Page 2 THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2021 2021 | FROM PAGE 1 After what had been a very diffi cult year with the pandemic, outgoing City Council President Rosa DiFlorio was more than happy to turn the reins over to Matewsky. “All I can tell you is I have a lot of candles and I’ll be lighting them for you,” she said. At the time, no one could have known how true those words would be just two months later. Parker leads School Committee Regarding the future of the School Committee, Ward 3 Member Frank Parker was chosen as the new chairman. He said transparency needs to be at the forefront as well as educating residents about the school budget process. The committee’s new vice chairman, Thomas Abruzzese, said he was anticipating the launch of the hybrid learning model, which he hoped would be the gateway to the return of in-person learning. Abruzzese also said he had the utmost confi dence in the committee’s chairman. “I am looking forward to a great year; we elected an outstanding leader in Frank Parker,” he said. “With Frank's leadership, I am confi dent we as a group, along with the city government and our superintendent, will be able to continue to provide a high-quality education for all of our students.” Mayor joins School Committee On January 13, Governor Charlie Baker signed the Home Rule petition amending Everett’s City Charter and allowing DeMaria to become a voting member of the School Committee. DeMaria said he looked forward to cohesively working with the committee while developing a record of accountability and allowing residents to know where he stands on important school-related matters. Ground broken for mixed-use development on Broadway On January 25, DeMaria hosted the groundbreaking of The 600 development at 600 Broadway. The city had worked diligently with the development team, A10 Associates, Volnay Capital and Context to get this project off the ground. “It was very exciting to host the groundbreaking of The 600,” said DeMaria. “I have been looking forward to this day since the planning stages began. The 600 will be located in the heart of the city and it will be a fantastic addition to our community.” This mixed-use development remains under construction and is located at 594-602 Broadway. In addition to residential units, the development will feature retail space, restaurant space and a roof deck with outdoor kitchens. The project is expected to be completed in the spring of 2022. FEBRUARY School offi cials speak out against Baker’s adjustment to vaccine timeline The School Committee was not pleased with Governor Charlie Baker’s decision to put teachers further back in line to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Baker announced that residents 65 and older and residents with two or more comorbid health conditions had been moved ahead of teachers in Phase Two of the vaccine rollout plan. “Clearly this governor has an issue with educators,” said Ward 4 School Committee Member Dana Murray during the School Committee’s February 1 meeting. “The state came in for no discernable reason and changed the rules of the game.” Vice Chairman Thomas Abruzzese said the decision went against what the governor had previously said about giving educators priority. “There seems to be all sorts of lines crossing,” he said. As a result of Baker’s decision, Superintendent of Schools Priya Tahiliani said, the district’s fi rst vaccine clinic, which was City Council President Wayne Matewsky suff ered a massive heart attack while on vacation in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. (File Photo) scheduled for February 6, was put on hold until further notice. “At this point, we don’t even have a fi rst date,” she said. Kimberly Auger, president of the Everett Teachers Association (ETA), spoke about the results of the teacher survey regarding the transition to a hybrid learning model. The results showed that 57 percent of Everett’s educators said they would return to school “with reservations.” In addition, 77 percent said they wanted to see the positivity rate decrease to fi ve percent before returning to the classroom. “We want nothing more than to be back in front of our students, but only when it’s safe,” said Auger. “Our numbers are still high.” She was also impressed with how teachers adapted to the remote learning model. “On a dime, they went into another mode,” said Auger. “We were one of the few districts in the state that did this right.” However, Anna Seiders, the 2021 | SEE PAGE 3 Kevin Sheehan named new library director B By Christopher Roberson urlington resident Kevin Sheehan was recently chosen as the city’s new library director – bringing extensive experience from the Revere Public Library as well as the Barker and Rotch Libraries at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). “Kevin looks forward to improving the online resources, increasing library hours and creating additional programming at the Everett Public Libraries,” said Mayor Carlo DeMaria. Before coming to Everett, Sheehan was the director of the Revere Public Library from July 2013 to Januand the circulation supervisor from 2005 to 2010. Sheehan holds a master’s in library and information science from Southern Connecticut State University and a bachelor’s degree from Assumption University. In addition to serving on Kevin Sheehan Library Director ary 2020. While at MIT, Sheehan was the access service manager from 2010 to 2013 the Board of Trustees of the Burlington Public Library, Sheehan enjoys spending time with his wife Cheryl and their nine-year-old son Tommy. Prior to Sheehan coming on board, the libraries, since 2019, had been under the interim stewardship of Assistant City Solicitor Matthew Lattanzi.
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