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Page 14 THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2020 2020 | FROM PAGE 10 tive. I will always have your back at the State House.” McGonagle was not the only one celebrating a victory. Attorney Terrence Kennedy retained his seat in District 6 of the Governor’s Council, capturing 54.9 percent of the vote over challenger Helina Fontes, who fi nished with 45.1 percent. The U.S. Senate race was tighter, with Everett voters favoring incumbent Senator Ed Markey over U.S. Congressman Joseph Kennedy III by seven percent. Voters across the state shared similar sentiments as Markey garnered 55 percent of the vote to Kennedy’s 44 percent. Following his victory, Markey addressed his younger supporters at the Malden Public Library. “This campaign has always been about the young people, it is our young people who will lead the way,” he said. “March in the streets, protest, run for School Committee, run for City Council, run for state legislature and win.” Markey’s victory was also historic in that it was the fi rst time that any member of the illustrious Kennedy family had lost an election in Massachusetts. Encore layoff s A week before Labor Day, 385 employees of Encore Boston Harbor were informed that they would be laid off on September 1. According to casino offi cials, those employees had already been furloughed earlier in the year. Following this round of personnel cuts, Encore still had 2,700 employees working on-site and 915 employees on furlough. Yet, the prospect of any job restoration remained grim. “As we take a look at our business during these extraordinary conditions, we do not believe that all Encore Boston Harbor jobs will return in 2020,” casino offi - cials said in a written statement. October The City Council, during its September 30 meeting, voted 7-2 to pass Everett’s $202.6 million budget for fi scal year 2021. The School Department budget topped out at $88.2 million and represented an increase of $448,145 over last year. Some of the other requests were $15.8 million for the Police Department, $14.4 million for the Department of Public Works (DPW), $11.3 million for the Fire Department and $1.1 million for the Mayor’s Offi ce. The police budget represented a decrease of $128,885 compared to last year’s fi gure. The Fire Department’s budget was $136,076 lower this year; the DPW budget increased by $572,360; and the budget for the Mayor’s Offi ce represented a decrease of $290,182. November In this year’s Presidential Election, local results showed Democratic challenger Joe Biden with 70.5 percent of the vote, surpassing 27.4 percent for President Donald Trump. On the state level, Biden won Massachusetts by a vote of 65.7 percent to 32.5 percent. In the race for U.S. Senate, incumbent Senator Ed Markey easily defeated Republican challenger Kevin O’Connor with a statewide vote of 66.5 percent to 33.5 percent. In Everett, Markey received 74.6 percent of the vote to O’Connor’s 21.9 percent. “Voters in Massachusetts have reaffi rmed the mandate of our grassroots movement,” said Markey. “Together, we are going to fi ght for bold and systemic change in the United States Senate.” Hybrid learning postponed As the number of COVID-19 cases in Everett continued to rise, it quickly became clear to school offi cials that the district would not be able to transition to the hybrid learning model, which was slated to begin on November 16. “Everett continues to be squarely in the red zone,” said Superintendent of Schools Priya Tahiliani during the November 2 School Committee meeting. “There is no sign of a decline.” In addition, Tahiliani said that as of October 29 fi ve students and two staff members had been diagnosed with COVID-19. Therefore, she recommended staying with the remote model and to gradually begin services for special education students, English language learners and the Career and TechniState Representative Joseph McGonagle (center) is shown with his Social Media Manager, Philip Melki, and Everett Police Captain Paul Strong following his win in the Primary Election. (Advocate photo by Tara Vocino) cal Education (CTE) program. School Committee Memberat-Large Millie Cardello agreed that it was not the time to implement the hybrid model, adding that many residents became complacent during the summer. School Committee Vice Chairman Frank Parker also spoke about the uptick in the number of cases. “The number of schools falling back to the remote scenario has exploded,” he said. Parker also said the eLearning Center at the Madeline English School was temporarily closed after someone in the building was infected with the virus. Therefore, Parker