Incumbent City Councilor Dick Blazar is facing a well-organized challenge by Brenda Noel for the Ward 6 seat. Here’s a video from their debate earlier this month sponsored by the Highlands Area Council.
Meanwhile in Ward 6: Watch the debate between Blazar and Noel
by Village 14 | Oct 26, 2017 | City Council | 21 comments
I haven’t had a chance to watch this yet but someone who has recommends checking out these spots…
around :38-:42 taking $ from developers
:43-:46- no vision on revitalizing the village centers
:50- nothing smart about smart growth
1:11- affordable housing
1:20- the charter
Thanks Greg for forwarding these. Most helpful!
Great reminder, remember thinking all around the revitalization / smart growth segment that Dick was really back on his heels and Brenda had it right: you either start defining the situation, or the situation is going to define you. And if we don’t want developers to do it, then it’s on us to create that vision and work to implement it. And again on affordable housing … it’s great for Dick to recognize that it’s not the 70’s or 80’s anymore, and that the old sources of fed or state money aren’t there, but then what? The problem isn’t going to get better with age, and it needs solving. Open minds, consensus building, creative problem solving …
Interesting debate about development, demonstrating very different views between the candidates. Also opposing views on the charter, which I wouldn’t expect in a ward debate.
If Brenda Noel supports big development in Newton Center she will never be elected Ward Councilor. Throughout the debate Dick indicated his positive experience as a Councilor for several decades. He seemed more in touch with the political realities of his Ward 6 constituents.
I thought Brenda’s answers were very slick but insincere and out of touch with the realities of the political priorities in the center of Newton.
@Greg – thanks for sharing the pointers to those particular spots, for those of us who don’t have a free hour and a half.
I strongly encourage anyone in Ward 6 to watch at least some of this video. Unlike some other races, these two candidates have some strong differences. If I had not already had a preferred candidate, I would have by the time I finished watching.
@Colleen Minaker “If Brenda Noel supports big development in Newton Center she will never be elected Ward Councilor. Throughout the debate Dick indicated his positive experience as a Councilor for several decades. He seemed more in touch with the political realities of his Ward 6 constituents.”
Ah the Realist vs the Dreamer. I wish we had someone who was both. I was a little underwhelmed by both of them. Dick has only been a councilor for 8 years but he comes off a bit defeatest and lacking vision. But I know he is committed to the ward and his priority is giving a voice to the Residents. The upside is that they like and trust him and think he has their backs
Brenda has more vision, but her focus was much more a city-wide focus. I found myself thinking that she sounded more like she is running for an At Large seat. That crystalized for me at the end when she gave her rationale for supporting that charter . My sense is that she is using this race as a stepping stone, and if the No vote carries the day (as I hope it will) and she wins, that we wind up with a councilor who will be more focused on city wide vs ward issue. At this point I am leaning Blazer.
@Claire
Interesting perspective … I guess I’m gravitating more towards a sense of optimism and determinism over the future (at least locally) that I’m not finding elsewhere on the political stage these days.
@ Colleen: I think you are misrepresenting Brenda Noel’s position to insinuate that she supports “big development” in Newton Center. I have seen this tactic as part of a smear campaign that has spread rumors that Noel is somehow in cahoots with developers. I have heard from many people that “she takes money from developers.” This was evident during the debate when I saw a known supporter of Blazar (name listed as such on Blazer’s campaign website) write down a question, and had it passed directly to the moderator during the debate (even though this was not the time for audience questions). The question was with respect to who your top 3 supporters are and if you would take money from developers and can be found at 38:50 on the video. It was intended as a “gotcha” question but fortunately provided an opportunity to set the record straight. Guess what? An individual who is a developer made an unsolicited contribution to Noel’s campaign on her website. She immediately returned the money (and this paper trail can be confirmed online as Noel explains in the debate). So the answer as to whether Noel would take money from a developer is a resounding NO. But Blazar? He went on to say that he didn’t see anything wrong with taking money from a developer (41:26)!
