By LEADER STAFF
Workers are right now preparing the former site of the late Mayor George McCarthy’s appliance store on Main Street as the mayor’s soon-to-be campaign headquarters for his re-election.
Although an unannounced candidate, the mayor is expected without question to be running again.
He is wasting no time during what is expected to be a hectic re-election effort in preparing the campaign headquarters.
Councilor Fred Capone is expected to announce his candidacy for mayor shortly. Councilor Gerly Adrien’s plans remain something of her own.
They are shrouded by her own decision-making process, which is said to be in full force, as she decides whether or not to run.
There is the belief among many of her supporters that she will ultimately toss her hat into the ring, or jump into the frying pan, as running is chiefly regarded by political pundits.
For the mayor, the prospect of a two-front war is not as pleasing as the prospect of a single candidate.
Two against him coming into a hard-fought primary in a drastically changed voter demographic makes automatic re-election easier said than done for the mayor.
No one understands this better than he does.
All three potential mayoral candidates have apparently conducted polls.
Only a handful of locals know what their results were.
The mayor is obviously the best known and most likely to be voted for candidate, the polls should reveal.
In a one-on-one, he very likely is a difficult candidate to be beaten.
But two on one changes the mathematics entirely.
There remains, even in Everett, a large undecided vote. If the mayor faces two opponents coming into a primary, he is fighting against the total of percentages against him with the combined votes of the two candidates, as well as facing the large undecided that exists.
When this is all added up, the mayor’s chances are reversed decidedly with two people running against him.
Also, it is believed that all three possible candidates will be relying on strong social media efforts as well as organizing efforts designed to deliver those who have not voted before in larger numbers.
Money is always an issue.
The mayor is holding $100,000 in his campaign account.
Adrien is holding $65,000.
Capone is holding $5,000.
Not many doubt Capone’s ability to fund his own campaign. Capone, a lawyer, is a man of means.
He is a successful lawyer and businessman.
Adrien’s fundraising has been an eye-opener for the mayor.
She has shown quite an ability to raise cam- paign funds.
The mayor’s fundraising efforts have been unsurpassed, with city employees contributing huge sums of money to his re-election efforts.