Councilor Brian Gomes Is Officially Running for Mayor [OPINION]

New Bedford City Councilor Brian Gomes is officially asking the voters of the Whaling City to consider electing him their next mayor.

The Standard-Times is the newspaper of record for greater New Bedford. It is the vehicle for official announcements of meetings and court proceedings of all sorts. This year, it is assisting the voters of New Bedford by running statements from candidates seeking election to local office in the city.

Brian Gomes has written and submitted the most interesting statement of the election cycle. He is running for mayor. Repeat, he is running for mayor.

He also has signs up across the city to re-elect him to the city council.

Brian Gomes is doing exactly what he said he wouldn’t do just a few weeks ago: he is running for two offices at the same time.

He knows this is going to cause him some problems and for that reason he must be taken seriously.

He must have looked at the other candidates challenging Mayor Jon Mitchell for the four-year term and decided he was the only candidate capable of asking the questions that he believes need to be addressed.

Mayor Jon Mitchell is going to beat any of the other first-time candidates running against him for mayor. Quite frankly, Mayor Mitchell has been generous with his time in regards to the other candidates. Being Mayor of New Bedford is a serious job and it is a non-stop job. Just because you can get 50 signatures on a nomination paper doesn’t give you the right to demand the time of other elected officials.

However, Brian Gomes is different because he has been elected to office for decades by the people of New Bedford. Having the consent of the governed is an American tradition and it is worth something.

Chris McCarthy is the host of The Chris McCarthy Show on 1420 WBSM New Bedford. He can be heard weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon. Contact him at chris.mccarthy@townsquaremedia.com and follow him on Twitter @Chris_topher_Mc. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.