TAB editor Andy Levin just published the paper’s endorsements for the races for aldermen and School Committee, along with four picks for Charter Commission.
*except Ward 1, where, as Alderman Leary pointed out below, the race for ward alderman was not mentioned
Congrats to Josh Krintzman, Rhanna Kidwell, Howard Heywood, and Brooke Lipsitt on their TAB endorsements. All four would be excellent choices for the 9 Charter Commission spots!
I agree with Bryan. That’s a nice group of charter commission choices.
Great choices for charter commission!
Congratulations to four fantastic candidates!!
Brooke Lipsitt? Don’t get me wrong. People really admire her. She is probably knowledgeable and affable (like all local politicians). She is endorsed by 14 alderman and 6 (out of 7) school committee members. How can we expect anyone to make independent decisions regarding term limits and shrinking the size of the board when they get such incredible support from same people that might lose their jobs from her decision?
If there is ever an election to vote for the people that your alderman don’t support, this is it.
My quandary. We have 22 candidates running for 9 seats, in a city where the voters don’t go overboard trying to get information about candidates. The Newton Tab comes up with a list of 4 endorsements. Three of their endorsements (can you guess which ones?) are at on the bottom of my top 9 list. Do I assume that the Tab will carry enough weight such that I am throwing away my vote on these three? Instead of voting for my number 7, 8, 9, should vote for my 10, 11, and 12 instead?
Jeffrey,
I disagree with your assumptions about Brooke. For all you know, presiding over a board where incumbents stay in office until they die might have kept her open minded about term limits. Besides, the charter is about a lot more than the size of the BOA or term limits.
We need someone on the Charter Commission who has intimate knowledge of how the board works. I think Brooke is a great candidate.
@Gail, the headline is not quite correct. There is a contested race for the Ward seat in Ward 1. It will be on the ballot on Nov 3rd, but apparently the Tab is treating this race as uncontested for reasons they can perhaps comment on?
@Alison, You’re right of course. I completely forgot that there is a contest in Ward 1. Did the TAB invite you in for an endorsement meeting?
Also very notable, the Tab “strongly” urged voters to vote YES to establish a charter commission.
Jeffrey, may I ask how you came to your conclusion that “the voters don’t go overboard trying to get information about candidates.” Is it simply because they don’t agree with you?
Jeffrey,
Of course every vote counts. Even if all of you’re candidates don’t make it, you’re sending a message.
That’s how the people you don’t like keep getting in, people feel disenfranchised, they think their vote doesn’t count so they don’t vote. Good Luck.
@Gail, I did not get invited to an endorsement meeting. Two years, ago when I first ran for office I did get invited and I did get endorsed over the same opponent.
I think it does a disservice to the voters of Newton to completely ignore a contested race. Even if the Tab decided not to endorse any candidate, they should have at least acknowledged the race existed, and given reasons for not making an endorsement.
@NativeNewtonian. I don’t know whether or not people agree with me, and it has no impact on anything that I am saying. Let’s meet outside of a mutually agreeable pooling location on Tuesday and ask 10 random voters what they think the characteristic is that sets Peter Bruce apart from the other candidates. If more than 3 people answer that question intelligently, I will buy you a drink, and only enter blog entries for a year that support your positions. If not, you will buy me a drink and only enter blog entries for 3 months that support my positions.
@Gail. My assumption about Brooke is an assumption about ALL candidates with massive inside support, although Brooke is an extreme case. You may be right. Brooke may be to able to make a decision to eliminate 16 alderman seats, and comfortably walk into a party with friends, 2/3 of which, will lose their seats because of her decision, but I disagree. Few people, no matter how noble, are able to close their eyes to their friends when making big decisions like this. If you ever served on a jury, one of the first questions the lawyers will ask you is whether or not you know the involved parties. When friends are involved, it is even harder to be impartial.
This is the election in Newton where we should be cognizant of the potential conflicts of interest that the buddy system promotes. No one wants to point this out. People must think it is unseemly to mention it. The outsider candidates that have something to gain, won’t even mention it, so I will.
