Stephanie Martins unanimously voted City Council President

By Neil Zolot

The City Council elected Ward 2 member Stephanie Martins as its new president in a short organizational meeting on Monday, January 6. “I pledge to lead with fairness and relentless work for the people of Everett,” she said. “Public service is a calling. I’m honored to answer that calling and want to thank my colleagues for the confidence they have in me. Thank you for your trust and support. To the City’s employees, thank you for your service; to the people who worked on my campaign, I am grateful, and to all the young girls who have come to the country, I see you. I was one of you” – a reference to her own emigration from Brazil in 2005 at age 13.

Martins’ father Eudes and brother Giancarlo were in the City Council Chambers for the vote and inauguration by City Clerk Sergio Cornelio. Eudes came to the United States in 1988 and his children followed him later.

Martins thanked her father, late mother Angela and paternal grandfather Sebastian. “I’m sure he never imagined his granddaughter would be in a new country holding public office,” she said of her grandfather. Eudes said Sebastian would be very proud.

Martins succeeds Ward 5 Councillor Robert Van Campen as president. “His leadership brought a sense of civility to the Council, and I’ll continue his advocacy for transparency,” she said. “Transparency must be at the core of everything we do.”
Van Campen nominated Martins. “I’ve come to know her as someone who attends meetings and is in the community and as someone who’s fair and can continue the civility we’ve established,” he said.

Councillor-at-Large Katy Rogers seconded the nomination. “I am confident Councillor Martins will excel in the role of Council president and inspire meaningful progress for the city,” she said. “Throughout her tenure on the Council, she has demonstrated exceptional dedication, vision and an unwavering commitment to serving the residents of Everett. Her innovative approach to challenges and advocacy for the community have distinguished her as a true leader.”

No other Councillors were nominated and Martins’ selection has been an open secret. This year she had the support of colleagues she hadn’t had in previous attempts to be Council president. “We typically have a new president each year,” she said. “Someone can run again, but they typically don’t.”

Everett city government does not elect a Council vice president. When the Council president wants to relinquish the Council chair to participate in discussion, they can appoint any Councillor they want to take over. Martins served in this role a number of times last year. The only time there is a set procedure for someone else to chair a meeting is in the reorganizational meeting when the senior member of the Council oversees the selection of a new president. This year it was Councillor-at-Large John Hanlon who oversaw the proceedings.

Martins was first elected to represent Ward 2 in 2019 in the last of four elections dating back to 2013 in which voters from all over the city voted in Ward races regardless of where they lived, seemingly in violation of equal representation requirements. In 2021 and 2023 the rules were changed back to the previous rules, with residents being required to live in a Ward to vote for its Councillor. “It was about to be challenged by civil rights groups, so it was changed voluntarily,” Cornelio remembers. “It had been changed before as part of changes in the Charter, but people could vote only on the entire Charter.”

She votes at the Parlin School as a resident of Precinct 3 in the Ward, which is in the center of the city on the east side of Broadway. Van Campen represents Ward 5, which includes the old High School. Ward 2 is basically across the street.

“I’m the Ward 2 Councillor, but work with everyone in the city,” Martins told The Advocate. “Being president is a great opportunity to move things forward, make the Council more accessible and make information available.”

She sees the upcoming elections and getting accurate information from the Mayor’s Office on agenda items as challenges this year. “We’ll continue to work toward having complete paperwork when an item is added to a City Council meeting agenda,” she said. “We’re looking for more responsiveness from the Administration. Many issues have not been addressed or are addressed inconsistently.”

That includes what may happen to the old Everett High School on Broadway, for which the Administration and School Superintendent William Hart are asking $79 million for renovations for it to be used for 7th and 8th grades. “The Administration has given unclear answers, but the Council is ready to move after we get through community forums,” Martins said. “Once we have a real answer, we’re ready to vote.”

She outlined impacts from work on Ferry Street, rodent control and flooding due to rain as important issues for Ward 2. “The drainage system is unable to handle current levels of precipitation,” she feels.

Everett’s election schedule puts every Council and School Committee seat up for election every two years, unlike some communities with rotating terms. Martins will be running for reelection this year, but hasn’t decided to run for the Ward 2 seat or for a citywide At-Large seat. “I intend to run but haven’t decided where,” she said.

There will be a mayor’s election as well, but any candidates have yet stepped forward. It is not unusual for a Councillor-at-Large to run for Mayor, which creates a ripple effect in openings for At-Large seats and, subsequently, Ward seats.

In her first act as president, she appointed Councillor-at-Large Guerline Alcy Jabouin, Ward 3 Councillor Anthony DiPierro and Ward 6 Councillor Peter Pietrantonio as messengers to inform Mayor Carlo DeMaria of her selection as City Council President.