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Boston Globe
16 hours ago
- Business
- Boston Globe
How Everett mayor's campaign aide got hired as a $550-an-hour city spokesman
Public relations consultant Dot Joyce — one of three communications professionals city officials said they contacted — said the request from Everett City Hall landed in her inbox the morning it was due. She did not bother to bid. 'A thorough response to a request of this nature would have taken us longer than eight hours to produce,' she said. The city did contact her again a few weeks later, she acknowledged, but she again declined to submit a quote. Advertisement In the end, the lone bidder was Regan Communications Group, which was already working for the mayor's campaign and submitted a detailed, 11-page proposal right on time. The flaws in the procurement process are detailed in public records sought by the Globe amid broader scrutiny of DeMaria's use of taxpayer money. A state investigator reported in February that DeMaria had improperly received $180,000 in bonuses, with the largest payments hidden in an unrelated section of the city's budget. DeMaria, a Democrat first elected mayor in 2007, has refused to return the bonuses and insisted he did nothing wrong. He used city-paid lawyers to push back against the report until city councilors balked at paying his legal fees. Advertisement as any city's communications director would, or specifically that of the mayor, who faces reelection this year. Regan confused matters further Regan declined to answer questions for this story or even to say whether he is currently doing work for the city. His firm provided a statement that said: 'Regan Communications Group, as a matter of policy, does not publicly discuss contracts, privileged communications, or work process related to clients.' Regan is working for the mayor's November reelection campaign, which has paid his firm $17,000 since March, state campaign finance records show. DeMaria declined to comment for this story. His chief of staff, Erin Deveney, said that for the 2023 contract, the city initially reached out only to Regan, who had done communications work for the city in the past. (That year marked the first time he was also working for the mayor's campaign, according to campaign finance records.) When Regan's quote exceeded $10,000, she said, the city had to seek other vendors. Under state law, government agencies must seek competitive quotes from at least three vendors for contracts expected to cost between $10,000 and $50,000; more expensive work requires competitive sealed bids or proposals. The intent is to prevent favoritism and to promote competition. The procurement officer, also under the law, must keep on file the names, dates, and proposed cost of every quotation sought. Advertisement In 2022, the city had lost its communications director, who resigned under pressure after a leaked meeting video showed her To dispel the potential 'appearance of conflict of interest' when he hired Regan, DeMaria filed a public disclosure in March 2023 that suggested the appointment was temporary, until a new full-time communications director could be hired. DeMaria also wrote that the city had solicited quotes for the work in accordance with state procurement law. 'The only vendor who responded to the solicitation was Regan Communication Group,' DeMaria wrote. 'Regan Communication Group is not being awarded the contract with the City because of my involvement with them.' In response to a question from the Globe, Deveney said three additional firms had been notified of the job: Dot Joyce Consulting; Seven Letter Communications; and Grant Communications Consulting Group. However, Grant Communications told the Globe it could not find any record of a request for quotes from Everett. Seven Letter Consulting received an inquiry around the time Joyce received her second email from the city and days before DeMaria disclosed he was hiring Regan. None of the three firms responded. The city also never provided the Globe its initial request for quotes, which offered the one-day turnaround deadline, and which the Globe obtained independently. Advertisement The vice president of the Massachusetts Association of Public Purchasing Officials said the process sounded flawed. In soliciting services, he said, municipalities should give vendors about three weeks to digest requirements and develop a proposal. 'One day? That's totally inappropriate,' said the official, Michael Richards. But if only one company bid, then technically, the lone respondent was the lowest quote. 'In a roundabout way, I don't think it's illegal,' said Richards. 'It's not how I would do it.' The work that Regan billed the city for in 2023 included meetings with the attorney representing DeMaria in his personal defamation suit against a local newspaper and 'continuous research and strategy in an effort to change the image of the City of Everett after all of the negative publicity.' At the time, the Everett School Committee had just voted not to renew the contract of the school filed suit against the city and mayor, alleging racism, sexism, and retaliation. Two years earlier, at his request, DeMaria had become a voting member of that school committee. Regan bills the city of Everett $550 an hour for his work on his firm's behalf, records show. His work for the city did not end after the city hired a full-time communications director in August 2024. That director, who left last month, was being paid $115,000 a year. The city offered Regan a new $40,000 contract in 2024 — apparently avoiding competition entirely this time. The city could not provide the Globe with any proof that it sought quotes from other vendors. Regan got another $10,000 purchase order from the city for work later that year, public records show. Regan's 2024 duties included promoting DeMaria's victory in a defamation lawsuit against a local newspaper, which gave the mayor a $1.1 million settlement and forced the Everett Leader Herald to shut down. Advertisement At a budget meeting last week, a city official acknowledged that one recent $10,000-plus payment to Regan came from a line item in the mayor's office budget described only as 'other expenses.' The city's proposed budget for the next fiscal year, which begins in July, calls for 'other expenses' to triple — causing Everett officials to fret that the mayor's campaign spokesman could be paid by the city during an election year. 'It's a conflict of interest to use the public money to pay a communications company that is serving him as a candidate,' said Council President Stephanie Martins. All told, the city has paid Regan Communications $225,675 since 2020, public records show. The Globe first filed a public records request in December seeking documents related to Regan's past work for the city. The newspaper did not receive any records until after filing a second request in March and making successful appeals to the state's Supervisor of Public Records. Stephanie Ebbert can be reached at
