SOUNDS OF EVERETT

A SAD ENDING OF EVERETT’S OLDEST NEWSPAPER: A newspaper is a reflection of the community it publishes in – whether it’s the Boston Herald or The Everett Advocate. For centuries, the populace has counted on its local newspaper for news of its local and state government, opinions and editorials from its local leaders, sports results from its local youth sports leagues, middle and high school teams, to social and charitable organizations that echo the heart and soul of its residents. But, in a rare occurrence, we witness the ugly demise of a local newspaper, albeit the oldest of our local newspapers, being forced to close its doors – not from lack of funds or readership, but of malice. The Leader Herald newspaper’s recent passing was self-inflicted by a very successful businessman who decided he needed a weapon to destroy a very successful elected city official, Mayor Carlo DeMaria, who has taken the city of Everett to great heights, winning a resort/casino license, a proposed professional soccer stadium development, and the revitalization of the lower Broadway district, to name a few. Andrew Philbin, Sr., former owner of the shuttered Philbin Insurance Company on Broadway, purchased the 139-year-old Leader Herald newspaper back in 2017 for the sole purpose of weaponizing it against the mayor – and the city itself. He then, after purchasing the Church Street building, which headquartered the business, handed the newspaper off to his son, Matthew, who found the unemployable writer Joshua Resnek, to spew the venom that he believed would unseat the mayor in the 2021 elections.  With total disregard for the truth, the Philbins and Resnek trashed the city and its mayor with baseless accusations of racism to criminal behavior – with their goal of helping their candidate, challenger Fred Capone, to unseat the mayor. Whether it was making up stories and quotes, promoting and abetting local thugs to write their nonsensical garbage on social media, which included threats of bodily harm, or gathering outsiders to attend City Council and School Committee meetings to harass elected officials, there was nothing so egregious that they wouldn’t do to meet their goal. When the mayor finally had enough, he did what he had to do to protect his family, his reputation and the city he swore to serve. Fast forward three years later, the mayor and the Philbins settled out of court in order to avoid a trial that was scheduled for this month. The settlement included $1.1 million dollar award for the mayor as well as the unprecedented shuttering of the Leader Herald newspaper, the “newspaper of record” as Philbin liked to brag. Sadly, the Philbins held no respect for their newspaper of record – they failed to realize that all their pot shop money, Everett rooming houses and real estate holdings couldn’t buy the power they craved – the power that would eventually corrupt them. In the end, the only reflection looking back now is an empty storefront window on Church Street where what was once Everett’s oldest newspaper – a newspaper that is now, history. — JDM