By Josh Resnek
The Ward 1 race is coming to be one of the more complicated races that will take place.
The longest serving Everett councilor, Wayne Matewsky, is running for sure.
The head of the Everett DPW Jerry Navarra is also running.
A third candidate, Ken Gianelli has also announced.
In general, no one runs against Matewsky.
He has proven to be as durable as a piece of granite, and as impossible to unseat in Ward 1 as it would be to move a mountain.
So what’s up with two candidates running presumably for Matewsky’s seat against him?
First off, Matewsky cannot be beaten – not by Navarra or Gianelli.
The real battle is likely for second place. Matewsky keeps things close to his vest.
There is but the belief he will get re-elected, and sooner, rather than later, he will finally retire to care for himself and his mother. In such a scenario, the candidate who finishes second will step into the seat.
When Navarra was the only other candidate, this seemed a solid strategy to gain the seat after Matewsky leaves, and especially if he leaves early.
However, Matewsky is a tough one to corner into making a move – and leaving the council just doesn’t seem like something he will want to do.
Enter Gianelli.
He believes he can beat Navarra, which is to say, he is running to come in second in front of Navarra and to push Navarra to third.
Can he do this?
Maybe. Maybe not.
But the race in Ward 1 is turning out to be for second place by two candidates, neither of whom could unseat Matewsky!
Ward 3
This race features incumbent councilor Darren Costa versus former councilor Anthony DiPierro.
This is literally a contest between the new order and the old order for an all the marbles outcome when the contest has been decided.
Costa is very bright, involved, articulate and altogether presents himself as the new Everett – or at least as one voice on the city council representing the new Everett.
DiPierro has a long history here even as a young man serving in public office. He resigned his seat during a wave of protests against racism that took place in the city. He said he would be back.
He is back.
Following course work intended to firm up his understanding of equity and justice for minorities, DiPierro is coming back for another try.
The Costa-DiPierro race features two very different candidates with differing agendas and personalities.
Voters in this ward will have the opportunity to weigh and measure what it is they want for representation.
Do they want Costa, the new guy on the block – a young father in a multi-racial marriage who is unabashedly for what is right and just across the board?
Or do they want DiPierro, who is very well known and who presents himself very nicely in the ward to voters?
Costa or DiPierro? That is the question.