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Yahoo
Convicted Killer Dead After Throwing Himself ‘Dozens of Meters' from Milan's Duomo Cathedral While on the Run: Reports
A 35-year-old man — identified as Emanuele De Maria — fell to his death from Milan's Duomo Cathedral on Sunday, May 11, according to local news reports De Maria, a convicted killer, had been working at the Berna hotel with permission from the Bollate prison for nearly two years His death comes as police were searching for him in connection with the alleged stabbing of a colleagueAn Italian man who police were searching for in connection with allegedly stabbing his colleague is believed to have taken his own life. The 35-year-old man — identified as Emanuele De Maria — fell 'dozens of meters' from Milan's famed Duomo Cathedral after seemingly throwing himself toward the square below shortly before 2:00 p.m. local time on Sunday, May 11, local outlets Milano Today, Corriere della Sera Daily and ANSA news agency reported. Having 'grazed a little boy with a stuffed toy in his hand' while falling, De Maria was recognized by his tattoos, according to the outlets. Witness Emanuele Sanità told Corriere della Sera Daily that it was a 'miracle' the boy wasn't killed in the incident and said the child sat in shock for around 20 minutes. 'I saw a black spot fall very quickly. Then I heard a bang, like a gunshot,' Sanità, who is the owner of the Fresco e Cimmino bar in Piazza Duomo, told the outlet of De Maria's fall. 'All the people around ran away. Everyone from my bar got up. It was deserted." "I approached and noticed a man on the ground, without shoes because they had flown off,' he continued. 'There were some doctors passing by, they felt his pulse but there was nothing they could do: he was dead. Then some police officers approached and alerted the emergency services." An ambulance and a medical car arrived on the scene but were unable to revive De Maria, Milano Today reported. Prior to the incident, the convicted killer had been working as a receptionist at the Berna hotel with permission from the Bollate prison for nearly two years, according to CBS News. On Friday, police were forced to launch a search for him after he went on the run, having allegedly stabbed a 50-year-old colleague, later identified as Hani Fouad Abdelghaffar. Authorities were suspicious that De Maria may have fled to Northern Europe, as back in 2016, he boarded a train and went on the run after killing a 23-year-old Tunisian girl in Castel Volturno, in the province of Caserta, per Milano Today. He became a fugitive in the Netherlands before his arrest in Germany in 2018, which concluded with a 15-year prison sentence for the murder. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. Abdelghaffar's condition seemed to be improving on Sunday after undergoing an emergency operation on his neck and chest at Nihuarda Hospital, Milano Today reported. According to the outlet, police are keen to interview him about De Maria's motive for the attempted murder and to gather details about a 50-year-old woman, originally from Sri Lanka, who was found dead after disappearing on Friday. She had also worked with De Maria in the hotel, according to the ANSA news agency. Milan Police Headquarters didn't immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment on Monday, May 12. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Yahoo
Convicted killer falls to death from famous cathedral, reports say
A convicted murderer permitted to work outside prison threw himself from Milan's famed Duomo cathedral on Sunday, killing himself, after allegedly stabbing a colleague, local news reports said. ANSA news agency and other outlets reported said the Italian man, whom they identified as Emanuele De Maria, 35, fell "dozens of meters" after reportedly throwing himself from the Gothic cathedral into the square below. The area surrounding the Duomo, Milan's most famed landmark, is usually teeming with people but news reports did not cite any injuries among passersby. Television images showed police blocking off the area surrounding one of the sides of the cathedral. Authorities identified De Maria — who went on television last year to describe his life — from an ID in his pocket and his tattoos, according to several reports, including Milan's Corriere della Sera daily. One witness, a bar owner named Emanuele Sanità, told the outlet that De Maria landed right next to a boy who was holding a stuffed animal. "He fell next to him. He was in shock. He sat there for twenty minutes without speaking," Sanità said. De Maria had been serving a 14-year sentence after being convicted for the 2016 murder of a woman, according to reports. He was arrested in Germany in 2018 after hiding as a fugitive in the Netherlands, Milano Today reported. But for nearly two years he had been working part-time at a hotel near Milan's central train station. Police had been searching for him since Friday, when he allegedly stabbed a work colleague. The condition of that man, identified as a 50-year-old Italian-Egyptian, was improving Sunday after emergency surgery on his neck and chest, Milano Today reported. Newly discovered vintage photos reveal San Francisco mystery Josh's mom on making a move What will Pope Leo XIV mean for the Church?
