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Page 18 THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2021 2021 | FROM PAGE 12 and defamatory articles about Mr. DeMaria without providing him with the opportunity to comment or provide information, in violation of professional journalistic standards.” The turmoil began in the 1990s when DeMaria was on the Board of Aldermen. At the time, Matthew Philbin and Andrew Philbin, Sr. owned and operated several boarding houses that were rife with health and safety violations. Therefore, DeMaria voted time and again not to renew their licenses. His repeated dissenting votes infuriated the Philbins, thus beginning their quest for vengeance. In 2017 the Philbins purchased the Leader Herald and enlisted Joshua Resnek to publish stories designed to destroy DeMaria’s personal and professional reputations. In the years that followed, Lipchitz said, Resnek published stories falsely accusing DeMaria of taking bribes and being involved in a host of other criminal activities. On September 15 of this year, Resnek published a story titled “Revelations we cannot quite believe about the mayor...but they are all true.” The article was featured in Resnek’s “Eye on Everett,” a column that consists of his weekly conversations with DeMaria’s “Blue Suit.” This particular column focused on a sexual assault grievance that a former employee filed against DeMaria several years ago. “The article intentionally omitted well-published information that the Chelsea District Court found there was no probable cause for the Complaint, dismissing it in its entirety,” said Lipchitz. DeMaria’s Complaint also described how City Clerk Sergio Cornelio used the Leader Herald to attack DeMaria regarding the real estate transaction involving 43 Corey St. According to Lipchitz, in May 2019, DeMaria was approached by Zachary Stratis, who was looking to sell the parcel. DeMaria then invited Cornelio to join him in purchasing the property and work in concert to convert the home into a multifamily development. On August 21, 2019, DeMaria and Cornelio purchased the property from Stratis for $900,000. Lipchitz said that for financing purposes the property was purchased in Cornelio’s name; however, DeMaria and Cornelio remained partners in the venture. Because he is an elected official, DeMaria contacted KP Law to ensure that there would be no ethical violations. On August 20, 2020, Attorney Brian Riley gave his opinion. “It would not violate Chapter 268A for you to acquire an interest in this parcel or to file with a city board or official in your own name to request a permit. In the event that you acquire an interest in the property under a different entity, however, you would need to have an attorney or other representative handle any such application,” he said. “You would also be prohibited from taking any action in your capacity as mayor that would foreseeably affect your financial interest in the parcel.” Therefore, Riley suggested filing a Disclosure of Appearance of Conflict of Interest. DeMaria filed that document with the City Clerk’s Office on September 23, 2020. “Attorney Riley’s opinion, the State Ethics Commission’s advisory opinion and Mr. DeMaria’s disclosure are all public records and could have been reviewed by the Leader Herald Defendants prior to publishing the articles,” said Lipchitz. “They intentionally chose not to review these filings.” On April 14 of this year, Cornelio and DeMaria sold the Corey Street property for $1.3 million to 43 Corey Street Everett LLC. “Under the parties’ agreement, Mr. DeMaria [would receive] $96,000 and Mr. Cornelio [would receive] approximately $316,000, an amount which [would reimburse] him for his carrying costs and included his share of the profit,” said Lipchitz. In the months that followed, Lipchitz said, Cornelio allegedly informed Resnek that he was pressured by DeMaria to give him $96,000 from the sale of 43 Corey St. “Mr. Cornelio knew full well that this was a real estate opportunity founded by Mr. DeMaria, who invited Mr. Cornelio to participate,” said Lipchitz. However, on September 8, Resnek published a front page story titled “$96,000 Forced Payment to Mayor by City Clerk Raises Questions About Extortion Plot.” This was followed by “The 96,000 Disgrace” on September 10 and “Mayor moves to oust Cornelio: After taking 96k from city clerk in real estate deal” on September 15. “It appears that Mr. Cornelio fabricated a story that Mr. DeMaria extorted and threatened him, peddling the concocted story to the Everett Leader Herald,” said Lipchitz, adding that these stories were published with “actual malice.” The September 15 story was published six days prior to the Primary Election, in which DeMaria was facing two challengers. “In addition to being a complete fabrication, these false assertions conveyed that Mr. DeMaria had purportedly engaged in criminal conduct by extorting another city official – a devastating assertion to be made in advance of an election,” said Lipchitz. “The Leader Herald Defendants relied solely and exclusively on the purported statements that they attributed to Mr. Cornelio precisely because they were unconcerned with the truth of their articles.” According to Lipchitz, Cornelio told Resnek that unless the $96,000 payment was made DeMaria would jeopardize the future of Cornelio’s career and slash the City Clerk’s Office budget. “Mr. Cornelio knew full well that there was no extortion and that the $96,000 was simply Mr. DeMaria’s interest in the land sale that they had agreed,” said Lipchitz. “Under Everett’s Charter, it is the City Council – not the mayor – that has ‘charge and control over the Office of City Clerk.’ As a result, Mr. DeMaria has no ability to fire the clerk or reduce his salary.” In addition to the Leader Herald, Resnek, Cornelio and the Philbins are listed as defendants. Judgement is expected to be rendered by October 2024. Governor guarantees funding for Mystic River bicycle and pedestrian bridge Governor Charlie Baker assured state and local officials that money would be available to fund the construction of a Mystic River bicycle and pedestrian bridge. “One way or another it’s going to get paid for and it’s going to get done,” he said during an October 22 press conference at Encore Boston Harbor, adding that the Massachusetts Gaming Commission committed $650,000 to fund the final design. “It’s a huge outdoor opportunity for so many people. We can’t wait to put shovels in the ground to get this bridge built.” With a price tag of $49 million, the bridge would be 12 feet wide and would span 785 feet connecting Encore with the MBTA Orange Line’s Assembly Station in Somerville. Within the total cost, $37 million would be used to build the bridge and $12 million would be used to construct a new entrance connecting the bridge with Assembly Station. “Today brings us one step closer to completing the vision of a truly transit-oriented city,” said DeMaria. “I’m totally overwhelmed to be here and to finally get some access to a T station. Getting rid of cars is what we need to do and we’re heading there.” He also said the bridge will be incorporated into the 25-mile Mystic River trail system. In addition, DeMaria said Everett offered 3,000 units of new housing with the potential for another 15,000 units. However, for that to happen, a series of public transit improvements, such as the electrification of the Commuter Rail, would be necessary. Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone said the bridge was the result of city officials working together. “It’s people giving a damn about where they live and about their city,” he said. However, he said Somerville’s greatest partnership has been with the DeMaria Administration. “Mayor DeMaria, from day one, has pushed this project,” said Curtatone. “I look forward to this project advancing. Carlo, when I say, ‘come on over to Assembly,’ you can just walk over.” Kathleen Theoharides, secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs, said that since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic the usage of parks and trails had skyrocketed by 300 percent. “Getting outside and being active has been a great silver lining of the pandemic,” she said, adding that Baker has invested nearly $1 billion to fund an environmentally-friendly economic recovery. Theoharides also spoke about the transportation benefit. After missing her exit and arriving at Encore 25 minutes later than expected, Theoharides said, the bridge will be a “great option compared to taking a vehicle.” “We’re trying to find ways to make things more walkable and more bikeable,” she said. NOVEMBER DeMaria still solid with voters Mayor Carlo DeMaria locked in another four years, narrowly defeating challenger Fred Capone by 210 votes in the General Election. The official results of the November 2 race showed DeMaria with 3,758 votes while Capone received 3,548 votes. “I’m honored to continue to represent my lifelong home, the city of Everett,” said DeMaria. “We will continue to accomplish our goals of making housing more affordable and transportation more equitable because that is what all our residents deserve. Thank you Everett, I am grateful.” The mayor’s strongest showing was in Ward 3, where he garnered 789 votes. As with the September Primary Election, DeMaria received the greatest number of votes of any other candidate. City Council races Councillor-at-Large Michael Marchese topped the ticket in the City Council at-large race with 3,429 votes. He was followed by Councillor-at-Large John Hanlon with 3,272 votes, challenger Stephanie Smith with 3,266 votes, Councillor-at-Large Richard Dell Isola with 2,119 votes and challenger Irene Cardillo with 2,004 votes. “I would first like to thank everyone for their faith and confidence in me, who supported and voted to give me the opportunity of a lifetime,” said Cardillo. “My wish is to support and improve on projects that are already in progress to help meet our transportation needs, build infrastructure and develop our untapped resources.” Smith she said her priorities will include affordable housing, senior services and youth programming. “I’m eager to begin to work with Mayor DeMaria and the other councillors to continue to make Everett a great place to live and work,” she said. “I am humbled by the support I received from the residents of Everett.” Dell Isola is also looking forward to the new term. “The next two years are going to be very important,” he said. “I’m excited to have colleagues that will work together; we haven’t had that in a while.” Going forward, Dell Isola said, two major priorities will be to redevelop Glendale and Everett Squares. “There’s no reason, right now, to go to Everett Square or Glendale Square,” he said. In the ward races, Ward 3 Councillor Anthony DiPierro topped the ticket with 796 votes, easily defeating challenger Darren Costa by 357 votes. In Ward 4, Councillor Jimmy Tri Le was reelected with 757 votes over challenger Holly Garcia, who garnered 462 votes. “I know a lot of candidates say they are humbled by their election, but I really mean it. Let’s face it, I was lucky two years ago when Councillor McKinnon decided not to run and I was the only candidate left,” said Le. “I did my best to learn quickly about how to be a good councillor. I gave it my all and to receive a vote of confidence, like I did Tuesday, is indeed humbling.” Unlike in the 2019 race, Ward 5 Councillor Rosa DiFlorio was unable to hold off returning challenger Vivian Nguyen. This year, Nguyen received 716 votes from Ward 5 residents to take DiFlorio’s seat on the council. DiFlorio finished the race 2021 | SEE PAGE 19

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