Happy New Year!

2006 is fast coming to a close, and a brand new year is about to begin. That said, New Year's Eve is often a time of reflection on the old year, and resolutions for the new. Here are a few of the resolutions that we're wishing for....please feel free to post some of your own.

Mayor John Hanlon - to keep his campaign promises -- all of them.
Representative-elect Stephen Smith - to bring back more state aid for Everett
Alderman President Nuzzo - to allow BOA members to speak whether he agrees with them or not.
Superintendent Foresteire - to take a course in finance and ethics
Alderman Jason Marcus - to take a stand and stick to it
Alderman Charles DiPerri - nomination papers for mayor
Alderman Joe McGonagle - nomination papers for mayor
Alderman Carlo DeMaria - a reality check
Alderman Robert Van Campen - to find his lawyer mojo that he so aptly displayed during the previous administration
Editor Josh Resnek - a cure for Koolaid addiction
School Committee President, David Ela - ditto
School Committee member, Robert Alconada - to find where he left his Masters Degree in Public Administration and put it to use.
Everett Citizens - Peace, parking, and lower taxes in the new year!

To Vote or Not To Vote

That's the question facing the Massachusetts legislature now that the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has ruled that they cannot do anything to compel the Legislature to vote on the issue of putting a gay marriage amendment on the ballot.

So what will our elected officials do? According to the SJC, the Legislature has a Constitutional responsibility to give the issue an up or down vote; in November the Legislature adjourned their Constitutional Convention without taking up the issue. The Constitutional Convention is due to meet again on January 2nd, and it seems likely that they will once again choose not to vote on the issue, in spite of the admonition of the SJC.

Is that the right thing to do? We don't think so. A constitutional obligation is just that -- an obligation, and not one that should be shirked just because the issue at hand isn't comfortable. Whether you agree with a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage -- and we don't -- a group of people collected 170,000 signatures to get the measure on the ballot. The legislature should vote on it -- and if they disagree with it, they should have the courage of their convictions to stand up and say "we think it's wrong to write hate into the Constitution. We think it's wrong to use a document meant to endow rights upon people to deny rights to people." We think our Legislators should, once and for all, make a stand. Gay marriage has been law for over a year now. No one's life, at least as far as has made the news, has been turned upside down because of it; no one's heterosexual marriage has been destroyed; the world has not come to an end.

It might also be worth noting that marriage -- heterosexual or otherwise -- is not a constitutional right guaranteed to anyone. That being the case, why would we use the Constitution to deny rights to any one group simply because we may disapprove of how they live their lives?

The members of the Legislature should have the courage to stand up and vote what they believe to be right. Anything less is a violation of their oath of office.

Gerald R. Ford, 1913-2006

Gerald Ford, the 38th President of the United States, passed away in his sleep last night at the age of 93.

Ford came into the Presidency, some say, "accidentally", being chosen by Richard Nixon to replace Spiro Agnew upon his resignation of the Vice Presidency, and coming to the Presidency under the cloud of Vietnam and Watergate, the scandal that brought down the Presidency of Richard Nixon. Ford may be most remembered for pardoning Richard Nixon for any crimes he may have committed during his presidency. At the time, this move angered many Americans and probably cost Ford from being elected to the Presidency when he was challenged by Jimmy Carter, but it has come to be recognized as a bold action that was necessary and key to starting to heal the wounds caused by Nixon's betrayal of the office.

We thank Gerald Ford for his service to our country. May he rest in peace in God's love.

T'is the Season.....

Tonight is Christmas Eve, and it is a beautiful clear night. It's not a white Christmas or even a cold one....but it's a beautiful one nonetheless. It's after 6 PM, which means you can't buy one more blessed thing, unless it's lottery tickets or something at Store 24. This is when it's best....when the holiday just falls down upon us, whether we're finished with the shopping and cooking or not. It's Christmas and that's all that really matters.

No matter what holiday you celebrate....this is the time for family and friends to gather and celebrate. Life is short, friends, enjoy every minute of it. Keep this season in your heart all year long.

The Staff of the Everett Mirror wishes you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. To our Jewish friends, a belated Hanukkah.

"This Is All This Town Has..."

The Boston Globe sports section on Sunday, December 3 featured a front page article and photos of Everett High's football team and coach, John DiBiaso. It had some great pictures of Dib with the kids, the team bus, and even DiB shopping! It was a nice piece, very complimentary to the city's football program; it was a wonderful tribute to the Crimson Tide, and well deserved.

There was one comment, which was probably very offhand, that was very telling and a little disturbing at the same time. In the section titled "A day in the life," an unnamed coach, in the context of Everett going without a championship title in two years, comments that "This is all this town has."

"This is all this town has?"

Such is the culture of this school system, and in the fall months, it permeates the city. What a message to impart! It starts at the top and trickles all the way down to the players. In the article, our very media savvy school superintentendent strategically creates an image of a poor, dirty, industrial city in which football is the only beacon of hope. "When you live in a city like this, you point to the industry, the smokestacks, the traffic on Broadway...our houses are almost one on top of the other. This is something you can point to - I live in Everett and that's my team." When your superintendent makes a comment like that, what message is that sending to the other kids in the school system? If you don't play, or at least embrace, the football culture in this city, there's no place for you?

