The fleecing of a public official
“Can you imagine the mayor hijacked $96,000 from City Clerk Sergio Cornelio? Yes, I can imagine that. I know it happened.”
– The Mayor’s Blue Suit talking with Josh Resnek
By JOSH RESNEK
The mayor’s blue suit and I got together early Tuesday.
We drove around the city as we tend to do, taking in the sights and sounds of Everett, so to speak.
I told the mayor’s Blue Suit about the story I was doing on the City Clerk’s sale of 43 Corey Street.
“That was a great day for the mayor,” the Blue Suit told me. “Carlo was really happy about that score,” added the Blue Suit.
“He scored $96,000 on that deal. Not bad for a guy who is unable to run a donut shop!” I told the Blue Suit.
“Can you imagine, a $96,000 score off the back of the city clerk! If that isn’t a crime, I don’t know what is,” I added.
The Blue Suit looked at me quizzically.
“Josh, is there something you don’t understand about the mayor grabbing an obscene payday off the near-bankrupt city clerk?” the Blue Suit asked me.
“Not really,” I replied.
The Blue Suit went on.
“Carlo does this all the time, especially with people he can manipulate and control or who work under him who he can threaten and bully with the loss of their job, their property, their pride, and their self-esteem.
“He does the same with developers. If you don’t pay you can’t play in Everett…but then…everyone knows this, Josh. I’ll tell you this, Sergio needs to stay away from Carlo. Carlo has it in for him now. Whether Sergio knows it or not, in the mayor’s mind, he’s a goner at city hall. If the mayor is re-elected, Carlo is already compiling a list of those to be fired or bullied out of their city hall jobs. Sergio is way up at the top of that list. Can you imagine,” the Blue Suit said, “having a list of people you want to fire who are right now working for his re-election in order to save their jobs! What the hell is that all about?” the Blue Suit said. “How perverted can a man be?” he wondered with a deep sigh that he let out.
I stopped my car in the parking lot in Glendale Square. We watched the traffic passing by. The Blue Suit pulled out a joint and lit it. He inhaled a few puffs.
“Wow. That’s a lot better,” he said to me.
I pretended to be disgusted.
“What are you looking at?” the Blue Suit complained.
“Marijuana is legal in Massachusetts. I’m not doing anything wrong.”
I explained to the Blue Suit that city hall employees and all those praying for a fair shake from the mayor and to be left alone needed to vote for Fred Capone or Gerly Adrien.
“They aren’t making up lists of city hall employees to fire. They won’t be calling city employees and demanding donations or that they should go door to door or hold signs for the mayor. They won’t be sent out to rip down campaign signs of opponents. Everyone will be left alone except for those who can’t control their hate out of blind love for the mayor. City employees don’t have to fear for their jobs with Capone and Adrien. This primary is a no-brainer for city employees tired of the city hall routine of never knowing if they will lose their job. City employees can vote to continue the Russian Roulette game at city hall played by the mayor or get rid of him for either Capone or Adrien, neither of which are plotting to hurt people,” I said to the Blue Suit.
“Do you think Sergio will be voting for the mayor after losing $96,000 of his own money to Kickback’s greed?” I asked the Blue Suit.
We both shared a moment of levity with the Blue Suit stoned and me straight seated in my Honda Fit in the parking lot in Glendale Square.
“You can bet your life Sergio won’t be voting for the mayor. But at the same time, Sergio is afraid of the mayor like so many others are afraid of him. But he’s more pissed off at the mayor than he is afraid of the mayor. After all, Sergio was
in the mayor’s camp and supported him unequivocally. This $96,000 score the mayor made off Sergio’s back changes all that,” the Blue Suit said.
“What did Kickback have to put in to get that $96,000?” I asked the Blue Suit.
“Absolutely nothing,” the Blue Suit replied.
“But then again, the mayor is always short of money. He puts up nothing because he’s got nothing to put up,” he added.
“Where did the mayor learn how to rip people off like that and walk away proud and smiling,” I asked the Blue Suit.
“He was born that way, Josh. He didn’t go to Harvard Business School. He couldn’t run a donut shop. I don’t think he could manage a corner store, but he sure learned how to rip people off,” he said.
“Can this revelation about ransoming Sergio for $96,000 hurt the mayor?” I asked the Blue Suit.
The Blue Suit sat up straight.
“It can’t do anything but that,” he said firmly.
“You must understand, Sergio is a popular Everett young man. He is well known all around the city. Everyone loves his mother. He is well-liked by all. He has a nice personality. He’s just gotten married and has a newborn at home with two other children. He’s just trying to buy a house and to get on with his life, to do his job, and to enjoy his family and his life. All that is standing in the way of that is Kickback Carlo. Kick- back scoring $96,000 after threatening Sergio sends out a bad message to those who love and admire Sergio. It sends out a terrible message about the mayor,” the Blue Suit said.
‘To tell you the truth, Josh, I’ve been wondering what’s going to happen to me if Kickback is dumped in the primary. What the hell happens to me – a broken down ten-year-old, off the rack Blue Suit all wound up with nowhere to go. What happens to me?”
I cleared my throat.
“Kickback will take you off, crumple you up, douse you with gasoline, toss you into a barrel, and then set you on fire!” I told the Blue Suit. “But not before checking your pockets for money.”
“Oh my God, anything but that, Josh. I’m petrified of fire.”
“Don’t ever forget – Kickback is the kind of sorry soul who enjoys other peoples’ misery and pain. Your misery is his cause for joyousness. Your years of great service to him mean nothing to him. After all, he owns you like a slave. He treats you like a slob or a stepchild. He will enjoy immolating you as though he were a slave camp guard in the Russian gulag punishing those who are nearly dead just for the pleasure of it.“”That’s your boss, your owner, the mayor of Everett,” I added.
“Do you like his slogan on his campaign posters polluting the streets and avenues of Everett, PROVEN LEADERSHIP?” I asked the Blue Suit.
“Maybe that’s a question you ought to ask of Sergio, Josh. I bet he’d have something to say about the mayor’s proven leadership, as well he should. I bet Sergio has 96,000 reasons to dislike the mayor and to hope that he loses but, in the end, Sergio just wants his money back. I bet Kickback has already spent it.”