By Josh Resnek
Incumbency counts for a great deal when running for re-election.
In Everett’s Ward 4, Jimmy Tri Le is the incumbent.
If all things were equal, and they are not in this race, Le would be a shoo in.
However, Le has had a hammer hanging over his head since he was accused of sexual harassment by a city council colleague.
Since that accusation was made, and a preliminary court hearing held in district court in Malden, Le has been required to stay away from his colleague.
This translates into Le not being able to attend city council hearings or meetings for the past year. Le is now up for re-election.
He is facing two opponents: Kimberly Kit Bridge and Holly Garcia.
Both women are well known in the ward.
Bridge has been a week to week speaker at city council meetings where she has made an impact by speaking out on a wide variety of topics.
She is the only openly gay candidate in the race and is quite public about her belief in equity about race and gender relations.
Garcia has not been as public. However, she is well known in the ward.
None of the three candidates has been openly campaigning for the seat as of this week.
Le’s effort to maintain his seat has caused some discussion among ward residents.
The allegation made against him remains an allegation.
In other words, Le is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
By the second week of August the expectation is that Bridge and Garcia will be out and about campaigning.
What Le will do remains a mystery.
Efforts to reach Councilor Le for a comment were unsuccessful.