The Blue Suit reveals secrets
“I never believed he was such a common crook.”
– The mayor’s Blue Suit talking about Carlo to Josh Resnek
By JOSH RESNEK
The pressure of the campaign has been getting to the mayor’s Blue Suit.
The mayor’s Blue Suit told me Tuesday afternoon he felt terrific pressure coming from the mayor. He said the mayor’s attitude had gone from rotten to worse than rotten, that his greed had turned to avarice, and that the mayor’s bullying tendencies were at an all-time high.
‘He is not dealing well with the pressure caused by having two candidates who are going after him. Don’t forget, Carlo hasn’t had a real candidate in 14 years,” the Blue Suit recalled.
“Remember Bob Van Campen’s campaign?” the Blue Suit asked me.
“Yes of course I remember his campaign. It was an exercise in futility by a pretty smart guy who should have known better. Some candidates fight to win and some fight to lose. Bob didn’t fight much. He lost convincingly,” I told the Blue Suit.
“I don’t see any comparison to Van Campen with Capone and Adrien,” I added.
“You’re right about that, Josh,” the Blue Suit said to me.
We were, as usual, driving around in my red Honda Fit, kind of gazing at the Everett landscape and talking about our favorite subject, Kickback Carlo.
“He hates being called Kickback,” the Blue Suit reminded me.
“No kidding,” I replied. “Not many seem to mind that he’s called Kickback. A lot of folks who work for him laugh among themselves about such an assignation.”
“They laugh about the hassles he’s had losing control of himself with women. The same people who give Carlo a pass as Kickback give him a similar pass with the sexual assault and harassment allegations,” the Blue Suit added.
I thought about this for a moment – that is – that Carlo’s personal history is checkered, really checkered. In some respects, his personal history is appalling, yet he gets a break from many Everett people.
How does he manage to get away with everything?” I asked the Blue Suit.
“Generally, he pays his way out with lawyers and law firms. The women he bothers tend to accept money from him in return for keeping their mouths quiet. This is how he does it, Josh.”
The Blue Suit lit a cigarette. He took a long puff and then let it out with an excruciatingly long exhale.
“If someone actually stood up to his bullying and harassment tactics, he’d likely be run out of town,” the Blue Suit said.
“What would happen to me then?” he asked me.
“I don’t know. You’re in a bad position with a bad guy who shows you off but who abuses you just the same,” I added.
Now the Blue Suit unwrapped a Milky Way. My mother loved Milky Ways. I hate to think about how many Milky Ways I ate when I was growing up and until I was about 45. The Blue Suit scoffed down the candy bar.
“He just sent out a mailer to all the voters in the city. Guess what? His photograph shows him wearing me. I haven’t wanted to say anything to him. Him wearing me puts me in a bad light these days. Besides, I’m the most talked about per- son in the city because of this column’s notoriety. I can’t go anywhere without being recognized for the conversations we have. Why would he wear me for a citywide mailer when he hates you and the column so much, Josh? Do you know how many people have said to me – “Oh, I recognized you on the cover of the mayor’s mailer.’”
The Blue Suit said the Leader Herald was coming closer and closer to some pretty revealing moments.
“He cannot overcome the effect your citywide distribution is having,” the Blue Suit said.
“He’s never been up against the local media in all his time in office except for you, Josh. Some people claim he cannot prevail because you’re in the mix making truthful revelations about him from week to week. It infuriates him so many people pay attention to what you write about him,” he added.
We stopped at McDonald’s. The Blue Suit wanted a Big Mac and a large Coke. I crossed the Parkway to Mike’s for a rare junior roast beef with cheese sauce and onion.
“What are the worst scams Carlo has pulled off in the past five years?” I asked the Blue Suit. He grew thoughtful for an instant. He came alive.
“There’s been so many it is hard to do a top ten. But here’s three to mull over,” the Blue Suit said to me. He finished the Big Mac.
He let out a loud burp. Yes, a clapper. He slapped his hands to his chest after the clapper.
“Boy, that was good,” he exclaimed.
The Blue Suit grew thoughtful.
“The longevity pay thing that him and Eric Demas dreamed up is outright theft managed and given life by the city council. As you point out in your front-page story today, the mayor should be receiving $10,000 a year in longevity, not $40,000. Demas determined that it should be $40,000 a year and not $10,000. If the city council allows this it is OK. Any way you wish to look at this, it is a rip-off, a product of shoddy accounting. If questioned, Demas will say it is a matter of the council’s discretion that such a huge longevity payment can be paid to the mayor.”
“Hmmm. What else?” I asked.
The Blue Suit collected himself.
“There was a telling incident with Carlo putting himself between the fellow who used to take care of Pop Warner providing hot dogs and hamburgers, Cokes and whatever at games and selling as well banners, flags, horns…you know… everything that football kids love. He did this for years…until Carlo got wind of the money he was taking in. Carlo went down to see the guy and told him in no uncertain terms, ‘”I want a piece of the action or else.’”
“The guy packed up his things but not before telling Carlo: “I’ll never do this again…not if I have to pay you to take care of the kids and their parents. Good riddance,’” he told the mayor, the Blue Suit told me.
“Ever since, there has been a different arrangement for refreshments at Glendale Park for the Pop Warner kids and organizers. Might do you some good to look into it,” the Blue Suit added.
‘Would the mayor steal funding or demand a commission from Pop Warner?” I asked the Blue Suit.
“Yes. He often sinks that low. Whenever and wherever he has a chance to make a score, he takes the opportunity,” the Blue Suit revealed.
“Is the mayor’s time coming? Are the people through with him this time around? Is he going to blow out Gerly Adrien and Fred Capone?
Or is Everett going to rise up and toss him from office?” I asked the Blue Suit.
“If his time has come, there is nothing he can do to change the final outcome on September 21. Has his time come? At times I think it has and I can feel this in his meetings with voters and even with some old-time supporters who definitely are not going to vote for him this time around. He is facing a great unknown on September 21. I can’t count him out. But I can’t guarantee him a strong victory, either. We will all have to wait until September 21 to see what plays out, Josh,” The Blue Suit said.
“Does Carlo survive another four years or is he already toast?” he added.
“So hard to say,” he concluded.