Is the Charter about more than term limits and board seats? Yes. But for most voters, these issues are that come to mind first. Even the other issues have impact on important things like the frequency of contested elections. Here again, insiders are likely to have different objectives then the rest of us.
I would just say that from my conversations with current and former aldermen and school committeemen, their opinions run the gamut from staying at 24 aldermen with no term limits to 24 with term limits all the way to one who said just have 11 of us. So I don’t think the sense people have that all current officials want to protect the status quo reflects the conversations I’m having.
I’m surprised and disappointed that the Newton TAB while always encouraging new candidates can’t even endorse ONE new person for the Board this year. They are certainly no profile in courage. I don’t believe they have any influence whatsoever. I’m voting for Jake in Ward 2 who I believe is going to pull an upset and I’m voting for Tom Sheff for the Charter Commission.
I’m not sure a victory by Jake should be considered an upset. Given his high level of profile during the campaign and the preliminary results, I think we should expect him to win one of the two seats.
The Tab endorsements did not come as a surprise to me, but i’m disappointed I was never asked if I could come in for a endorsement meeting with the editors, which I would have been happy to do.
Unfortunately, the Tab acts like a free advertisement going out to every house and although they wrote almost no content in regards to the SC races, i’m sure people do read the endorsements.
I’m still in this race for the students and hope for the upset.
@Cyrus: Did you meet with Andy Levin at all?
@Jeffrey… I hadn’t initially included her in my top 9 but Brooke Lipsitt would be a valuable asset on the charter commission. The fact that she is endorsed by insiders tells me that in all the years she has been in public office she has naturally made lots of relationships and that people appreciate what she does. I thought that wisdom showed at the Oct 4 Tri-Council forum, e.g. at 1:40:30 in this video https://youtu.be/GJisJdhGR5. She talked about studying best practices, what is working and not working here in Newton, and examining the many experiences of other cities and towns who have already gone down the same road ahead of us.
Brooke did make one unfortunate remark, I thought, in which she admonished against falling prey to the “NIMBY” mentality, though her point was well-taken in the sense that we have to try to do what’s right for the whole city, long term. I try not to read too much into one unfortunate term and look for the intent of the speaker or author, e.g. “importing poor people”. (Couldn’t resist.)
The reason Brooke didn’t make it onto my list, though, was that I felt I already had plenty of people with inside knowledge of how things work and with invaluable experience in Newton government. Those would be:
Peter Harrington – was on the last charter commission in 1971, 4 years on the board of aldermen, former state representative, a long law career in the city. Invaluable historical perspective and knowledge.
George Mansfield – done it all – school committee, area council, board of alderman, chaired land use, public facilities, finance, helped with the comprehensive plan and zoning reform. AND on the last charter review commission in 1971! Invaluable historical perspective and knowledge.
Ken Parker – 18 years on the board, creative and independent thinker, passionate debater, cares about Newton, good legal mind, understands government. I always learn something from ken and I bet he would come up with great proposals.
…so that covers inside Newton experience for me.
Then there are the professionals that spend their days on things like charter review:
Josh Krintzman – no brainer, should be
Rhanna Kidwell – absolutely. How can you not vote for her?
Chris Steele – a pro at community planning and someone I have been impressed with for a while. We’re not aligned on some issues, but I would want him in the room anyway.
So that’s 6.
Then I think we should have people whose focus is neighborhoods, and what better background than spending your time on a neighborhood area council. Both of these candidates have demonstrated a commitment to their neighborhoods and an understanding how the city government serves those local communities:
Kathy Winters (an attorney and Waban AC member)
Groot Gregory (all around smart guy, seems to volunteer for everything, insightful and helps steer whatever ship he’s on away from icebergs. also knows all the rules and is never shy about pointing them out!)
That’s 8. One more.
I like Charlie Shapiro. He’s got some inside experience but also a sense of people’s concerns and an understanding and appreciation of the importance of responsive, open democratic government. He let everyone know with his opening statements that he would insist on not reducing the number of Ward Aldermen because they are most accountable to their neighborhoods. I think he has a good demeanor for this as well.
