Page 6 THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2021 City Council facing possible violations of Open Meeting Law By Christopher Roberson T he City Council is being investigated by the state Attorney General’s Office regarding a pair of Open Meeting Law complaints that were filed at the end of last year. On November 12, 2020, Steven Fitzgerald filed a complaint regarding the council’s November 9 meeting for which two agendas had been posted. “A reasonable person could conclude that the posting of two separate agendas for the same meeting was done to confuse the public who wanted to participate,” he said. Fitzgerald said there were “22 or 23” residents waiting to speak on the Order to make Air Force Road a public way. However, he said none of the residents had been screened at that time and the public hearing was closed. “Without that screening, the public hearing was opened and closed without any speakers,” said Fitzgerald. In addition, Fitzgerald said he filed an appeal after he was denied access to 14 public records. He said those records would indicate if the council compiled with the Open Meeting Law. Therefore, Fitzgerald has asked the Attorney General’s Office to require that the councillors be properly trained on the workings of the Open Meeting Law and to obtain a certification once the training is completed. He also turned his attention to the city clerk. “Train City Clerk Sergio Cornelio that one agenda per meeting should be posted,” said Fitzgerald. “If that agenda needs to be amended, teach him how to amend it.” Joan Beckta filed a complaint on November 1, 2020, claiming that the council meetings on October 12 and October 26 were not open to the public. She said the October 12 meeting was archived and then deleted as well as every other council meeting from the prior eight months. “Mayor [Carlo] DeMaria is claiming the server got hacked; I don’t believe him,” said Beckta. “Everett is not that important.” Beckta also took issue with the technical problems that have come up during the meetings. “They broadcast on ECTV, which goes down frequently,” she said, adding that there is no way to attend the meetings remotely. “They say they have these provisions, but they don’t.” Regarding the October 26 meeting, Beckta said the council implied that remote participation should not be permitted although Everett continued to be in the highrisk category for COVID-19 transmission. In response, City of Everett spokesperson Deanna Deveney maintained that the council did not violate the Open Meeting Law in either instance. 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Middlesex Sheriff Peter Koutoujian joined Dr. Alysse Wurcel of Tufts Medical Center and Dr. Kathryn Stephenson of Harvard University to address incarcerated individuals and took questions during Ask Me Anything (AMA) sessions on Tuesday, January 19. The questions asked – combined with feedback from a baseline survey conducted earlier this month – will be used to construct FAQ sheets and an informational video to be available throughout the facility. Results of the baseline survey released last week showed that approximately 40 percent of incarcerated respondents indicated they would want to receive the vaccine. “Today’s sessions were an incredible opportunity for some of those in our custody to ask the experts questions about the vaccine,” said Koutoujian. “It was abundantly clear, from listening to the questions posed by the individuals that we met with today, that there is a great amount of interest in MAYOR | FROM PAGE 1 Pantry volunteers will accompany attendees throughout the center. There is no cost to those who participate. Items may vary depending Pictured from left to right: Dr. Alysse Wurcel, Middlesex Sheriff Peter Koutoujian and Dr. Kathryn Stephenson on Tuesday, January 19, addressed incarcerated individuals in the Housing Unit for Military Veterans at the Middlesex Jail & House of Correction during an Ask Me Anything session focused on the COVID-19 vaccine. (Photo Courtesy of the Middlesex Sheriff ’s Offi ce) the vaccine. And while some have already made the decision to be vaccinated, even more are open to doing so.” Questions asked focused on a variety of topics, including the development timeline, whether any immunity is garnered from the fi rst shot and whether individuals should continue to wear masks after being vaccinated. Under the Commonwealth’s on availability. Seniors who attend the shopping days must wear a mask, use hand sanitizer and practice social distancing. Upon arrival, all seniors will have their temperature checked to ensure vaccination plan, those living and working in congregate settings (including jails) may begin to be vaccinated this week. To date, the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office has gone nearly four months without a positive COVID-19 test despite conducting over 160 tests amongst its incarcerated population during that timeframe. safety. Shopping for seniors is available by appointment only. For additional information and to make an appointment, please call 617-394-2323 or 617-3942260.
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