City Council casts ‘no confidence’ vote in Mayor DeMaria over longevity bonus
By Cary Shuman
The Everett City Council voted Monday night by a 9-0 margin “no confidence” in Mayor Carlo DeMaria in response to a report by the state inspector relating to longevity bonuses paid to the city’s chief executive.
Mayor Carlo DeMaria issued the following statement in response to the City Council resolution of no confidence:
“The residents of Everett deserve proactive, responsive leadership that prioritizes the issues most important to our community, not political theatrics. As Mayor, I have consistently worked to find solutions and drive positive change for Everett, while members of the City Council have focused on agenda items that are irrelevant to the real needs of residents.
Whether it is improving the learning experience for Everett students, revitalizing our local economy by working with residents and business leaders to welcome new developments that reflect the needs of the city, or working to bring an array of transit options to residents and visitors, my administration is committed to doing the work on your behalf, as we always have.
Though I am ready to partner with elected officials who share a similar positive vision for Everett, some Councilors seem more interested in grandstanding than in doing the hard work of serving the people. They believe that being the loudest is more important than being well-informed, and that pursuing personal agendas takes precedence over working together for the good of our city.
To the people of Everett, let me be clear: I work for you. Even if I have to do it on my own, I will continue fighting alongside you to make our city a better place to live, work, and raise a family. Thank you for your continued support as we strive to make Everett a great community for all.”
The report said that DeMaria received an overpayment of $180,000 for the longevity bonus that had been passed by a city ordinance.
Councillors Peter Pietrantonio, Stephanie Smith, Holly Garcia, Michael Marchese, Robert Van Campen, Guerline Alcy Jabouin, and Stephanie Martins sponsored the resolution. Councillors John Hanlon and Katy Rogers joined that group in voting in favor of the resolutions. Councilor Anthony DiPierro recused himself from the vote, while Councilor Wayne Matewski was absent from the meeting.
Van Campen began the discussion, stating, “I don’t want to belabor the point, but I think the resolution speaks for itself.
None of us want to be in the position we are currently in, but we’re confronted with a very serious matter involving missteps, wrongdoing, financial mismanagement in our city.”
Van Campen called the whole matter “one of those rare, unfortunate, historic occasions when the legislative body of the city takes a position expressing a lack of confidence in the mayor and the chief financial officer.”
Van Campen surprised some observers when he moved to postpone the vote until the March 24 meeting to “make a second demand on the mayor to make payments to this City of $180,000.”
Councilor-at-Large Alcy Jabouin made clear her intentions, telling her colleagues, “I will be voting to vote on this item tonight. The report came out, we all read it. The public read it. The news is aware of it. It’s been going on for three years. This is not news to anybody here on this Council or anyone in the City. He publicly said that he will not pay. We need to vote on this tonight and stop dragging this. It’s not fair to the public. It’s not fair to us that, to keep him coming here, and vote over and over on an item that we already know what the answer is.”
After hearing his colleagues’ thoughts on the matter, notably Alcy Jabouin’s impassioned plea, Van Campen changed course and withdrew his motion to postpone the vote.
“Nine ayes, zero nays,” announced City Clerk Sergio Cornelio.