Just a few weeks into his new job, new Newton TAB editor Andy Levin is already showing us that he’s not worried about making friends. Consider, for example, his recent editorial about opposing a plastic bag ban and even more significantly his willingness this week to challenge the opposition to the Austin Street project.

 …the intensity of opposition to the proposed redevelopment of the Austin Street parking lot seems a bit unjustified.

..some people seem opposed to change, no matter how well planned it may be, especially in their own neighborhood. Their anxiety is understandable, even if I don’t share it. But Newton has continually evolved as a city and change is inevitable.

 I happen to agree with Levin on Austin Street. But even if  I didn’t, I’d still be happy to see the TAB slowly edging back towards its fearless roots, a tradition that dates back to when one of my first mentors, Russell Pergament, began The TAB back in 1979.