Capone has not been raising money publicly
By JOSH RESNEK
In mayoral campaigns, money can often be the deciding factor.
Popularity counts. Perception counts. Momentum counts.
Who is running means everything.
Who might be running right now counts for a lot.
The mayor has announced.
Two others are doing a dance. The mayor is running again to make certain his hold on the city’s finances is iron-fisted, and his complete control of development can continue unabated.
Being mayor is not a job for the mayor. It is his business. He treats it as such.
His campaign account stands at about $95,000. According to his most recent campaign account filing, he spent about $5,000 in March for printing and Internet social platform services.
The money stream means everything to the mayor. Without a victory in this upcoming campaign, he is out of a job and the money stream dries up.
The mayor is expected to raise $100,000 to $150,000 to add to his campaign account.
Developers, business owners, city employees wanting to keep their jobs, and a wide variety of others like city vendors are expected to contribute to him.
Councilor Gerly Adrien, should she run, is believed to be capable of matching the mayor’s money-raising efforts dollar for dollar if push comes to shove.
Adrien’s donation base is powered by her ability to organize her vote and to push smaller contributions in a big way.
Whether or not the contributions come from Everett doesn’t matter.
Having the money on hand to run the campaign is what matters.
Councilor Fred Capone’s money-raising possibilities are a bit more difficult to identify.
Capone has his supporters throughout the city, but the key question is this: who will publicly contribute to his campaign for mayor when they know the mayor will be reading their names on his campaign account?
If Capone runs and loses, that’s likely a bad scene for those who contributed to him who have interests in Everett.
The mayor and Councilor Adrien are quite publicly soliciting contributions to bolster their political campaign funds.
Over the weekend, Adrien held an online fundraiser/cum political rally with her supporters, many of whom are prominent women involved in politics and the law.
She raised more than $3,000 in two hours.
Her campaign account has a balance of about $70,000.
The mayor sent out a mass fundraising request seeking donations from residents of the city over the weekend.
Capone also believed to be a mayoral contender who is ready to announce, has not been raising money publicly.
Capone, according to sources, has been quietly lining up resources or at least receiving promises from those who will contribute when and if he announces.
His campaign account has about $5000 on hand.
Capone is said to be capable of funding his own campaign, if necessary. However, most seasoned Everett political observers agree – politicians don’t tend to use their own money to run their campaigns.
The mayor is said to fear a run by Adrien more than Capone.
The mayor understands Adrien’s ability to organize voters and to command a grassroots political campaign enjoining all those who feel excluded from the mayor’s city hall gravy train.
Adrien’s weekend online fundraiser and the political event featured the acting mayor of Boston, the Suffolk County District Attorney, several Boston city councilors – all women, all-powerful organizers, and political voices, all dedicated to Adrien’s efforts to bring equity and equality to Everett’s residents.
If anything is more problematic than money for the mayor, Adrien’s wide base of support, which by the way included Senator Sal DiDomenico on Saturday’s zoom fundraiser, puts the money angle of this upcoming election into a clearer focus.
He was the only Everett politician to join in with Adrien on her week- end Zoom fundraiser/political time.
All the money in the world cannot buy an Everett election when voters are ready to act.
How they are going to act this time around, and who exactly will be running, is anyone’s guess at the moment.