McGonagle Mailing Attacks Marchese
By Josh Resnek
As the rep campaign spirals into its last week of contention, candidates incumbent Rep. Joe McGonagle and City Councilor, Rep hopeful Mike Marchese, have been lobbing bombs in private and in public.
Each have accused the other of being useless politicians, self-aggrandizing types who care only about themselves.
McGonagle’s advertising makes the point that Marchese is a money grubber working as hard as he can to put as much money into his own pocket as he can.
A citywide mailing that hit most Everett addresses referenced a drug bust at a bar owned by Marchese 20 years ago.
Marchese claims McGonagle is hiding under a rock, heading into Beacon Hill to act like a big- shot, doing nothing, and evading comments and public appearances for a host of important issues to perpetuate his rep’s salary.
“He’s supported by the mayor and by the disgraced racist Anthony DiPierro. That says it all about Joe,” Marchese told the Leader Herald.
Who is right and who is wrong between these two and whether or not it means anything that they are jousting will be revealed next week when voters go to the polls.
Policies always seem to get lost in personality battles in Everett between public figures like Marchese and McGonagle.
Does anyone really care what McGonagle’s policies are or what he speaks out on or what he remains silent about?
Is Marchese’s plea that he can’t be bought something that resonates with voters or is it considered poppy crock political grandstanding?
We shall find out where these two stand with the voters of this city next week.
This we know for certain.
Their battle is not about what matters or who is right or wrong or even who the better man is. Their’s is a simpler game…it is about popularity.
Mirror mirror on the wall, who is the most popular of them all: McGonagle of Marchese? This is what will be proven on Election Day about the rep race.
To that end, there are a few indications that McGonagle should do well.
First, he appears to be a popular, a durable sort, fairly immune to having to do anything meaningful to keep his seat.
Second, he has the power of incumbency.
Third, he has put up a great number of signs throughout the neighborhoods.
Our estimate is that McGonagle’s signs out number Marchese’s by a 3-1 margin.
Marchese, on the other hand, has been in a sort of ascendant posture since last year when he scored a ticket topping victory in the city councilor at large contest.
Marchese compiled a huge citywide vote at a time when there are a number of bright eyed
and bushy tailed newcomers serving with him on the city council.
More importantly, Marchese has been in the lead on major issues from the mayor’s longevity pay (which was taken away from him), overcrowding in the public schools, and a strong, vocal, insistent stand against racism.
McGonagle has refrained from getting publicly involved out of deference to the mayor and his supporters, who are supporting.
Marchese’s support for Pope John to be used as a public school has the appearance of galvanizing a great deal of strong support for him – which comes at McGonagle’s expense. Even voters who might tend to vote for the mayor in an election are likely to cast a vote for Marchese because of his stand on Pope John.
McGonagle has not spoken out with anything but perfunctory and largely unnoticed comments about his former campaign manager, Former Councilor Anthony DiPierro.
Di Pierro resigned in disgrace some months back after numerous claims of racism consumed his public persona and sent him packing.
DiPierro, it is believed, has remained a strong supporter of McGonagle’s. McGonagle told the Leader Herald DiPierro has nothing to do with his election campaign.
In Everett, this has the ring of unreality, even among McGonagle supporters.
When the votes have been counted on Election night, voters will have shown who they prefer to represent them on Beacon Hill.
Will that be McGonagle or will that be Marchese?