Another election period is upon the city. What will this election cycle produce? Will there be surprises?
Will there be no surprises?
Will anything change? Will nothing change? Will everything change?
There are always surprises during an election cycle in Everett. From a lifetime of experience, we know each new election season is always idiosyncratic.
What does that mean?
That each new election season is different from the previous one, and usually for a variety of reasons.
The 19th Century Russian economist Karl Marx, who wrote Das Capital, his famous economic manifesto about communism, had a keen eye for history and its impact.
He wrote: “History repeats itself, first as a tragedy, second as a farce.”
Everett politics has undergone a great deal of change during the past 25 years – and yet much about remains the same.
We expect there might be minor changes in the City Council line-up when all is said and done with this year’s election cycle. At this time, it does not appear that there will be dramatic change in the lineup, and not much difference about any resulting changes in policy.
It appears at first blush that the School Committee will remain largely the same.
Surprises are part of the ongoing process always.
Obviously, it is impossible for us to know what the political excitement will be before the political excitement happens.
That is, elections are a bit like history.
History cannot be determined until after the events have happened.
As we ready ourselves for the upcoming political season, we must keep in mind the changing times, as well as the changing needs of the city to meet the demands of the future.
Elections have a way of sorting all that out — for better or worse.
The Leader Herald will be covering this election season with an eye toward informing our readers what is at steak and what might change and what might inevitably remain the same.
We hope you’ll join us in our coverage and our analysis.