I am glad to be running for my 18th term on the Newton City Council as the Ward Councilor for Ward Seven, located in the eastern part of Newton that runs from Newton Corner to Chestnut Hill. I want to continue to preserve and enhance the community we share.
For example, I want to help our new Mayor work successfully with Boston College to preserve and protect for public use the important wooded land behind the former Temple property at 300 Hammond Pond Parkway, known as Webster Woods, bounded by City or DCR open space.
That is the kind of local work that is valuable city-wide, and is why I believe we should keep our current City Charter as I wrote in July 26 article in the Newton TAB: http://newton.wickedlocal.com/news/20170726/commentary-your-local-voice-on-city-council.
More of my background can be found at www.councilorbaker.org, so I will not repeat it here, as other candidates want to tell their stories on this forum and I am unopposed for re-election. In summary, however, I have used my long experience with land use and zoning, including teaching at Suffolk Law School, to save open space, preserve historic properties, and help win neighborhood support for affordable housing.
Policy and practice aside, here are just three examples of what I bring to Newton’s City Council:
- New learning: An example is my three-minute speech to the 2016 Newton South High School graduates growing out of my recent Master’s degree in positive psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, aided by my colleague, Councilor Ruthanne Fuller: https://vimeo.com/174544888/a8dcd700e7.
- Vitality: While I am the senior member of the City Council, I felt it was important that someone at City Hall demonstrate how to rake leaves in a contest with a powered leaf-blower: http://village14.com/2015/11/05/leaf-blower-demonstration-at-city-hall/#axzz4oJSbJ1SHr.
- Useful information: I want to make the work of the Newton City Council more understandable through my series of interviews with colleagues on the award-winning NewTV series, Councilors at Work, available at on NewTV’s Government Channel and online at http://www.newtv.org/video/councilors-at-work.
Please call me at home at 617-566-3848 if I can be of any help to you.
I’m a huge Lisle Baker fan. That doesn’t mean I agree with him on every issue, but I do agree with him on most. I have a deep respect for his opinion, and for all he’s accomplished here in Ward 7. Few people know this city as well as Lisle Baker. He’s a visionary leader who actually gets things done. I sincerely thank him for his many years of service, and I’m absolutely delighted that he’s running again.
If you haven’t, watch Lisle’s graduation video. Great fun and very admirable of someone of Lisle’s emeritus status to be going back to school. A great role model.
Lisle,
You note some specific “preserve” examples. On what issue is Newton most in need of “enhance”?
Thanks very much to both Mike and Sean for these gracious comments. I am honored to have the chance to continue to serve as the Ward Councilor for Ward Seven.
To respond to Sean’s question, I am not sure what is most need of enhancement, but I believe that many of the our crosswalks and stop lines are fading, or worn, and can benefit from repainting to enhance safety for both Newton pedestrians and motorists.