Mayor says report’s conclusions are wholly unsupported and lack foundation
Special to the Independent
Mayor Carlo DeMaria and his Administration issued a statement in which they strenuously disagree with the findings and conclusions of the Massachusetts Office of the Inspector General (OIG) in a letter sent to the President of the Everett City Council, Stephanie Martins.
In a public letter issued last Thursday, Inspector General Jeffrey S. Shapiro called on the Everett City Council to recover $180,000 in longevity payments paid to Mayor Carlo DeMaria and to conduct an audit of all payments made to the mayor from Fiscal Year 2016 to present and recover any other overpayments discovered through the audit.
The letter to the city council president also provides details of the Office of the Inspector General’s investigation. The investigation says that the mayor and his administration allegedly misapplied the mayoral longevity ordinance.
Mayor DeMaria’s and his Administration responded to the OIG’s findings, stating, “The City has worked with the OIG for nearly three years since learning of the investigation, producing documents and making City officials – including the Mayor – available for interviews with investigators. The release of a 16-page report by the OIG only two days after Mayor DeMaria voluntarily met with investigators suggests a pre-determined result.
In 2016, during a public meeting, the City Council passed the longevity ordinance in the ordinary course of business, and the City made annual payments to the Mayor consistent with its language. Contrary to the OIG’s report, the Mayor did not propose the ordinance, draft the ordinance, or vote to approve the ordinance.
Neither the Mayor nor any member of his Administration engaged in concealment. The City Council received information in multiple years concerning the Mayor’s longevity payment amounts, which was included in City budgets posted on the City’s website. It was not until the most recent mayoral election cycle in 2021 that the amounts were called into question. Any skepticism regarding the Mayor’s longevity payment was spurred by this political campaign.”
“The Administration is vigorously exploring options to address the OIG’s unsupported and flawed conclusions. “I have worked too hard and too long as a public servant in the City of Everett to stand by while the Inspector General attacks my integrity and the integrity of the members of my Administration,” said Mayor DeMaria.