Letters to the Editor

I Support Fred Capone

To the Editor:

I am a supporter of Fred Capone for Mayor, and I will explain to you why, but  first let me introduce myself to you.

I am a 91 year old widower, proud father to four children, nine grandchildren, and four great grandchildren.

I was born to Immigrant parents that had 11 Children and I lived in Everett for most of my entire life.

I graduated from Everett High School and Bentley School of Accounting and Finance.

I joined the US Army in 1952 during the Korean War and was honorably discharged after serving two years.

I retired in 1994 as a Vice President of a large local corporation.

I was elected to the Board of Alderman at the age of 78  years old, also became the last President of that Board.

Mayor Carlo DeMaria was also elected to become the Mayor of Everett in the same year.

I served as an elected  official  for eight years along side the Mayor and also Councillor Fred Capone.

I voted for Carlo DeMaria for the first two years as Mayor, and I also was proud to nominate Fred Capone to become the President of the Board of Councillors after he served on that Board for two years.  

I have witnessed the a change in Mayor Carlo DeMaria after his first term and I also witnessed the best performance of Councillor Fred Capone during my tenure as an elected official..

It is true, as he often states, that he has done many things to improve the infrastructure in the city, but at what costs?

Rather than reduce our tax rate, he spends money very wastefully, trying to buy your vote with your tax dollars. Our tax rate should be much lower than what it is, because we receive  much more tax revenues from the Casino and the many, many apartment developments that have been built in the city, which by the way causes much more traffic in the city.

Fred Capone has been loyal to his family and the Citizens of Everett, he has alway voted for the good of the Everett Citizen, he is a business man in the city of Everett. he is honest, and you will be proud to have him as your Mayor.

To the voters that voted for Gerly Adrien in the Primary, I know that you are disappointed, as I have been many times when I voted for person that lost, but I never stopped voting.  You voted to defeat Mayor Carlo DeMaria in the Primary, you owe it to yourself  and the Citizens of Everett to vote to defeat him in the Election November 2nd !

Salvator Sachetta

Hope and Magic

To the Editor:

I greatly enjoyed and was happy to see something written in the newspaper addressing the issues of Alcohol Use Disorder and/or Substance Use Disorders and how they have affected individuals since the Pandemic. I would like to offer my opinion about naming AA in that article. A 12 step based approach is proven effective. I did google and research the other programs mentioned. The support is similar with the big exception that AA meets in person and the connection is made directly face to face and that is where the “hope and magic” of the program is transmitted from one individual to the next. There is no financial obligation in a 12 step program and millions and millions of people have recovered. The bottom line is whether you pay or not, the individual has to take the action in their recovery and change the person that walks in the door. No amount of money can make anyone do that. As a proud member of AA, part of the 12 Traditions is that the AA name ought never be brought into controversy. I feel that by specifically naming AA and putting that program up against others that charge a fee is not fair to anyone. A lot of individuals never make it in to hear the message that is so “freely” given and reading this may sway someone to not even try it. Thank you for your time and for hearing me out.

Tina Oliveri

Thank You for the Support

To the Editor:

I am the Executive Director of For Kids Only Afterschool (FKO) and I am writing to thank the City of Everett and Mayor Carlo DeMaria for the longtime support of children and families enrolled in our afterschool programs.

I first came to Everett in a professional capacity in 2007. I worked with Mayor DeMaria as part of the Everett After School Team (EAST) which convened city and legislative leaders, school officials, community partners, parents and other stakeholders. EAST led a broad community needs assessment process that identified afterschool services as a top community need, and in response the City of Everett and Everett Public Schools invited FKO to become the contracted afterschool provider for the community. With support of Mayor DeMaria and the backing of EAST, FKO opened programs at six different elementary schools which operated year-round until the COVID-19 pandemic closed school buildings in March 2020.

Since schools were closed at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, FKO has been unable to continue services in shared space at Everett Public School buildings. However, with the commitment of the City of Everett and Mayor DeMaria to continue in-person programming for Everett families, FKO secured safe classroom space at the former Pope John Academy in July 2020, where we continue to operate to this day.

Since FKO’s Everett Afterschool Program began, Mayor DeMaria has been a vocal advocate for dedicated funding to award afterschool scholarships to students in need and always made sure the city focused on providing struggling working families with access to these important services. Further, the commitment of city resources to transport homeless children back to their families every day meant that they could attend afterschool programming with their peers; without the Mayor’s commitment they would not have been able to do so.

I have enjoyed Mayor DeMaria’s frequent visits to our programs, joining the children at Showcase Nights and end-of-year celebrations. I fondly recall the time children at the Keverian School got the Mayor directly involved in a special project they launched. They created a “Kids Youth Council” hoping to make an impact on their community and began advocating to update their school’s playground. They wrote to the Mayor, explained the need for mulch to be added under the playground equipment for safety and invited him to come for a visit so they could make their case. The children were thrilled and so proud when, just a few weeks after they reached out, they looked out the window to see mulch being dropped off. It’s moments like these that show just how big of a heart print Mayor DeMaria has left on the children of FKO and the community.

The support from Mayor DeMaria and the City of Everett over the years has led to tremendous opportunities for children and families in our community, including:

• Access to year-round afterschool and full-day summer learning programs for thousands of Everett children and youth;

• Transportation services to and from afterschool programming;

• Innovative remote learning support services for students needing care and supervision during remote school days;

• High-quality learning recovery and enrichment through programs like the United Way’s Summer Step Up grant;

• Access to resources, such as translation services, nutritious meals and holiday gifts;

• And much more!

FKO will continue to collaborate with our partners in Everett to provide public and private financial assistance to eligible families who need and want fun and engaging afterschool and summer enrichment experiences for their children.

We are forever grateful for the collaborations and friendships that have been made with Mayor DeMaria and the City of Everett over the past 14 years and we look forward to continuing our work together. I would be remis not to share a special thank you to School Committee member Millie Cardello and City Councilor Michael McLaughlin who, along with so many other public officials and community leaders, have gone above and beyond to promote access for all to quality out-of-school time programming in the City of Everett.

Warm Regards,

Deborah

Kneeland Keegan

Executive Director

Capone is the Right Choice

To the Editor:

I am writing this to show my support for Fred Capone for Mayor!  I believe he is the right choice in this election – he will lead with integrity and make you proud to be from Everett.

I grew up ‘down the village’ near Fred’s wife, Michele, and I became close with her family.

I later moved to Everett Street and became friends with Fred’s mother, Rose, and her four boys.

It was incredible to see two nice families come together.

Now, many years later, I’ve watched Fred, Michele and their children give back to Everett.

Michele’s many involvements include her work with the Friends of Everett Libraries and also was a library trustee. Fred has served eight years on the Council and has done extensive volunteer work including time helping at the Grace Food Pantry.  They have donated many scholarships through the years to deserving students. One recipient was my niece. They believe that helping others is important.

Now Fred is running for Mayor!  He stands for honest government and is committed to making all residents his priority.  That is something that has changed in recent years.

Please join me in supporting Fred Capone for Mayor.   

Ann Garron

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