EVERET RE -FREEE EV RETT AADD Vol. 29, No. 52 Wednesday, December 23, 2020 CATET CAT www.advocatenews.net Free Every Friday 617-387-2200 Keverian PTO hosts holiday drive-through Happy holidays to you and your family. WE CLOSE AT NOON ON CHRISTMAS EVE AND ARE CLOSED CHRISTMAS DAY. WE’RE BACK OPEN ON MONDAY, DECEMBER 28TH. AS ALWAYS, YOU CAN ACCESS OUR ONLINE BANKING AND ATMS ANYTIME. 419 BROADWAY, EVERETT MA 02149 Right by you. 61 7-38 7 - 1 1 10 7 7 1 SALEM ST, LYNNFIELD, MA 01940 7 8 1 - 7 7 6 - 4444 WWW.EVERETTBANK .COM Member FDIC Member DIF Shown from left to right are Keverian School PTO Vice President Christine Reno, Ward 2 Councillor Stephanie Martins, her dog Bob and Santa Claus during the PTO’s holiday drivethrough event on Tuesday afternoon. See pages 18 & 19 for story and photo highlights. (Advocate photo by Tara Vocino) School Department refund request still in limbo City Council sends matter to Mayor’s Offi ce By Christopher Roberson T he City Council recently voted 7-4 to refer the School Department ’s reimbursement request of $471,140 to Mayor Carlo DeMaria for his official recommendation. How ev er, Councillor-at-Large Gerly Adrien continued to push her colleagues for their endorsement. “As a City Council, we should support this,” she said during the December 21 meeting. “It shouldn’t be an argument – it’s an easy process. Let’s take the politics away, let’s support this.” Adrien also said Superintendent of Schools Priya Tahiliani has provided the City of Everett with receipts for COVID-19 e xpenses. During the December 10 meeting of the council’s Committee of the Whole, Tahiliani said the reimbursement money was sent directly to the City through the CARES Act. The City then transferred those funds to the schools. However, at the end of fi scal year 2020, the district inadvertently returned the money back to the City along with an additional $426,000 in unspent funds. Upon realizing that the schools had accidentally sent the $471,140 back to City Hall, Tahiliani requested to have those funds returned to the district. “I feel that this is premature – the schools are not open yet,” said City Council President Rosa DiFlorio during the December 21 meeting. “The schools knew they had that extra money and they returned it.” City Solicitor Colleen Mejia said the council cannot authorize the transfer of funds. “Only appropriations can come from the Mayor’s Offi ce,” she said. Ward 3 Councillor Anthony DiPierro agreed, saying the council would create a “dangerous precedent” by voting for the transfer. “We don’t have the authority to pass this,” he said. Erin Devaney, DeMaria’s chief of staff , said the mayor never rejected the School REFUND | SEE PAGE 23
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