The commission will have to get along, stick to a schedule – they have little time to do their work. It’s important that the people on there not have to waste time going in unproductive directions. They need to understand how our government works, understand how it could be more optimal, work hard, work fast and get to a sensible and well-thought out set of recommendations. They need experience in compromise and crafting a document that represents the whole yet is a fair, meaningful output.
We are blessed to have so many good choices, but I believe these nine would make a particularly strong charter commission. Not there aren’t other good combinations!
No, I have never met him.
I sent him a few press releases over the summer and fall. Never heard back.
Students are margininilized all over Newton and my age has been held against me and been presented as an onstacle since day one.
I’ll be at the senior center for the Q and A tomorrow if anyone wants to say hello and give me their vote on NOV. 3
So far I agree with Steve’s choices of Josh Krantzman, Ken Parker, Kathryn Winters and Chris Steele, but add Bryan Barash. So that’s 5 covering background, experience, neighborhoods and perspective. I have 4 decisions left.
At the tri-area council and other events, there were a couple of revealing answers conveying predetermined ideas that, it seemed to me, concerned changes to the charter that were more about the outcomes of issues than efficient government structure. Those candidates are not on my list.
During the next election season, I think all events should open with a stated acknowledgment that the candidates are happy to be there in a great field of candidates and wish to thank both the committees who made the event possible and the members of the audience who came out to see them. It should be read as a blanket statement at the beginning by the moderator. There is a very limited time for candidates to introduce themselves and answer questions or debate issues. It would be nice for them not use that time thanking everyone. IMHO
Does the Tab normally meet with every candidate prior to giving endorsements? Ward 1 should not be ignored and I’m hoping it’s an oversight that will be corrected. Since Alison’s challenger declined to attend any discussions with her, I’m ignoring him. I wish we knew more about the reasons the endorsements were made and why no challengers made the list.
@Marti: I’m not sure there is a “normal” procedure for the TAB given that the last three municipal elections (including this one) have seen three different editors. Normal will be whatever Andy decides it is.
Steve & Marti, thank you for your kind words. To all who are undecided, please take a look at my website, http://www.kenparker.org — and please email me any questions to [email protected]
Got cut off — [email protected] with any questions. Thanks very much for your consideration!
Thanks Marti!
Among the candidates, I think that Peter Harrington is the only one who brings the experience of having been on the charter commission before. In addition to Steve’s excellent description of his credentials, Peter is a consummate gentleman and what I consider an old school lawyer. He has and can do it all, including municipal law. If a charter commission is approved, I for one sincerely hope that Peter will be one of the drafters.
Caveat Emptor: DO YOUR HOMEWORK!!!
If you are a Newtonian that has lived here prior to the 2000’s or 1990’s,
then you will see the handiwork of George Mansfield and the protege of Brooke Lipsett, former Ward 5 alderman Christine Snow Samuelson, in Newton Highlands on the south side of route 9. Mansfield and Samuelson, both long time members of the Newton Highlands Neighborhood Area Council, were both cheerleaders for the Avalon Bay 40B housing project that dumped 24 out of a possible 25 children into the nearby Countryside elementary school. Both Mansfield and Lipsett protege Samuelson took a powder on advocating for the children and teachers of the Countryside school. Thanks Steven Feinstein i’ll pass on these two…
While you are at it, if you take a look at the Newton Highlands Playground-
no not the one lovingly maintained by the NHNAC at the Hyde, but the one behind the Tedeschis, you might agree with my neighbor that the area is a
dump. Again, for all the years that Mansfield served as an alderman and Samuelson as Lipsett’s protege, the playground never got fixed. Samuelson did
however find time to lend a hand to her “friend”, current Ward 5 alderman candidate Chris Pitts in building a playground in tony Waban.
The Newton Villages Alliance need look no further than the Newton Highlands Neighborhood Area Council – NVA Leader Ron Mauri is listed among NHNAC’s leadership- to see that the NVA has a huge credibility gap.
