With Ruthanne Fuller planning to give up her seat as City Councilor from Ward 7 At Large to run for mayor, Becky Walker Grossman has announced her candidacy for one of the two at large seats in that ward. Here’s her announcement..
Dear Friends and Fellow Newtonians,
My name is Becky Walker Grossman, and I’m excited to announce my candidacy for Ward 7 City Councilor-at-Large. My family and I love this city and I’m running to ensure Newton remains the best place to live, work, raise a family, educate children, and retire.
We’re deeply invested in the Newton community. My husband grew up here and we moved back to Newton in 2010 to start our family. Our children, Madeleine, 5, and Jack, 2, are fourth-generation Newtonians. Madeleine started kindergarten at Ward School this fall.
I believe I’m uniquely positioned to tackle the most urgent issues facing our city because of my combined background in public service, law, and business. I worked in law enforcement as an Assistant District Attorney in Middlesex County, where I advocated for fairness in the criminal justice system. I also played a leadership role on my father-in-law Steve Grossman’s successful campaign for State Treasurer. I’m proud to have advocated for financial literacy as well as easier access to capital for business owners who traditionally have the toughest time getting it – women, immigrants, minorities and veterans. After graduating from Cornell with a degree in economics, I received my JD and MBA with honors from Harvard Law School and Harvard Business School. From all these experiences, I learned how to solve complex problems and use data to streamline government and inform responsible decision-making.
Newton has much to do now to meet the needs of its citizens and remain the high-quality and diverse city we want to leave to future generations. As your City Councilor, I will focus on:
- Public Schools: As a parent of a Ward School kindergarten student, I will fight to make sure our public schools continue to meet the highest standards and remain the very best in Massachusetts, providing future generations, regardless of their socioeconomic status, with endless opportunities for advancement and success.
- Responsible Growth: I will advocate for responsible development to ensure that Newton remains a diverse, inclusive and accessible community for people of all ages, backgrounds, and economic means.
- Infrastructure: A strong community and economy requires strong infrastructure – safe roads, bridges and parks. These require consistent and sustained investment, and I will do everything I can to make this possible.
- Prudent Financial Management: As a former investment banker, I know how to dig into the numbers and achieve results in a way that benefits Newton taxpayers.
- Public Safety: Having served as an Assistant District Attorney, I remain strongly committed to keeping our community a safe and fair place to live. Through my work, I have seen first-hand the tremendous damage the opioid epidemic can have on families and communities. One of the best measures of the quality of a community is how it treats those who need help the most. I will work tirelessly to ensure that those impacted have strong treatment and recovery options, and their families have compassionate support resources.
Above all, I am a dedicated, passionate person who will give 100% effort to this job. I would be honored to serve as your City Councilor, and I hope you will reach out to me with your hopes and concerns for our city. I look forward to working with you on the important issues that challenge our city and will shape its future.
Thank you for your consideration,
Becky
I sat down with Becky a few weeks ago and came away very impressed. For my taste, she had the right combination of passion for her beliefs and willingness to listen and understand the concerns of those she hopes to represent. Looking forward to hearing more from her in this campaign.
So far I’m really excited by the fantastic candidates we have running for local office in Newton. Its also great to see so many younger people getting involved.
Okay…I just clicked around the city website and I can’t figure out what’s involved to be a candidate.
I’m not interested. But, how many nominations does one need to be on the ballot, what are relevant dates, when are current terms ending, that sort of stuff. I don’t see it online.
I appreciate anyone who steps up to run for office. But if I’m reading her story correctly, Becky has lived in Newton about 6 years. I wonder if that’s enough time to really know the city?
I’m also skeptical of most people with a background in law enforcement who run for public office. I think the majority of them tend to view the world through a narrow prism. It’s how a supposedly liberal congressman like Joe Kennedy, ends up staking out conservative positions like support of government spying and opposition to marijuana reform.
