Page 8 THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, JANUARY 15, 2021 City distributes $216K for housing assistance S By Christopher Roberson ince the end of last month, the City of Everett has awarded $216,279 to residents for rent and mortgage assistance. During the January 11 City Council meeting, Erin Devaney, chief of staff to Mayor Carlo DeMaria, said the City earmarked $1.3 million in CARES Act funding to help residents stay in their homes. Devaney emphasized that the money was not taken from the $3.1 million that the City received in additional CARES funding on December 23, 2020. She said the City, working in concert with Action for Boston Community Development, received 316 applications for assistance between December 10 and December 22. Devaney said that within the total applicant pool there were 13 requests for assistance not related to housing, three applicants exceeded the maximum income level and seven applications were duplicates. To date, 71 applicants have received monetary housing assistance with the remaining 220 applications still being processed. Cost of holiday decorations In other news, Ward 1 Councillor Fred Capone said the city spent $268,000 on holiday decorations, which was more than double the amount budgeted for fiscal year 2021. “We need to be careful with what we’re doing and how we’re doing it,” he said. “We can never lose sight of how taxpayer dollars are spent.” Capone requested copies of the invoices from holiday decoration purchases. Therefore, the council voted 10-1 to reContact information for City Councillors City Council President Wayne Matewsky: 617-389-5106. Ward 1 Councillor Fred Capone: 617-387-9045. Ward 2 Councillor Stephanie Martins: 617-394-8029. Ward 3 Councillor Anthony DiPierro: 617-394-8235. Ward 4 Councillor Jimmy Tri Le: 617-953-6112. Ward 5 Councillor Rosa DiFlorio: 617-407-0860. Ward 6 Councillor Michael McLaughlin: 781-560-3791. Councillor-at-Large Richard Dell Isola: 339-987-7354. Councillor-at-Large John Hanlon: 617-387-7791. Councillor-at-Large Gerly Adrien: 617-835-8267. Councillor-at-Large Michael Marchese: 617-389-8715. fer the matter to DeMaria and Chief Financial Officer Eric Demas. Matewsky reminds City Council of five-minute rule In his first meeting as City Council President, Wayne Matewsky reminded his colleagues that they cannot exceed five minutes when speaking on a matter. “The last year was a little rough,” said Matewsky. “We’ve been at these meetings till midnight or past midnight.” Posting legal matters Councillor-at-Large Gerly Adrien renewed her previous request to have the City Solicitor’s Office post on the city’s website lawsuits that have been filed against Everett relating to matters of “police misconduct and unlawful discrimination.” Adrien said she would like to have the postings updated every six months. Assistant City Solicitor Keith Slattery said he supported Adrien’s request. “Transparency is always a good thing,” he said, reiterating that only lawsuits, not claims, would be posted. “Anyone can make a claim; they can be unfounded; they can be unvetted.”
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