There has been no area council that has supported more large scale development
both through former alderman Samuelson and CURRENT NHNAC President
Srdjan Nedeljkovic. Both Arborpoint development and Avalon Bay benefitted from the thumbs up they received from NHNAC while Mansfield was an alderman and NHNAC member. if you check out the NHNAC website and click on avalon bay, you will see “neighborhood advocate” Ndeljkovic breaking ground on the 277 unit behemoth, to date the largest development in the city.
Austin st eat your heart out. There is at least one more member of the NVA that needs to share there pro-big box development past. I’ll dish on that at another day
Stay dry!!
@Lisap thanks for highlighting Peter’s excellent qualifications further. I believe I was incorrect in saying that George Mansfield was on the last charter commission in 1969-1971. So Peter seems to be the only candidate with prior charter review commission experience.
I still think that George would be a great asset to the process because he has a lot of experience and historical knowledge from many positions in the government.
There are 3 candidates I’d vote for before I’d vote for me.
Josh, Rhanna, and Peter.
I would be honored to serve with them, among others and ask for everyone’s support to do so.
I’m going to agree with Steven Feinstein. George Mansfield has alot of experience and historical knowledge. However, i prefer to let a candidates RECORD OF ADVOCACY, or in Mansfield’s case, lack thereof, on behalf of the schools and parks IN HIS OWN WARD do the talking. The year that he lost his seat there were alot of pissed off people on this side of route 9 that felt that Mansfield needed to be shown the door. Highly educated but low information voters who follow the pack often find they are on the wrong side of history and can’t undo the damage after its done. The funny thing is, members of the NHNAC including yourself and NVA leader Ron Mauri signed the petition AGAINST Austin St, but i can’t seem to find any petitions that either your or Mauri signed that were against Avalon Bay. It is possible that you are among the
Newton residents that dropped anchor here in the 1990’s or 2000’s and are just
getting your activism mojo going. As i have said to my neighbors that complained
about crowded schools and overdevelopment, join the club. As a leader of the NHNAC you are probably aware of the light rail crusade that Dr. Srdjan N has been leading on Needham St. Wouldnt a light rail system be a move towards the
“urbanization” that the NVA loathes?
I’m one of the people who voted against George Mansfield and was glad when he lost his seat. When he was my alderman, I tried to contact him with questions multiple times through multiple modalities (phone, email) and never got a response. When I mentioned my experience to neighbors, they all basically said “that’s George – he doesn’t answer people”.
I really don’t care what his historical knowledge is if he has no interest in learning what his constituents think. I expect Charter Commission members to be open to the opinions of other Newton citizens, but I have zero expectations that George will do that.
Thanks Doug Jacobs!!!
I am so disappointed in the representation to Ward 1 from our current Alderman. Perhaps Scott Lennon is too hard an act to follow, but when the Ward Alderman complains that no one from the TAB bothered to inteview her for an endorsement, why had she not reached out to them?
I was hoping to have a representative who takes action on issues that effect Newton Corner (not just Nonantum) – and perhaps be keen enough to inform us of things happening (sometimes before they become controversial issues) in addition to spending more time advocating for our long term residents and many schools (Underwood, Lincoln-Eliot, Bigelow Middle).
Leary has been focused on her agenda items of bans (single-use plastic bags, leaf blowers, styrofoam) which indirectly impose more taxes on residents. As far as I know, she walked with one concerned Newton Corner resident around the “Circle of Death” who was disappointed in the plowing done by the City last winter. I have yet to see her advocate for residents (1) on Jackson Rd and Waban St regarding the impact of temporary parking may result from the proposed Austin St project or (2) the residents who abut Farlow Park and Underwood School (as well as the Underwood School community) regarding relocating garbage dumpsters from behind the school to the main entrance side of the school. As if it wasn’t enough that Underwood already cut into the limited play area between the school and playground to pave an expanded parking for teachers. IMO, Leary spends too much time advocating for issues that are near-and-dear to her heart and not those of the Ward 1 constituents. I am thrilled Allan Ciccone is giving residents in Ward 1 a choice, instead of the automatic renewal of representation all of the other Newton Wards are getting.
