Page 18 THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRiDAy, NOVEmbER 3, 2023 The Advocate’s Election Report: Get to know your candidates…a little better M erriam Webster defines HYPOCRISY as “a feigning to be what one is not or to believe what one does not; behavior that contradicts what one claims to believe or feel.” Unfortunately, hypocrisy so accurately describes a number people seeking elected office here in the City of Everett. Let’s take a look at a few of these examples: Michael Marchese Candidate for City Council, At-Large Michael Marchese, who is seeking reelection to his position as Councilor-at-Large and who currently serves as President of the City Council, led the charge for the City to be investigated for claims of racism and discrimination. The hypocrisy for this man to point any fingers charging others with racism and discrimination is, truly, unrivaled. Sure, it’s easy to make accusations and to paint people as a certain way, but it can be difficult to find the words to really prove the accusation. Well, why bother taking my word that Marchese is a bigot when you can just take his? Darren Costa Candidate for City Council, Ward 3 Darren Costa, the unelected Ward 3 Councilor, pounced on the opportunity to oust the elected Ward 3 Councilor. He lobs allegations of racism against his opponent and claims to be the Council’s “independent voice.” Let’s see how his actions stack up against his stances. (1) Darren’s “Ward-Captain” – a title akin to a campaign manager – is Tony “Contempt-ofCourt / Getaway-Driver / Aggravated-Assault-with-a-Deadly-Weapon / Arsonist / TeenTik-Tok-Wannabe” Raymond. The man that Darren proudly knocks doors with is a person that has spent more years behind bars than Darren has spent living in Everett. (2) Darren seems to conflate “independence” with “listening to the loudest voices in the room.” The cabal of nitwits scream at meetings, lament on Facebook, and complain in (poorly written) Op-Eds. This is the constituency that Darren proudly represents. Not the majority. Not the independent. Just the loudest and most disruptive. Jimmy Tri Le Candidate for City Council, Ward 4 Nowhere is hypocrisy more abundant than those who stand with Jimmy Tri Le. For over a year, the same Everett resident has made claims of sexual assault perpetrated against her. Her words are filled with emotion and are met with applause, support and calls for action by members of the public. These same residents turn their supportive claps into figurative slaps in the face of all victims of sexual assault by not only urging voters of the city to support Jimmy Tri Le, but victim-shaming the individual who bravely brought forward allegations of assault to a court of law. Jimmy Tri Le was unable to appear in the City Council Chambers for over a year while his sexual assault case was being litigated. Now, only after agreeing to a Continuance Without A Finding (CWOF) in front of the Malden District Court and a one-year stay away order from the victim, is Jimmy allowed to participate in City Council meetings via Zoom. The hypocrites who advocate for justice for a victim of alleged sexual assault should be ashamed of themselves for voicing their support for Tri Le and denigrating another victim of sexual assault because of their political alignment. Never allow words to speak louder than actions – these vocal supporters of Tri Le do not care one iota about sexual assault; they selectively rally around causes when it aligns with their politics. Peter Pietrantonio Candidate for City Council, Ward 6 The candidate with absolutely no platform, Peter Pietrantonio, has run a dirty campaign bashing his opponent rather than talking about what he would advocate for as an elected official. This childish tactic is often employed by those with no vision or idea on how to represent the people. Peter likes to tout that he is committed to his city. That commitment fell a bit short when he abandoned his post, leading Everett’s DPW for a cushier gig over in Melrose, only to come sniveling back in an unsuccessful attempt to regain his job a few years later. Not to mention the time that Pinch-Hitter-Peter came to City Hall with a baseball bat to threaten a City Hall employee for catching him on some questionable business practices while leading the DPW. Elected representatives should be committed to the city; Peter should be committed to an asylum to work on his priorities. Most recently, Petulant Pete criticized his opponent for having members of his family on the City of Everett payroll. Two important pieces of information are missing from his allegations: (1) These two family members were hired before his opponent ever ran for office; (2) Peter, conveniently, neglects to mention his own family who riddle the City’s payroll. You know, like his two brothers and father, who all collected a lifelong pension from the City. Or his niece who runs the Elections Department; or his son who has been trying to secure a department head job for years. Being in the Halloween spirit, the only logical explanation is that Peter is a vampire; after all, he must be unable to see his own reflection in the very thing he accuses others of. Guerline Alcy Candidate for City Council, At-Large Guerline has been campaigning under the guise that she’s been working for the constituents of Everett for years. She claims that her reason for running in this election is that the City of Everett doesn’t do enough to address the concerns of residents. As a full-time employee for Constituent Services at Everett City Hall, Guerline had a very consistent work record of drastically lagging behind her colleagues in terms of work production. Even the part-time summer youth help would outperform her on the numbers of calls logged and issues addressed. With such a poor work performance as a full-time employee, just imagine how little she can accomplish as a parttime employee! Sadly, she’d rather falsely label Everett a racist city to get her picture in The Boston Globe than actually run a campaign. If she hates the city so much, why stay?
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