Here’s videos produced by NewTV featuring each of the five candidates running for the Ward 2 At-Large Alderman/City Council seat. A preliminary election will be held citywide on Thursday Sept. 17 to cut the number of candidates running from five to four.
Decision 2015: Susan Albright from NewTV on Vimeo.
Decision 2015: Jacob Auchincloss from NewTV on Vimeo.
Decision 2015: Jessica Barton from NewTV on Vimeo.
Decision 2015: Marcia Johnson from NewTV on Vimeo.
Decision 2015: Lynne LeBlanc from NewTV on Vimeo.
Clearly a lot of thought and advance preparation went into all five of these presentations. I’d encourage everyone to watch all five. And thanks to the candidates for their willingness to step forward and serve our community.
I watched each candidate’s video. Frankly, I’d almost forgotten how knowledgeable and personable Susan Albright and Marcia Johnson are. I don’t like the word “entrenched” being used to describe them. They are both tightly woven into the fabric that is Newton, and I mean that as a sincere compliment. Both have done wonderful work. I was however struck by the fact that neither mentioned the Austin St. proposal, since it’s my understanding they support it.
Regarding the challengers, I’m [thus far] most impressed by Jake Auchincloss, who has in the past articulated exactly why the Austin Street proposal should be rejected or renogiated. Personally, I think Jake has a stronger resume than Setti Warren did before he was elected Mayor. I’m not ready to vote for Auchincloss, but I’m getting there.
I’m not quite sure what to make of Jessica Barton. She used the phrase “teardown epidemic,” which I find tremendously simplistic and naive. But I know Jessica has very strong community ties, has done a lot of work with local youth, and she certainly warrants further consideration on my part.
Of all the candidates, Lynne LeBlanc struck me as the most confident. She’s the best of the bunch at articulating the issues. And you can tell she honed her people skills well during 4 years as PTO Co-President at North. However, even after watching her video twice [too much free time on my hands?], I’m struck by the lack of any solutions for the problems she identifies. Good intentions are not enough. Lynne needs to offer some solutions. In fact, ALL of these candidates need to offer more in the way of solutions.
Why can’t I get the audio on these video recordings? All I can tell is that they look healthy and happy! Help, please!
So, I’m viewing these five videos and it suddenly struck me how amazing it is being able to watch these and become more informed all the while munching on an apple while sitting in my easy chair.
A BIG shout-out to the very existence of NewTV and to the dedicated staff for making these kind of informational streams possible. I know it doesn’t happen overnight and is the result of some hard work.