…. and then there was two.
Amy Sangiolo had clearly drawn policy differences between herself and Ruthanne Fuller and Scott Lennon. For example, she was against charter reform, they weren’t. She had clearly said that an override would be required. They said “we’ll see”.
Now that we are down to two candidates in the race, what do you think the differences are between their positions and policies. For this thread, please don’t get into personality or cultural issues – i.e. not why you like one or the other but what concrete actions or policies do you believe one would support and the other wouldn’t.
The candidates themselves are of course more than welcome to weigh in here if they like.
That’s a really good question Jerry. Can’t wait to see the answers because I’m not sure that I know.
Lennon helped lead the charge on allowing a special permit for a 1000 unit storage facility in the middle of a residential neighborhood in Newtonville. I don’t understand the merits. I can appreciate those that advocate for more housing, but this is something different.
It seems overly developer/business friendly, I don’t see how this was in the interest of Newton, the neighborhood itself stenuously objected.
Think this is an important issue for consideration.
I’m looking forward to hearing more from each candidate about the environment. Amy staked out bold new ground in calling for 100% renewable energy in Newton in 10 years. Maybe that’s not realistic, but I’ve always appreciated a politician who understands that setting ambitious goals can be important even if we don’t quite end up meeting them.
Hoping the final 2 will put out aggressive, bold plans to do our part to address global climate change. All of our arguments about everything else in Newton won’t mean much if half of Boston’s underwater.
I’m hoping one of them will reconsider their stance on the Charter. A No vote might attract some Newton residents concerned about democracy in the city.
Here we go again.
Tweddle Dee and Tweedle Dum.
Isn’t it interesting that the “democrats” of the city are so much alike that they can’t field candidates that might present differences, and don’t recognize a candidate that might present a real choice.
I’d love to see the board of alderman / City Council voting records of each candidate. Where might they have differed ??? !!!
If you dig into the details, there are quite a few policy differences between them.
For starters, I’ll point out that Ruthanne proactively co-sponsored docket #298-17, “Requesting feasibility report on establishing Summer Food Service Program.”
Given that we’re approaching 2,000 NPS students who go the summer without a reliable food source because of poverty – and given that many of these children reside in Nonantum – it’s worth pointing out that Scott did not participate in co-sponsoring this item.
I believe the candidates are almost the same. However, there is one issue that stands out to me. The Environment. Scott’s goal to turn Newton green by 2035 and turn our municipal buildings green will probably give him my support on election day.
” Almost the same “,..? almost exactly the same! Show me their voting records,.. not who might have “co sponsored, ( for what ever reason ), some piece of legislation.
And if ever there was an “environmental” candidate look no further than Sangiolo.
As I wrote previously it’s now tweedle dee or tweedle dum. They both will be leading us down the same path.
@blueprintbill – This thread is about the upcoming election. Amy Sangiolo is not one of the candidates.
Whether you’re disappointed with the primary results or not, our job is now to choose either Lennon or Fuller.
At this point most Newton voters will most likely vote based on personalities, values and perceived support base rather than the issues. Sad!
It would be helpful if there were some easy-to-find place where we could see how they’ve voted, which dockets they’ve cosponsored, etc. Right now I’m finding it difficult to see where they stand on issues and on which issues they differ because I simply can’t find the information. For instance, I’ve heard that they both support the proposed charter, but when I Googled to try to find this information I didn’t find anything. Am I missing some resources that other people have found?
Right now they do seem similar on policies based off things they’ve said, but I’m currently unlikely to vote for Fuller because there are some discrepancies in things she’s said (e.g., her political donations, work history, public schools) but maybe if I saw some concrete things about both of them, I could become a more educated voter.
Here’s an example of how difficult it is to find info. I tried finding information about the docket Tom Davis mentioned above. I Googled “Requesting feasibility report on establishing Summer Food Service Program.” I Googled the docket number. Nothing. Then I tried to find the info about the storage facility that Paul mentioned. The only thing that came up was the above comment in this blog! How is the average person supposed to find any of this information? I am not doubting what either of them said, but it’s important for us as voters to know WHO we are voting for and right now we don’t. I will admit that the attention I pay to local politics tend to ebb and flow, but I think that’s the case with a lot of voters.
@blueprintbill I was a Sangiolo supporter myself. Sure, Sangiolo is better than Lennon. But right now we are deciding between Lennon and Fuller.
Tom Davis, thanks for bringing this SFSP to our attention.
I did a search for “newton MA feasibility report on establishing Summer Food Service Program” and got the Village14 results of all these questionnaires put to all the candidates for all the races, which was interesting. Didn’t bring up the docket about the SFSP, but interesting none the less. To see: https://progressivenewton.com/2017/08/28/newton-candidates-questionnaires-2017/
That said, I agree it’s difficult. I spend time looking at the various committees each is on and look to see what they’ve done. It’s tedious. Right. Who has that kind of time???