Although I’m not a resident of Ward 1, I have seen Alison very engaged on behalf of her Ward 1 constituents, most recently in her attention to the safety issues at the Charles River Greenway that Chuck Tanowitz brought to light. And its not just being reactive to issues; I personally have seen Alison vocal in a BOA committee meeting in representing her constituents’ interests to improve the safety of the Bridge Street/California Street intersection in its pending re-design to protect its most vulnerable users.
I’m also proud of her stellar record on the environment, most recently in having led a unanimous vote of the Board of Aldermen to reduce the plastic bag garbage littering our streets. Our kids were offended to see plastic bags hanging in trees and strewn on the sidewalks in our neighborhood, and they wrote letters to the BOA asking them to address this. We are thankful to have a board that is responsive to these concerns and the leadership of people like Alison.
Ward 1 voters will have the final word on who they want to represent them, but I will echo Nathan Phillips in that it has been my observation that Ward 1 residents have a pretty dogged advocate in Ald. Leary. Last February I was contacted by 2 people about uncleared sidewalks in Nonantum and so I alerted Ald. Leary about them. She was relentless about getting the city to deal with them, including tweeting photos of them and tagging the mayor. They got cleared! I have also been proud to work with her on various environmental initiatives including the plastic bag ban which she led on. Many Newton residents, including in Ward 1, are proud of Newton’s environmental leadership and expect their elected officials to keep us in the forefront in terms of clean air, clean water and cutting energy use.
There have been lots of endorsements being sent around lately, which is wonderful. Everybody wins when people pay attention and that is happening more and more as this election draws near.
Thank you to all of you who wrote such nice words on this thread. And a huge thank you to the Newton Tab for the endorsement!
As many have pointed out – there are many terrific candidates for the Charter Commission. I would be honored to serve with any of them.
To be perfectly honest – I’m extremely curious to learn who Jeffrey Pontiff supports for the Charter Commission. He, possibly more than anyone else, has devoted a tremendous amount of time and energy into learning about each of the candidates for this important job.
For those of you who are still undecided, as you research the candidates, please feel free to reach out to me with any questions. http://www.joshkrintzman.com
And please, don’t forget to spread the word about the importance of participating in this election and voting YES to establish the charter commission!
@Paul Green, thanks for your perspective. Having moved to the area in the late 90s you have more history here than I do and have clearly been an engaged citizen.
The charter commission will need people who can evaluate options for governmental structure, understand what works or not in Newton, design an appropriate balance among the three branches, etc. While there will be a lot of community input as part of the process, the job ultimately is to propose a new design for our government, so I would like a team that covers all the skills and experience needed for that task.
@Nathan @Emily
It’s only leadership if it represents the desires of the constituents, IMO. Leary was elected to represent the people in Ward 1, not the EPA (or the Sierra Club).
Nonantum is only part of Ward 1. Ward 1 has two other precincts – 1-2 and 1-3 which are Charlesbank and Newton Corner.
I also received calls last winter about snow not being cleared by residents in Ward 1 (some who did not get mail delivered for two weeks). Where was she? Tweeting photos? Really? Why are residents calling/texting/emailing me?
I am thrilled you are proud of Alderman Leary’s accomplisments, however you do not elect her, the residents of Ward 1 do.
Her environmental advocacy so far is only working towards shutting down local small business owners (landscapers) and increasing the cost of consumer services for landscaping and cost of goods sold by eliminating single-use plastic bags.
I reiterate, it is good for the residents of Newton’s Ward 1 that Leary is being challenged by Allan Ciccone. At least we have a choice.
As I said, “Ward 1 voters will have the final word on who they want to represent them.” I was just giving my perspective.
I do think it’s bizarro that the Tab did not even choose to interview the Ward 1 candidates much less endorse.
I believe Emily should have been challenged and she will be in two years.
I am astonished by your comments Janet about Alison Leary our Ward 1 Alderman . Everyone is entitled to their opinion but please know your facts before making such unjustified and hurtful comments about Alison. First of all Alison has represented Nonantum and Newton Corner with all issues fairly and to the needs of her community. To pit Nonantum against Newton Corner is so wrong because Alison, Jay and Scott are responsive to all our concerns/issues no matter Nonantum/Newton Corner. Alison has met with Jackson Rd and Waban Park residents many times, strong supporter of Farlow Park, parking whether it be in Newton Corner/Nonantum, purchase of Aquinas, and she tries to attend all community meetings and than sum!