We're not trying to minimize the impact of high school football in this city. It is, indeed, a huge part of our culture and our heritage. It is not, however, the only thing this city has to offer our young people. There are youth sports organizations to which the adults in this city devote countless hours -- not just in football, but in baseball, softball, basketball, hockey, and soccer. The high school has various clubs outside of athletics -- a music program that draws more kids to it each year; language clubs; scholastic clubs. In the past couple of weeks, there have been pictures in the local paper of young people in the elementary schools who are part of the Kiwanis Builders Program. High school football is important to our city but it is, by no means, "all this town has to offer." By the way, someone should explain to that coach that we're a city, not a town. We haven't been a town since 1892.

The trickle down effect of this culture is frightening. It's in this "football is everything" culture that a young player is quoted, stating, "Football is life in Everett," and "It's our life." When all is said and done, football isn't everything. These kids graduate from high school and the vast majority don't go on to the NFL. Most of them leave their football glory behind and they go to college, or they go onto jobs and/or the military. That's real life. All the football victories in the world won't prepare young people for real life if "it's all this town has."

Guest Editorial by Chris Keohan

STOPPING THE DUMP…STRENGTHENING THE COMMUNITY

BY: CHRIS KEOHAN

THE MEETING
On Wednesday, December 6th the Boston Conservation Commission held a meeting regarding the proposed materials handling facility (i.e. sludge dump) located at the border of Everett and Boston on Lower Broadway. I was proud to be one of those in attendance, opposing the project and representing what I believe to be the stance of a vast majority of Everett citizens.

Senator Barrios, Representative-Elect Smith, Mayor Hanlon, Aldermen, City Councilors, and everyday citizens attended the meeting and spoke against this proposal. The meeting lasted well over 3 hours, and during that time the people attending from Everett spoke passionately about their concerns. We were prepared well beyond what the City of Boston and its representatives were ready for. Advocates for the project were clearly not expecting us to have the breadth of information or quality of questions asked. In the end our voices sent a clear message…Enough is Enough!

The people of Everett are not going to allow a closed process on such an important issue to our future health and development. We will not sit idly by while the City of Boston attempts to push forward with a plan that will have a direct impact on the quality of life of our citizens without having our voices heard.

THE PROJECT
There are many facts that Everett residents must know about the proposed development:

On April 28, 2006, the City of Boston purchased a section of land directly across the street from the Mystic Power Plant. The sole purpose of this purchase was to place an unwanted City of Boston waste material handling facility on land that, while technically in Boston, has virtually no direct effect on its citizens. This project will, however, have a far greater influence on the City of Everett. It will directly affect the health, environment and economy of our city and its residents.

Representatives from Boston have undermined the authority of the City of Everett as an affected community at every turn. Our elected officials at both the state and local levels were not notified of the project until recently, and the Boston Water and Sewer Commission has gone to great lengths to keep Everett from having their concerns voiced and heard. We are fighting this every step of the way, but people need to be outraged by the complete lack of respect that the City of Boston has shown us as its neighbors. The affects of this facility WILL greatly increase traffic, the potential for pollution, undermine the redevelopment projects on lower Broadway and along the waterfront, and destroy one of the final areas left undeveloped in Everett.

Each day over 100 tons of sewer and drain debris will be shipped-in via 62 dump trucks over the Alford St. Bridge, which is the gateway from Boston, and into this facility. Once inside this “sludge” will sit in order to dry out and be prepared for shipping to a landfill in New Hampshire.

*Note- If this sounds like a temporary dump to you, then you are 100% correct.

The EPA readily admits that the substances being transported have a likelihood of contamination from oils and other roadside run-off. To combine the added trucking on an already impassable roadway, the likelihood of contamination, and the undoubtedly detrimental effect on our businesses, our housing prices, and US is staggering.

The stench that will emanate from each of the 62 trucks is only comparable to that of the one coming from Boston City Hall, and their handling of this project to date. This is a project that can and must be stopped, not just for our current residents, but also for the future of Everett, its economic development, and the environment that we have fought so long and hard to repair from years of dumping and toxic waste.

THE SOLUTION
You may be thinking…What can I do to help? Currently there is an online petition being emailed throughout the city for anyone residing, owning a business or working here. Please contact me at christopherj.keohan@gmail.com if you have not received it and would like to be included as a signer. If you do not have email please do not hesitate to call me at (617) 892-2765.

Finally, there is a meeting scheduled for the night of January 4th at the Knights of Columbus hall in Charlestown in which the people of Everett must be represented in large numbers. Please contact me if you would like to attend but need help finding a ride to the meeting. I will do my best to help arrange transportation for as many people as possible with elected officials throughout the city.

Together we must stand up for our city and our neighbors! There has been a partisan political divide within this city for many years now. This project, this injustice, this clear violation of our rights must be met head on with the force of an entire community. Together we must forget about the differences that have separated us politically for so many years and come together for what is a defining moment in the history of our great city. Anything less will result in defeat and another blight on a community struggling to move forward from its industrial past and find a new identity with its growing population.

THE TIDE ROLLS OVER BROCKTON!

The Everett Tide posted another Superbowl win over Brockton, avenging their 2004 squeaker of a loss. Brockton has won the last two Superbowls, which makes this win even sweeter. Everett dominated the game, winning 35-6. Expect big coverage in the Globe and the Herald tomorrow, and don't forget Channel 5 news at 6PM.

Congratulations to the Crimson Tide football team, the cheerleaders and to Coach John DiBiaso.