A Three-Cornered Fight for City Hall
Political tensions are brewing in Everett as observers predict a 'red-hot' municipal election involving business interests, Bill Gillespie, and a rising Socialist movement.
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Political trade winds will soon begin to blow. For be it known we are to have the thrills and excitement of a red-hot municipal campaign this fall. A complete ticket is to be elected from the mayor down. It is as certain as anything can be in this uncertain world, that there will be three tickets in the field. Mayor Hartley may decide to run again; he is well aware of the dissatisfaction that exists in several quarters with his administration and a re-election would be a vindication to his mind. Bill Gillespie wouldn't take much coaxing, and his bitterest enemy dare not say he isn't honest. There's a fly in the ointment for all the old time political dopestars: the Socialist party workers. They are planning a whirlwind campaign and claim that Everett is due to swing into the Socialist column. The ward improvement clubs will also be mightily interested in councilmanic nominations, as they want a municipally owned water system and cheaper improvements.
“Dive under the crust of politics, if you don't believe it.”
Everett’s political landscape in 1911—defined by the friction between business power, populist candidates, and the demand for public utilities like water—mirrors the ongoing debates over civic control and infrastructure investment in modern city councils.
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