Robert Van Campen

Mayor Robert Van Campen attended the Everett School Committee meeting on Monday, June 1, 2026, and was identified in roll call as “Mayor Van Campen.” He opened with brief remarks after being introduced by Dr. Braga, saying, “Good evening, everyone,” and noting, “I’m sure you did not come here tonight to listen to the mayor, but, I did wanna take this opportunity.” He framed his comments around the Class of 2026, saying he had “so few opportunities to speak to the class of 2026 before they leave,” and that it was “an honor” to address the “distinguished group of students.”

Van Campen praised the graduating students for their accomplishments and perseverance. He said, “Tonight is about achievement, preservation, perseverance, and opportunity,” and added that the evening was “about our students, the remarkable young people seated on this stage who have worked hard, overcome challenges, and earn the recognition we celebrate this evening, and I applaud you.” He emphasized that the scholarships being awarded represented more than financial aid: “It represents confidence in your future,” and “It reflects the belief that you have the talent, determination, and character to make a difference in this world.” He also told students, “You should be proud of what you have accomplished,” and extended that pride to families, teachers, counselors, coaches, and mentors.

During the business portion of the meeting, Van Campen made the motion to “waive the reading and place on file” regarding the records for Monday, 05/18/2026. The motion was seconded and carried by voice vote, with yes votes recorded. He also seconded the motion to accept the Everett Public Schools district wellness policy, which passed; seconded the motion for late entry approval for Everett High School grades 10 and 11 students on 06/02/2026 and 06/03/2026 to accommodate MCAS testing, which passed; and voted yes on the acceptance of the Title III Part A immigrant children and youth grant in the amount of $65,831, which passed.

Later, he voted yes on the motions to submit bills and payroll in the amount of $2,271,989.40 and to pay bills and payroll in the same amount, both of which passed. He also voted yes to enter executive session, which was approved. Van Campen was also thanked for attending and cheering on students, and he responded when directly addressed during discussion.

At the Everett School Committee meeting on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, Robert Van Campen, serving as Mayor and School Committee member, took an active role in the meeting’s procedural business.

He first moved “to open a public hearing on item number 1,” which the meeting identified as the fiscal 2027 budget. He voted yes by roll call on opening the public hearing. After the hearing, he then moved “to close the public hearing on item number 1, Madam Chair,” again referring to the fiscal year 2027 budget. He voted yes on the roll call to close that budget hearing.

Van Campen also participated in the school choice hearing process. He voted yes on the roll call to close the school choice hearing and seconded the motion to open the school choice hearing. During the meeting, he responded affirmatively when called upon as Mayor.

Near the end of the meeting, Van Campen moved adjournment. He voted yes on the roll call to adjourn the meeting, and the record also reflects a yes vote on “adjournment.”

The meeting record does not show Van Campen raising substantive policy questions or making extended remarks. His contributions were primarily procedural: opening and closing hearings, seconding a hearing motion, answering affirmatively when called, and supporting adjournment. His direct statements included, “Move to open a public hearing on item number 1,” “Move to close the public hearing on item number 1, Madam Chair,” and “So moved.”

Robert Van Campen, Mayor, participated in the Everett School Committee-Budget Committee of the Whole meeting on Thursday, April 16, 2026, and was present for the roll call vote, where he voted yes. He was also the subject of several acknowledgments from others for helping bridge funding and for working closely with Superintendent Hart and the finance team. One participant thanked him directly, saying, “Thank you, Mayor Van Campen, for providing that bridge, because it would not have happened.”

During the meeting, Van Campen moved to recess for 10 minutes, and that motion passed. He later voted yes on the motion to adjourn, which also passed.

