By JOSH RESNEK
It was a busy day at the Grace Food Pantry, where tons of food were handed out to long lines of residents who waited for it.
The Saturday line-up has become a staple of local life for those needing food to feed their families during the pandemic. Among the officials giving out food Saturday and coming face to face with the needy, the most notable was Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley.
The masked Pressley, our city’s congresswoman was just one of the crowd of volunteers donating their time and effort to the cause of giving out free food to those who need it.
Councilor Fred Capone was also handing out food. He appeared fit. He cut a handsome figure among the crowd on Church Street Saturday.
Missing, or simply otherwise just not there for whatever reason, the mayor was nowhere to be seen.
During the pandemic crisis since the food hand-outs began some months back, the mayor has participated several times.
Capone has participated dozens of times, and without fanfare or photo ops as the mayor tends to do.
Capone is believed to be running for mayor.
Pressley’s appearance Saturday underscored her support for Councilor Gerly Adrien, Everett’s first Black city councilor.
Adrien does not do photo ops.
“I prefer to reach out personally to the people to help them,” she told the Leader Herald.
What she failed to say is that she knew the congresswoman would be in Everett and they had communicated, as they tend to do.
Pressley is a major supporter of Adrien’s and has been from the start of her term in congress.
In Congress, Pressley is a firebrand, one of the most prominent and outspoken members of that inert mass of pretenders.
Coming to Everett gave Pressley a chance to view the tarmac here – to spread herself around a bit, and to show support for Adrien.
She certainly didn’t come to support Capone.
For his part, Capone appeared relaxed and fit by comparison to the mayor, who is not fit and who is certainly not relaxed.
The sight of the congresswoman handing out food on a Saturday afternoon speaks well of her.
Coming among the people is what her job is all about.
That the mayor was not there reveals how battle lines are being drawn during this moment when Capone and Adrien are believed to be shortly announcing their candidacies.
Although he was not present, the mayor is not sitting around idly.
He is raising money. He is opening his headquarters. He is touring the city. He is running a savvy and expensive social media platform at taxpayer expense and is spending some private funds to do the same for the campaign.
Adrien and Capone are out raising money.
Adrien’s war chest is beginning to bulge at close to $70,000.
With the Pressley’s of the world lined up behind her, Adrien could very likely raise several hundred thousand dollars in a takedown effort against the mayor.
The mayor knows this.
He does not like this.
Winning in the primary against Capone and Adrien would be difficult, time-consuming, expensive, and frankly, mind-boggling for the mayor to think about during these early moments of the campaign.