I know local politics can be an attractive stepping stone. It’s up to the voters to make sure Newton doesn’t get stepped on by someone looking to climb the political ladder. I’m not suggesting that’s the case with Becky. But I am concerned about it, particularly since she’s running from my ward.
Ari – The Coucilors’ terms are for 2 years, elected in November of every odd-numbered year. They are then sworn in on Jan 1.
The requirements for the number of signatures are found in the City’s charter, Article 8 (specifically 8-3b). 150 signatures for a Councilor-at-large and 50 for a Ward Councilor. You can find the current Charter at http://www.newtonma.gov/civicax/filebank/documents/45807
We are in the process of reviewing the Charter, and you can read more about that process at http://www.newtonma.gov/gov/chartercommission/default.asp
Mike, respectfully, those comments are just totally off base. Becky is superbly qualified. I’ve said it before regarding the mayor’s race but I’ll say it again: I’m proud of my city when I see the quality of the new candidates this year.
Mike Striar – Having lived here only 5-1/2 years with (unlike this candidate) no previous connections to Newton, I would argue that 2-3 years is more than enough time for a motivated person to recognize and understand the strengths and weaknesses of this city and, if you have kids, its schools. That does not mean this candidate has good solutions, or, even if her solutions are good, that you will agree with them. I would also argue that someone who has lived and been engaged in other communities, especially communities facing similar issues, might be able to bring fresh perspectives and ideas to the table. I’ll add that in addition to engaging directly with citizens, reading Village 14 is one way to learn about the issues in the city that people are passionate about, but it doesn’t take long to realize that the typical Village 14 commenter is not at all representative of the typical Newton citizen. You, of course, are free to think that only life-long residents of “the bubble” truly understand the bubble, and that each solution requires re-inventing the wheel just for Newton. I look forward to hearing what this candidate has to say.
I’m impressed with her resume. I agree with Bruce in that sometimes with the right person an outsider who was engaged in another community can bring in different perspectives and best practices. Does she have an opponent? I hate to see unopposed campaigns. I’ agree with those who are impressed with the young candidates running for office these days. I hope this is a trend that continues.
One of the previous posts indicated that Joe Kennedy had a background in law enforcement.
As far as I can remember, he served in the Peace Corps in a third world country. Is there some element of his background that I’m forgetting.
Brian Yates
strategywise, Lisle will forever remain as ward 7 councilor, Becky must have cleared that with him? But then the unknown charter revisions if the CC get their way deleting ward councilors; Lisle on the ropes forced into early retirement? Ex post facto Pres Demeritous, he deserves more respect than that.
and good for Steve.
@Brian– Kennedy was also an assistant district attorney on the Cape and in Middlesex County before being elected to congress, where he voted in favor of NSA spying and has opposed cannabis reform.
Ari,
To get on the ballot a candidate needs to collect signatures from his/her electorate. These signatures have to be from registered voters within his/her district.
Ward Councilor needs to collect 50 signatures from his/her ward
At-large councilor needs to collect 150 sigs from reg voters citywide
SC needs to collect 100 sigs from people city wide
and
Mayor needs to collect 400 sigs city wide.
This all of the top of my head, so my numbers may be off, please look up the correct numbers yourself. You can find all this information in the elections department. .
Hi all, thanks for your comments and for taking the time to read my letter. I look forward to getting to know all of you, and to working very hard to earn the trust and votes of the people of Newton. Bryan and Jake, thanks in particular for your kind words – they really mean a lot. I hope you’ll all reach out to me in the coming months with your thoughts on the most urgent issues facing our city. I’m always available by phone and email (617-467-5195; [email protected]) and welcome the chance to meet each of you.
Responsible Growth? Does it mean growth that is supported with the proper infrastructure, schools, and commercial income, or does it mean growth as in making money for development community regardless of appropriate supports? This is the defining issue for Newton going forward so it will be good to hear you clarify your stance.