Rise to This Challenge
An Open Letter to All Service Providers to the People of the City of Everett,
We are writing to all of you on behalf of the people of the City of Everett:
You are the providers of the basic infrastructure that society has become dependent on, its skeleton and blood. During this crisis your roles have become even more crucial, vital to not only our citizens’ comfort and wellbeing, but to their health and the health of our city. All of us are going to need you to rise to this challenge.
In order to protect the most vulnerable population in our community, we are calling on all cable/internet utility companies to suspend ALL disconnections for non-payment. With this unprecedented pandemic resulting in hundreds of layoffs in our own community creating an economic emergency, we need relief for our residents, and business owners. Our community needs to be guaranteed that during this crisis, people are safe and service will continue without interruption. It is extremely important we are assured that the people of Everett who are facing financial burdens do not have the added stress of losing the connection to essential utilities like internet, cable, and phone services.
It only makes common sense that utility companies would consider its customers during these tying times and continue to provide the most basic services to all of us. These basic services would include but are not limited internet capabilities for remote learning for our children or transacting business for individuals to remain employed.
All of our citizens in Everett, residents and business owners alike, deserve a quality of life afforded to them absent a public health crisis.
Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.
Mayor Carlo DeMaria
Sen. Sal DiDomenico
State Rep.
Joseph McGonagle
Council President
Rosa DiFlorio
Join in This Fight as One
Dear Editor,
Last Wednesday afternoon, after a positive conference call with members including Mayor DeMaria and his administration, I received a copy of a local newsletter. To my absolute surprise, there was a rather powerful misquote. It is no secret that the administration and I have found ourselves at great odds in recent memory. However, this past two weeks is absolutely not one of them. I have worked closely with the administration and the Mayor during this great time of uncertainty for our City, state and country. It is not a time for insults, egos or pointing fingers.
In my eyes, leadership is finding a way to step forward and work outside your comfort zone and across all lines towards a common goal. As we have seen in many other unthinkable moments in our history, when one community comes together there’s no breaking down the walls of protection for its people. This time we are living in, will be written about in history books, and egos, insults and finger pointing is not a way we should be remembered. This being said, I have been proud to work with the DeMaria Administration during this time and look forward to continuing in the weeks and months ahead. If we leave egos and feelings behind us, we will absolutely stand stronger and more positively for all who call Everett home. businesses, residents, news media and community Leaders should expect no less. I plan on being a part of the solution, not creating more of an issue. My sleeves are rolled up and I am in this fight 100 percent as a team player.
I particularly believe the School Administrators, as well as the leadership from City Hall, has been strong, positive and direct to all who call Everett home. This is not a time to put the past forward but rather a time to write the future. I won’t allow negative comments from anyone, especially with my name, to stand in the way of the unthinkable task in front of our community. No matter if it’s a friend or enemy, we have no time for politics in these days. If you seek the position of harming our city or causing division during one of the greatest uncertainties we have ever faced, I can’t stand by and keep silent. I ask all news outlets, residents, business leaders, spiritual leaders and community leaders from every corner of our community to join in this fight as one. Together we can and will flatten the curve of the Coronavirus and come out of this time stronger then we went in as a community.
The time is now to write the future not the past!
Michael J. McLaughlin
Ward Six City Councilor