Janet, I know I am wasting my time responding to you, but I will do it this once.
My complaint was not that the Tab did not reach out to me, but rather that they made a decision to effectively ignore a contested race. This does a great disservice to the Ward 1 voters. The Tab’s editor, determined that my race is essentially “uncontested” due to the lack of campaigning by my opponent.
My “agenda” is to be of service to the Voters of Ward 1, and the City as a whole. You are completely out of touch with how hard I work every day for the residents of the ward. It’s just too bad that your candidate of choice has refused to debate me in any venue on the issues. (He also refused my invitation to participate in local, live debate at the Post 440). This has certainly been frustrating for me and perhaps for you as well. However, your temper tantrum complete with incendiary comments and misinformation is a very poor substitute for a real and substantive discussion.
Yet, there have been the rare instances when we agree on an issue or project for example, my support advocacy of CDBG and CPA funding for Farlow Park. I even thought you might even like my response to the NTA questions, for which I did not get their endorsement by the way.
The temporary parking at the former Aquinas Jr. College was very recently proposed. In fact, I first read about it in my packet. No one consulted the ward 1 alders on this proposal. I have since met with Nancy Hyde about it. And there is more discussion to come. The situation with the relocation of the dumpsters at the Underwood School is also very recent. You know that I am attending an 8:30am meeting on Friday at Underwood about this because I copied you on an email about it yesterday.
You clearly know nothing about my advocacy for the schools. You’re not a parent, you’re not in the PTO and I have never seen you at any school event.
Regarding the shoehorning of 6 parking spaces on the Underwood School site; this was done very quietly over the summer without informing any of the ward 1 aldermen. It was especially egregious because we had worked with David Koses from the Traffic Council on reserving 6 parking spaces on nearby Richardson Street for Underwood staff & teacher parking. But those spaces were rarely used.
And I am proud of my successful environmental record, which includes the Environmentalist of the Year Award from the Newton Conservators, and the Individual Environmentalist of the year from Green Newton, as well as the plastic bag ban, which was passed unanimously by the full Board of Alderman.
I am also not a Ward 1 resident but I believe Alison is doing a great job for Ward 1 and the city. Her leadership on environmental issues has been tremendous, just the type of effective leadership we need from the BOA. There are big problems facing Newton and continuing to drag our feet will not serve Newton well. As for what she has done specifically for Newton Corner, I can share a few examples for you. This past August, on an unbelievably hot day, Alison, Girard Plante of the Commission on Disability and I spend over 2 hours walking/rolling around Newton Corner cataloging issues with sidewalks, crossings, plantings and parking. She is committed to working with DPW to resolve the issues we have identified. I also spend a very cold morning with her this past winter when she met with Bill Paille and a neighbor to review options for creating safer crossings on Waverly Avenue. Alison also attended a conference with my last year on innovative parking strategies held by MAPC because certainly parking is an issue in Newton Corner.
I’ve had a couple of occasions to speak at length with Alison about an issue I was working on and I found her to be a good listener, very analytical, thoughtful and patiently searching for the right answer. I remember feeling pleasantly surprised that she ask such good questions and raised good points and treated me with respect. Alison in my estimation is an asset to the Board of Aldermen and should be reelected especially given her attempts to debate her opponent. I’m not a Ward 1 voter so I will await those voters’ decisions.
The TAB endorsements are unusual in that both no challengers are endorsed and not a word is said about the thinking behind the endorsements.
One thing has been clear for the city council is that the new faces added to it years ago have worked out pretty well.
There are some great challengers this time around who would add further fresh perspectives and improve the effectiveness of the board and it is a great pity that the TAB does not recognize that.
I personally hope that Jim Cote and Allison Leary are re-elected and joined on the council by Julia Malakie, Lynne LeBlanc and Jake Auchincloss. I also go for Chris Pitts and Brian Yates in the Ward 5 race.