And Colleen, how is it that Dick “indicated his positive experience as a Councilor for several decades” when he has only been councilor since 2010 according to his website?
Other debate highlights:
15:45 Blazar: “The neighbors who live here…are here because they like it here. They didn’t move here because they want to see a lot of changes in the neighborhood.”
17:40 Noel: “One of the things that Councilor Blazar said is that people come to Newton and they don’t want things to change.”
Blazar: “I didn’t say that!!”
And Blazar’s take on growth at 52:14:
“The term that I can’t really stand anymore is ‘smart growth.’ It is a cliche I’ve heard over and over and over again. I don’t think it is so smart. I think smart growth is basically a way that developers want to say this is what we should do in your village because it is smart…I’m not seeing anything that is smart about what is going on in Newtonville….(52:48) What should we do? I wish I knew. You know, a lot of people a lot smarter than me are trying to figure it out….(53:10) The term ‘smart growth’ is a cliche that I start getting nervous every time I hear of it because that means a developer is coming to town.
For me the choice couldn’t be clearer. Change inevitably happens whether we want it or not. We can’t fossilize our city even if we can try to fossilize our city council. Either we can be proactive and try to make our city reflect our values and priorities, or we can play defense and just try hard to maintain the status quo despite many factors we can’t control that drive change.
NewtonNewbie, thank you for your comments. Many people agree with you about change. I moved to Newton in 1979 from Toronto. I had seen exponential growth in my hometown, something like 30,000 people per year. What a blessing to arrive in Newtonville where growth was slower and the pace of life was calmer. Over the decades I have seen moderate development here and I welcome it. Newton’s village community structure is not suited to dense housing development. If Brenda Noel supports big, dense development in village centers, she will not be elected. Dick Blazar is a better person to represent Ward 6 because he understands the people who live there.
I think Brenda will be elected specifically because of this issue. I’m glad she had the courage to run against an established incumbent. We’ll see…
Newtoner, you might be right but I see much more support (based on signs) at least in Newton Center for Blazer and know that development (or more specifically the desire to limit it) is THE issue for many in my neighborhood.
I don’t have as good a sense in Newton Highlands, and while the issue is not directly linked, I think the fact that Newton Highland rejected the historic district might suggest that home owners in Ward 6 are very motivated to control what happens in their neighborhood and Dick’s message is all about that.
I think Brenda would be a shoe-in if it was an At Large vote. But in a ward only vote, I think he will carry the day
Claire, I am not so sure about a shoe in anywhere in Newton. The size of the development is crucial. Many people oppose the Needham St. project, the Riverside project and Wards 3 and 4 dislike big development. Here in Newtonville people are beginning to understand Bob Korff’s land grab fo the Washington St. corridor. Look at Newton Corner, large development ruined that village ambience. Maybe West Newton Hill and Waban will be next on the list. I doubt there will be support there.
Setti Warren is leaving his job as mayor because he lost broad support for his ‘vision of Newton’. He couldn’t get re-elected.
@Colleen, to be clear, I’m not saying in any ward. I’m saying that she positions herself more as being a CC for all of Newton vs ward specific. That’s why I probably won’t vote for her because the role of the Ward Councilor is to represent the wishes of the ward. While we still have Ward Councilors that is (or should be their priority)
Brenda is not wanting “Big Development”. She is talking about Density in Newton Centre and Newton Highlands. There is a big difference between the two.
We can have both. Jake Auchincloss has stated that very clearly: We can have density in the Centers and green and lawns in the residential areas. Both.
Density does not increase traffic. Density will be built near public transportation. Why don’t you fight for protected bike lanes and better public trans? That will improve the traffic problems.
Why does the video say Vote for Brenda Noel at the top of the screen? Is V14 or the Area Council endorsing a candidate?
Newton Highlands is one of the city’s iconic village centers. Do the residents there support mixed use on the city parking lot off Hartford St? Since the village is already established, where is Noel proposing adding density in the village center there, and can she give an example of what size what size she would support? She was clear about supporting Austin St and Washington Place, but not what type of density creating development she would like to see built in her own ward. That seems like something voters would want to know.
