Five candidates vie for fire chief position; councillors seek Glendale Sq. Shopping Plaza plan

By Neil Zolot

Five candidates participated in Assessment Center testing Tuesday, June 11, to become the new Fire Chief to succeed Sabato LoRusso, the Mayor’s Chief of Staff, Erin Deveney, told the City Council at their meeting Monday, June 24. Information will be submitted to the Civil Service Commission, which she estimates will take up to six weeks to verify background information provided by the candidates.

Only Fire Department employees at the Deputy Chief level were eligible to apply. “We’re waiting for the Civil Service Commission to take action,” Deveney explained. “Once that is done the Civil Service will publish the candidate scores and the eligible list needed for the City to proceed with the appointment at the local level. The Mayor will make a recommendation to the City Council for approval based on the candidates’ scoring on the Assessment Center Process. His intention is to use the scoring list of the Assessment Center barring any reasons candidates were determined to be ineligible.”

Various people have been Acting Fire Chief since the retirement of David Butler in 2016, including Anthony Carli (also was a permanent Fire Chief), Scott Dalrymple and LoRusso.

Among other items on the City Council agenda on June 24, a resolution from Councillor-at-Large Michael Marchese and Ward 3 Councillor Anthony DiPierro “requesting the Planning and Development Department engage the owners of the Glendale Square Shopping Center, on Ferry Street at the corner of Broadway, to discuss future plans for the plaza and potentially form a public/private partnership,” was referred back to the sponsors for additional work. “We’re told empty storefronts will soon be rented, but I would like the Administration to continue to engage property owners in the area to develop a long-term plan for the redevelopment of Glendale Square,” DiPierro told The Advocate.

The last order of business on the agenda was a resolution by Councillor-at-Large Katy Rogers “to recognize the City as a Blue Carbon Community to promote the conservation, restoration and sustainable management of our water and wetlands.” Blue Carbon refers to aquatic environments, as opposed to Green Carbon references to woodlands.

“Tonight, we heard from an environmental group about Blue Carbon,” she said, in reference to earlier comments in Public Participation from members of the World Mission Society Church of God’s Save the Earth from A-to-Z college student volunteer group. “In simple terms, this resolution is a gesture to recognize our roles regarding marine and aquatic habitats, further raising awareness about Everett’s waterfront habitats along the Malden River and to helping protect public access. The City has already made strides in this area, helping protect public access, by planting trees, removing invasive plant species and hosting community clean-ups.”

In Public Participation, Nas Thomas of the student group said its goals include having a local, regional, national or international Blue Carbon Week “to raise awareness and get people involved in protecting aquatic environments and having partnerships with communities to establish protected areas to reach carbon neutrality,” which the group describes as a point at which the amount of carbon produced is no more than that which the environment can absorb.

“We want to impact the world with our activism,” group event coordinator Yerdaell Blanco added. “If we serve the world with the heart of a mother, we feel people will be moved to act. If we focus only on the negative, not much can be accomplished, and if we don’t come together, we can’t solve problems. We want to make Everett an example in Massachusetts.”

The group – also known as ASEZ (A to Z with Save Earth interjected) – hopes action can be aligned with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and can coincide with World Environment Day (June 5) and World Ocean Day (June 8).

The matter was formally referred to the Administration.