A concerned citizen rang alarm bells at a public meeting about shady businesses practices in Cambridge’s cannabis industry that were met with indifference by officials including city councillors and city staff.
“Twice in the last three months, I’ve been offered money to be a social equity front for existing operators trying to get around Cambridge’s social equity policies. So I just wanted to let the city know that people are trying to do this,” said Steve DeMarco, identifying himself as a certified state social equity holder to a meeting of two council committees Jan. 18.
“They’re trying to get around the equity provisions that you’ve established. And they’re going to be relentless with it. So I just wanted to bring that to your attention,” DeMarco said.
The specifics of DeMarco’s concerns are fuzzy, but the policies he refers to are designed to increase the representation of marginalized communities in dispensary ownership.
The council’s response? “Mr. DeMarco, your time is expired,” city councillor E. Denise Simmons said. (Minutes from the hearing held by the Civic Unity and Economic Development committees are available here.)
Statements such as DeMarco’s are not uncommon, councillor Paul Toner said later. But with no evidence presented, the city felt little need to follow up. “People make allegations in public meetings all the time, and if they have evidence, they should share it with us,” Toner said.
No one followed up
No one from the city followed up with DeMarco to...
This story is the second in an ongoing series on the Cost of Fraud, as Open the Books tallies the hidden fees on American tax returns. Click here to read the first story on fraudulent autism billi...