Newton Mayor Setti Warren’s announcement last week that he will not seek reelection next fall has already set off some announcements for from would-be successors.
So far, City Council President Scott Lennon and City Councilor Ruthanne Fuller have tossed their hats into the ring. And Ward 8 Councilor at-large Rick Lipof tells the TAB’s Jonathan Dame that he’s considering it.
I wouldn’t be surprised if there were more announcements to come, from both inside and outside City Hall. But among the considerations Lennon, Fuller, Lipof or any other City Councilor must make is whether they should give up their seat to run, or should they hedge their bets — and risk being taken less seriously — and run for reelection and mayor at the same time.
Three years ago, Ted Hess-Mahan fell into the second category — challenging Warren for mayor in 2013 while seeking reelection to his council seat. But Hess-Mahan was never seen as a serious contender for the mayor’s job as much as someone who wanted to call attention to issues that mattered to him.
In contrast, in 2009, long-time aldermen Paul Coletti and Ken Parker did give up their board seats to run for mayor, only to not even make it past the preliminary. And arguably, 2017is more like 2009 than 2013 because we will elect a new mayor.
So should City Councilors give up their seats if they’re running for mayor?
Oh, and if Lennon, Fuller, Lipof and or others do give up their council seats, who would you like to see step-up to contend in wards 1, 7 or 8?
If they run for both and win both, what happens then?
@Jerry – The council seat is vacated and we have a special election in accordance with the charter.
I don’t think they should have to give up their Council seats before the preliminary election. Mixed feelings about after that.
@MGWA: It’s a reasonable perspective, except that would not be helpful for anyone who might be thinking of running in any of the wards that could be impacted because they would have to declare their candidacy and collect signatures long before a Sept. run off.
Courage and confidence are part of any good mayor’s DNA. If a mayoral candidate in an open-field election doesn’t at least have the confidence to give up their council seat, I’m not going to have much confidence in them either, because they are literally planning to lose.
I just heard from Scott Lennon who tells me that he will not seek re-election to the City Council next fall.
I’ve always been of the mind that a candidate should commit to running for one seat.
Ruthanne Fuller and I spoke recently and she will not be seeking her city council seat.
I like contested races. If we lower the cost of running for mayor for councilors, more councilors will run. For me, this is a benefit. The cost is we may have an empty councilor seat for a few months. With so many councilors, this is not much of a cost.
Well, Jake, the answer to filling Scott’s and Ruthanne’s seats is that Ward Councilors Allison Leary and Lisle Baker will move to the At-Large positions in their Wards and Cheryl Lappin will take her brother’s place as candidate for Ward 8 at-Large if he throws his hat in the ring. (That’s what my crystal ball says!) Are you considering a jump into the fray or staying where you are for now?
I too would like to know if Jake will be getting into the Mayoral race.? I assume no response here means he is considering it.
I find it strange I have heard little about exploratory committees this time around and people are simply jumping into the race the first chance they get. Back in 2009, there would have already been at least three.
It really seems like no one is running an organized campaign (I could very well be wrong).
I’ve been a city councilor for all of ten months and will focus on doing that job well. I am proud of my city when I see the caliber of those both announced and considering.
I would not expect any overt campaigning until the new year. Perhaps I’m being painfully naive, but I think Newton voters, stunned by national affairs, want stability and solidarity right now from their local government.
I’m not sure what the voters in Newton are looking for in a new mayor. I don’t know if a lot are looking for stability or change.
To the point of making it less expensive to run, Balsar has raised money recetly and is currently at over $50,000 while Lennon is at over $30,000.
I am all for competition in local politics. Mayor Warren was a “outsider” when he won