Kevin Cullen, columnist for the Boston Globe, was very impressed by City Councilor Jake Auchincloss. Read here. Auchincloss couldn’t ask for much better publicity than this as he mulls a run for Congress.
“I have seen the future of real, decent politics, and its name is Jake Auchincloss.”
– Kevin Cullen
Well deserved! Run Jake!
Great article! I have tremendous respect for Jake, although we don’t always agree, having him as a colleague on the Council makes us all better. It is clear he loves his job as a City Councilor and he loves Newton. I have no doubt whatever he decides, he will continue to be an engaged City Councilor, advocating for innovative transportation solutions and pushing to make sure new development projects meet the needs of our changing city and address the climate crisis. He set the bar for constituent services, with office hours and a thoughtful monthly newsletter. Ward 2 and the City of Newton needs Jake- vote for Jake on 11/5!
I have always thought that Jake epitomizes the consummate Representative and leader.
I have written here several times about how “identity politics” and “one issue politics,” degrade democracy. One specific way is during deliberations over special permits when voters (read “taxpayers”) want councilors to commit to voting one way or another when, during the process, councilors are required by law to remain open minded until the process ends.
Jake is one of few who act appropriately during the special Permit process and on any other decisions being made by the city council.
In this age of “issue” politics when voters attempt to find out exactly how a candidate or current councilor will vote on certain issues (or just one issue) before an election, Jake stands out as one who cannot be pinned down but instead consistently says he will listen and learn before he decides his vote while also stating his values and his goals on the subject.
The above is what politics should be in a democrat-republic including Newton!
Auchincloss is an excellent councilor. My only reservation about sending him to Washington is that federal policy on marijuana is still up an the air. Based on statements he has made in the past, he will likely support keeping it illegal.
Marti hit the nail on the head. Jake is a straight-shooter. In contrast to knee-jerk ideologues, he is thoughtful. I hope he runs. He is exactly the type of person our legislative branch needs.
I forgot to say how much I liked Kevin Cullen’s article about Jake and his backstory – which I hadn’t known before.
I particularly liked Cullen’s choice to examine how Jake’s family history guides his present values and decision making.
I would hate to lose Jake in Newton but wouldn’t want quell his dreams although, selfishly, I hope he waits a couple of years to run for a higher office.
#VoteForJake
I am delighted to read that this thread has not yet been trolled or turned into a food fight re: development. For political nerds, Jake’s newsletter is the best in town. I would add to @Marti’s comments that once Jake makes a decision, he explains it and stands by it. We are lucky to have him.
It didn’t take Kevin Cullen long to zero in on exactly the kind of person Jake is and what an excellent Congressman he’d make. To Newtoner, whose concern I share about the way Jake opposed siting dispensaries in Newton, I would point out that Jake supported decriminalization, and as cannabis becomes legal in more and more places he has pledged to support those laws and not seek to overturn what we consider to be progress on this issue. I’m really not concerned about the possibility that Jake’s one vote can somehow impede legalization. In fact, I agree with his concern about potential public health issues among our youth, and I also agree with him that we’d be better off with cannabis dispensaries run by local operators rather than big national entities. The bottom line is that if we want to keep a Newtonian in this Congressional seat, Jake’s background and experience surely make him the most qualified and most accomplished Newton candidate in the race.
Jake is a really smart, hard working, inciteful, independent thinker. He’s a great listener and he has a great knack for communicating with his constituents , even when they don’t agree with his position.
Since he was elected I’ve agreed with him on many issues, disagreed on others but he has always been able to clearly articulate his well thought out position. He’s everything I want in an elected official.
Oh yeah. You may have missed this one. He also has a wonderful self deprecating sense of humor.
Agree on all points. This should be a great race. There are several viable candidates waiting in the wings, about to announce. Won’t we be lucky to have such a good choice! The diversity of the district, geographically and socio-economically, and across the political spectrum, means that candidates will have to connect with voters not only on issues, but also on personal characteristics.
This is a good example why the Globe is losing value: No real content. It seems Mr. Cullen had breakfast with our City Councilor, but besides the topics on guns and our Councilors ancestors life stories, I didn’t really find anything of substance about our Councilor. Why no recording of the meeting? Why no questions in regards to specific policy issues? Why not press our City Councilor about the times when he went agains the grain (such as Marijuana)? And to be completely frank, his ancestor’s story, such as his mom getting in Harvard Medical School, only backs up the ongoing narrative of privilege.
Let’s be clear, Jake’s story is one of privilege. There is no shortage of Harvard educated men and women on our city. The Juxtaposition is that he served in the Armed Forced, something that for financial and cultural reasons, we rarely see in the Garden City. So, that leaves an interesting contrast, a person that has rose up to every challenge presented to him, on paper.
But, being in the well-educated Newton, we have far more qualified citizens. Jonny Kim, Navy Seal, Doctor and now-Astronaut, had lived in Newton until recently. The situational difference is that Mr. Auchincloss has chosen to put himself in the public eye. I supported him last time because of his character, but if he does run for higher office, I want to know what his actual vision is. If he is going to be as quiet and obstructionist (marijuana) as he has been on the City Council or if he is going to run on his family’s story, there are far more qualified and motivated people who should be on the ballot.
Thanks for the link, Jerry. Loved it!!
John White, it didn’t take long.
Anita, please explain how one can be both of these things.
