No matter how many times we write about the mayor’s race coming up and its endless, almost infinite possibilities, there is a certain amount of pleasure derived in trying to handicap a race that might never happen.
We will again note that two weeks ago, the mayor had his birthday party at Antonio’s. The place was packed, and nearly everyone present dropped money into the mayor’s campaign war chest.
It is hard. It is difficult. It is impossible to understand the strategy behind having a money raiser birthday party if you’re leaving public office. And it appeared to us, quite clearly, that the mayor was comfortable in his element at the birthday party and that he raised a small truckload of money - and that money may very well be used on a re-election campaign when push comes to shove if the mayor has nowhere to go next time around.
And there is the better than even likelihood that the mayor will be here, all revved up with no place to go.
A party is just a party, but the mayor’s birthday fundraiser was more than just another political party. It was almost a statement that he will be running again, barring any last- minute exit strategies that come to bare.
How will that leave Dan Rizzo, the odds-on heir apparent, if Ambrosino leaves?
Rizzo would be committing political suicide running against Ambrosino if the mayor decides to run again. For as worn down as the mayor might be by the monotony of the job, he will remain the most formidable political figure in the city when the next election comes up.
And what of Carol Tye?
We continue to see her making the rounds of all the political times that count – and she was there at the mayor’s birthday party, and sat, in fact, not too far from Rizzo.
If you are Rizzo, you have to really wonder about Tye.
Will she or won’t she?
Will she run or will she not run if Ambrosino leaves?
It seems likely that she will.
Obviously, this is a classic complication for Rizzo if she runs.
Will she run if Ambrosino stays?
Absolutely not.
The teacher has said she would never run against her former pupil – and those of us who know her, take her at her word.
Would Rizzo run if Tye ran?
We believe he would and that might prove to be very interesting. For a number of years, Rizzo has been in the public eye much more so than Tye.
Any other takers?
Add Ward Alderman George Rotondo to the list of those wanting to be mayor of Revere.
Rotondo is a younger guy with ambition. He doesn’t hide his ambition.
In this case, he would need to act on his ambition, and if he acted forcefully enough, we wonder what might happen?
