At midnight 2018 will dissolve and 2019 will rise from its ashes. The national nightmare, alas, will continue. The current administration may not be our nation’s most destructive. Nixon and Kissinger wrought havoc in Cambodia and Viet Nam. George W. Bush’s invasion of Iraq, an act of folly, has yielded horrific and bloody results. When it comes to incompetence and corruption, however, the Trump administration stands alone. I shudder, for example, when considering the damage to the planet to be caused by the elimination of needed environmental regulations and the retreat from alternative energy. Pollution will rise and global warming will accelerate…and many feel powerless to reverse this trend.
In Newton, fortunately, an individual can have an impact, a thought we should all bear in mind during the coming year. The Garden City has dozens of community groups and nonprofits that work for the common good. As a retiree I have the time to contribute my skills to several of them. In addition, I’d like to offer a few reflections on local trends as a modest New Year’s gift to fellow residents.
The Mayor: I didn’t know Ruthanne Fuller well before her mayoral campaign. As a columnist back then for the Tab, I chose to stay neutral in the election that followed. Even so, she reached out to me and many others to hear our opinions about Newton’s affairs. This willingness to listen has continued since her election. No mayor has been this accessible since Teddy Mann (David Cohen, to be sure, almost lived in City Hall and was utterly dedicated to the task). She recognizes and honors the efforts of common citizens and almost always lends her support to their causes. Ruthanne loves our city and is our greatest cheerleader.
Nonetheless, the city faces difficult challenges, and soon the mayor will make choices that inevitably alienate some while pleasing others. For example, tensions between supporters of development and preservationists will continue to grow. All the meetings and all the feedback will not silence resistance to the scale of projects like the Washington Street corridor. A slogan that is emerging goes, “No development without infrastructure.” More than a few citizens fear that when Austin Street and Washington Street and Parkland are complete, the city will be unprepared for the increase in residents, automobile traffic, and school population. Mayor Fuller will need the wisdom of Solomon to sort through these pressures.
Either/Or: Too often issues are framed as a choice between antithetical options, which is rarely true. For example, last year the city proposed cutting down several dozen trees on Beacon Street to bring the sidewalks up to code with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Some residents reacted in horror and aired their concerns at a meeting in Waban organized by city government. It turns out that the city administrators present absorbed the community’s concerns, and the project was modified to save many of the trees. Here’s hoping that the controversy surrounding Newton’s solar initiative resolves itself as satisfactorily. The city plans to build solar panel displays in parking lots and on rooftops across Newton. Several dozen trees are slated to be cut down, to the dismay of the Tree Conservancy and a few other environmental groups. Once again, the city held meetings and solicited feedback. I am confident that with some adjustments, the worthy goal of making Newton energy-independent of fossil fuels can be met while preserving most trees and planting others.
Both nationally and locally, politics is the art of the possible, and compromise is its essential principle. Our national leaders apparently believe that making deals is heretical, but it needn’t be so in the Garden City. As Newton’s mayor, administration, and city council grapple with health care, development, infrastructure, marijuana sales, and a dozen other complex issues, let’s debate the merits of each measure cooperatively and dispassionately.
Have a happy and healthy 2019!
Kennedy started and Johnson escalated American intervention in Vietnam. The Ken Burns Vietnam documentary is very enlightening and I would recommend it to anyone to better understand the nuances of the conflict.
YS – Your assessment of U.S. involvement in Vietnam is accurate as is your spelling of the name of the country.
Bob- Your Either/Or section nails it. We’re not above being a bit too Either/Or-ish in Newton and would benefit from relearning the art of compromise.
Thanks to all. Yes, Kennedy and Johnson bear much blame for fanning the flames of an involvement in Viet Nam that started, actually, under Eisenhower. But the bloodletting accelerated with the secret bombing of Cambodia and the further escalation in Viet Nam during Nixon’s presidency. More civilians and soldiers on all sides died then than in all the previous years. The killing fields of Cambodia followed as a consequence. Hence, my comment in the article.
