Two elected officials in Everett move into the municipal campaign season this year with significant cash on hand despite 2020 being a year where fundraising was next to impossible and traditional fundraisers were not held beyond March 13 of last year.
Campaign Finance Reports from all of 2020 were due at the state Office of Campaign and Political Finance (OCPF) or at the Everett City Clerk’s office on Jan. 20. Most all of them have been turned in, according to Clerk Sergio Cornelio, and the Independent has secured all reports that were available this Monday.
The two biggest campaign chests in Everett come from Mayor Carlo DeMaria, who carries over more than $100,000 from early 2020, and a surprising surge from Councilor Adrien – who raised $64,907 throughout 2020 via online fundraisers and Internet donations.
Mayor DeMaria’s Campaign Committee said it was a slow year for fundraising because asking for money in times such as this didn’t seem appropriate, and the mayor was focused on the crisis.
However, Al and Matt Lattanzi, of the Committee, confirmed that the mayor is in fact running for re-election in 2021 and will be officially announcing and kicking off the campaign in the coming months.
The mayor did report some receipts, mostly in the early part of the year, and totaling $19,921 – with 19 of his 66 contributors coming from Everett. Most of his donations were logged in early January 2020 for a fundraiser held at the end of 2019. He logged only a few expenditures, and most of them were for donations, and a large spend on Christmas cards in December.
He enters the election season with $102,840 on hand.
Meanwhile, the busiest candidate on the Council was Gerly Adrien, who showed strong fund-raising ability despite COVID difficulties – raising a very noticeable $64,907 in 2020.
She began the year with $990 in the bank and raised money at some fundraisers before the pandemic hit, but then also raised a good deal of her financing through online fundraisers and online donations.
Adrien logged 1,130 donors to her campaign in 2020, and 206 of them were from Everett. Of the total raised, $27,154 came in donations that were $50 or under. A majority of the donations not from Everett came from the Greater Boston area, with two Boston mayoral candidates donating to her – Councilors Annissa Essaibi George and Andrea Campbell.
Adrien said the fundraising effort showed Everett residents believe in her, and supporters statewide also believe in her.
“I’m very proud of all the Everett support I have,” she said. “I am also grateful for all the support and elected officials across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It shows that not only Everett wants me re-elected, but also everyone in Massachusetts believes in my vision and the work I have done to help Everett progress. I hope my colleagues will take my ideas and policies more seriously instead of wasting time bashing or discrediting me. Let’s get to work on helping all of our residents, not the selected few.”
During 2020, she spent $4,543 on fundraisers prior to the pandemic, and scores of small donations through the ActBlue Massachusetts organization. She goes into the 2020 municipal election season with $61,354.
Also turning some heads on the Council was Anthony DiPierro, who raised $21,778 in 2020 and, after spending $5,986, goes into the campaign season with $21,026 on hand. Details of his donations and expenditures weren’t immediately available.
Councilor Fred Capone raised $5,240 with a handful of donations in 2020, and spent $2,064 mostly on newspaper advertisements. He goes into 2021 with $3,707 on hand.
Councilor Michael McLaughlin raised substantial $7,263 and spent $8,885 in 2020, but that was for the state representative race that played out most of the year and concluded on Sept. 1. He comes into 2021 with $155.
Others on the Council include:
•President Wayne Matewsky, $1,188 with no 2020 activity.
•Michael Marchese, $1,592 with no 2020 activity.
•Rosa DiFlorio, Raised $1,992 and spent $1,495 and now has $497.
•John Hanlon, Raised $2,516 and spent $1,860 and now has $680.
•Jimmy Tri Le, Raised $1,945 and spent $1,266 and now has $684.
At the School Committee, most have no balance, but School Committeeman Marcony Almeida Barros does have a healthy campaign coffer with $6,040 on hand going into the re-election period. He raised $4,050 in 2020 and spent $1,671 in 2020.