By Joseph Domelowicz Jr.
City Councilors on Monday night voted unanimously to ask ECTV to begin running public service announcements about a recent increase in thefts and break-ins in the Springvale Avenue neighborhood and to also ask Everett Police Chief Steven Mazzie to develop a more complete patrol plan for all Everett neighborhoods and authorize Reverse 911 calls to residents warning about the increased criminal activity.
The issue came to the fore at the Council meeting Monday night after a resident of Springvale Avenue, Donna Sachetti-Davidson, appeared during public participation to speak out about the recent increase in backyard and car break-ins on Springvale Avenue.
The Council had planned to take up a resolution asking for ECTs help in alerting residents, but during discussion amended their original resolution to include more proactive discussion with the Everett police and the use of the city’s emergency notification system, Reverse 911.
Councilors Anthony DiPierro, Richard Dell Isola, Michael McLaughlin, Fred Capone, Rosa DiFlorio and Stephen Simonelli all joined the call to direct the city to take more action, following Sachetti-Davidson’s testimony.
The entire matter was referred on a 10-0 vote by the council, to the Government Operations subcommittee, with a request for Chief Mazzie and the department’s crime analyst to attend the committee’s next meeting to discuss crime patterns and patrols citywide.
“These kinds of issues are a city wide problem,” noted Capone, in making the amendment to add the wave of thefts on Springvale to a list of other issues that Chief Mazzie was already scheduled to discuss with the subcommittee.
DiPerro passes first order as councilor
New Councilor Anthony DiPierro’s idea to establish a committee, empowered by the City Council, to review what other cities and towns in the area are doing to address the opioid epidemic use won unanimous support of his colleagues Monday night, as the City Council voted 10-0 to establish the committee and make recommendations back to the Council.
It was DiPierro’s first legislative effort as a new councilor and he thanked Councilor Fred Capone for helping to craft the language of the order. As a result, Council President John Hanlon will appoint a four member committee to reach out to neighboring cities and towns to see what strategies and programs they have in place or ae putting into place to help the victims of opioid addiction.