A more balanced council is needed to properly address the huge OPEB financial problem and the current misguided approach to development in the city. Both problems have been made worse by sitting council members who are being challenged.
Newton’s future is very much at stake in this election.
On the SC, Margaret Albright has done a great job and deserves re-election for sure, especially when her opponent won’t engage in the standard set of debates and so is not willing to show up in even the most basic way.
There are many opinions of our elected officials. Most people who vote are uninformed about the issues, and make choices based upon name familiarity and/or vote the way endorsers tell them. If we are not pleased with our representation,we can vote for challengers (if there is the opportunity).
Additionally, blogs are one way of expressing disappointments. IMO, this blog tends to attract the cheerleaders for the incumbents. Informed residents who are brave enough to speak in opposition of the status quo tend to be under attack here. I am confident the combintion of the non-voting working class public and the influence of Terry and her association, Leary will be re-elected. I should be allowed to speakl inopposition to Alison’s focus on legislation that does not address the bigger picture affects the lives of all Ward 1 residents. Ward 1 voters have a choice on Tuesday. Ward 1 residents must be be happy that Allan Ciccone is brave enough to step up and give us a choice. Incumbents need to not be insulted when a qualified opponent steps up to serve their community and stop whining about how unfair it is to them when the local paper ignores them.
Please focus on solving bigger issues and tone down the nitpick legislation regulating human behavior by instituting bans.
two years ago!
@Janet, That’s right, the residents of ward 1 do elect me, and they did by a very wide margin. Go check the last election results. I didn’t just squeak by. In the preliminary I received more votes than my 2 opponents combined. In the general election I also came out on top by a very definitive margin. I was especially strong in precincts 1-2 and 1-3, where not a lot of people have even heard of my opponent. It will be interesting to see the results on Tuesday.
Janet makes an interesting comment about “…residents who are brave enough to speak in opposition of the status quo.”
This election is a referendum on the status quo, but on balance, the incumbents tend to represent change, while more (not all) of the challengers seek to maintain the status quo, like maintaining parking lots over transit oriented development. The status quo would also favor keeping plastic bag litter on our streets and sidewalks, doing nothing to improve the safety of our sidewalks, crosswalks, roads, and letting our leaking water main continue to leak. Newton needs change, not status quo, and if residents are calling for change they need to think about who best will work for it.
Janet, I did not hear Alison “whining about how unfair it is to them when the local paper ignores them.” She clearly and articulately stated her disappointment that her – YOUR – ward was ignored. You should share that concern. I am not a resident of Ward 1 but I have watched with admiration the work that Alison has done for this city and for you, Janet. While being an incumbent doesn’t automatically make someone a better candidate, neither does the fact that they one is challenging an incumbent.
@Geoff
Although I don’t know you, I have a lot of respect for when you were a member of the SC and am glad that you still stay involved.
However, I have shown up to multiple forums and community events the biggest being the OCT. 3 event in The Highlands. Also, I will be at the senior center tonight. The current SC hasn’t done much besides break the law and anyways, the students deserve a vote!
Remember to vote CYRUS VAGHAR on Nov. 3
Let’s be clear Janet. Our Association does not get politically involved in supporting candidates. If you go to our site you will read our motto: A community organization to improve the quality of life for all our neighbors who live and work in Nonantum. All our welcome. If we back a candidate it is on our own and not through the Association. I will add that Alison is on our board and adds a lot to the development of Ward 1-1 and listens to the concerns of her community including Ward 1-2, and Ward 1-3!
@Josh. Sorry for the long I post. I’ll try to make it interesting.
One of the reasons that I told NativeNewtonian that most voters are not going overboard getting informed is because I feel like I am busting my butt trying to get information, and I still don’t have clarity. Things are still changing for me, so I don’t want to give you my current top 9, but I’ll mention two people at the very top, two at the very bottom, and get personal with you!
I am adamant about not voting for people with strong ties to the board of alderman, even if they are capable, excellent people. As such, I already said I won’t vote for Brooke Lipsett. Anne Larner also falls in this camp.