When called on to speak, Van Campen said, “I don’t have any questions.” He then offered a brief but pointed statement about the school budget and the city’s longer-term fiscal outlook. He said he would speak “in much greater detail to the community as the budget season unfolds,” but emphasized that he and Superintendent Hart shared a common goal: to make Everett Public Schools “an urban model of excellence and success.” He stated plainly that “cutting instructional side expenditures for me is nonnegotiable,” adding that his plan, in alignment with the superintendent, was to ensure Everett’s children “never want for what they need to receive the greatest education they can.”

Van Campen also raised concerns about the end of reliance on federal dollars, saying that flexibility was “coming to an end” and that the city must learn to “grow and thrive without reliance on those federal dollars.” He described “significant structural dysfunction in our financial systems” and said the city was trying to fix it through changes in fiscal procedures, accounting procedures, policy, and process. At the same time, he reassured attendees that “our financial footing is solid and strong,” even saying it was likely stronger than many surrounding communities.

He closed by thanking the superintendent, school committee, educators, administrators, and Mr. Barrett’s teams for their collaboration, saying the people of Everett “can be proud of the work we’ve done together on the school budget.”

At the Everett School Committee meeting on Monday, April 6, 2026, Mayor Robert Van Campen participated primarily by seconding motions and voting in favor of routine business before the committee.

He first seconded the motion to accept the student representative report. Later, he seconded the motion to suspend the rules and take item number two out of order. He then seconded the motion to accept the middle school exploration policy and the MyCAP grant in the amount of $25,000. During that item, he cast a “yes” vote on the roll call.

Van Campen also supported the committee’s financial actions. He voted “yes” on the motion to submit bills and payroll dated 03/31/2026 in the amount of $2,692,327.76, and he voted “yes” on the related motion to pay bills and payroll dated 03/31/2026 in the same amount.

His spoken contributions, as captured in the record, were brief and procedural. He said, “Second.”, “Second motion.”, and “Second.” in support of the motions brought before the committee. The record does not show him raising questions, offering extended comment, or taking a substantive policy position beyond his support for the motions he seconded and approved.

Overall, Van Campen’s role in this meeting was to help move items forward procedurally and to endorse the committee’s approval of the MyCAP grant and the bills and payroll package.

At the Everett City Council Budget Hearing for Admin and Finance on May 27, 2026, Van Campen fielded extensive questions and explained several parts of the proposed budget and related policies. In response to questions about the DEI office and inclusion/access functions, he asked, “The DEI office used to serve or currently serves?” and later said he expected the new role and the human resources department to handle inclusion and access issues. He also sought clarification on references to community organizations, saying, “So, you’re referring to the Everdade Community Center, La Trinidad, Luma, I’m not sure who you’re referring to.”

Van Campen was direct about the tax outlook. He told the committee, “So, just by way of example, will taxes increase this year? Yes, they will.” He attributed the increase to fixed costs, saying the city budget is “$312,000,000,” and identifying health insurance as “the greatest threat” to keeping employees and services in place. He said, “We haven’t touched health insurance in 14 years. That is totally irresponsible,” and added that he was exploring “every option” to address the cost, including compromise in negotiations, other providers, and possibly joining the Group Insurance Commission. He emphasized that he was not planning cuts to jobs, stating, “The answer is no, there’s no reduction in positions.”

He defended preserving code enforcement, saying cutting it would save only about $1 million and would be detrimental because the service is frequently used for trash and neighborhood issues. He also said the budget was meant to “right-size departments” and that he was trying to keep the tax increase as low as possible, including using free cash to offset the tax rate.

Van Campen also discussed school overcrowding, saying he wanted to “stick to the general budget,” but noted that the former high school at 548 Broadway and Pope John at 888 Broadway were still being studied. He addressed advertising practices, explaining that the city had standardized ad sizes in local papers to reduce costs. He further clarified that health insurance is charged back from the city to the school department as an accounting mechanism, and described the mayor’s salary as set by charter and ordinance at a base of $185,000 with annual CPI-based increases.

No votes were taken in this segment.

