Page 3 - Fred Capone News Today

The Everett City Council has seemingly decided that 10 is enough when it comes to the number of members on the School Committee. The Council and School Committee have been butting heads since late last year when the Council began a disagreement with the Schools over a CARES Act grant, and also voted suddenly to make Mayor Carlo DeMaria a voting member of the Committee amidst strong objections of the membership. That led to a new discussion about the Council adding an 11th member to the Board to...

The City Council voted former Councilor Peter Napolitano as the new assistant city clerk last week in a solid 10-0 vote that one councilor said was just another back room deal. “I’ve been involved in the City all my life,” said Napolitano. “By being a former councilor, I have the benefit of being able to hit the ground running because of my knowledge of City Hall and its operations. Choosing me is a decision you will not regret.” The Council met on Wednesday evening, Jan. 13, to take ...

Council President Wayne Matewsky doled out Committee assignments last week, with most everyone finding a place on a Committee. Matewsky has said under his leadership this year there will be fewer Committees of the Whole and more Committee meetings. He said he would rely on the Committee system to work out the details of issues, and that would hopefully shorten Council meetings and bring about better legislation in a more timely manner. He announced five committees for the coming legislative yea...

The vast majority of the $1.5 million set aside to help renters and homeowners with emergency assistance to pay rent and mortgages has yet to be tapped into, according to an update at the City Council on Monday night. The new City-sponsored Rental and Homeowner Assistance Program – like the state RAFT program – has gotten a slow start this month due to issues with documentation and troubles contacting applicants. Needless to say, some have been helped and councilors did praise the organizat...

Special to the Independent City Councilor and Everett attorney Fred Capone met with Supt. Priya Tahiliani earlier this month to cement the future of an annual scholarship program that celebrates a great American service organization and equally dedicated Everett residents. The Everett Disabled American Veterans Chapter 51 (DAV), which was formed in 1937 and merged with Malden Chapter 85 in 2012, has long awarded an annual $1,000 scholarship to an Everett High School senior. The Everett chapter...

Mayor Carlo DeMaria announced this week he will hire 20 new members of the Everett Fire Department (EFD) to create a new Fire-based ambulance service, but members of the Fire Union say they have been completely left out of the plan for their Department. In an op-ed posted on Social Media, Mayor DeMaria said after reading an article last week about low staffing levels in the EFD, he was compelled to release his plan for the City’s first-ever Emergency Medical Service (EMS) that would be based ...

An intense showdown between City Hall and the School Committee over the past week cooled off substantially Monday night when the City Council voted unanimously to put off voting on a Charter Change adding an 11th member to the School Committee. It is said that oil and vinegar don’t mix, and at no time in the last year has the mixing of City Hall and the School Department been so much like those two substances in that they have found it hard to blend efforts. That has been made worse by quick ...

The biggest news out of what was to be a very eventful City Council meeting on Monday night was the fact that it was over before it started. Major technical issues once-again at ECTV prevented the Council from pulling off an online meeting, frustrating members of the Council who said they are at the mercy of the leadership of ECTV and tired of looking foolish as they try unsuccessfully time and again to have online meetings. This comes as virtually every other board in the City – from the Ret...

In another quiet and quick change to the City Charter, the City Council is looking to next Monday to change the number of seats on the School Committee – bringing one more seat on to make it potentially 11 members instead of nine. The matter would likely have been debated and voted on Monday night with little notice to the public on the change had there not been more technical issues at the Council meeting that forced them to adjourn before addressing that matter. The move is sponsored by fou...