A comment on the record-breaking Zervas V14 post exemplifies Newton’s car culture: “Parking spaces are given to important people.” It’s true. Standard practice in Newton’s public schools and municipal buildings is to reserve “first class” parking spaces for the ‘important’ people. That is, with one significant exception.
I was reminded recently that, after assuming office, Mayor Warren took down the Mayor’s reserved parking spot. What a meaningful gesture of real leadership by a public servant.
Crazy Divers: Men be like...
drivers man be like
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I may be wrong, but as near as I can tell, the mayor lives 0.2 miles from City Hall. Does he really drive to work? I’d hope not.
It would be great it he were to say, “I will only get around Newton via bicycle or walking.” There’s no point in Newton that’s more than 4 miles from City Hall.
Seriously? Giving up a parking spot is “a meaningful gesture of real leadership by a public servant”? That line would be spot-on only if it was intended sarcastically. Let’s see Mayor Warren stand up to a couple of these 40B developers. THAT would be a meaningful gesture of leadership!
To those of us concerned with the social, economic, and environmental effects of transportation, the Mayor giving up his assigned parking spot was a significant gesture. And, if you’ve ever tried to find parking around City Hall when there is a popular meeting, it is a generous gesture too.
What would really be meaningful and generous would be the BOA giving up their 2 prime spaces in the circle in front of the Hall AND the department heads giving up their reserved spaces in the lot on the Homer St side of the building. The administration already made the pee-on employees stop parking in the circle, now it’s time to for the suits to do the same.
It’s really a shame that a small symbolic gesture in the right direction cannot be acknowled and appreciated without malcontents interjecting themselves into the conversation to either point out its inadequacies or try to discredit it altogether.
The mayor does not need a parking spot. He has the police pick him up every morning and drive him everywhere he needs to go during the day. This causes a bunch of overtime for the detectives each week.
While it is certainly a small symbolic gesture in the right direction, it isn’t representative of any significant leadership on transportation, whatever that is supposed to mean.
@Marti,
The words “small” and “symbolic” are exactly the problem. Making positive change means taking big, bold steps.
The Administration needs to stop talking the talk and start walking the walk, including the Mayor who gets DRIVEN to work rather than walk the .02 miles. The time for symbolic gestures is long past for us “malcontents”.
I have to agree with Denis, in that it would be meaningful if the mayor showed some leadership in implementing a progressive, coherent transportation plan for the whole city. I’m in the southern part of town and as I keep mentioning, the 57 bus is worse than useless, the cycling infrastructure is stuck in the 1970s, and the potholes are certainly the worst of any town in metrowest.
Also, is what Joe the Plumber says really true? Does the mayor of Newton really get a driver? I find that hard to believe.
@Michael,
Joe the Plumber speaks TheWholeTruth! ;)
Joe, I’m sure the mayor would love to walk were it not for the threatening hate mail he’s been subjected to.
Secondly, he set a Mayoral precedent that the next mayor will have to consciously overturn – and I am sure the optics of doing so won’t be favorable.
Finally, we are teaching our children every day in our schools and at our most important civic institutions that their highest role models, the important people in their worlds, only drive cars. Car culture a defacto part of our “common core”. Next time a group of school kids comes to city hall, they won’t get that message hammered into them one more time by perhaps their biggest role model in the city.
Nathan,
While I am not discounting that the Mayor made a good gesture in giving up his ‘privileged’ parking space, I also have to admit this is the first time I’ve heard about it. Symbols and gestures can only carry weight when they actually mean something in the way of (hopefully positive) change, and I agree with an earlier comment that wished the Mayor had coupled his parking spot idea with a comprehensive transportation plan.
Full disclosure, my wife and I just moved away from Newton last week, but I have been long disturbed with what I feel is a missed opportunity to take advantage of the City’s excellent transportation potential and become a positive example for the state.
Thank you for bringing all this up. I don’t want you to think I’m pooh-poohing the Mayor’s gesture – it is a nice one.
Nathan, surely you mean their parents.
Adam, yes, of course, but we don’t have first class parking for “important” parents in school or municipal lots.
You are right that this is a problem shared across the board, and in sheer numbers, it’s the kids driven to school where other options exist who need most to be shown a different example.
Paul, that you never heard of this small but meaningful gesture by the Mayor is reason to question hearing about it here?
Paul, let me add that I couldn’t agree more with you that this small gesture has little impact unless Newton gets serious as a whole about a transportation sustainability plan, and nothing has really happened on that front.
