A Brand New Year!!!!

It's another new year. There is the potential for big change ahead of us in our fair City with a new administration taking office in just a few days, and while it would be tempting to rehash the old, let's focus on the new. It's a brand new year. Let's hope for the best for everyone.

Let's hope that there will one day be peace in the world.

Let us hope for justice in this city.

In 2006, let's make a difference for ourselves and others.

Happy New Year, Everett. To you and yours!

Who Will It Be?

The Board of Aldermen face another decision this evening which, while it may have looked simple at first, has the potential to be yet another powder keg of an appointment process.

With the election of John Hanlon as Mayor, and his resignation as City Clerk, the Board must now appoint a new City Clerk; it's a foregone conclusion that current assistant city clerk Michael Matarazzo will assume those duties. This leaves the position of assistant city clerk to be filled, and that is the slot that could cause some "interesting" moments in the Council chamber tonight. Rumor has it that the two candidates are Ellen Carr, who has worked in the City Clerk's office for many years, and Joanne Gregory who, though unconfirmed at this writing, appears to be out as the City Treasurer once Hanlon assumes the Corner Office.

It's going to be interesting, to say the least. Logic would dictate that Ms Carr, who has the experience of having worked in the City Clerk's office, would be the hands down choice. However -- logic is a funny thing in Everett politics; a lot of times it's a non-existent thing. Will Ms. Gregory be able to call on her personal associations with any of the members of the Board to sway the vote in her direction?

Stay tuned.

Merry Christmas

There, I said it. Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas is not meant to diminish whatever else one may believe -- Hannukah, Kwaanza, or whatever others may choose to celebrate. It is not meant to offend. Indeed, Christmas celebrates the birth of a man whose purpose on the Earth was to promote peace, love and understanding. While many of us believe Him to be the Son of God and rejoice in the miracle of His birth, it is not a belief necessary to the overriding message of Christmas. It is the lessons he taught while on Earth that endure. These lessons are universal . . . to love your neighbor, to forgive your enemies, to respect a child, to have compassion for a sinner. Regardless of how you observe this "season", how can it be offensive to anyone to celebrate those lessons?

The garish commercialism of Christmas . . . the focus on the material rather than the spiritual . . . offends me. And yet, I'm as guilty as any of participating in it. But for these few moments at least, I'm focusing on the lessons of the Season -- love, compassion and peace. Regardless of how you pass this "holiday", we here at The Mirror wish you all of these for the Season and for the coming year.

We're Not in Kansas Anymore, Toto

Well . . . it's been about a week now since the news came out that Lona DeFeo had plead guilty to charges of procurement fraud. The School Committee met on Monday night and went into Executive Session, presumably to discuss the matter, but took no public vote on Mrs. DeFeo's status as an employee of the Everett School Department. The School Committee did not violate any procedures by going into Executive Session. This is what they must do when discussing a "delicate" personnel issue, because the employee is entitled to a certain degree of privacy under employment laws.

Now . . . technically . . . the decision as to whether Mrs. DeFeo stays or goes is in the hands of the Superintendent. Under School Ed Reform, the Superintendent (of any school system) has the responsibility for hiring and firing school department employees. Technically, the School Committee has jurisdiction only over the appointment and job performance of the Superintendent, and they made their position on that subject quite clear when the Superintendent was indicted. They are standing by their man, because in our system of justice, you're innocent until proven guilty.

However . . . Mrs. DeFeo has now been proven guilty; in fact, she has admitted her guilt herself. So how does one explain Mr. Foresteire being quoted in today's Independent as saying that he believes Mrs. DeFeo will remain in the employ of the City of Everett School Department. How is the rest of City Government going to respond to that? We already know how the School Committee will respond . . . if Fred says it, it must be so. What of the incoming Common Council and Board of Aldermen and, for the matter, the incoming Mayor? Will they remain silent on the subject? The Board of Aldermen took a pass on the subject of the Superintendent, saying that it was the jurisdiction of the School Committee. Will they do the same now that Mrs. DeFeo is a convicted felon? Particularly since the crime of which she was convicted was committed in the performance of her duties in the job in which she continues to be employed.

This is truly a game of smoke and mirrors being played out. Metaphorically speaking, the broomstick of the Wicked Witch of the West has been delivered . . . and yet the Wizard still manages the controls.

No Toto, we're definitely not in Kansas anymore.

Guilty

Lona DeFeo, Fred Foresteire's school department maintenance director, has pled guilty to procurement fraud and was sentenced to two years of probation, community service and other conditions. While these charges could have brought jail time, it appears that given Mrs. DeFeo's age, and the fact that she gained no profit from the bid-rigging scheme - there was some compassion exercised. The felony charges do prevent her from getting a pension.

What does the school committee do now?

After their unabashed support for Mrs. DeFeo and the Superintendent, they can no longer avoid doing what they should have done nearly two years ago. They have to fire her or ask for her resignation. The bid-rigging scandal is no longer alleged; it is real. And the Superintendent? Well, something has to be done about a superintendent that allowed a bid rigging scandal to occur on his watch, not to mention the audit, with its uncertified teachers, hundreds of thousands of dollars of misspent state and federal grant money, the special education slush fund and other assorted improprieties.

What happens next? That's anyone's guess right now.