I hope the charter decision is data driven. As such, I am giving special attention to people who are capable in this regard. The number one person on my list is, drumrolls, Wenhua Zhang. Say his name. Practice saying his name. He is on no one’s radar now, but I predict his vote count will be in the top 4. Wenhua gave me direct, no BS, answers. Getting into Wharton’s MBA program is darn hard. He works for Harvard Management, and I have never met anyone who works for Harvard Management who is not capable and smart. He understands data. He also is a real outsider. I think he is the person least likely to have conflicts of interest.
My number two person is Peter Bruce. Peter understands the issues at hand like no one else. When he answers questions he is direct. I wish had more time to talk at the debate. He knows elections well. Having someone with a PhD in political science from MIT will be very valuable. Regardless of whether Bruce makes the cut, everyone on the charter should talk to him. Many empirically-oriented political science professors have done countless studies using election data. The charter needs someone to translate those studies to normal language. He can do so.
Josh, right now you are about 7 or 8 on my list. Sunday moved you up a lot. Other people who jumped up sufficiently after the debate on my list were Jane Frantz and Megan Miriav. You gained a lot by answering questions without hesitation. You gave intelligent answers that did not coincide with my opinion that still demonstrated that you understand the cost and benefits of the decision. This being said, I think you (and Rhanna) are deservedly going to be on the Charter whether or not I vote for you. I might vote for someone who is further down on my list, who otherwise might have a tougher time getting elected. I need to agonize more about this.
Per Nathan Phillips
Per Albert Einstein
To be clear Nonantum Neighborhood Association(NNA) does NOT endorse any candidate. We are a group of hard working volunteers invested in improving the life of the citizens of Nonantum. We are proud that Alison is one of those volunteers. In my experience Alison is a diligent, tireless, very approachable, receptive representative of Ward1, unlike other Alderman who will not be named. It is also clear that Alison works for and represents all of ward 1 citizens. May I suggest that if Newton Corner citizens are feeling ignored they could form their own Neighborhood Association to work on their concerns with the city. As an organization NNA we have found much success in working with city officials and aldermen in addressing issues that directly affect Nonantum. This of course naturally results in “influence”. Our accomplishments over the past 4 years is proof that “influence” is earned.
Yes, it is better if voters have a choice but it is unfair to the voters, to Mr Ciccone and to Alison if the TAB decides that the Ward 1 contest not be mentioned. And it is also unfair to the voters if they cannot see a debate between the two candidates.
Aw, shucks, Jeffrey! Keep agonizing! 😉
All kidding aside, Josh was referring to a great set of questions Jeffrey asks each candidate. It sparked interesting conversations at Sunday’s LWV event at the YMCA as he circled the room with his form. Not to mention, it’s always great to meet another regular blogger in person. After the Area Council forum, I also had a very nice conversation with Steve Feinstein with whom I’ve sparred on occasion on the blog but had never met in person. We found we had more common ground than either of us expected.
I feel a blog party coming on once this election is over.
Jane, I had a great discussion with you at Harvest Fest and you moved into my “9”
Thanks, NN! I appreciate your support and vote! The best part about running for a position is the conversations you have with voters from all walks of life.
@Jane Frantz, thank you, the feeling was mutual.
I’ve been really out of the loop…just a quick thanks to Bryan, Jane, Karen, Charlie, Steve and Tom for the kinds words, I really appreciate it! Yes, I’m seeing a lot of endorsement lists and I agree, it’s great that so many people are involved and paying attention.
Marti and NativeNewtonian, even if you have already made up your final list of 9, whether I’m on them or not, I would love the opportunity to talk to you and hear your thoughts on the charter and the review process. You can reach me at [email protected]
I always forget to include my website: http://www.janefrantz.org or email me at [email protected].
How can I stop getting the TAB delivered? It is such a nuisance to walk it from my walkway to the recycling bin every Wednesday.
KarenN, appropriate for Halloween, it is a mysterious process.
You can call, text or email
You can walk, bike or drive there
You can even write a letter
And send it by snail mail
Sometimes it accomplishes your mission
Sometimes it stops your next door neighbor’s
Sometimes the Tab just keeps coming
Regardless of all your endeavors