Jess Barton, a 2007 graduate and running star from Newton North and a Suffolk Law School student, announced on twitter Friday that she is running for alderman at-large from Ward 2. She launched a website with her announcement.
If she can pull together an effective campaign organization, she could be a serious challenger. You’ll have to read about her background on her site but I remember her dominating headlines in the sports section of the TAB during her high school years, when she was on North’s track and cross country teams.
As for where she’s been since graduating:
After graduating Magna Cum Laude from Northeastern in 2011, Jess turned to triathlon, where she has trained and competed as a Professional Triathlete since 2013. In the fall of 2014, Jess accepted a full merit based scholarship to Suffolk University Law School. As a result of her unique ability to effectively argue issues, during her first year, Jess won the coveted “Best Oral Advocate Award,” which is given for excellence in oral advocacy. In addition, Jess was elected Section Representative within one of the largest legislative student body governments in the country, and was named “Section Representative of the Year” as a result of her unmatched ability to both effectively communicate with and work with those who elected her to represent her section’s best interests.
Read about why she’s running here.
And, what she thinks about Austin Street here.
I wish she was running from my ward! 🙂
@Sam S: She’s running at large. You can vote for her no matter where you live.
But in case you mean that you wish she were trying to replace one of your aldermen at-large, I must ask: In which ward do you live?
@Gail – Vast majority of my neighbors and friends do not know their alderperson. I think it speaks a lot of their impact.
I will keep thoughts around my alderpeople to myself, and not hijack this thread. 🙂 – Sam
@Sam S
Are a vast majority of your neighbors taking an interest now? If so what are the issues concerning them?
Good Luck Jess.
It’s time to go back in your closet and put those running sneakers on again and go door to door. Happy Campaigning!!!
Two NEW young candidates offering fresh ideas running in Ward 2 it’s awesome. I believe we will see Two upsets in this Ward. Let the games begin!
Dear Sam,
I would think that the low visibility of the Board of Aldermen is primarily a product of the strong Mayor/weak council Charter of the City
Brian Yates
@Brian: Or too many aldermen.
Too many alderpeople, some of whom are non-responsive to their constituents. Until I got a new alderman a few years ago, I’d given up trying to contact mine because he never answered no matter the mode of attempted contact (email, phone, etc.)
Not nearly enough experience to adequately represent a rather wide set of Newton voters. She’ll get a much more serious look from people like me after a few years of waking up early in the morning and working late into the night to meet a mortgage payment in Newton and provide for a family.
@Elmo: Are you suggesting that only home owners serve as aldermen? No renters allowed?
I agree with Elmo that she is too inexperienced for the job. She sounds like someone with energy, but her statements on her website on Austin Street make me very doubtful that she can handle complicated issues with nuance. Lots of blanket statements and straw men arguments.
I’ll try and talk to her in person at some point, but compared to the sophisticated reasoning our current Ward 2 folks bring to the table (and I include Emily in that, even though I don’t agree with her on Austin Street), I can’t see trading that level of knowledge for someone who clearly loves Newton and is enthusiastic, but doesn’t bring much else (not yet at least).
That said, I do like competitive elections, so happy to have her run!
@Fig, @Elmo
What experience are you looking for?
Aldermen (or ealdorman, literally meaning “elder man”) were probably more suitable when knowledge was acquired with age. The internet has changed all that, and if anything I have found the younger generation are far more sophisticated at getting information out of the internet.
It seems Jess is an expert at debate, and learning law. Those seem more than adequate competencies to me.
Greg: I am suggesting merely that I view home ownership and work experience as pretty decisive factors concerning *my* evaluation of candidates. That is all. I can certainly see how and why others may be drawn to support Ms. Barton.
Simon: Information and experience (including the experience to know how best evaluate information) are two very different things. The internet has indeed vastly expanded out access to information. Experience though generally comes with age. I cast my vote for people who will represent my interests and point of view. Ms. Barton, though impressive in some areas, lacks the real world, workaday experience that I feel would make her qualified for my vote.
@Greg and @Simon,
If by chance you’d like to pursue this discussion in person, please note that Elmo will be at Highlands Village Day. Although he’s anonymous here, he’s easily identifiable in person — just ask any kid at Village Day. I’m not sure how eloquent Elmo will be in person, but if he speaks, he just might get back to referring to himself in the third person.
@Bruce: Greg wasn’t criticizing Elmo. Greg was asking Elmo a question.
Mr. Henderson, rest assured that in person I am quite eloquent and very much nobody’s puppet.
I scowl everytime I hear someone doesn’t have any experience. Give someone a term and that person will have experience as well. In my opinion, experience is another way of calling someone older. If you like older people in office, fine. If you like younger people with something to prove, then experience shouldn’t matter. This race will be extremely interesting. Good luck to all.
It still strikes me funny that ward 2 is the only ward that has opponents while the incumbents are still in office. Odd
I’m envious of her ability to run — in both senses of the word! I wish I had 20-something-year-old knees. 😉
How old was Ken Parker when he was first elected?
I think Ken Parker was 21 when he was elected to the BOA. David Cohen was 24. Certainly taxpayers got their money’s worth from both of them, despite their inexperience.
Gail, regarding your quote “Certainly taxpayers got their money’s worth from both of them, despite their inexperience.” Unfortunately, both Cohen and Parker had a long career of more taxes, more spending and more borrowing. At least with Ken Parker, he opposed Newton North and had some good ideas to fix Newton.
http://www.kenparker.org/blueprint/
However, at the end of the day, both Cohen and Parker fell back on raising taxes, voting for more spending and incurring more debt.
It’s always good to have competitive political races and I would like to see them in additional Wards.
Tom, I don’t think life experience equates with being old, nor does age equate with wisdom. And I don’t believe that is what was meant in the comments above. Jess sounds like an intelligent, energetic young person who believes in service to her town and fellow citizens. She also has certainly learned about working hard to accomplish her goals and was able to master her various areas of interest while also succeeding in the rigorous athletics required for her scholarship. She is no stranger to “waking up early in the morning and working late into the night” to achieve success in her first year of law school. And I hope I’m right that only a comparison to the experience gained from the stress of “meeting a meeting a mortgage payment in Newton and supporting a family,” is being made and not an expectation that a woman making rent payments and choosing not to have a family would be any less qualified.
That said, I do believe there is something to be said for having the responsibilities of earning a living and supporting a family, along with experiencing life in some very different shoes than those worn by college students and star athleletes at prestigious institutions in order to understand the complexities of making decisions for a city as economically diverse as Newton. I agree that Jess’s policy stances, her statements on what she can do for Newton and her thoughts on Austin Street are vague, somewhat over confidant and lack nuance.
@Greg: No criticism detected or assumed. I simply wanted to make you aware of the opportunity to meet Elmo in person. (And, yes, I wanted to plug Highlands Village Day. The final performance of this year’s production will be next Sunday, in a unique Newton location that seems so appropriate to the show’s theme of the joys village life. After Sunday, the curtain is down. Due to other commitments, it’s not likely that this particular set of performers will ever be assembled again. Don’t miss this gem!)
Will Elmo be wearing a name tag? 🙂
Me be there 2. At 1. Me give children Bread and Chocolate cookies! Mmmm yummy!
I asked my youngest grandkid if he was excited to meet Elmo? He looked at me aghast and said “Nana, you must be loosing it. I met him and his twin in New York, ‘member? Do you think he will ‘member me?”
Looking forward to Sunday.
I wish her luck, Ward 2 already has the most impressive fresh new talent challenging the incumbents in the whole Alderman/Councilor race: Lynne LeBlanc and Jake Auchincloss.