We're betting that if the Superintendent doesn't go to trial or plead out beforehand, the School Committee will give him a raise in June.

Beam Me Up

I mean it. Beam me up, Scottie. There's no intelligent life down here.

Certainly not if you watched last night's Board of Aldermen meeting.

It's difficult to know where to start, so let's start with the reappointment of Police Chief Stephen Mazzie, which was before the Board last night. This should have been a simple vote -- the Chief has done a stand up job since being appointed three years ago, he's the right man for the job, and he should've received a unanimous reappointment.

But he didn't.

Why? Well . . . let's look at some hard cold facts.

Chief Mazzie made a powerful enemy when he coordinated a raid on Alderman Michael Marchese's bar, MacDonald's Cafe, a couple of years ago, and tonight was payback time. Marchese managed to rally his minions to vote to have the appointment held over until John Hanlon takes the oath of office. The logic behind this move, as explained by Alderman Van Campen and, surprisingly, Joe McGonagle, was that protocol dictates that Mayor-elect Hanlon should have the opportunity to speak with the Chief and decide whether he should be put up for reappointment. This logic, it would seem, flies in the face of the other comments made by these members of the Board -- that if not for the "special circumstances" of a Mayoral transition, they would have no problem reappointing the Chief.

And let's not forget the fact that John Hanlon was elected over a month ago. Is he trying to tell us that he couldn't have a conversation with the Chief until he's sworn in? Is he trying to tell us that he didn't know the Chief was coming up for reappointment, and he didn't plan accordingly by sitting down and having a conversation with the man? Is he trying to tell us that he doesn't have someone else in mind for the post? Are we honestly to believe that this appointment is being held up on a point of protocol? Do these guys really believe we're that stupid?

Well . . . if Chief Mazzie is the right man for the job today, then he's the right man for the job a month from now, and it would've been nice, for once, to see certain members of the Board strap on a pair and vote their consciences for a change and not be dictated to by certain "influences" -- and make no mistake, this evening's influence was Michael Marchese.

Follow that logic a little further . . . they manage to have this appointment pushed over for the new administration. Do you all remember the pictures of Hanlon's victory party and those who stood front and center with him? Yes, indeed, there they were, the Brothers Marchese Michael and Joseph. Michael Marchese sent out letters of support of John Hanlon's candidacy in the final week of the campaign. Joseph Marchese has been known to provide substantial "financial aid" to those candidates whose success could be beneficial to him.

Are all of the dots connected yet?

Okay . . . Marchese has a grudge against Chief Mazzie . . . Chief Mazzie's appointment has been pushed over to January when Hanlon takes over . . . Hanlon "owes" the Marcheses for their not insignificant assistance in getting him elected . . . it's a frightening pictures once it comes into focus.

It defies common sense. It defies logic, and it defies any sense of doing what is in the best interest of the city. It reeks of political payback. Is this what we have to look forward to with the incoming administration? Will the Hanlon administration become the realization of what they've claimed the Ragucci administration was all along?

Finance Committee Meeting Tonight

The Finance Committee of the Everett City Council will meet this evening to take up the matter of Mayor Ragucci's proposal to apply $2m in free cash to the tax levy. The Mayor made the proposal in the hopes of providing some tax relief to home owners on their real estate tax bills. The Board of Aldermen voted last week to send the matter to the Finance Committee, citing among their reasons a lack of enough information to make an informed decision and the possibility that taxpayers would rather see the money spent on a Homecoming Parade or repairs on the Armory.

There has been a sense, however, that the Board voted to put the matter into Committee knowing that no meeting would be scheduled before the end of the year and the matter would die there. Any issue that is referred into a committee and is not acted on by year's end is no longer valid. If any action were to be taken, the issue would have to be submitted anew the following year.

Rather than let the matter die without a proper hearing, several members of the Common Council put forward a petition to force a meeting to be called.

The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. It would be interesting to attend to see what additional information is put forward by the Administration and what rationale the members now give for denying this, albeit small, relief for taxpayers.

Community Service Notices

CAMBRIDGE BREAST CENTER OPEN HOUSE!

Cambridge Health Alliance’s new Cambridge Breast Center including the new Breast Imaging/Mammography Suite are holding an open house at The Cambridge Hospital, 1493 Cambridge Street, Cambridge Monday December 5 from 4-7 p.m.

Date: Monday, Dec. 5, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Location: The Cambridge Hospital, first floor, 1493 Cambridge Street, Cambridge.
Contact: Elizabeth Moreland, 617-503-8415, EMoreland@CHAlliance.org

Come meet with Michael Wertheimer, MD, director, Cambridge Breast Center, and Carol Hulka, MD, chief of Radiology and director, Breast Imaging/Mammography Suite. Tour the brand new facilities and see our state-of-the-art equipment including digital mammography and breast ultrasound.

CAMBRIDGE HEALTH ALLIANCE is a regional healthcare system with three hospitals and more than twenty primary care practices in Cambridge, Somerville, and Boston’s metro-North communities. As a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School, Cambridge Health Alliance offers medical residency/training programs and undergraduate learning experiences in hospital and community settings. Cambridge Health Alliance also includes the Cambridge Public Health Department, CHA Physicians Organization (CHAPO), and Network Health, a managed Medicaid plan.
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For directions:
For further information:

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