We urge all eligible voters of Everett to go to the polls and vote next Tuesday for one of the five candidates seeking the Democratic nomination for State Representative. The general election for this office is set for April 2 and will feature three candidates.
This special election to fill the seat that was vacated by former Rep. Stephen Smith for illegally obtaining absentee ballots is an important time in the life of our city. To put it bluntly what Smith did undermined the very principle of democracy. The only consolation that we can take is that Smith will be able to reflect about his misdeeds sitting in a prison cell.
Certainly, this election shows that democracy is very much alive in Everett
In this election, the voters have a choice of seven candidates. Each candidate brings a commitment to improving the quality of life in Everett. Each candidate has expressed concern over the state budget and its effect on the services in Everett.
For democracy to succeed, we need to have a large turnout. The meteorologists have predicted a sunny day and temperatures in the high 30s next Tuesday. So there is no reason not to vote.
The only question that we have is will this be a fair election. City officials have taken steps to ensure that what Smith pulled will be more difficult to happen again.
We applaud the actions of City Clerk Michael Matarazzo in having a representative from the Secretary of State’s office monitoring the elections.
With more than 200 absentee ballots having been cast so far and while this number is far less than what usually happened in a Smith rigged campaign, nonetheless the number is still too high.
It has been rumored that Smith had help in implementing his scheme. But only Smith has faced the music.
Until Everett voters know that the elections are given a complete okay and there is no more voter fraud, our elections must be monitored.