But the Mayor cannot issue a top down plan without widespread buy-in and cultural change.
Mayor Warren gave up the parking spot 5 years ago. I’d have thought his supporters would have built a statue commemorating the event by now. Do you all realize the Mayor has the authority to make everyone else on the city payroll with a reserved parking spot give up theirs too? Symbolism does not equal leadership!
I think there are two different subjects here. I don’t think the headline ” Leadershio in Transportation” fits what the Mayor did. His taking “Mayor ” off a parking space relates to the concept that reserved parking spaces are for important people, which has become an issue, asking “who and what deems a person important.” I was responding to this topic. And I do think the gesture is important whether or not it’s publicized, maybe more so because it wasn’t, in any official way. The other employees and visitors noticed and now we know. People make a difference everyday without broadcasting it.
The subject of modes of transportation is an entirely different issue that deserves it’s on page. I don’t think making a parking place available to anyone, instead of just one, has anything to do with solving transportation issues.
Mike Striar, How is “making” someone give up a parking spot leadership? Leading by example is leadership. The other is being authoritarian and I’m sure you’d jump right on that.
Marti– I didn’t say that making everyone give up their reserved parking space would demonstrate “leadership.” I simply pointed out that if reserved parking represented a genuine issue for Mayor Warren, he has the authority to change it by Monday morning.
Frankly, I don’t have an issue with reserved parking. Although I can see how it might be off-putting in front of City Hall. So I can understand why the Mayor made the decision he did. I’m just not buying into the headline of this thread that suggests giving up a parking spot translates to “Leadership on Transportation in Newton.”
Also, if you read my earlier post, I would encourage the Mayor to show some actual leadership, and stand up to 40B developers. Real leaders recognize the urgency of the moment. They don’t make excuses. Our city is being exploited by large developers, and the Mayor claims he can’t stop it… But let’s make sure we give him credit for a minor symbolic gesture he made 5 years ago.
I don’t want to be disrespectful to those with good negotiating skills, but a “Reserved” sign in dollar terms pales to the expense of car allowances and City cars at home. Very large companies with sales and other staff that are always on the road get 56 per mile driven, not a $20k per year perk
^56 cents^ per mile
Hoss – In the past, over 60 cars went home at night, but that practice was stopped 6 years ago.
Nathan,
I didn’t mean to imply that because I hadn’t heard about it, it never happened. I meant that, if relinquishing the parking space was meant to be symbolic, I feel as though it was a missed opportunity and could have served as the starting gun for a broader policy. As it stands, it just seems like a nice gesture with no clear motive behind it – and you can see from some of these other comments that when there is no clear motive behind a gesture, people will happily invent one.
As I said, symbols carry weight when they mean something, and this symbol wasn’t adequately shared or represented.
Fair point, Paul.
Right, and the kids who can afford to pay for a car, gas, insurance and maintenance pay less for a parking space than a bus pass! Talk about value and teaching our kids. I know that I post about this issue often, but I had to mention it here. Please don’t charge kids (or their parents) to take a school bus and charge the kids who have cars more for a parking spot. Having a car (and a parking spot) is for the “important” and “first class” kids. Getting to school on the school bus is something that should be paid for by the city. Fee the kids that are “important” enough to rent the parking space.
Both the Globe and the TAB have reported in the past about threats to the mayor’s safety. That’s good enough for me to end any debate about that. The TAB (and perhaps the Globe) also reported about him giving up his space, early in his first term. (I’d didn’t bother looking for those links.)
But separate from all of that, as anyone who has ever sat outside his office and seen the people waiting to meet with him would know, or as anyone who has seen his schedule would know (it’s a public record), or as anyone who sees him around town as often as I do knows, this guy is busy. If having someone help get him from point A to point B safely and on time helps (not to mention it means he has time to take calls or read email while riding), then I’m all for whatever kind of escort he needs.
Does it say something about our community, or just the people who post
here, that it we learn that an individual in the city is receiving threats and no
one expresses concern?
Greg – The mayor has been in office for 5 years. The threats to him are more than prior mayors? More than mayors of Fall River, Lawrence and Springfield? If so why hasn’t his police found this one threat? Call any prosecutor and ask them the threat level against them and their family and what accommodations they get.
@Hoss: I don’t know the answer to your questions nor does it matter. The mayor and every other city/school worker work for us. As employers, it’s our responsibility to keep our employees safe, whatever that takes.