The endorsement of certain political candidates for public office here don’t carry great weight but rather indicate a liking of one candidate over another for a variety of reasons.
There was a time, and it was not so long ago, when endorsements were paid a great deal of attention and had the power to sway thousands of voters.
Endorsements in Everett for candidates is generally a reflection of the candidate’s popularity, as many of the local contests are not about where a candidate stands, or who and what he or she supports.
Elections here generally about who is the most popular politician running against other politicians who aren’t as popular.
Nearly always, the most popular politician wins.
In the mayor’s last election victory he proved beyond the shadow of a doubt that he was, above all, the most popular politician in the city.
His victory certified the extent and the depth of his popularity among the voters of Everett.
Despite efforts to replace him with Fred Capone, Capone failed and the mayor won.
Measuring popularity is as simple as that in an Everett election.
It is what sets apart winners from losers – no matter how close a contest can be, the most popular candidate always wins.
That’s just a political fact of life locally, an irrefutable fact of politics and local life.
Last week, the Leader Herald endorsed two candidates – Peter Pietrantonio and Darren Costa.
We believe these two candidates exhibit what it takes to be a solid city councilor in their respective wards.
Are they the most popular running inside their respective wards?
We shall find this out soon enough.
Costa over former Councilor Anthony DiPierro who was forced to resign many months back, is a no brainer.
Costa is the living embodiment of an Everett politician standing for the rights of man in a city that is today largely made up of large communities of Blacks, Browns, Hispanics, Brazilians and Haitians and another half dozen races and nationalities.
He may not be as popular or as connected as his opponent, but when it comes to protecting people, Costa stands out. His reputation is squeaky clean.
Pietrantonio got our endorsement because he acts independently out of a life experience that found him managing large public works departments and many personalities employed by those departments and doing this with success and ease.
He may not see eye to eye with the mayor, but this doesn’t disqualify him from serving in public office here.
Endorsement are a part of the political games played throughout the nation.
They are important to note.
Yet voters, these days, tend to do whatever they want. That’s the way it ought to be.