Local Italy
12-05-2025
- Local Italy
Convicted killer on work release dies after throwing himself off Milan's Duomo
Italian news reports said the Italian man, who was identified as 35-year-old Emanuele De Maria, fell "dozens of metres" after reportedly throwing himself from the Gothic cathedral into the square below. The area surrounding the Duomo, Milan's most famous landmark, is usually teeming with people but news reports did not mention any injuries among passersby. Italian TV images showed police blocking off the area surrounding one of the sides of the cathedral. Police authorities identified De Maria from an ID in his pocket and his tattoos, according to Il Corriere della Sera newspaper. De Maria was serving a 14-year prison sentence after being convicted of the 2016 murder of a 23-year-old woman near Caserta, southern Italy, according to reports. He was working part-time at a hotel near Milan's Centrale train station as part of a work release programme. De Maria had been on the run since Friday, when he allegedly stabbed a work colleague five times. The colleague, a 50-year-old Italian-Egyptian national identified as Hani Fouad Abdelghaffar Nasr, was reported as being in serious but non-life-threatening condition at Milan's Niguarda Hospital.
Daily Mirror
11-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
Killer on day release stabs colleague then throws himself off iconic cathedral
Emanuele De Maria allegedly stabbed a colleague before scaling Milan's famous Duomo cathedral and hurling himself 'dozens of metres' from the Gothic landmark in front of horrified tourists A convicted murderer on day release stabbed a colleague before plunging to his death from Milan 's iconic Duomo cathedral in front of stunned tourists. The man, believed to be 35-year-old Emanuele De Maria, allegedly attacked the coworker - then scaled the cathedral's terraces and hurled himself from the Gothic landmark on Sunday afternoon. Local reports say De Maria fell 'dozens of metres' from the north walkway of the Duomo di Milano, landing in the busy square below just after 2pm. Tourists looked on in horror as the man 'leapt without hesitation', according to Italian newspapers Il Mattino and Ansa. He died instantly. Authorities identified the body using an ID card found in his pocket and distinctive tattoos, reports Corriere della Sera. Officers then swiftly cordoned off the area, closed the cathedral terraces, and ushered shocked visitors away as forensic teams examined the scene. De Maria, originally from Naples, had been serving a 14-year sentence for the 2016 murder of a 23-year-old woman in Castel Volturno. But for nearly two years, he'd been working part-time at a four-star hotel near Milan's central train station under a prison work-release scheme from Bollate prison in Milan. The city's icnoic Duomo catherdral is one of Europe's most visited landmarks, drawing over five million visitors each year with its awe-inspiring Gothic architecture and panoramic city views. Towering above the city with more than 130 spires and 3,400 statues, the landmark is the largest in Italy and took nearly six centuries to complete. At its heart lies the golden Madonnina statue - a symbol of Milan standing proudly above the highest spire. De Maria's dramatic death came less than 48 hours after he allegedly stabbed coworker Hani Fouad Abdelghaffar Nasr five times outside the hotel early Saturday morning. The attack sparked a manhunt involving both State Police and Carabinieri. Police were meanwhile also searching for 50-year-old Chamila Wijesuriya, another hotel worker who vanished on Friday. She told her husband she was heading to the gym - but CCTV later showed her entering the metro with De Maria. Her phone was later discovered dumped in a bin at a subway station. On Sunday, her body was found in a pond in Parco Nord, a large park in northern Milan. Investigators are now piecing together De Maria's final hours and working to establish the full sequence of events.
