More than two weeks after becoming a candidate for Newton City Council, the mysterious Chris Markiewicz has a website!
More than two weeks
Crazy Divers: Men be like...
drivers man be like
Crazy Divers: Men be like...
drivers man be like
Now that he’s proven to be a real human being and actual candidate, the important question [as I see it] is, should he be able to elect himself to the City Council? Like Becky Walker Grossman in Ward 7, all Chris Markiewicz has to do is fill in a little bubble next to his name–on his own ballot, and he instantly becomes a City Councilor. Sorry, but that’s NOT democracy!
I never understood why Newtonhad the second largest legislative body outside of the General court of Massachusetts, but as a former Newton resident for 51 years, all sorts of shenanigans have happened in the Garden City, like former mayor David Cohen, who was a state legislator, but backed the wrong horse for Speaker, and after losing his committee chairmanship knew the writing was on the wall, so he throws his hat in the ring for mayor, and beat a complacent Tom Concannon in the election. Newton now has the nicest 300 million dollar high school in the country.
I fail to see how the size or composition of our City Council had anything to do with any alleged “shenanagins” in Newton political life during the 1990’s or with David Cohen besting Tom Concannon in that critical mayoral race. The fact is that David came into that race with high approval in Newton for his leadership on environmental issues as a state legislator. I was working on an assignment to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Quality at the time. David was one of the most effective and highly regarded legislators in Massachusetts. You can thank him for the high quality of of our drinking water from the work he and his legislative committee did to ensure watershed protection around the Wachusett Reservoir. And he simply ran a much more aggressive and very well organized mayoral campaign than Tom did.
A lot of people share responsibility for cost overruns at Newton North and I think it was fueled, in good measure, by an expectation among many Newton voters that only the very best and most expensive would do. Oh, yes. I remember hearing that sentiment expressed quite forcefully in some of the community forums I was attending at the timer. I’m trying to remember the name of the high priced architect the City hired to design the building. I think of him every time I bounce in and out of a pothole.
To be totally fair, I have several (4) friends who have moved to Newton in the past 3 to 4 years who have kids that attend Newton North. They rave about the School and really think their kids have hit the promised land by being here. But most of their good news is directed at the teachers and staff, not at the building itself.
I’ve now spoken to enough people in the know to be certain that Councilor Harney had genuine, important, personal reasons that lead to his decision to step away from a job he so clearly loves. This was, as he has written, a very difficult and sudden decision. We should all be grateful to Jay and keep him in our most positive thoughts.
I also believe that Councilor Harney did not do himself any favors when he and his Ward 4 colleagues “wholeheartedly” endorsed his opponent in the same breath that he told us he was stepping down. It just looked bad. Still does.
But really, Chris Markiewicz has made this so much harder on both Harney and his own future relationship with the Newton residents he will presumably represent starting this January, by being invisible for, at minimum, the more than two weeks between when he became certified and launched this website.
The website is a good start.
But really Markiewicz needs to put himself out there and answer each and very question with clarity and transparency; starting by helping us understand how he came to be a candidate.
And by that I don’t just mean the traditional “Why are you running”?
I mean: What lead up to your decision to be a candidate? Did you have any idea that Harney might drop out prior to deciding? Or were you planning on running against Harney and were as surprised as the rest of us last week? And if you were planning on challenging Harney, why were you ready to challenge him? Who pulled your nomination papers? Who collected your signatures?
And: Should we expect you to be as nontransparent as you’ve been up to now when in you sworn in this January?
I don’t often suggest that any person needs to weigh in on Village 14 and answer questions. In fact I don’t think I’ve ever done so. I’m making an exception here. Chris, you appear destined to be representing our city. Newton residents and your future colleagues needs to understand how you got to the point so we can move forward together.
Bob Burke – The architect was Graham Gund.
NNHS was the best $200M this city ever spent. It gave students a wonderful learning environment, increased real estate values, and spurred economic investment in Newtonville via two major mixed-use developments. To be fair to David Cohen [and get history correct], building a new NNHS was not the Mayor’s first choice [renovation of the old school], or second choice [a “hybrid” that combined renovation with some new construction–recommended by a 30 member commision]. But in September 2003, more than two full years ahead of the next scheduled election, a little known challenger entered the mayor’s race with a full page ad in the Newton Tab that said in part… “I believe a new high school, financed in a creative way, offers a better value for Newton than a ‘hybrid’ renovation.” Shortly thereafter the Mayor changed his position and also called for the construction of a new high school.
Greg:
Thank you for the update on Jay. I think your post hit it squarely. I wish Jay the best personally. I too wish he had not endorsed his successor, and I still think the optics are terrible (and the loophole should be fixed). I also would like Chris to tell us if there was coordination, not in reflection of finding out what Jay did, but more in the lines of finding out what kind of person Chris is and will be as a representative of the city.
Ideally what would have happened would have been an open seat, with true competition and viewpoints being expressed. But life isn’t always perfect or clean, and it sounds like it is time to wish Jay well, thank him for his years of service, and focus on his replacement and the race (Such as it is) at hand.
A sticker candidate could emerge. A long shot, of course, but it is only one ward. So Mr. Markiewicz may still have to invest in a good pair of walking shoes.
Meanwhile.
Although the process by which so many on this blog have openly faulted as underhanded, this intentional loophole, as are other intentional loopholes, are there as a safety valve against ‘la machine’ politics; inspiring new blood in the governmental process of control & stagnation.
Those history minded institutionalists such as myself will remember previous similar incidents.
Get over it – this election cycle will reveal other occurrences, suggesting you be more controlling of your assumptions and condemnation of defiling best practices of politics.
As on the national scene, its not what the pols say but what they don’t.
Greg, if you lived in Ward 4 maybe Chris wouldn’t be so ”mysterious”. Many here know him and also know that he is an excellent person for this role and would make an ideal representative of our neighborhood, Ward 4.
Hi Tim, thanks for your comment and that’s great to hear. I’m looking forward to learning more from Chris and hope he will do what virtually every other new candidate has done this year (and in past years) and that’s introduce himself here to the Village 14 community.