At the Everett City Council Budget Hearing on Schools on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, Mayor Robert Van Campen’s recorded role in the meeting was mainly indirect, as he was referenced by Superintendent Hart rather than captured making extended remarks of his own. The superintendent credited Van Campen and his team with helping identify funding through a review of city chargebacks.

In the superintendent’s words: “Conversely and crucially, Mayor Van Campen and his team were quick to respond, working with us to identify funds through a careful review of our city chargebacks.” This comment framed Van Campen’s involvement as responsive and cooperative, with a focus on finding resources already within the city’s financial structures rather than through a new appropriation or separate action.

No votes by Mayor Van Campen were recorded in the extracted meeting data for this hearing. No formal motions, amendments, or roll-call positions attributed to him were included in the provided record.

The notable exchange centered on the superintendent’s acknowledgment of Van Campen’s assistance in reviewing chargebacks. That recognition suggests the mayor’s contribution was administrative and budgetary, tied to identifying available funds and supporting the schools’ budget discussion through staff coordination. The record does not indicate that Van Campen challenged the proposal, offered an alternate plan, or made a public policy statement during the hearing.

Overall, the meeting data portrays Mayor Van Campen as a key behind-the-scenes participant in the budget process, with his office described as acting quickly and collaboratively to help uncover funding through financial review.

On Tuesday, May 26, 2026, Everett Mayor Robert Van Campen took part in the Everett Medal of Valor Ceremony for EPD Detective Dan Wall. He opened with thanks to the chief, saying, “Thank you, chief,” and then made a light remark about the presentation, adding, “First of all, I just have to say I’m glad I didn’t break that plaque.”

Van Campen then explained the purpose of the ceremony. He said the city had gathered “not only to present a medal, a medal of valor to detective Wall, but to really recognize a standard of courage and service that inspires the entire community.” He described the Medal of Valor as being “reserved for those who demonstrate extraordinary bravery in the face of danger,” and said it “reflects not only decisive action, but also a deep commitment to protecting others even at great personal risk.” He told Detective Wall, “I could not be prouder as mayor of the city of Everett to be here this evening to present this award to you,” and closed that portion by saying, “So congratulations again.”

Van Campen also used the occasion to recognize Encore Boston Harbor and its leadership. He said he wanted to “extend my congratulations to the team at Encore Boston Harbor,” noting that Jenny Holiday, the president of Encore, was present. He referenced his first six months in office, saying he had “talked about a partnership between the city and Encore.” He argued that the events under discussion showed why that relationship mattered, saying the day’s “chaos” proved that “a partnership is so critical, between our community and between Encore, to ensure that the bad guys are caught, but at the same time that we move our city forward while preserving the values that we all stand for.”

He concluded by commending Encore’s role in public safety and community support: “So I do wanna commend the folks from Encore as well.” No votes were taken during his remarks.

Robert Van Campen, Mayor, participated actively in the Everett School Building Committee meeting on Wednesday, April 8, 2026. At roll call, he was present and later took part in the committee’s votes.

His recorded remarks were brief and procedural. When the meeting moved into initial business, he said, “Second,” supporting the motion to approve the meeting minutes as amended for clerical errors. He also said, “Here,” in response to roll call. Later in the meeting, he made the motion to approve the monthly invoice package for March 2026.

Van Campen voted in favor of the committee’s motions throughout the meeting. He voted yes on the motion to approve the meeting minutes as amended due to some clerical errors. He also voted yes on the motion to approve the monthly invoice package for March 2026. These same two actions appear in the meeting record more than once, and in each instance his vote was recorded as yes.

As the meeting concluded, Van Campen moved to close public comment. That motion was adopted, and he voted yes on it. He then made the motion to adjourn. The committee approved the adjournment, and he voted yes.

In sum, Van Campen’s role in this meeting was largely procedural and supportive. He seconded and introduced motions, confirmed his presence, and consistently voted in favor of the committee’s business, including approval of corrected minutes, the March 2026 invoice package, closing public comment, and adjournment.