Running against the machine takes guts
By Josh Resnek
Generally, during the evenings, Councillor Anthony DiPierro fills his automobile with political signs for the rep. He then rides around the city putting up signs for the rep.
He does this, and whatever else the mayor asks at the city council, with letters to the editor expressing the administration’s wishes to show his loyalty to the mayor, who is said to be preparing to name DiPierro assistant city clerk – or as some predict – to back him for mayor when the mayor leaves.
At the very same time, many of Mike McLaughlin’s signs seem to disappear from in front of homes until the next morning, when McLaughlin assesses the situation and goes around the city replacing them.
Regrettably, for the mayor, there is only one DiPierro. They are cousins. Politics is a family affair. The councilor does whatever he is told.
But the mayor has a big bag of tricks and tricksters – like Jerry Navarro, “the Paper Boy”, who likes to steal our newspapers, like stealing away certain businesspeople he can persuade not to advertise with us.
The mayor’s tricksters don’t just try to destroy the Leader Herald, they try to destroy positive candidates like Mike McLaughlin or anyone who stands in the way of the DeMaria city hall machine, or as Councilor Mike Marchese dubbed it, the DCF – the DeMaria crime family.
It is against this mass of yes men who mostly fear the mayor, and who choose to do as he says quietly and submissively in order to keep their jobs.
What’s wrong with that? Nothing. City employee salaries are important to those who receive them. City employees would be committing job suicide by not doing exactly as the mayor orders them to do.
Mike McLaughlin is running for the Massachusetts House of Representatives.
He is not running against the hapless rep, who does the typical rep dance and speaks the rep’s lingua franca.
“I’m working hard for you on Beacon Hill. I’m bringing in millions of dollars. I am there full-time for you. I’m even working for Everett when I’m in Malden volunteering my time for others.”
McLaughlin is running for rep without the mayor’s support, without DiPierro’s advanced sign technology and without the aid of Navarro the Paper Boy.
McLaughlin thrives in such an environment.
He proved last time out he could best the DCF (DeMaria crime family) when he beat the mayor’s best friend who also had the support of the mayor, et al.
McLaughlin has been working harder than the rep. Everyone knows it.
The mayor knows it. He knows there aren’t enough McLaughlin signs to be torn down or rep signs to be put up that will ultimately influence the election.
There comes a time in the political life of a city like Everett when candidates like McLaughlin are rising and candidates like the rep backed by the DCF are heading in the other direction.
The people are going to decide.
The people have already decided.
The votes need to be counted on September 1.