“Pollution will rise and global warming will accelerate…and many feel powerless to reverse this trend…”
I feel the only way to reverse this trend if the American consumer to demand it. Simply don’t buy any goods from countries that are over polluting (China, India and even companies within USA). After several years you will see an impact quicker than any laws, pacts could provide
Hmmm. Am I missing something? I thought Truman got us started in Vietnam.
Eisenhower, the WW2 Supreme Allied Commander and president, is under appreciated. People did not know if he was a Republican or Democrat until he ran. He oversaw a relatively peaceful time, did not increase the debt too much, and he had reasonable economic growth despite headwinds working against him. For fans of federal government “investment” he promoted interstate highways.
Does anyone know in what grade NPS history covers Eisenhower? My sophomore tells me it has not occured yet.
H
No comment on Vietnam. Suffice it so say that it was before my time, and we’re still picking up the pieces.
I like how Mayor Fuller has performed so far. That said, a key factor will be if she has plans for other office (and I don’t think she does, FTR). We all saw how the trajectory of Setti Warren’s administration was altered, fairly or not, when it was clear he had higher ambitions. I think she will be successful if it’s clear she’s in it for the long haul.
That aside, the real danger for the mayor will be when the rubber meets the road on all of the issues we’ve talked about; when pot shops -however many we end up with 😉 – actually open, when plans for housing come to fruition, schools, roads, open space etc. There is a big difference between supporting something in theory and then having to make hard decisions about what actually occurs on the ground. She will ultimately own whatever happens or doesn’t happen on these issues, that will alienate some segment of Newtonians. How she handles that will be her real legacy.
Ted,
The mayor will be long gone(senate, governor, lobbyist) when the ramifications are felt.
Those who want increased density in order to lower the cost of housing for the less fortunate can
– purchase or rent a 1-2 BR and subsidize it to a renter at below market rates. They will probably loose $500 a month doing so
BECAUSE this is exactly what they want ALL NEWTON residents to do. subsidize new residents by skyrocketing our property taxes. We will all be paying $200-$500 month more in property taxes which are NOT tax deductible anymore
I will listen to any activist who puts their money where there mouth is (renting their accessory unit below market, rent out their rooms below market, subsidize a rental unit for someone else)
… the rest are just hypocrites
Thanks Bob.
Truman definitely got the US involved in Vietnam.
Either/or has never been the best way to reach a solution but during the last few years, it has been used more often than not. Certainly nationally but also in Newton. Activists and ideologues on either side believe strongly in one way of doing things, rarely have the inclination to actively listen to any other way or seek to reach a compromise and arrogantly express these ways with a certain amount of condescension.
Newtonites could use some practice in negotiation and reaching a compromise knowing that the best solutions don’t completely please either side.
As with all ways of doing anything, sometimes one side matters more than the other and a compromise won’t work. Such as, the disabled being able to get around is more important than letting things stand in their way. Keeping pedestrians safe is more important than how fast a driver can go around a corner.
I am optimistic about many things in 2019. One of them is that we start to treat others, whoever they are, with more kindness and understanding. I think (and hope) that many are tired of being mad at something or someone all the time.
Has anybody noticed the lack of the traditional salt bins? Over the last 5 years our tax bill has increased by about 25%. And now we are getting decreasing services. I live near a dip in the road, and people often get stuck when we have inclement conditions. Even a city vehicle lost it last year and took out a sign, narrowly missing my wife and kids in the process! I wouldn’t call it progress.
New year’s eve reflections
It’s been a great 55 years living here in Newton Center and I look forward to many more. Surprisingly not much has changed over the years, sure I miss some things like the old Paramount theatre in Newton Corner where I took in many a movie back in the 1970s and 80s, the old South Pacific Chinese Restaurant Sign, Weeks Jr. High School, Playing Basketball on the site of the now new library, Ice Skating on Bullough’s Pond, The Toboggan Slide in Newton Center Playground, and I remember when the Hut was Pink not Green (as a matter of fact we used to call it the Pink Hut) and when the Drinking Fountain in Newton Center actually worked during the summer. But all in all it’s been great