By Josh Resnek
Councilor Anthony DiPierro’s crash landing highlights the mayor’s conundrum about how exactly to put out the fire caused by the crash.
The mayor is known for his impulsive behavior.
He has a special ability to make things worse for himself when the going gets tough.
What to do with DiPierro is a growing problem for the mayor.
After all, the mayor is having to deal with his own racist and threatening messages to colleagues about retaliation he will be seeking, which the Leader Herald has revealed.
The mayor’s negative comments about Irish people did not resonate well in many quarters around the city.
DiPierro’s use of the N-word repeatedly compounds the racist look and feel of the administration.
In a perfect world, the mayor would jettison DiPierro to put out that fire.
He can’t do that for several cogent reasons.
First, DiPierro is his relative.
It wouldn’t look good if the mayor forced his cousin and campaign manager to resign to uphold racial equality beliefs that the mayor has little to no respect for.
Second, if DiPierro has to go, then his communications chief must follow him.
In today’s backstabbing, disloyal, jealous and greedy Everett political environment, forcing DiPierro to resign would cause the mayor major blow back.
In other words, for each and every action there is an opposite reaction.
She would likely turn on the mayor as she holds a number of his secrets.
The mayor would not want her talking about him to law enforcement.
The same can be said about DiPierro.
In the last analysis, the mayor can’t trust either her or DiPierro.
Which brings to mind the apparently ongoing investigation into endemic racism among the leaders of the city and their colleagues now being conducted by the city’s Chief Equity Officer Cathy Draine.
What kind of investigation is Draine conducting?
Has she ever conducted an investigation?
What has the mayor asked her to do or has the mayor throttled her.
Draine is in a bad position which she does no appear to understand fully.
Draine cannot be fired by the mayor for not doing as he says.
Draine could shout to high heaven about being coerced into quiet by the mayor about all things racist and anti-Black and suffer no consequences – other than to be applauded by the city’s vast majority of Blacks and Browns for standing up for them.
If Draine does nothing, she reveals herself to be a puppet for the mayor.
If Draine acts with boldness and courage, if she demands that Deveney and DiPierro be fired, she will incite the mayor’s wrath.
The mayor’s hands will be tied by the decisions Draine makes if they are independent decisions that reflect poorly on the mayor.
Draine is in a decidedly bad place.
She needs to have a spine of steel and to make judgments and to take actions against DiPierro, especially, which could rock the mayor’s life in this city.
What will she do?
That’s anyone’s guess at this moment.