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Everett City Council calls on the AG to recover money from the mayor
An earlier investigation revealed overpayments to Mayor Carlo DeMaria of $180,000.
The Everett City Council is calling on Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell to intervene and recover $180,000 in improper payments made to Mayor Carlo DeMaria, after the mayor continues to refuse to return the funds.
The move at a City Council hearing Tuesday evening came after the mayor’s administration refused to allocate an additional $200,000 in the operating budget to the City Council.
The extra funding was slated for litigation and implementing recommendations from the attorney general’s office following the discovery of the overpayments.
“We are unfortunately being obstructed in our ability to do that,” said City Council Robert Van Campen, the sponsor of the resolution.
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Campen added that if the mayor and his administration want to adjudicate this issue, he said, “then let’s go to court,” and let an independent party determine who was wrong.
Councilor Stephanie Smith stated that the mayor had previously indicated he welcomes the attorney general’s involvement.
“Attorney General Campbell, the ball is now in your court,” Smith said.
On February 27, the Everett City Council received correspondence from the Inspector General, which found that the mayor had been overpaid $180,000 in longevity payments following a three-year investigation.
The report found that the mayor and his administration concealed the longevity payments from the Everett City Council and the public.
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It also said that the city improperly paid the mayor $30,000 in retroactive longevity payments before the mayoral ordinance was enacted and improperly authorized an advance of $1,700 to the mayor under the longevity ordinance for non-union department leads.
The report also found that the mayor may have violated state ethics laws when he participated in drafting and approving the city ordinance that paid him the longevity payments.
“We hear the community’s concerns and are following the issue closely,” said a spokesperson for the attorney general’s office. “The City Council could also direct the city to take legal action to recover the alleged missed payments. In this case, the AG’s Office does not have the jurisdiction to recover those funds.”
The mayor’s office did not immediately respond to comment.
However, DeMaria’s Chief of Staff Erin Devaney, in a statement to WCVB, said that the longevity issue had already been referred to the United States attorney’s office by the OIG, which resulted in no action.
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