The owner and manager of Carlos’ Used Cars/Repairs Shop at 67 Rear Chelsea Street appeared before the Board of Aldermen to discuss the questionable operation of their business and activities taking place on their property.
There are three mechanics including the owner, and a sales and office-person. For years, some Everett residents have been complaining about the car shop for its allegedly flagrant disregard of the residents that live in the area. Cars, flatbeds, and tow trucks are randomly parked in resident parking spaces, and despite complaints, the car shop owner has apparently continued to ignore pleas from the Everett city council members to change this disrespectful behavior.
And despite not having a license to work on Sundays, people actively enter and leave the shop, according to those who have complained. “There’s activity there on Sundays,” asserted Madam Alderman Millie Cardello, to which Carlos replied, “a guy cleans on Sunday. Nobody’s working Sunday.”
Cardello and the other board members shook their heads at what they believed was a lie. With Dunkin’ Donuts coffee in hand, the shop’s mechanics, whom each have their own set of keys, leisurely enter through the car shop’s doors on any given Sunday, and leave when they so please. No one said they had witnessed any cleaning supplies being brought into the shop.
Cardello said she was outraged.
“You disrespected this board and the city of Everet. A woman called one day because she had no place to park, and her groceries almost spoiled because she couldn’t carry them and her kids so far from her home. We see tow trucks parked on Marlborough Street and that is strictly a residential area,” Cardello said.
Carlos has been questioned before in regards to suspicions that other mechanics are using the shop to service vehicles. But he claimed no violations of the license had been made, despite several board members publicly announcing they’ve witnessed numerous accounts. Cardello motioned for a 90-day trial period to watch for changes at Carlos’ Used Cars/Repair Shop in compliance with the license.
Alderman L. Charles DiPerri thought his fellow board member was being too kind. “You’re being a little bit too fair,” he said to Cardello. “I think we should put a stop to it. This business has been a problem for years, disrupting the residential area.”
Alderman Michael Marchese agreed, saying that, “Enough’s enough. They’ve had plenty of chances, and they’ve abused it.”
The laws and ordinances set forth by the city of Everett are not to be strayed from. And when they are violated, the Board of Aldermen has a right to pull one’s license. All of the members made a point of how serious deviating from the restrictions of a license is, and, it was evident in the faces of the workers representing Carlos’ Used Cars, that they knew the board members were serious in their message.
The 90-day motion was replaced by a motion to refer the issue back to the sponsor and grant further time to reach a conclusion to best appeal to the business and its surrounding residents. But one thing is certain: more complaints will lead to more bad news for Carlos and his car shop.