said, he supported keeping the remote model in place with phased in programs, particularly the CTE program. School Committee Chairman Thomas Abruzzese expressed his disappointment with not being able to move forward. “I was really hopeful that this would not hit us again,” he said. Thanksgiving Despite the fl urry of warnings from public health offi cials, 38 percent of Americans still chose to have their traditional Thanksgiving celebrations. Dr. David Rosman, president at the Massachusetts Medical Society, urged residents to remain home if they traveled during the holiday weekend. “Did you visit family during Thanksgiving? No problem. You got to see them and now you get to relax at home,” he said. He also said that as of November 29 there were 2,501 new cases of COVID-19 in Massachusetts. Within that fi gure, 1,081 patients were hospitalized and 238 patients were in intensive care. Dr. Julie Levison of Massachusetts General Hospital was somewhat apprehensive about what could happen going forward. “We’re really in an exponential growth phase – it’s concerning,” she said. She also said there is the natural urge for residents to want to see their relatives. “That can outweigh the protections put in place,” she said. “It’s been a long pandemic.” Yet, Levison remained confi - dent that she and her colleagues could weather the storm once again. “A lot of learning did happen during the fi rst surge in the spring,” she said. Mayor Joins School Committee The City Council, during its November 23 meeting, voted 7-2 in favor of giving Mayor Carlo DeMaria voting power on the School Committee. Because the change required an amendment to the City Charter, the matter still needed to be approved by the state legislature. Ward 3 Councillor Anthony DiPierro said there was no harm in giving DeMaria a vote on the School Committee. “We’re not handing the School Committee to the mayor,” he said. “We’re giving the mayor one vote.” Despite his previous quarrels with DeMaria, Ward 6 Councillor Michael McLaughlin said the mayor, whoever that may be, deserves a seat on the School Committee. However, Ward 1 Councillor Fred Capone said the question should have been put on the ballot. “We have done a disservice to the voters tonight,” he said. December When Councillor-at-Large Peter Napolitano and his family contracted COVID-19, he decided it was time to reassess his options. After much consideration, he decided to leave the City Council after 20 years to apply for the assistant city clerk position which would be vacated by David Ragucci at the end of January. “I bring a good mix of skills to the table,” said Napolitano. “I feel comfortable that this isn’t going to blow up in my face.” Napolitano recalled his first year on the council when constituents came to him about loud noises on Lower Broadway. “I remember sitting in my car at 4 o’clock in the morning, trying to fi gure out where this noise was coming from,” he said. He later discovered that the commotion was caused by a trucking company on Bow Street. Napolitano then travelled to Woburn to meet with the owners of the company to resolve the matter. “It was actually scary going up there, meeting with people I didn’t know,” he said. Times have certainly changed since then. “I’ve learned a lot in the past 20 years,” he said. In addition, Napolitano spoke about the monumental City Charter amendment that was passed in 2011. “The biggest accomplishment was Charter reform,” he said, adding that the change allowed Everett’s form of government to switch from a 25-member bicameral Common Council/Board of Aldermen to one 11-member City Council. Quarrel over CARES Act funding The City Council voted 7-4 to refer the School Department’s reimbursement request of $471,140 to the Mayor’s Offi ce for an offi cial recommendation. However, Councillor-at-Large Gerly Adrien pushed her colleagues for their endorsement. “As a City Council, we should support this,” she said during the December 21 meeting. “It shouldn’t be an argument – it’s an easy process. Let’s take the politics away, let’s support this.” Adrien also said Tahiliani provided the City of Everett with receipts for COVID-19 expenses. During the December 10 meeting of the council’s Committee of the Whole, Tahiliani said the reimbursement money was sent directly to the City of Everett through the CARES Act. The City then transferred those funds to the schools. However, at the end of fiscal year 2020, the district inadvertently returned the money back to the City along with an additional $426,000 in unspent funds. Upon realizing that the schools had acciden2020 | SEE PAGE 15

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