Page 6 THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRiDAy, MARCH 14, 2025 City to host Rosie the Riveter Day event March 21 Special to Th e Advocate M ayor Carlo DeMaria is pleased to announce that the City of Everett will host the Rosie the Riveter Day event on Friday, March 21 at 3 p.m. at the Edward G. Connolly Center (90 Chelsea St.). As part of the City’s celebration of Women’s History Month, which is celebrated in the USA during the month of March in recognition of the contributions and achievements of women throughout history, all are welcome to attend this event, which will honor women who have served in the U.S. military. In addition, there will be a free public showing of the fi lm “Six Triple Eight.” The fi lm features the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, which was an all-Black and all-female battalion during World War II. The Department of Veterans Affairs is seeking community submissions of women veterCITY COUNCIL | FROM PAGE 1 ans during active duty to be featured at the event. All submissions can be sent to Director of Veterans Aff airs Antoine Coleman at Antoine.Coleman@ci.everett.ma.us for inclusion. For more information about the event, please email Antoine. Coleman@ci.everett.ma.us or Gerri.Miranda@ci.everett.ma.us. Alternatively, please contact the Department of Veterans Affairs at 617-394-2321 or 617394-2320. If We Happen To Meet By Accident ... You’ll Be Glad You Found Us! There is a difference between the rest and the BEST! Celebrating 46 Years In Business! TONY’S AUTO BODY Call or Visit 781-321-0032 34 Sharon Street Malden, MA 02148 TONYSAUTOBODYLLC.COM COME VISIT OUR STATE OF THE ART BODY SHOP • Computerized Paint Matching (State of the Art Spray Booth) • Computerized Frame Machines • P.P.G. Refinishing System • R134 + 1234yf A/C Machines Fully Insured -RS2415 Insurance Company Approval ALL OUR WORK IS GUARANTEED! TONY BARTOLO Owner 46 Years Let Us Handle Your Next Insurance Claim. Go With the BEST It Doesn’t Get BETTER! RENTAL CARS Available items. The vote is a statement of opinion and has no practical implications that would force a change in the Mayor’s Offi ce. “This is an unfortunate historic occasion, but my confi - dence in the Administration is beyond shaken,” Ward 5 Councillor Robert Van Campen said. “When you’re entrusted with the public trust you have to protect that trust and hold those who violated it accountable. The Mayor’s attorneys indicated a lack of due process in the Inspector General’s investigation, but it was a three year process.” He acknowledged previous City Councils approved the longevity pay, but it was hidden from subsequent City Councils and the public. Van Campen also off ered a motion to postpone the matter until March 24 to “aff ord the Mayor the opportunity to do the right thing and return the $180,000.” Other Councillors disagreed, prompting him to withdraw the motion “I don’t think another two weeks will help,” Councillor-at-Large Guerline Alcy Jabouin agreed. “We already know what the answer is,” a reference to attorneys representing the Mayor – Young Paik and John Pappalardo – indicating he will dispute the order in court at a special meeting of the City Council on the matter. Neither was present March 10. “Do the right thing,” Councillor-at-Large Katy Rogers admonished the Mayor. “The clock is ticking.” “As a fi nancial executive and former auditor, the circumvention of internal controls is a hard stop for me,” Councillor-at-Large Stephanie Smith added. “Internal controls are essential to ensuring fi nancial accountability and integrity.” A separate motion to eliminate longevity pay for all elected officials was also passed unanimously. “In response to the Inspector General’s report, we are eliminating longevity pay for any elected offi cial, although the Mayor is the only elected offi cial receiving longevity pay,” Van Campen explained. The motion also said that any time as an elected offi cial will not count towards longevity pay if any person once an elected offi cial gets a professional job with the City of Everett. In another matter related to the accusations against the Mayor and Inspector General’s report, the City Council approved a proposal for the Administration to transfer $150,000 from Free Cash to its Professional and Technical Services Account to implement the recommendations. It places the City Council in an awkward position because all requests for funding must be fi ltered through the Administration. Two other motions referred to the Administration for more information called for documentation as to the source of funding to pay the Mayor’s lawyers and for information on all external law fi rms being employed by the City, except cases related to employment. “The public should know who’s paying for the Mayor to be represented,” Councillor-at-Large Michael Marchese feels. Smith said the Ways and Means Subcommittee, of which she is chair, receives invoices, but they are redacted and/or refer to items other than those at hand. “Are invoices being recorded correctly with the right subject matter?” she wants to know. “There is more happening than we know about.” She also said that invoices related to Pappalardo don’t refer to him working on the case against the Mayor since 2022, although he said he has. “This City has spent an exorbitant amount on legal fees over the last year and will probably spend close to $1 million in a fi ght about $180,000,” Van Campen feels. “It’s illogical.” A proposal for term limits for the Mayor, City Councillors and School Committee members elicited a written response from DeMaria indicating he was “willing to present recommendations for necessary action to implement the change, but the issue is too important and warrants more consideration than a rush to meet a deadline imposed on my administration. I will be sharing recommendations with the Council as to how to impleCITY COUNCIL | SEE PAGE 20
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