The Blue Suit
“This year’s inauguration was definitely the lowest energy inauguration I’ve witnessed since Carlo got elected. What was that all about?”
– The mayor’s Blue Suit asking Josh Resnek a question
By JOSH RESNEK with THE BLUE SUIT
The inauguration was a giant anti-climax this year. With the COVID acting up again and sweeping through the city, the state, the nation and the world, well, it did not seem like a time to call for a big public party.
Not many attended the inauguration. Even fewer saw it as the ECTV broadcast was botched. But then, what is an inauguration anyway that is not open to the public which is botched by ECTV?
The Blue Suit did not attend the inauguration.
The mayor wore a tuxedo as did all the male members of the city council and the school committee.
“You know, several people asked me why the inauguration couldn’t have been held at the casino right on the gaming floor within earshot of the hum and clang of electronic slot ma- chines,” I said to the Blue Suit as we drove around in my red Honda Tuesday afternoon.
“The casino does a great job with keeping the casino area clean and free of COVID. Don’t you think it would have been good to have the inauguration there. Encore has a great air filtration system. The crowd could have played the slots while watching the new city government members being sworn in. Voila – a real Everett style time. That’s called killing two birds with one stone by some, a double header by others,” I added.
“Come on, Josh. Who are you kidding. The inauguration in the main slot machine room of the casino? You’ve got to be kidding. If you’re trying to be a comedian, I’d advise that you don’t give up your day job. You just aren’t funny. You may think you’re funny, but you aren’t,” the Blue Suit said to me.
“I happen to think I’m very funny,” I complained.
We looked at one another and laughed.
“I never thought there would be a virtual inauguration,” I added.
“Went off without a hitch. Perfect,” I said.
“Just kidding,” I added.
“ECTV couldn’t manage to broadcast the event without my television screen going blank. The inauguration began at 6:00 pm and for me, it ended at 6:10 pm,” I said to the Blue Suit. “Father Cha Cha of the Immaculate Conception Church gave the invocation and when he was done, the broadcast went off.”
“What was that all about?” I asked him.
“Divine intervention?” I asked.
The Blue Suit didn’t laugh.
“Put your thinking cap on, Josh. The folks at ECTV must know your flatscreen’s exact location and were able to use hackers to shut down the broadcast on your television. Maybe Carlo put in a special order to shut your television,” he answered. “Did you ever think of that, Josh!”
“Very funny,” I said. “Carlo is capable of many things. I don’t think he has the power to hack my flatscreen broadcast during his own inauguration.”
“Did you watch the inauguration” I asked the Blue Suit.
“Yeah. I watched it in the living room at the mayor’s house. As you well know, the mayor’s house is my house. I love the place when he isn’t home. ”
“What did you think of the inauguration?” I asked.
“It was low key but respectable. In the general scheme of life the inauguration isn’t like election night or Christmas Eve. This year’s inauguration, I think, revealed a bit about the mayor. I was told by several of his associates who claimed to know that he didn’t want to be there. He had no interest in going, that he was happy to bar the public from the event because he didn’t want to be heckled.”
“I can understand that,” I agreed.
I explained myself.
“He’s been confronted numerous times recently. Council meetings now include public negative voices letting out some real gripes about Carlo. More than a few residents and city employees are not afraid of saying what they want about the mayor in public This has been especially true with the public speaking part of the meetings. When Maria Bussell and John Puopolo spoke in public last week questioning the mayor’s longevity payments a funny thing happened.”
“What?” the Blue Suit asked.
“ECTV went off the air with its live broadcast when Maria Bussell began speaking. I believe it was on for Puopolo’s comments but the following day when I watched the meeting on video, ECTV had apparently removed Bussell and Puopolo from the video. “
“Who knows to do that at ECTV? Or is the ECTV video person instructed to do it and if that is the case, as I suspect it is, who gives out such instructions?”
“That’s what I’d like to know,” I said to the Blue Suit.
The Blue Suit looked disgusted.
“Why don’t you think about something else, Josh?” he suggested to me.
“Like what?” I asked.
“Like do you know the mayor is telling some people that he’s done with the political game, that he wants out of it, that he has a job offer, and that he might possibly be leaving Everett? I know, Josh. I’ve heard him talking.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I replied. “He’s not going anywhere. He’s got nowhere to go. This is his life. He will hang on to being mayor until he can’t be mayor anymore,” I added for emphasis.
“Do you believe he could be elected again or was this his last rodeo?” the Blue Suit asked me.
“I don’t believe he believes he can be elected again. But I don’t know. We don’t communicate. I wonder what he’s thinking,” I added.
“I’ll tell you what Carlo is thinking…he has everything under control. He is pleased about that. He is not pleased with his showing in November – but the next election is four years away. So who cares what the people are thinking. He knows he will be taking over the de facto administration of the public schools in the next 60-90 days. Many people will leave or be asked to leave or will be fired or will resign. He will fill all the spaces with a new generation of Carlo supporters. He’s excited about taking over the public schools doing things his way,” the Blue Suit told me.
‘Something is bothering Carlo. I know the guy well. I don’t know what it is or what it could be,” the Blue Suit finished.