Page 8 THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRiDAy, MARCH 21, 2025 McGonagle named House Chair for Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs R ep. Joe McGonagle is pleased to announce that he has been named the House Chair of the Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs by Speaker Ron Mariano. McGonagle previously served as Chair of the House Committee on Operations, Facilities and Building Security. “This is truly the pinnacle of my career and the honor of a lifetime,” said McGonagle. “As the son of Lt. Colonel, I was raised with the utmost respect for veterans. In my time as a public official, I have tried to do as much as possible to serve these heroes. In this position, I can further that goal. Thank you to Speaker Mariano, Majority Leader Mike Moran and House Ways and Means Chair Aaron Michlewitz for trusting me with this position. I’m thrilled to be here and ready to get to work.” (Courtesy photo) KRAFT STADIUM | FROM PAGE 1 Council and the public is included in the discussion.” Another key deadline is December 31. If a CBA is not finalized by them, the parties will be required to enter binding arbitration. That, however, is not approval of the stadium. It merely allows the classification of the land as a Designated Port Area (DPA) to be lifted to pave the way for a specific proposal. “Until then, the land is technically part of the DPA,” Director of Planning and Community Development Matt Lattanzi told the Councillors on March 10. “Its use as a DPA would be lifted when the parties agree on a CBA, which triggers the state Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) process. Then you’d see a site plan review and the traditional local planning process.” He described the situation now as being “before the beginning” of the process. Uses in a DPA must be marine dependent and can be and was lifted by the Coastal Zone Management Authority or the state legislature. Elements of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the upcoming CBA, Lattanzi said, are “stipulated as material elements of a full CBA with a full understanding by the parties additional items will be negotiated for the final CBA.” That includes establishment of a four acre public park, a $5 million initial contribution and an annual contribution of $1 million or a mutually agreed on total based on ticket sales related to a community center that can be used year round, a $10 million payment to a Housing Stabilization Fund, an as yet to be determined number of tickets to be made available to the city for regular season New England Revolution home soccer games and other events at no cost to the City, incorporation of renewable energy measures in the stadium and opportunities for Everett residents to get 50% of the jobs in the first five years of the stadium’s operation, with competitive wages and benefits and not requiring a college degree. Legislation is for a soccer stadium only, not other uses. “It was limited so it would be an asset to the City,” Lattanzi explained. “Legislation was for that specific reason for waterfront land, which is minimal. You can’t create waterfront land and don’t want to see the area being renovated under the guise of job creation and economic development only to be sold to a condominium developer and only millionaires getting to live on our waterfront.” “It’s for a millionaire for a 25,000-seat stadium with 75 parking spaces,” Ward 6 Councillor Peter Pietrantonio reacted. He also commented that there would be more than just a handful of soccer games at the stadium and asked, somewhat rhetorically, why Boston is involved if the site is in Everett. The legislation and MOU do not refer to taxes. Lattanzi told Councillor-at-Large Michael Marchese his belief that The Kraft Group will be paying Everett $1 million a year is inaccurate. “The idea is it will be taxed at value with a $6-800 million build at Commercial/ Industrial tax rate,” Lattanzi elaborated. City councillors will invite State Senator Sal DiDomenico to explain things that have happened and are happening at the state level. As discussion wound down, Van Campen said the Administration has not kept the City Council abreast of things. “We’ve gotten zero information from the Administration,” he said. “We only know about this from newspapers.” “If the City Council is being kept in the dark, the residents are also being kept in the dark,” Rogers added. “We can’t pursue Everett’s best interests in this if we don’t have information.” She also asked that the project be referred to as the proposed stadium because it is still a proposal at this point.
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