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Embattled Everett mayor loses reelection bid to city councilor
Unofficial results showed Mayor Carlo DeMaria trailing by more than 600 votes after nearly two decades in office.
Everett City Councilor Robert Van Campen unseated longtime Mayor Carlo DeMaria on Tuesday night, ending DeMaria’s nearly two-decade run at the helm of the city.
According to Everett’s unofficial results, Van Campen led DeMaria by more than 600 votes.
“When we launched this campaign in June, I said Everett was hungry for change,” Van Campen said in a statement. “Tonight, the voters made it clear: it’s time to move forward. Change has arrived, and it’s time to write the next chapter in this city’s history.”
Van Campen’s win marks the end of DeMaria’s 18-year tenure as Everett’s mayor. He was instrumental in bringing the Encore casino to the city and is now working to secure a professional soccer stadium.
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But he has also drawn protests at City Hall, with residents wearing shirts reading “Dump DeMaria.”
DeMaria has recently been the center of attention at City Council meetings over his $180,000 in longevity payments, which the Massachusetts State Inspector General found were questionably taken and hidden in the city’s budget.
The audit found $40,000 in longevity payments between 2018 and 2020, making DeMaria the highest-paid mayor in Massachusetts — ahead of mayors in Boston, Brockton, and Somerville.
DeMaria has refused to return the money, denying any wrongdoing.
In 2024, DeMaria won a $1.1 million defamation settlement, closing a local paper after discovery in the case found that the publication admitted to fabricating quotes and knowingly reporting false information about the mayor.
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And in 2014, four women alleged that DeMaria had sexually harassed them over the past decade, which he denied.
“The election didn’t go the way that we had hoped, but I am proud of the record of accomplishments we have built over the past 18 years,” DeMaria said in a statement on Wednesday.
“The city has been positioned well and has a solid financial standing that will make things easier for the next administration,” DeMaria continued. “The City of Everett is my hometown, and now that I will be able to step back and be able to enjoy my time with my family, I will be watching to make sure that the progress we have achieved continues because that is what the residents of Everett deserve.”
DeMaria told WCVB on Tuesday that he blamed the low voter turnout.
According to the unofficial results, the city saw about 30% voter turnout, similar to the 2021 election, when DeMaria was last on the ballot, which saw 33% turnout.
Van Campen, who represents Ward 5, was one of 10 City Council members who voted “no confidence” in DeMaria.
Campen’s campaign centered on bringing accountability and government transparency — and issues like school overcrowding, traffic congestion, and development — back to the forefront.
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“I promise to serve as mayor for all of Everett, those who supported me and those who did not,” Van Campen said in a statement.
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