“The mayor says he can’t be beaten. But he’s having trouble believing himself.”
– The mayor’s Blue Suit speaking with Josh Resnek
By JOSH RESNEK
I drove the Blue Suit to Kelly’s on the Medford – Everett line for lunch Tuesday afternoon. We both love Kelly’s. I hadn’t eaten there in longer than a year.
The day was mostly overcast but warm, pleasant in many ways.
The Blue Suit seemed in good form. He was talking a blue moon about Carlo and his effort to control sign placement on residences not displaying his signs.
“You have to know, Josh, Carlo doesn’t go himself to the homeowner or the property owner to complain about a Capone or Adrien sign on the property. He tells others, others tell others, and then lower echelon city officials visit the house. They give the homeowner the bad news.
“You got to take down the Capone sign,” one such lower echelon city/employee forced Carlo campaign contributor tells the homeowner.
“Usually, the homeowner reacts,” the Blue Suit added.
The Blue Suit told the story about the homeowner on Elm Street who was ordered to take down his Capone sign and to put up the mayor’s sign – which he did obediently.
“I don’t want any trouble,” the homeowner told the city official.
“Tell Carlo I’m sorry. I’ll be sure to vote for him,” the Blue Suit told me the homeowner promised the city official.
Several hours later, according to the Blue Suit, he overheard the homeowner who was forced to take down the Capone sign in a private conversation (which the mayor did not hear because he wasn’t listening).
The Blue Suit said the conversation went like this:
“I’ll never vote for Carlo, again. Never. Not in a thousand years. I’ll display his sign. I’ve made a do- nation. But I’m voting for Fred Capone – and everyone in my family is doing the same. That’s 14 votes he got the last time he will not be getting this time or ever again,” the homeowner said emphatically.
Like it or not, this is the way it is going for the mayor who cannot be beaten – the mayor forever – Carlo DeMaria. Mind you, not everywhere, but almost everywhere. People don’t like being threatened or bullied. City employees are tired of paying off the mayor for their jobs with campaign contributions. Why should they, seems to be the general consensus among employees who discuss such things among themselves at city hall. City employees are coming to under- stand paying Carlo is about as painful as paying the IRS.
Anyway, we finally ordered our food at Kelly’s.
“I’ll have two lobster rolls, a chowder, an onion ring, and a French fry,” the Blue Suit told the order taker behind the counter.
I was flabbergasted.
“Who’s going to pay for this?” I asked the Blue Suit. “You are,” he said to me. “I’m pulling a Carlo on you.
“Ha. Ha,” he laughed. “And you think Carlo is ridiculous. There you go, Josh. You’re stuck with the tab. I don’t have a penny on me and no credit cards – just like Carlo walks around…or drives around in his white Mercedes feeling so self-important with empty pockets looking for freebies and handouts.”
I ordered a toasted cheese sandwich and a Coca-Cola. The girl behind the counter totaled up the lunch. “That will be $85.00,” she said politely.
I paid. But I was pissed off.
Can you imagine, $85 for lunch at Kelly’s!
We went outside and ate at one of the tables next to the parking lot.
The Blue Suit devoured the first lobster roll. He literally drank the chowder. He stuffed onion rings and French fries in his mouth like there was no tomorrow – and there I am eating a toasted cheese sandwich! I was kind of hoping he might choke to death on the second lobster roll. He made it disappear with two bites!
That was $13.50 per bite for the lobster roll.
The Blue Suit let out a big burp, what we in the hood refer to as a “clapper.”
“You are disgusting,” I told the Blue Suit.
“It’s not me. It’s who I’m working for, Josh. His habits have become my habits and Carlo has some really nasty bad habits!” he told me.
“He’s not beyond threatening people he meets going door to door these days, believe it or not. I’ve been so disturbed when a homeowner does not welcome Carlo or want to put up a sign. He grows angry and then he lashes out. That’s really bad politics,” the Blue Suit remarked.
He let out another clapper.
“You know Carlo cares not one bit for people of color or ethnicity. I want to hide when I hear him talking with Jerry and a few others. He uses the words and phrases that would land some of us in jail if we said such things publicly,” the Blue Suit told me.
“Like what?” I asked. What words does he use?”
“I’m not going there, Josh,” he answered resolutely. “Forget it,” I told the Blue Suit. “I know how he thinks and how he speaks when the public isn’t around. What’s worse is how he fakes being a friend to all during election time,” I added.
“I know he uses the “N” word (describing Blacks), the “S” word (about Hispanics) and the “F” word (when talking about homosexuals or gay and LGBTQ people. Carlo is a racist. He’s homophobic, insulting, demeaning and I believe his shtick to the people of Everett has become unappealing compared with the run he’s had for 14 years,” I told the Blue Suit.
The Blue Suit picked his teeth.
“Can you please stop that,” I asked?
I think you’re right about sensing a change in voter attitudes toward Carlo,” the Blue Suit said. “He senses that, too. That’s why he’s worried and get this, he’s more worried about Gerly Adrien than Fred Capone when he ought to be worried about both. He’s got Gerly Adrien on his mind. He hates her because she’s Black. He hates her because she’s Black and a woman. He hates her because more educated than he is and she’s not walking around the city with her hand out making false promises to the people who are going to cast a vote for her,” the Blue Suit said.
“He hates her most because she won’t get down on her knees and kiss his ring. He can’t control her. He knows the minority vote is going to come out for her and not for him. Bottom line, he knows this time around is not going to be neat and easy as in the past. He knows what we all know – he can lose. The mayor forever who cannot be beaten may not be the mayor forever. He might just be beaten,” the Blue Suit said.