Chris:
I think it says that because she was the one who posted it to youtube. Probably just a mistake on village14’s part in making the link, but they obviously aren’t endorsing. If they were, there would be a big post saying just that.
Plus village 14 moderators are all over the political spectrum. Greg may run the show, but lots of moderators.
Claire, do you really think ward councilors are supposed to just focus on the ward? Or represent the wishes of the ward? That doesn’t happen in my experience. It is an excellent thought, but in reality it is a mixed bag. Sometimes they do, sometimes they vote their viewpoints. All of them. And knowing what the ward wants is often impossible. Newtonville is pretty split on development for instance. 50/50 in my view. Hence why Jake and Susan won the ward 2 portion of the election last year from my recollection, if just barely. So Emily actually can’t just simply represent the ward, since the ward is split. Same in many wards. She does what she believes in and makes the best of it. Sometimes I agree, sometimes I don’t. But this idea of just ward focus or representing the wishes of the ward is just a useful construct. Sometimes it is very easy, other times, someone’s ox gets gored in the ward.
Fig….. A survey was done in Newtonville by the Area Council before the Austin St. vote. A majority of the responders favored small scale development 3 stories high. Only 25 per cent approved of dense housing over 4 stories.
I have not yet met Brenda Noel. I thought she came off aggressive in this forum (no warmth or charm). Just my take on it.
BTW, Blazar replaced long-time Alderman George Mansfield, who was on the board for a many years. With the loss of so many seasoned councilors, I would love to see Blazar remain on the council in 2018.
I have heard nothing about a smear campaign in this race. Whoever suggested this may be looking to stir up a little angst between, BN and RB.
@Harry NOT Sanders
According to the Iron Lady, Margaret Thatcher, “Consensus: “The process of abandoning all beliefs, principles, values, and policies in search of something in which no one believes, but to which no one objects; the process of avoiding the very issues that have to be solved, merely because you cannot get agreement on the way ahead. What great cause would have been fought and won under the banner: ‘I stand for consensus?”
@Janet Sterman: Just curious if you found Dick Blazar “charming” or “warm?” Personally I found him defensive, lacking in vision, hackneyed and uninspired. On the other hand I thought Brenda was professional, calm, smart, articulate and funny. (And charming and warm as well for that matter, but those aren’t qualities important to me in my city councilor.) Just my take on it.
Seriously though, writing “I have heard nothing of a smear campaign in this race” as part of a comment in a political forum in which you smear one candidate’s personal attributes is downright disingenuous.
Not sure the logic you are using with the fact that Blazar’s predecessor was on the council for many years, as a reason to keep Blazar on the council for many years as well. When polls are conducted, an overwhelming majority of people from all parties support term limits. But even if you don’t like term limits, wouldn’t you still want the best person for the job, rather than simply maintaining the status quo for the sake of the status quo? If you really watched this entire debate and still felt like the status quo (Blazar) was the best choice here, all I can say is “there is no accounting for taste.”
@Janet
I’m not really sure what the Iron Lady has to do with this, and I’d agree with you if you seek consensus for consensus’ sake. But if you intend to abandon consensus, what is your alternative? Is it not the council’s job to take in a variety of viewpoints and move forward?
Do you think council members should not seek consensus with their constituents or the rest of the council?
I think one cure for your statement would be to meet Brenda … what I saw in that video was the same enthusiasm she had when she knocked on my door. Are you sure you’re asking the same level of charm and warmth from Dick, or is this an unconscious bias for a trait that a woman must show? How would you rate both candidates on charm and warmth, and what percentage should I assign to it?
You’ll have to help me out here, because as a middle aged man, many things confuse me. 😉
I feel like she’s got a better handle on things, and I’m going to give her a shot at it.
From the “Brenda wants high rises in town centers” to “she takes developer money”, I think I could feed several farm animals on all the strawmen here …