Page 4 THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2021 ~ OP-ED ~ Pride and Progress C By Mayor Carlo DeMaria lean neighborhoods, timely trash pickup, extraordinary snow removal and addressing basic City needs are signs of a City Hall that cares about its residents. As you drive through the City of Everett, you will see newly paved roads with freshly poured concrete sidewalks, coupled with an abundance of newly planted trees. As Mayor, I take great pride in this City, its residents, and the services we provide. The investments that have been made in our community have laid the foundation for Everett’s future. The complete overhaul of our parks and fi elds we have conducted over the past few years allows Everett’s children to have pride and feel safe in their community. Speaking of pride, I encourage you to drive down Broadway after sunset. The new LED streetlights brighten the entire area and show us many reasons why we all can be proud to live here. We created our 311-Constituent Service Offi ce because of how important it is for residents to be able to get the help they need. Residents can make one call to City Hall for all their needs – from potholes to tree trimming, sidewalk repair to street sign updates, as well as numerous requests for food deliveries, COVID-19 testing, and vaccination appointments stemming from the recent pandemic. Unlike other cities and towns, anyone dialing 311 in Everett will speak directly with a staff member, not an answering service. To ensure that we are as accessible as possible, we have contracted with Lionbridge to provide live-translation services in over 80 languages. These services made it possible for us to vacciSCHOOL | FROM PAGE 2 need to learn and grow,” said Tahiliani. “We are seeking to stack enough changes and adjustments on top of each other to create the weight needed to cope with these issues. We do not have the luxury of a onesize-fi ts-all solution.” In her second letter on October 15, Tahiliani spoke about the observations she made during the prior week. “I saw everyone doing many small things that, when added up, created a significant positive impact on the overall social and emotional well-being of EHS,” she said. “I have heard that this week demonstrated progress.” nate over 10,000 Everett seniors and our most vulnerable residents using City resources to ensure comfort and convenience. It is these types of eff orts to directly assist our residents that separates this Administration from others. The small things truly make a huge diff erence. The next time you are walking, driving, or bicycling down one of our streets, I encourage you to take a minute and pause; look at the progress our City has made. Take a minute to see the makeover that our rotaries and islands have undergone. Stop by Wehner Park and take in the beautiful landscape. Visit the beautiful Rivergreen Park waterfront that now has a brand new athletic fi eld, tennis courts, playground, street hockey rink, a new kayak and canoe launch, as well as plans being developed for the implementation of fi shing piers and a boathouse. No City is perfect. We always need to keep working, to make more progress and be able to adapt our services as the needs of our residents change. If you look around our City, you will see very real examples of how Carlo DeMaria Mayor my Administration has been able to provide all the basic services that our residents deserve while at the same time laying the foundation for our future. We have made important progress over the past few years along with lowering the tax rate. We need to keep up this momentum to keep improving the lives of all our residents. For as long as I am your Mayor, I will continue Everett’s progress and increase the pride that we all have for our City. lous review of the high school’s safety procedures. “Anything that ensures or enhances the safety of our students and staff will be reinforced or adopted,” she said. “We are looking at all relevant past practices and determining how they can help us at this precise moment in time.” However, Tahiliani said the Priya Tahiliani Superintendent of Schools Tahiliani said she and her colleagues continue their meticusituation at the high school is still very serious. “Our school is made up of approximately 2,000 students who have endured the tumult of COVID-19,” she said. “This is, as the saying goes, a work in progress.” The exact number of altercations could not be released, SCHOOL | SEE PAGE 26 Monogram D4 Double siding Cedar impression half rounds Harvey Vinyl 63 Replacement Windows Custom Aluminum Trim work Windows & Doors Top quality Vinyl Siding! •Vinyl Siding •Carpentry Work •Decks •Roofing •Free Estimates •Replacement Windows •Fully Licensed •Fully Insured
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