And now there are four candidates running for mayor of Newton this fall
Rich Saunders, a self-declared “long-shot candidate,” was among the group of candidates in attendance at the Newton League of Women Voters “Don’t Just Stand There…Run!” event last night. Rich said he wasn’t quite ready to formally announce yet, but he’s built a website, posted his bio and his philosophy.
Saunders, who is originally from Methuen, becomes the first non-city councilor to enter the contest. Scott Lennon, Ruthanne Fuller and Amy Sangiolo are all actively campaigning.
Also in attendance last night was a political newcomer (at least new to Newton politics as far as I know) who plans for run for City Council at large from Ward Two, which is of course, the ward that gets all the fun!
He said his announcement is also coming soon.
sometimes more can be accomplished by not being that of an elected official..
A candidate who says nothing at all (at least on the website) about conservation of our open spaces, city trees, walkability, bike access etc., does not get my vote. I hope these will be central issues in the upcoming race.
@Harry Sanders. I’m just an area councilor, but I do feel that it has to be good for at least 10 years off in Purgatory.
welcome to Newton – city of character and mind diversity..
the fig newton 2.0 modernization is the fudgsicle says ‘Blue Newton’.
Build the wall at the Brookline border – make Brookline pay for it one way or another..
My initial take on Mr. Saunders is that he lacks the necessary experience to be mayor. But I truly appreciate anyone who is willing to step up and subject themselves to the public scrutiny that goes with being a mayoral candidate in Newton.
As a citizen, avid V-14 commenter, and former mayoral candidate myself, it’s my intention to push all the candidates for specificity. Policy objectives are important, but meaningless without attaching a specific plan detailing how a candidate intends to accomplish those objectives. For example, Ruthanne Fuller’s website acknowledges the necessity for later high school start times, but doesn’t give a clue as to how she intends to accomplish that. Similarly, my son Jet and I enjoyed the pleasure of having dinner with Scott Lennon a couple of nights ago. While Scott acknowledged the value of large tax exempt institutions [like Boston College] paying more to the city through PILOT’s and SILOT’s, his position falls far short of my desire to apply genuine pressure on these institutions to pay their fair share of property taxes.
I believe both Ruthanne and Scott are strong candidates, because they are intelligent and experienced. I believe Amy Sangiolo is a strong candidate for those same reasons. But for me personally, one of these candidates will need to be specific enough to convince me that they will ACCOMPLISH at least one of the two objectives that are most important to me. I want these candidates to tell me exactly HOW they are going to change high school start times and/or create a more equitable property tax situation with tax exempt institutions.
@Mike: Dinner with Scott? And I was hoping for just a cup of coffee! Check your email!
Mike – Some may differ with you about the role of the mayor on the school committee. While the mayor is on the school committee, s/he is ex officio and has one vote of nine on an issue.
We already have a Strong Mayor form of government, so having a mayor who’s overly involved with the policy making function of the school committee places too much power in the hands of one person.
@Jane– You make a totally fair point. No one wants too much power in the hands of one person. But when we’re discussing an issue like early morning start times that has serious and indisputable health consequences for thousands of Newton teens, I expect the leader of the city to actually lead and solve the problem.
The School Committee has proven that they are incapable of correcting this situation. And I have zero confidence they will change high school start times in the future. So I want a mayor who’s willing to use the power already vested in that office, to step up and initiate the change.
I don’t see this coming about as a result of the Mayor’s ex officio seat on the School Committee. Rather, I hope the next Mayor is willing to force the SC to make this change, by using his or her power under the City Charter to change the time the two high school buildings themselves are allowed to open. As you know, the current Charter puts all municipal buildings effectively under the Mayor’s control.
What you describe, Mike, is the consolidation of power unprecedented in Newton.