Mayor Speaks Out on Market Basket Saga's Community Impact

Local leaders are growing concerned about the lasting economic impact of the supermarket chain's turmoil

The longer the drama surrounding Market Basket carries on, the more concerned local leaders grow about the lasting economic impact of the turmoil.

The Demoulas family owns an entire plaza in Gloucester, Massachusetts, so there's concern about the mortgage, the taxes, but mostly about the employees, who aren't working.

He's not just Joe-Cutting-Pizza, as he's done for most of his life. He's Joe-Needing-to-Find-New-Places-to-Deliver-the-Bread.

"Nobody's there's to buy it. I mean, I would (deliver it), but there's no customers there. No bread vendors are delivering there," Joe Virgilio said.

And as he knows, there really aren't too many people at Market Basket buying anything, so they've stopped bringing over their fresh loaves for now.

Gloucester City Hall is getting involved now, after Mayor Carolyn Kirk penned a letter to the Demoulas board imploring them to settle the dispute; in Gloucester alone, there are 245 workers who have lost their jobs.

"Those are Gloucester residents, a lot of older people, students trying to make their way through school," Kirk said.

Nearby businesses are losing money, too. The Market Basket store in part of the new Gloucester Crossing is only a few years old. With plenty of places to park at 6 p.m., customer Scott Pantages is a one-man boycott.

"As a customer, once this deal gets done, everyone's coming back as soon as Arthur T. gives the word," Pantages said.

Meanwhile, back in the center of town, the Virgilio family hopes to come back to Market Basket, too. They've had the ovens on since 1939 and were once three cousins, and Joe's three siblings are here. But even he knows a family business isn't the easiest way to make a living.

"Working with family it can be difficult, at times, but we still love each other. We're not like that, I would never hit anyone else in my family," Virgilio said.

That reference was to Arthur T. Demoulas hitting his cousin Arthur S. Demoulas years ago in court.

Employees here say people have started to trickle back in with word from the governors' Friday and meetings planned then postponed.

Each one of them walks through the door and asks, is it over yet? 

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