We don’t do this very often, but I want to lift this comment Brian Yates wrote and give it its own post. The very model of graciousness:
Thanks for the kind words, particularly from Andreae. I do look forward to working with you to raise the money to replace the railings on Echo Bridge and to get this magnificent structure formally designated as a National Historic Landmark.
I learned from Paul Coletti that I was the third in continuous service after him in second place and of course Wendell Bauckman in first place. I obviously won’t pass him with another term, but I’m very proud to be in third place behind such distinguished company and very grateful that the citizens of Newton trusted me with a small portion of the governance of our city for so long.
The title character in George Bernard Shaw’s “The Chocolate Soldier ” stated that he held the highest rank in his country; he was “a citizen.” I’m proud to retain that rank.
As to the general results of the election, I’m reminded of the reminded of the words of Alfred Lord Tennyson in his “Idylls of the King”:
The old order changeth, yielding place to new,
and the Lord fulfills his will in many ways
lest one good order corrupt the world.Brian Yates, elected Alderman November 1987, completed term as Councilor December 2017.
Thanks, Brian.
Good to hear from you, Brian!
Brian,
Thank you for your service. It was an honor and a privilege to serve with you on the Board of Aldermen for 18 years. You are gentleman and a scholar. Our civic discourse will be the poorer for want of your humor and your subtle science fiction references that alas, only a few of us seem to have understood 😉
Live long and prosper.
Ken
I know I’m biased, but this is the finest concession note I’ve read since Adlai Stevenson conceded to Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1952. And an earlier note from Andreae to Brian was the frosting on this cake.
Thank you for your service to the city, Brian!
A great loss, alas. The Force be with you.
Gracious – That’s just the way Brian Yates rolls
Very gracious. Thank you for all your service; enjoy having some free time!
Brian, you’re awesome.
What a lovely note. It has been a pleasure serving with Brian and I will miss him. No one loves this city more.
Brian is a class act – always has been – always will be!
30 Years of service and institutional knowledge was insufficient for today’s voters to recognize the value of this great man. It’s more a reflection on where we are going than on where we have been .
Thanks to you, Brian, and all you and your ancestors have brought to the table over these years. Your presence and experience are irreplaceable.
I hope you will enjoy your new found freedom.
Cheers !!!
Congratulations Brian on a distinguished career with the City. I so enjoyed working with you during my time with the City and appreciated your input and candor. I so enjoyed your one-page notes that you would hand to me during a meeting with requests to repair a broken or downed sign, paint a crosswalk or just take a look at something. I would tuck it into my bag and work thru the list and address what I could with the limited resources I had. I regret I was not able to address the “Truck Exclusion” signage in and around Washington Street & I-95 before leaving…maybe Andrea can revisit with the Transportation Division to finally get those signs up. Best to you Brian and thank you for your service.
Hats off to you Councilor Yates. I have no doubt you will continue to contribute much to Newton. Thank you for your service to this city and it’s citizens. You deserve a break – but not for too long. There’s still Echo Bridge to restore and have listed in the National Historic Register.
I’m deeply touched by the signal honor of having a separate post dedicated to my departure from the Council and of the warmth of the messages from many of the people I’ve worked with. I very much appreciate both the above postings and the phone and e-mail messages I’ve received.
However, I do want to set Bill Paille’s mind at ease. Mass. DOT finally came through with a plethora of signs at the Route 16/128 end of Quinobequin Road warning off truckers.
If any Friends of Hemlock Gorge are reading this, I’m cancelling the cleanup for tomorrow because of the expected extreme cold and because of the conflict with the city of Newton Veterans Day services at Post 440. All should attend to honor recent Veteran sacrifices and past ones like my great Uncle Francis Yates. (He’s actually commemorated in an exhibit at the Needham History Center.)
The Friends will be meeting next Tuesday at 7;30 p.m. in the Emerson Community Center to celebrate the success of our partnership with the Department of Conservation and Recreation in the creation of new railings at the Stone Barn on Route 9, to plan how we can help raise funds for the replacement railings for Echo Bridge, and commemorate the life of our Friend from Needham Bill Tedoldi.
I’ll sign off with one of those obscure science fiction references that former Alderman Parker cited. Explain it, Ken.
Councilor Dunsel signing off with extreme gratitude.
Aw, Brian. I’d have preferred to leave a little mystery — or at least make people Google it. But since you asked, the translation of Brian’s sign-off is that he is being humble. A “dunsel” is a useless part in the Star Trek universe. The term was introduced in the original series when a computer was being tested to control the Enterprise (a self-driving spaceship!). The term was used to insult Captain Kirk, calling him Captain Dunsel. But, of course, Kirk turned out to be a very useful part indeed, saving the day — just as Brian has been an indispensable part of our City government for more than a generation 🙂
Brian, you were (and hopefully still will be) a tremendous asset to Newton. Thank you for your years of service. And thank you for your equanimous words of thanks and farewell. All the best for whatever the future holds for you.
Here’s another example of what has made Brian such a positively unique political figure in Newton. Brian is one of an extremely few number of political candidates throughout America (hell, he may have been the only one) who was enthusiastically endorsed by both a municipal Republican committee and by a municipal chapter of “Our Revolution”, the follow on to Bernie Sanders Presidential campaign. In making its endorsement , Newton’s Republican City Committee did acknowledge that Brian is “a liberal”, but seemed to conclude that this was more than counterbalanced by his fairness, honesty, dedicated public service and total commitment to the City. “Our Revolution Newton” also positively noted these same character qualities, but also applauded his attention to historic preservation, development trends, village values, services for the elderly, working folks and low income residents and environmental protection. Quite an achievement to bridge this divide.
What’s not to love about Brian? Upper Falls is the envy of every other city section to have embraced and to have been embraced by such a gentleman and gentle man. His dedication and tenacity as Ward 5 Councilor at-large has moved mountains while being loyal to City and Village. His encyclopedic institutional knowledge unavailable through Google searches is a resource we must find a way to debrief to document in Newton’s archives. Thank you, Brian for being a genuine living statesman in an era when statesmen are defined as dead politicians!
Brian has been one of the finest public servants to serve this City. He is honest and dedicated and loves Newton.
His service and institutional knowledge on the Council will be missed.