongly support a program like this,” said Councilor at Large Gerly Adrien.

She said Everett’s poor population is enormous compared with Chelsea’s.

“We have more than several thousand low-income families living here. They need to be taken care of,” she added.

Chelsea estimates there are 2,000 low-income families in need of no strings attached “bailouts”.

To that end, beginning in November, Chelsea city hall will be giving to needy families $200 to $400 stipends that can be used for anything from medical bills to food to paying for bills.

City makes no concessions to Encore financial shortfall

Weak income stunts casino’s revenues

The Encore Boston Harbor Casino. (Photo by Jim Mahoney)

By JOSH RESNEK

The Wynn Resorts gaming empire is struggling right now with vastly reduced income figures in Macau, Las Vegas, and Everett.

The city of Everett is paying no heed to all the warning signs that all is not well with Wynn Resorts during this difficult time, when in fact the city should be stowing away whatever income it receives from Encore in the understanding the situation could all change in a nano-second if things don’t return to normal, and soon. The COVID-19 virus is causing business to evaporate almost entirely in Macau, where the gaming giant is not only fighting the virus but Chinese political dealings with the Trump Administration. Seventy-five percent of Wynn Resorts cash revenues come from Macau.

The last report out of Macau two weeks ago indicated revenues remained almost as low as they can go, and that traffic from the Mainland and Hong Kong, which is only 35 miles away, remains restricted and difficult as tanking numbers reveal.

In Las Vegas, Wynn Resorts and its Encore properties, the hotels and casinos are struggling.

Attendance is way down. Hotel occupancy is negligible, and Wynn Corporation has just reduced operations there to four days a week because of severely reduced occupancy.

Heavy early voting, mail-in ballots kickoff elections

Early voters wait to cast their ballots at Everett City Hall October 18, 2020. (Photo by Jim Mahoney)

“I’m expecting a very large vote.” – City Clerk Sergio Cornelio

By JOSH RESNEK

With just two weeks to go before the presidential election, City Clerk Sergio Cornelio is predicting one of the largest votes ever in Everett’s history.

More than 16,000 will likely cast a ballot one way or another,” Cornelio told the Leader Herald Tuesday morning.

To date, more than 7,000 mail ballots have been processed.

During the first three day of early voting at city hall, more than 700 cast votes in what is easily one of the most contentious and hard-fought presidential elections in re- cent history.

All votes that are cast, either by mail or in person, will be logged in to prevent fraud.