THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2021 Page 19 2021 | FROM PAGE 18 with 444 votes. Ward 6 will have new representation under Al Lattanzi, who received 737 votes. His opponent, Ross Pietrantonio, finished with 385 votes. City Council President Wayne Matewsky ran unopposed and received 696 votes to represent Ward 1. Ward 2 Councillor Stephanie Martins was also unopposed and garnered 778 votes. School Committee races The School Committee election was much tighter, particularly in the wards. The closest race was in Ward 2, where Jason Marcus received 494 votes, sneaking by Caitlin Steinberg by a razor-thin margin of 24 votes. The Ward 3 race was decided by 28 votes with Jeanne Cristiano finishing with 604 votes and Samantha Hurley finishing with 576 votes. “First and foremost, I am humbled, honored and grateful to the voters of Ward 3 for allowing me this incredible opportunity to represent them on the Everett School Committee,” said Cristiano. “I am excited to bring a new, fresh perspective and a strong, independent voice to the Everett School Committee. It’s all about the kids and making sure they have all the tools in the toolbox to ensure lifetimes of success.” The spread was somewhat larger in Ward 6, where Michael McLaughlin topped the ticket in contested ward races. He finished with 603 votes to defeat Catherine Tomassi Hicks, who received 523 votes. The Ward 4 race had the largest margin of victory with 131 votes. In that race, challenger Michael Mangan received 639 votes to unseat incumbent Member Dana Murray, who finished with 508 votes. In Ward 1, incumbent Member-at-Large Millie Cardello was unopposed and finished with 663 votes. Incumbent Ward 5 Member Marcony Almeida-Barros was also unopposed and received 811 votes. In the at-large race, incumbent Member Cynthia Sarnie topped the ticket with 3,016 votes. “I just would like to first thank everyone that voted and supported me. I would like to continue working together as a team and working on making our schools safer,” said Sarnie. “I am very interested to see what programs we have in place in regards to addiction, not only for the children but also how to deal with family trauma. I am interested in learning more about the changes that need to be made to help us continue moving our schools in the right direction.” Incumbent Member-at-Large Samantha Lambert received 2,602 votes and will return for another two years on the committee. She and Sarnie will be joined by challenger Margaret Cornelio, who garnered 2,511 votes. From Everett’s 22,042 registered voters, 7,348 ballots were cast for a voter turnout of 33.3 percent. DECEMBER Emergence of Omicron It only took five days for the Omicron variant of COVID-19 to spread from South Africa to the United States with the first case being confirmed in California on December 1. It was detected in Massachusetts three days later. “The science and implications of the Omicron variant are actively being examined and we will know more very soon,” said Dr. Lou Ann Bruno-Murtha of Cambridge Health Alliance. “At this time, the best response is to promote COVID vaccination for those not fully vaccinated and encourage everyone who is eligible to seek a booster dose as soon as possible.” Dr. George Abraham of Saint Vincent Hospital said he was not surprised by the detection of Omicron and the previous strains. “We have predicted and long suspected that we would see variants,” he said. “The variants pop up in parts of the world where there have been the lowest levels of vaccination.” Abraham also said Omicron may not be that troublesome in the long-term. “Based on preliminary data from our South African colleagues, the number of cases has risen dramatically, about 700-fold, but the number of hospitalizations, serious illnesses and deaths have not increased significantly,” he said. “This suggests that there might be overall mild disease associated with this variant as opposed to severe disease.” In addition, Abraham said he trusted the efficacy of the vaccines. “We know the vaccines work reasonably well, generating what’s called virus-specific antibodies. But they also generate what’s called a polyclonal response,” he said. “That means it may also work against some viruses in the same family. Right now we need to determine how well our vaccines work against this variant.” Dr. Shira Doron of Tufts Medical Center said Delta continued to attract a great deal of attention. “Delta is a major threat in Massachusetts. If it manages to outcompete Delta and become predominant, then it could mean a worse winter than what we are already facing. What everyone should do now is get vaccinated if they have not received the vaccine. If eligible for a booster, now is the time to get one.” School officials vote on amendments to superintendent’s contract The School Committee voted to approve one of three recommended changes to the employment contract with Superintendent of Schools Priya Tahiliani. The first change, which the committee accepted in a 6-2 vote, removed the following language from the contract: “Should the Superintendent choose to terminate the contract without good cause and leave the employment of the Everett Public Schools to work as a Superintendent in another Massachusetts school district prior to its expiration date, she shall compensate the Committee an amount equal to 10% of her annual salary.” The proposed amendment regarding grounds for termination was to change “good cause by a majority vote of the School Committee” to “just cause by vote of two thirds of the entire membership of the School Committee.” During the December 6 meeting, Ward 4 Member Dana Murray said changing the language from “good cause” to “just cause” would benefit the committee in the event of a lawsuit. However, the amendment was voted down in a 5-3 decision. Ward 3 Member-Elect Jeanne Cristiano said it was “bad business” for the committee to take this kind of action so late in the year. “It’s my opinion that it’s a violation of Massachusetts General Law,” she said. “The chairman allowing this on the agenda is an obvious power play. You should not allow a lame duck chairman and most of the School Committee to negotiate the superintendent’s contract this year.” Chapter 39, Section 6A of 2021 | SEE PAGE 21
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