Capone, Adrien look ready to announce candidacies
By JOSH RESNEK
What a difference a week makes in the political life and times of the city of Everett.
Councilor Fred Capone is apparently nearly set planning out a mayoral campaign and has moved a dozen steps forward in what many believe will lead to an announcement in or within two weeks.
Several of his close supporters told the Leader Herald he is set to launch a social media platform, a money-raising instrument, and that he is putting together his entire media package.
In addition, Councilor Gerly Adrien has been wading into the mayoral battle slowly but surely.
An intriguing full-page advertisement on her Facebook page says this only: “Things are about to change.”
Also, she has apparently been mass texting city employees asking if they would support her candidacy – a move, supporters claim – designed to lay the possibility of a run for mayor at the mayor’s doorstep.
Adrien’s bold and out front behavior at the recent city council meeting indicated to her closest supporters that she is unafraid to run against the mayor.
Sources familiar with the mayor’s thinking have been saying for several months that he does not fear Capone, rather, he fears Adrien.
The mayor does, however, understand the numbers.
With one candidate, it is generally easier than with two candidates.
With two candidates facing the mayor, there is a primary in September.
Two against one is a much harder barrier to entry for re-election for the mayor.
If an upset is in the wind, that upset might very well occur in a hard-fought primary.
Picking winners and losers this early on is very risky.
The mayor and many of his closest supports believe he will be the mayor “forever.”
Capone’s base of support is not as noisy as the mayors. Capone, his supporters say, is very confident in himself and his ability to mount a winning campaign against the mayor. Adrien’s support base is inestimable but considered large and potentially disastrous for the mayor.
Adrien is the most often mentioned potential candidate to challenge the mayor with the possibility of winning.
In the meantime, the mayor’s campaign office is just about fitted out on Main Street. His in-house media staff at city hall is working day and night for him at taxpayer expense, and his campaign account shows about $100,000 on hand.
His mayoral staff has been busy with using ECTV to highlight mayoral visits to offices and employees for voting/viewer consumption.
His staff is also producing his newsletter, a slick $4,000 a month piece distributed around the city.
Adrien has about $65,000 in her campaign account. Capone has about $6,000.
Capone has not yet begun public fundraising efforts.