That Ruthanne actually did that is tremendous and I think sets her apart. There is a huge swatch of Newton that doesn’t get the attention it needs.
One difference the Fuller campaign points out is gender. Surely we can do better than that? I didn’t realize all women thought alike and I didn’t realize women would vote for a candidate simply because of gender affiliation.
Bryan, to your point – Ruthanne has a compelling plan (https://ruthannefuller.com/issues/environment-open-space/) and track record on the environment. Her work on fixing Newton’s sub-surface water infrastructure, for example – while not flashy or widely acknowledged – is probably the single greatest leap the city has taken towards sustainability in the last decade. Prominent environmentalists like Marcia Cooper, the President of Green Newton, were early endorsers.
Lynne:
I didn’t realize Ruthanne was making the argument you are accusing her of making. I think pointing out the gender difference is a fair point to make. But I don’t see anyone except you saying that the argument is “women will vote for someone simply because of gender affiliation”. You are taking one aspect of her argument to vote for her (her gender and the fact we haven’t had a female mayor) and making it the only reason she is giving to vote for her. Perhaps more likely, that reason is one of many pluses and minus that may lead someone to vote for Ruthanne. But I think you probably know that…
@Jake
As you are another supporter of the 1000 unit storage facility in Newtonville, it’d be appreciated if you could help us understand why this was a good idea for Newton and Newtonville. In the middle of a neighborhood, and across the street from the park connected to Cabot School.
@Mary: Ruthanne Fuller and Scott Lennon are listed as endorsers on the Yes on Charter website.
Also, the Summer Food Service Program docket item can be found by looking at the “Friday Packet” which is what is posted each Friday and lists upcoming items to be considered and/or voted on. It looks daunting until you get used to it then it’s not so bad. If you google “Newton Friday Packet” and open the top option [ie *not* the “archive”], you’ll see the Committee Reports, ie reports on what each committee voted on, which will then come to the full City Council for a vote. Then if you scroll down farther you’ll get to “09-18-17 Docket”, if you open that and scroll down to #298-17 you will find the item you were looking for. It will be considered by the Programs and Services Committee. So then if you get out of that document and go back to the Friday Packet, and scroll down further, ordinarily you would be able to open the Programs and Services Committee agenda for this week’s meeting, however due to Rosh Hashanah there is no P&S Committee meeting this week, so you’ll have to wait for next Friday’s meeting to see if that particular item is going to be on the agenda at the upcoming meeting. Alternatively you could contact the Chair of the Committee John Rice and ask him, or ask one of the other councilors – you might start with your local ward councilor, word is they are very responsive 😉
Also note that when an item will be on an agenda, the committee agenda packet will also include any accompanying material that should be reviewed before the meeting about each item under consideration.
Jerry and Logan,
Your “job” maybe to choose between two undifferentiated candidates but that doesn’t mean that either would get my vote.
There is such a thing as a write in vote, and AMY will get mine.
@Blueprintbill
You have inspired me. Amy ran because somebody had to step up and represent the other side of Scott and Ruthannes policies. I’m putting my Amy Sign back up right now.
The Newton League of Women Voters have invited a write-in to participate in a Ward debate. Following the same logic it would suggest that Amy could do so too.
Having too many candidates in the preliminary didn’t allow for substantial debate, and given the momentum Amy achieved in a few short months, another month of campaigning and good debate could easily put her in the top position… And if it doesn’t at least it’s an opportunity to spread her message.
Amy, you said you would be a bold mayor. Be bold now, get on the debate stage, and run for write in mayor. Your vision isn’t done quite yet!
Amy might consider moderating a debate between RF v. SL. This will also distinguish differences in not just personality/style, but logic in policy formation. This could also potentially distribute transference of Amy endorsements, enhancing political transparency.
@Blueprintbill & @Simon: No one was a bigger supporter of Amy for mayor than I was. She was truly a differentiated candidate with bold ideas and a clear vision for Newton. She was a breath of fresh air in the mayoral race. That said, there was a preliminary election, and Amy lost. Newton voters weighed in, and she came in third of the top three candidates. While it’s truly disappointing for those of us who are ardent Amy supporters, I believe it’s time to move on. We are now faced with two candidates who can be elected mayor of our city–Scott Lennon and Ruthanne Fuller–and we must choose between them. I truly believe casting a write-in vote for Amy for the general election as a protest vote, is wasting a rare opportunity to help choose the next mayor of the city. I want to be part of the process, and will cast my vote for one of the two candidates appearing on the November ballot.
@JaneH: Thank you (and to everyone else who is) for paying attention to this issue.
