There is right now one elected member of the city government making the tough calls and requests of a city government that is blind to the needs of minorities.
That is Councilor at Large Gerly Adrien.
There is a strong undercurrent against her efforts to awaken the city to its inequities when it comes to doing the right thing for its black and brown population.
However, she proved in the last election when she topped the ticket that black and brown people cannot be held down in this city any longer.
Her power is her popularity with the voters of this city.
No one should underestimate having such power in a place like this because it reveals that voters here are more a reflection of the modern world than some of the people leading the city, chief among them, the mayor.
Adrien is met with opposition at every step by the mayor, who refuses to allow her to join with him in anything but preserving the status quo.
She has already proven she is not willing to perpetuate an Everett city government that excludes black and brown people and nearly all the city’s minorities.
As a woman of color and ethnicity, as someone who grew up here, who now is a leader in this city, she represents a chance at changing the city persona.
But the mayor stands against her.
The mayor has shown her very little courtesy or deference since her election.
He refuses to allow her inside the workings of Everett city hall.
She has shown some real spine in fighting back, in refusing to be a rubber stamp for the mayor, whose racist tendencies are an embarrassment, and worse.
She is unafraid of those who wish to hold her back and to keep her down.
This is exactly the kind of leader the city needs, and which the city has elected.
Councilor Gerly Adrien is all about the future.
The mayor is about the past.
The two will inevitably collide – and already have.
Time will tell if she can achieve a racially mixed city workforce.
Her suggestion for a vigil and the mayor accepting it is a start.