Everett City Council votes no confidence in mayor and CFO after Inspector General findings

The Everett City Council voted 9-0 on March 10 to express no confidence in Mayor Carlo DeMaria and the city’s chief financial officer after the Massachusetts Inspector General’s office reported what the council described as concealment and improper payments tied to the mayoral longevity ordinance.

The council took the vote following a reading of a Feb. 27 letter from Massachusetts Inspector General Jeffrey S. Shapiro, who reported that the city had overpaid $180,000 in longevity payments to the mayor, made unauthorized retroactive payments and advanced an unauthorized $1,700 payment while the ordinance was under consideration. The IG’s correspondence recommended an audit of payments to the mayor dating to fiscal 2016, recovery of the $180,000 and other changes to financial controls.

Why it matters: The vote is a formal expression of the council’s loss of confidence in the administration’s financial controls and follows weeks of public comment and media coverage of the Inspector General’s conclusions. The council also acted on related items at the meeting, including voting to delete the mayoral longevity provision from the city code and approving funding for council professional and technical services tied to implementing IG recommendations.

Council debate and process: Councilors moved and debated a postponement to March 24 so the council could make a second demand for repayment; the postponement motion was withdrawn and a motion for favorable action on the no-confidence resolution was then called and seconded. Several councilors said they were reluctant to delay. Councilor Alcee de Buen said she would vote to decide the item at the meeting. Other councilors argued the city had already waited and that immediate action was appropriate.

Formal actions taken: The council enrolled (first vote) an ordinance removing the mayoral longevity provision, voted to appropriate $150,000 to the city council’s professional and technical account for work tied to implementing IG recommendations, and approved the 9-0 no-confidence resolution. The mayor has not accepted the Inspector General’s recommendations as a conclusive finding and has engaged legal counsel; the council recorded the IG’s recommendations and voted to press for repayment and further steps.

What the IG recommended: The Inspector General’s letter recommended an audit of payments to the mayor from fiscal 2016 to present, recovery of $180,000 and other overpayments, referral of detailed longevity payment information to the State Ethics Commission, elimination of longevity pay for elected officials and changes to payroll controls including segregation of CFO/auditor duties.

Next steps and follow-ups: Councilors asked the administration to report back in writing and in person on steps the city will take to implement the Inspector General’s recommended controls; the council also requested the mayor’s response be delivered to the Inspector General within the 30-day window the IG specified. The council asked for additional information about legal fees, invoices and the status of any repayments before the March 24 meeting.

Ending: The vote marks a formal political rebuke by Everett’s legislative body but does not itself remove the mayor or CFO. The council set several follow-up items — an audit request, an ordinance change, and requests for invoices and administration responses — to be tracked at subsequent meetings.