Regardless of espousals and affidavits, the recent coming out of some people I have known, in favor of the Mayoral candidacy of Mac Bell of Gloucester, Ma. surprises me. Setting aside recent arrests for violent verbal outbursts aimed towards the police, which in the case of the Gloucester Police in particular I am not entirely opposed to, theres a persons reputation among those they employ. In the heyday of the Glass Sailboat, (Now Alchemy) the fine establishment was known for great coffee, high priced groceries, for a time high fidelity stereo gear, and a slave galley of a kitchen. I knew several people, friends of mine then, who were stretched to the limit working under their boss, Mac. But the Glass Sailboat was just an amusement for Mac. The amount of income it generated for him was certainly not enough to endow his lifestyle as we now see it. I remember Pat, now owner with her partner Kate at the Common Crow, slaving to the point of madness in her scramble to satisfy the needs of the Glass Sailboat store. I imagine shes got an opinion about Mr. Bell, and his fitness to act in the interest of people beneath his tax bracket. Now I have no real personal problem at all with Mac Bell. Hes arrogant in a way most men especially respect. Following to the letter one of my own favorite dicta: Self doubt is a disease of lesser men. But hes rich, and rich people in power have never been such a good idea, and less so in a town of working people. That said, Carolyns lifestyle isnt exactly modest. But nor is it extravagant. Shes willfully turned a blind ear to a lot of my own desires, mostly (and ironically) to do with the out of control noise pollution we suffer in this city. But after the furor of her first term gaffs died down, she proved an apt administrator. Yes she screwed us over Gloucester Crossing, and has taken reactionary rather than precautionary stands on some items, but shes gotten the roads paved. In the interest of full disclosure of my own opinion: The Birdseye plant could be demolished today, swept clear and left a nice beach in the center of town, and I would be as happy as can be. Its a fracking eyesore and anyone who tries to paint it (Hah!) as a historic landmark is sadly deluded. But to immediately try to build something on it just to keep rentable space from going un-collected is disgusting and pure avarice. The quaint fishing village of yore is gone, folks. We paved it right down to the waterfront. To claim that concretion as a landmark worthy of notice after a hundred years of wishing it were gone is self serving hypocrisy on the part of a handful of Fort dwellers. Just as turning it into a Marriott is a selfish waste, and aimed at enriching developers who will laugh all the way to Cancún with the profits, cause they sure as hell wont spend them here in Gloucester. So vote for the candidate that serves your interests best. I say this knowing that we mere humans in work clothes out number the Atlantic Ave. set.
Posted on: Thu, 24 Oct 2013 14:20:36 +0000