Correia Can Now Resign and Maybe Make a Comeback [OPINION]

The voters of Fall River overwhelmingly rejected Mayor Jasiel Correia II at the ballot box. He now has an opportunity to go out and maybe come back someday.

Politics is about addition, not subtraction. A politician who attempts to stand in the way of a wave of voter sentiment is doomed to fail. Until the latest municipal election in Fall River, Mayor Correia could argue that he was in office because of the voters.

That narrative is over. There is no longer a reason for the indicted mayor to stay in office. Paul Coogan beat him with 62 percent of the vote. No incumbent comes back from a defeat like that in a primary election. It is especially impossible if the incumbent has been indicted and arrested by the FBI. Mayor Correia has been indicted twice and arrested twice by the feds.

There is life after politics and even more life in politics for politicians who are defeated at the ballot box.

Jasiel Correia is only 27 years old. He will be under 40 by the time the bureau of prisons releases him if he is found guilty. He will still be a young man.

But he is currently innocent until proven guilty and he could beat the cases of financial fraud, tax evasion, and extortion he is facing in federal court. He has an excellent attorney, Kevin Reddington, standing by his side.

He would be smart to announce he is going to be resigning from the job early and he is planning on helping the new Coogan Administration transition smoothly for the best interest of the people of Fall River. He will be remembered as doing the right thing by the people even in the face of the federal charges. And if he wins the cases, he will be in a great position to move forward in life.

The alternative will be a sad and pathetic affair played out in the media and the courts.

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.