EVT EVE ER T Vol. 34, No.3 -FREET www.advocatenews.net Your Local News & Sports Online! Scan & Subscribe! ADDOCCO TEAT Free Every Friday Sen. DiDomenico invited to White House for Boston Celtics ceremony 617-387-2200 Friday, January 17, 2025 City Council passes limited animal testing; opens door for possible life science companies By Neil Zolot B y a narrow 6-4 margin, the City Council passed a zonPresident Joe Biden took a selfi e with State Senator Sal DiDomenico and son Matthew. (The President took this picture!) (Courtesy photo/Sen. DiDomenico’s Offi ce) Special to Th e Advocate S tate Senator Sal DiDomenico and his son, Matthew, were recently invited by the Biden Administration to the White House to honor the Boston Celtics on their 18th NBA Championship. President Joseph Biden DIDOMENICO | SEE PAGE 4 F. J. LaRovere Insurance Agency, Inc. 492 Broadway Everett, MA 02149 617-387-9700 phone 617-387-9702 fax INSURANCE FOR AUTO, HOME, AND BUSINESS We offer very competitive rates, and by representing many different companies we can shop for the best price for our customers. Call us today! Open Monday – Friday 9am-5pm and Saturdays 9am-12pm Messinger Insurance Agency 475 Broadway Everett, MA 02149 617-387-2700 phone 617-387-7753 fax ing ordinance to allow limited animal testing in life science facilities should they be sited in Everett, at their meeting on Monday, January 13. Sponsor and Councillor-at-Large Stephanie Smith, Councillor-at-Large John Hanlon and Ward Councillors Wayne Matewsky (1), Anthony DiPierro (3), Robert Van Campen (5) and Peter Pietrantonio (6) voted in favor of it. Councillors-at-Large Guerline Alcy Jabouin and Katy Rogers, Ward 2 Councillor and Council President Stephanie Martins and Ward 4 Councillor Holly Garcia voted against it. Councillor-at-Large Michael Marchese was absent. The vote overrode an unfavorable recommendation from the Legislative Aff airs and Elections Subcommittee – comprised of Marchese, Martins, Rogers and Smith – made at a short meeting earlier in the evening. Passage approved animal testing, but limits it to small animals like gerbils, mice and rats and prohibits testing on cats, dogs, horses and other large animals that are often pets or used for recreation. “Communities around Everett have life science facilities, but Everett does not,” Smith said in discussion. “The industry has the highest annual income due to high-wage jobs. Those are the jobs we want people in Everett to have, but companies are going to other cities. They’re getting the facilities and the tax benefi ts.” As she had when introducing the proposal on December 9, she reiterated that the proposed ordinance was hers and hers alone and not written at the behest or under pressure from The Davis Companies, a development company that builds life science facilities in order to sell them. “I take offense that this is from The Davis Companies; I wrote it,” she said. “They didn’t write this. I did. This is not a company initiative. It’s my opinion of what I think is best for the city.” Smith was speaking in response to Rogers’ assertion that the ordinance would “serve the interests of one company, The Davis Companies” and “a corporate agenda that undermines the interest of our constituents.” She added that the constituents are concerned about safety in the city and the quality of its schools and The Davis Companies has addressed neither nor other issues in any proposal. “I want to make sure Everett’s potential isn’t handed over to companies with no interest in our people,” she said. “It serves a private interest and is against the wishes of many constituents.” She also said that biotech and life science companies are moving away from animal testing to “cutting edge alternatives more eff ective than animal testing. Everett can lead the way as a hub for innovative, sustainable science rather than clinging to increasingly obsolete practices. Why should Everett bet on a faltering market when we have a once-in-a-lifetime chance to defi ne ourselves in the industries of tomorrow. I want to make sure we’re not on the back end of something other communities are getting away from.” TESTING | SEE PAGE 17
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