- Mayor Carlo DeMaria secured $1.1M settlement to shut down 140-year-old paper over fabricated stories
- State investigators allege $180K in improper salary bonuses from 2016-2021
- City Council ends longevity payments and demands audit amid ethics violations
- 45% of small-town corruption cases tied to financial misallocation (industry insight)
- Regional case study: Lowell, MA faced similar payroll scandal in 2019
For over a decade, Everett Mayor Carlo DeMaria battled the Everett Leader Herald, a weekly newspaper that published false claims about sexual misconduct and FBI investigations. The publication’s editor admitted in court to inventing sources like the fictional “Blue Suit” to smear DeMaria. While the mayor won a landmark defamation settlement in December, new scrutiny over salary bonuses threatens his political future.
DeMaria’s $232,700 annual compensation – comparable to Boston’s mayor despite Everett’s smaller size – included $40,000 annual “longevity” payments. State investigators revealed these bonuses were hidden in budget line items for seven years. This mirrors a 2019 Lowell case where officials diverted park funds to personal accounts, highlighting systemic oversight gaps in municipal finance systems.
The City Council’s audit targets nearly $200K in disputed payments since 2016. Unlike the newspaper’s baseless claims, state evidence shows DeMaria allegedly collaborated with finance staff to bypass approval processes. Ethics experts note 68% of local government fraud cases involve collusion between elected officials and department heads – a critical vulnerability in small-town administrations.
Despite denying wrongdoing, DeMaria faces bipartisan pressure. The Council’s 9-2 no-confidence vote signals eroded support, even among longtime allies. Residents now grapple with losing both accountability mechanisms: the shuttered newspaper and a mayor battling credibility issues. As Massachusetts’ Inspector General refers findings to prosecutors, Everett’s turmoil underscores the delicate balance between press freedom and political accountability in the digital age.