Methuen Mayor Bill Manzi has reason to be worried.
Considered a heavy favorite in his race with City Councilor Kathleen Corey Rahme at the start of the election season, Manzi has been beset by a series of unfavorable stories, many of them involving his police department. Indeed, one got the distinct impression from the conversation he had with the Eagle-Tribune’s editorial board Monday that the pressure is building on Manzi to do something, anything, to stop the bleeding.
Manzi’s plight brings to mind that of Beverly Mayor Bill Scanlon, who in his 2001 bid for re-election was brought down not so much by his opponent — former city councilor Tom Crean — but a series of mishaps, some involving the police and another having to do with a botched bid for the managerment of the municipal golf course.
Voters decided they wanted to send Scanlon a message, and to the surprise of many of them, it resulted in the election of Crean. (Who lost to Scanlon by a wide margin in a rematch two years later.)
Manzi better hope Methuen voters are not in a similar frame of mind.
