— Eye on Everett —

THE BLUE SUIT

The Mayor’s Blue Suit with Josh Resnek exchanging private conversations about life, politics, religion, economics, immorality and municipal corruption in Everett.

By JOSH RESNEK with THE BLUE SUIT

We met Tuesday afternoon in La Perle Restaurant and Bar on Broadway in Everett Square.

This is the former Chinese food place that existed for about
40 years.

It has undergone an extraordinary transition under the operator of the restaurant, Valery Joseph, a young Haitian woman, a mother of two young children and a longtime Everett resident who once ran a restaurant on Bow Street.

This was the first time entering her restaurant in Everett Square.

Joseph spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to rip out the old restaurant in order to create something modern, with high ceilings, a gorgeous long bar with special lighting effects, a state of the art sound system and finer tables and chairs.

The entire effect is the kind of new business Everett needs but that official Everett does not necessarily want.

La Perle specializes in Haitian food, and to be frank, I never really gave a thought to eating Haitian food…that is…until I ordered us up a few treats and tasted them, and frankly, devoured them!

“This is absolutely delicious,” the Blue Suit said to me. He held between his fat fingers a piece of fried okra – a vegetable root. Then he dipped it into a light, fresh sauce before shoving it into his mouth.

“Wow! That’s special.”

Special indeed.

The entire scene inside this restaurant is something to marvel at. It is upper tier, good looking, ice cold with fabulous air conditioning, altogether a nice atmosphere.

“You know what the licensing board did to this place almost six months ago?” I asked the Blue Suit.

“I think I heard about that,” he answered.

“Didn’t they suspend her right to have entertainment and made her shut down every night at 11?” he replied.

“You got that all right,” I said.

“It’s killed the business. At the present time, she’s going out of business,” I added.

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RECALL BEING BORN?

By Josh Resnek

An embryonic effort is growing to launch a recall of Mayor Carlo DeMaria.

The possible recall in the making is the result of the mayor’s involvement in the Federal probe concerning racism, discrimination and retaliation that has been launched by US Attorney Rachael Rollins.

That probe is apparently well underway.

The recall effort also centers around the mayor’s effort to remove or to have replaced School Superintendent Priya Tahiliani.

Tahiliani filed an extensive complaint alleging racism and sexism against the mayor with the Commission Against Discrimination.

The planning and discussion effort for the recall is being led by about a dozen prominent and outspoken Everett residents including John Puopolo, Paula Sterite, and Sandy Juliano.

Former councilor, Attorney Fred Capone, who lost the November, 2021 election to the mayor by 210 votes, is believed to be supportive of such an effort but will not publicly comment about where exactly he stands.

Capone has been keeping a high public profile since his election loss.

In addition to his support for the action taken by the US Attorney, Capone has repeatedly expressed concern about the mayor’s longevity payments of $40,000 a year which remain a question of contention between Capone and DeMaria.

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— Eye on Everett —

THE BLUE SUIT

Confidential conversations between Josh Resnek and the mayor’s famous, Blue Suit.

By JOSH RESNEK with THE BLUE SUIT

“What do you think is going on with Carlo this week?” I asked the Blue Suit Tuesday afternoon. We bought a pizza from Christopher at Square Deli. We ate it inside the car in the old part of Woodlawn Cemetery under the shade of old, old trees.

“Is he all you can think about, Josh?” the Blue Sue complained. I cleared my throat.
“Would you rather I asked about Gerry or Greg? Come on.

How’s Carlo this week?” I repeated.

After swallowing what appeared to be a wheel barrow size mouthful of chewed up pizza, the Blue Suit appeared momentarily engorged, as if he was going to explode.

He burped a short blast. He burped a second time with much more gusto.

“Carlo is feeling very good,” the Blue Suit answered me.

“You know he’s feeling good when he passes you while you were delivering newspapers and he taps his horn twice and gives you a wave,” the Blue Suit added.

“You smiled and waved back at him,” he told me.

“Is that the way it went?” he asked me.

“Yes it is. Exactly,” I replied.

“It was Wednesday. He passed by me in a late model white Mercedes, gave me a wave and a double toot of the horn. I had to smile about that.”

“Why?” the Blue Suit asked.

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Draine Gains

By Josh Resnek

The city’s chief equity officer Cathy Draine has apparently moved into a key advisory and day to day work position with Mayor Carlo DeMaria, our city hall sources claim.

Cathy Draine shown accompanying Mayor Carlo DeMaria.
WGBH PHOTO

“She is writing his more important releases and is taking on a wider role in the mayor’s efforts to get the charges of racism, discrimination and retaliation under control,” said a source who wished to remain unnamed.

Draine is Black.

Drain is believed to be above the mayor’s chief of staff Erin Deveney at this point in dealing with a variety of issues the mayor is facing.

“She will do everything she can, and is doing everything she can to aid the mayor in preserving his leadership,” added the source.

“It is all about Deveney’s falling status and Draine’s rising star with Carlo,” he said.

Draine is apparently dealing with the racism crisis the mayor is trying to sidestep.

His former chief of communications, Deanna Deveney (no relation to Erin Deveney) resigned in disgrace with former Councilor Anthony DiPierro following months of political and racial acrimony.

Deveney’s position has not been filled.

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Mayor Facing Major Fight Attempting To Have Superintendent Removed

Tahiliani v DeMaria Moves Center Stage

By Josh Resnek

Sending Superintendent of Schools Priya Tahiliani packing might well become a defining moment in Mayor Carlo DeMaria’s effort to clutch victory out of the jaws of recent defeats.

City Clerk Sergio Cornelio’s convincing reappointment vote by the city council two weeks ago was not one of the mayor’s finest hours.

The 7-3 affirmative vote by the city council, which would have denied Cornelio’s reappointment to a five year term six months ago, represents an extraordinary turnaround and one which reveals how the mayor’s political fortunes are changing.

Cornelio’s victory was the mayor’s defeat, plain and simple. Even the mayor would have to admit this if any of his chief appointees or attorneys felt it necessary to ask.

The dynamics of the mayor’s effort to find a new superintendent rather than to renew Tahiliani’s contract implies this: he needs for the school committee to refuse to renew her contract in December.

December might seem an eternity away but the time will pass quickly.

What might well have been an 8-2 vote of the school committee some months back to be rid of Tahiliani is now very likely a tie vote, with the tie vote losing.

It is impossible to know where city politics will be in December.

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