Is there Any Doubt?

No. There is no doubt about where the majority of the Board of Aldermen stand...and it's with our indicted Superintendent, Fred Foresteire. The previously mentioned "hot potato of responsibility" has been firmly flung into committee. Clinging to that shopworn phrase, "innocent until proven guilty", the Board had absolutely no problem giving the Superintendent the benefit of the doubt, while attacking the mayor for issues contained in a fraction of an 87 page audit. Evidently, the State Auditor's report didn't contain enough evidence of the Superintendent's gross mismanagement - but the Board found plenty to complain about with the mayor. Not one mention of hiring uncertified teachers, flagrant overspending, faking bids and bid splitting. None of that is important enough for the majority of the Board....no, they now want their own audit of city operations. Why? Because Fred wants it - that's why. Interestingly enough, even the Everett Independent, a paper that has been more than fair to the superintendent, thought that the credibility of the Board of Alderman would have been furthered had they actually asked any questions pertaining to the school department's problems.

So why would these men do Fred's bidding? Is it the perception of power that he allegedly holds? Is he really the key to mayoral ambitions or is that just another "fake out" by Fred? After all, the superintendent has managed to pull the wool over everyone's eyes for years....perhaps his "power" is really only smoke and mirrors. The money he spent on advertising has been exposed to the public, and everyone knows it was special education money that he used. Is a candidate really going to risk taking Fred's money or his advertising "assistance?"

Pay special attention to the upcoming political ads. Advertisements that have appeared courtesy of Fred's PR hatchet man, John Cook Dowd, are imminently recognizable. It will be interesting to see how many upcoming candidate advertisements follow the same format.