City Council votes ‘No Confidence’ over mayor’s longevity bonus

Mayor: Certain council members driven by “personal agendas”

By Neil Zolot

EVERETT – The City Council unanimously passed a symbolic resolution of “No Confidence” in Mayor Carlo DeMaria and Chief Financial Officer Eric Demas at their meeting on Monday, March 10. It referred to items in the February 27 report from the state Inspector General calling for the return of $180,000 in longevity pay, concealment of the payments in a Human Resources line item, possible violation of conflict of interest regulations by the Mayor for participating in the drafting of an ordinance granting him longevity pay in 2016, eliminating longevity pay for all elected officials and separating the functions of Auditor and Chief Financial Officer “in a deliberate and methodical manner,” although some of the items would be addressed separately in other agenda items. The vote is a statement of opinion and has no practical implications that would force a change in the Mayor’s Office.

“This is an unfortunate historic occasion, but my confidence in the Administration is beyond shaken,” Ward 5 Councillor Robert Van Campen said. “When you’re entrusted with the public trust you have to protect that trust and hold those who violated it accountable. The Mayor’s attorneys indicated a lack of due process in the Inspector General’s investigation, but it was a three year process.”

He acknowledged previous City Councils approved the longevity pay, but it was hidden from subsequent City Councils and the public.

Van Campen also offered a motion to postpone the matter until March 24 to “afford the Mayor the opportunity to do the right thing and return the $180,000.” Other Councillors disagreed, prompting him to withdraw the motion

“I don’t think another two weeks will help,” Councillor-at-Large Guerline Alcy Jabouin agreed. “We already know what the answer is,” a reference to attorneys representing the Mayor – Young Paik and John Pappalardo – indicating he will dispute the order in court at a special meeting of the City Council on the matter. Neither was present March 10.

“Do the right thing,” Councillor-at-Large Katy Rogers admonished the Mayor. “The clock is ticking.”

“As a financial executive and former auditor, the circumvention of internal controls is a hard stop for me,” Councillor-at-Large Stephanie Smith added. “Internal controls are essential to ensuring financial accountability and integrity.”

A separate motion to eliminate longevity pay for all elected officials was also passed unanimously. “In response to the Inspector General’s report, we are eliminating longevity pay for any elected official, although the Mayor is the only elected official receiving longevity pay,” Van Campen explained. The motion also said that any time as an elected official will not count towards longevity pay if any person once an elected official gets a professional job with the City of Everett.

In another matter related to the accusations against the Mayor and Inspector General’s report, the City Council approved a proposal for the Administration to transfer $150,000 from Free Cash to its Professional and Technical Services Account to implement the recommendations. It places the City Council in an awkward position because all requests for funding must be filtered through the Administration.

Two other motions referred to the Administration for more information called for documentation as to the source of funding to pay the Mayor’s lawyers and for information on all external law firms being employed by the City, except cases related to employment. “The public should know who’s paying for the Mayor to be represented,” Councillor-at-Large Michael Marchese feels.

Smith said the Ways and Means Subcommittee, of which she is chair, receives invoices, but they are redacted and/or refer to items other than those at hand. “Are invoices being recorded correctly with the right subject matter?” she wants to know. “There is more happening than we know about.” She also said that invoices related to Pappalardo don’t refer to him working on the case against the Mayor since 2022, although he said he has.

“This City has spent an exorbitant amount on legal fees over the last year and will probably spend close to $1 million in a fight about $180,000,” Van Campen feels. “It’s illogical.”

A proposal for term limits for the Mayor, City Councillors and School Committee members elicited a written response from DeMaria indicating he was “willing to present recommendations for necessary action to implement the change, but the issue is too important and warrants more consideration than a rush to meet a deadline imposed on my administration. I will be sharing recommendations with the Council as to how to implement changes in a sound and serious manner.”

The various motions and proposals dovetailed with a request to ask the state Auditor’s Office for an audit of accounts. At the February 10 meeting, Alcy Jabouin asked that audits be conducted of the Mayor’s Office, Human Resources Department, Finance Department, Planning Board and Planning Department. A request was made for the Administration to explore the cost.

“We need an audit done sooner rather than later – with everything that’s going on – to put people’s minds at ease, but we’re waiting for an answer from the Administration we didn’t receive,” she said March 10.

Called to testify on March 10, the Mayor’s Chief of Staff, Erin Deveney, said DeMaria has not taken a position on whether to support an audit or not and the Administration hasn’t had time to fully determine the cost given other matters, specifically those related to the Inspector General’s report. “One of the questions is how much this would cost,” she said. “We want information as to how this works, if the cost is dependent on the scope and if there’s a way to refine costs. It doesn’t seem reasonable to use tax dollars without that. In order for this to be an informed discussion, we’ve reached out to the Auditor’s Office.”

Alcy Jabouin accused the Administration of “dragging this through the mud,” during discussion about how much notice the City Council gave the Administration.

In response to the City Council resolution of “No Confidence,” Mayor DeMaria issued the following statement:

“The residents of Everett deserve proactive, responsive leadership that prioritizes the issues most important to our community, not political theatrics. As Mayor, I have consistently worked to find solutions and drive positive change for Everett, while members of the City Council have focused on agenda items that are irrelevant to the real needs of residents.

“Whether it is improving the learning experience for Everett students, revitalizing our local economy by working with residents and business leaders to welcome new developments that reflect the needs of the city, or working to bring an array of transit options to residents and visitors, my administration is committed to doing the work on your behalf, as we always have.

“Though I am ready to partner with elected officials who share a similar positive vision for Everett, some Councilors seem more interested in grandstanding than in doing the hard work of serving the people. They believe that being the loudest is more important than being well-informed, and that pursuing personal agendas takes precedence over working together for the good of our city.

“To the people of Everett, let me be clear: I work for you. Even if I have to do it on my own, I will continue fighting alongside you to make our city a better place to live, work, and raise a family. Thank you for your continued support as we strive to make Everett a great community for all.”

In an unrelated matter, the City Council referred a request for an appropriation of $500,000 from the Capital Improvement Stabilization Fund for construction and design costs for potential reuse of the old High School to house 7th and 8th grade classes to the Ways and Means Subcommittee.