Mayor Carlo Demaria, and Councilors Gerly Adrien and Fred Capone are all running for mayor.
This presents Everett with the first real and unique mayoral primary in almost 30 years.
There are many firsts in this upcoming primary election.
Adrien is the first Black woman to run for mayor in the city’s history. Her run comes at a seminal moment in the history of the city and the nation when it comes to race, equity, and justice.
Race, color, religion, gender, party are key components for all of the above in this contest.
However, Adrien’s color and gender separates her from the pack.
She will attract a great deal of attention as a Black woman attempting to break the glass ceiling in Everett politics, again.
Capone is a lawyer. He brings to this political contest a highly professional, successful, measured, articulate intelligent persona, that of a longtime politician in this city who understands how the world turns.
Being white and Italian is no disadvantage for Capone.
He does not see by color or act as a councilor by color. He acts on the merits of situations as they arise. Many Everett residents of all colors and persuasions understand and appreciate this.
He presents quite a different image from the mayor.
City hall will no longer be like a marketplace for the mayor’s friends with either Adrien or Capone if they win.
They represent the possibility of change in this city.
The mayor is a difficult person locked inside a flawed mindset. He has a bad history with women and sexual harassment.
Somehow, he has survived this during his time as mayor.
His record on inclusivity is terrible. In twelve years, he has done very little to accommodate the new Everett resident into the city workforce despite promises to do so.
His management of the city’s finances leaves many questions about the city’s longterm viability, despite $30 million a year from the casino.
DeMaria has been the development mayor – development at all costs.
Development has changed the face of the city in a good way. Development, however, comes at a cost to quality of life.
Nagging questions and complaints from residents about unrestrained development will be an issue in the campaign.
Anyway he tries to look at it, the mayor who claims he cannot lose could very likely be beaten in the primary.
Adrien and Capone are not pushovers or relics from Everett’s political past.
These two running are the mayor’s worst nightmare.
Adrien and Capone both have untarnished reputations and the ability and desire to run strong campaigns and they both have the money with which to do this.
We do not for a moment count the mayor out of this race.
He is a strong campaigner and a difficult candidate to unseat. Unlike Adrien and Capone, the mayor is a bully – a greedy, jealous, threatening type of man who uses city employees as though he owns them.
His personal integrity is quite often questioned, and with good reason.
Incumbency is often a big part of the game. This helps the mayor.
Time will tell how this primary campaign plays itself out.
With two candidates running against the mayor, all bets are off on the mayor’s belief he can’t be beaten.
He can be beaten, and he might very well be beaten.