As I’ll continue to emphasize, the facts are simple. In Newton, we are approaching 2,000 NPS students who face food insecurity during the summer months because of poverty. Many of these students are young, developing children who are especially in need of nutritious, reliable food. There are federal programs and funds available, i.e., the Summer Food Service Program, to address this need. There should also be local, non-profit based funding available through Newton-Wellesley Hospital, which has generously donated money in the past to Waltham leadership for them to help their kids in need.
Having once been one of these young children in need, let me tell you, going hungry as a kid is painful. It sucks the self-esteem from your bones. It drains your energy, your concentration, your ability to be the best you. And in a city with such distinguished wealth and “progressive leadership,” it’s shameful that nothing has been done to address this problem.
Opponents of helping our kids in need claim that “Newton doesn’t qualify for SFSP or similar funding because we’re so rich.” As anyone who pays attention knows, that’s not true. In fact, the U.S. Census recently released a list of twnety cities with at least 65,000 residents that had the highest median income in 2016. Not surprisingly, Newton was ranked number three. My point in bringing this us is that of these ultra wealthy communities, many of them have more than one SFSP site in their community. To suggest that we can’t do the same epitomizes “kicking the can down the road.”
At the end of the day, this is all about leadership. It’s about clearly understanding a problem as it exists in the community and actually doing something about it. Not spending taxpayer money on “studying economic inequality,” but instead producing real, tangible results for those most in need. Moving forward, although I’m not an elected official, I’ll make sure that we see change in this area before next summer. I’m thankful to the few elected officials who are willing to help make that difference.
Laura, If you were an “ardent supporter ” of AMY, weren’t you aware of the issues she was raising? If you were how can you so easily change direction and vote for a candidate who is so diametrically opposite?
This should not be a personality contest. It’s not about who seems the most sincere!
Like Simon my AMY signs are going back up. Write her in !
Hi @Blueprintbill, it’s Lauren, not Laura. (That happens to me a lot.) And yes, I am intimately familiar with Amy’s platform as well as her background. It’s not easy to turn away from Amy and vote for one of the two electable candidates running for mayor. But, lots of things aren’t easy–that doesn’t mean I step away from making a difficult decision.
Supporting Amy was easy–we were in lockstep on most issues. Now the work for me begins because I need to dig into both candidates’ backgrounds, voting records, and stances, and determine the one who is most likely to move closer to the issues of most importance to me.
You have every right to put back your Amy for Mayor lawn sign. I’ve taken mine down, and stored it away for perhaps a future date.
I am, however, waiting for this Saturday’s delivery of my “Vote NO on Changes to the Charter” sign! ;^D
Emily, you proved my point. If those are the steps a voter needs to take to find out that type of information on the candidates, most voters just aren’t going to do it.
Mary, I ran in 2 mayoral elections, granted, I lost both of them in the preliminary, but most people don’t care about the issues. They naturally assume both candidates will be the same. It’s a popularity contest, it’s about name recognition and likability and having the money to get their postcards out. Some people vote based upon last minute endorsements that get sent around the city. It should be about the issues, but it’s not (for most people)…I’ve learned that the hard way. Some people didn’t even know who to vote for until they talk to sign holders the day of the election….it’s not about the platform (although you have to have one).
Sorry Tom but I can’t help but read a lot of sour grapes into your comments. Newton is filled with lots of smart residents and we’ve had very good, smart and articulate candidates for mayor in the last several cycles.
They won because they did a good job reaching voters, not because they pulled the wool over voters’ eyes.
Merging two blog posts into one…. I just went onto Newton’s 311 and requested that the WEBMASTER add a web page “HOW DO I LOCATE A DOCKETED ITEM?” and answer the question “WHAT IS A FRIDAY PACKET?” The phrase is so unintuitive… Sounds more like a restaurant menu for the weekend, or something that a teacher would give a student for homework.
Let’s see what the follow-up is…. Let’s see if we can find an easy solution to this problem.
Emily, the 09-18-17 Docket is CURRENTLY not on the current Friday Packet (since a new Friday has passed and the contents of that page has totally changed) nor is it in the Archives, nor is it on the Programs and Services Committee page. It’s a wild goose chase trying to track down items.
Did a little digging.
Here’s the link to the Council meetings. The 9/18/17 docket is what you’re looking for.
http://www.newtonma.gov/gov/aldermen/meetings/2017.asp
Here’s the link to that docket. At the bottom of the 4th page is docket item #298-17.
http://www.newtonma.gov/civicax/filebank/documents/84833/09-18-17%20Docket.pdf
If I’m reading this correctly, it appears that this item is being proposed to be referred to the Programs and Services Committee. If the Council votes this through, the committee can then take the item up for discussion.
I would love to see a side-by-side comparison of the candidates’ voting records. I wish I had the time to do the required digging to get that information.