“quiet and obstructionist (marijuana)”
How about instead of “obstructionist” we insert “votes his conscience even when it might not be the popular thing to do.”
Basically, he didn’t agree with you – or me – but he did his job perfectly.
@Anita McGuiness: You criticize Mr. Auchincloss for “a narrative of privilege” and having “chosen to put himself in the public eye”.
In other words, he’s had some fortunes in life and saw fit to repay those fortunes to society as a public servant (and a member of our armed forces).
What exactly, is wrong with that? Do you fault him for the family he was born into? Fault him for attending Harvard when accepted? Can you suggest a more virtuous thing that Mr. Auchincloss should do than run for Congress?
Anita, I know you said you’re through commenting because your point has been made. But really – Jake’s life smacks of privilege? You didn’t think that was going to instigate criticism?
So anyone who grew up in Newton or went to Harvard is more privileged than others – regardless of how they got there. What a crappy remark.
Of course Newtonites are privileged but not any more so than many people in other places.
@Marti and @Michael,
Thank you for pushing back against me on this. I’m not sure why my comment above came across as trolling or a food fight and i’m sorry if it did. My overall intention was for someone who sees this thread who may not be from Newton, not to see the comments here as full support for our City Councilor.
To say that Mr. Auchincloss had some fortunes in his life is an understatement. It is very easy when living in Newton to forget about those across the Bay State, being raised by their grandparents after their single parent OD’ed. To not have enough money to go to college. To have parents who are part of the 46% of Americans who have $0 invested in the stock market. To wonder where their next meal will come from. Some privilege is having one of these things not happen to you.
Opposing marijuana right out of the gate, a substance that contains drugs that have the potential to radically change the way we treat disease (I know, I sound like a cannabis aficionado) is a big no-no. LSD (Here goes the last of my supporters) and other scheduled substances deserve to be studied for their treatment of Psychogenic diseases. We aren’t close to that yet, but I hope to have a person representing me who will listen to science first, not their experience in Panama.
I question the intentions of our councilor sending out this article in his latest newsletter. And I say this as someone who was an early supporter of him last time.
I am hoping that we elect a passionate and motivated leader who will fight for those less privileged. The two other declared candidates seem to be far ahead in that regard. What I see happening here is people like Mr. Cullen trying to jump on the bandwaggon. I won’t be making any further comments here, because I have made my point.
Ugh, Kevin Cullen, the Globe’s foremost fiction writer. Does everyone remember Kevin’s advice in 2016 that we could all relax when a good Irish boy from Brighton, John F. Kelly, had been nominated as Chief of Staff?
As anybody with even an ounce of sense had predicted, John F. Kelly turned out to be one of the most vile, evil, heartless individuals to step foot in the White House – so a mere 14 months after the above column, Kevin tapped out his mea culpa, What the hell happened to John Kelly?
In sum, Kevin Cullen is the absolute last person to be believed when it comes to these obsequious fluff pieces.
There’s a big difference between a Councilor voting his or her “conscience,” versus voting to overturn a democratic vote taken at the ballot box by their constituents. Auchincloss didn’t just vote against marijuana reform. He, voted against the democratic process.
Jake is a smart guy, and I always felt he would better on the national level.
If Jake is serious about running for Joe Kennedys seat, then surely he should step out of this election. Newton has a lot of pressing issues ahead, I don’t see how he could be effective in his current role whilst trying to get elected to higher office.
I agree. Running for Congress is a full-time job, especially with the size and shape of this district. He won’t serve his Newton constituents well trying to do that while being on the Council.
Paul,
Being a doctor is a full-time job. Being an architect is a full-time job. Being a software executive is a full-time job. Being a lawyer is full-time job. We have examples of all of them serving Newton perfectly well.
If you want to say that running for congress makes demands that are particularly incompatible with the night-time and weekend duties of a councilor, you’ll get no argument from me. Ultimately, though, it won’t make a difference for me whether Jake declares that he’s running, promises that he won’t, or doesn’t commit. (With Jesse Mermell and Becky Walker-Grossman declaring, Jakes’s political clock is tick, tick, ticking.)
Here’s why it doesn’t matter to me. If Jake runs, he’s going to show up for the important votes. And, we have plenty of councilors to handle the day-to-day. Jake’s political values are distinct enough from his challengers that a diminished Jake on the council would be meaningfully different than having a fully engaged challenger. If you are a Jake fan, that equation probably doesn’t change. If you aren’t a Jake fan, his running or not probably wasn’t going to sway you anyway.
If one of the challengers were Jake-lite, we’d be having a different conversation.
And please see my comments about the state Treasurer in this regard: https://village14.com/2019/10/02/promises-kept/#axzz61AyFsdVf
I’m curious as to what the requirement is. I think back on the last Newton mayoral election where we had three City Councilors running. Neither Amy nor Scott returned to their seats and presumably Ruthanne wouldn`t have if she had lost.
Was that by choice or rule?
By choice, if I remember correctly.
There is no limit to the number of positions you can run for. If you pull papers and get signatures for both mayor and city councilor, for instance, you are eligible for either. If you lose in the mayoral preliminary, for instance, you can continue to run for city councilor.
I think.
@Claire – Here’s a recent example
Right, thanks, @Sean. A more important issue for the state Treasurer, as I’ve noted; https://village14.com/2019/10/02/promises-kept/#axzz61AyFsdVf
@Marti, of course Jake’s life smacks of privilege. If that comment instigates your criticism, then you’re either trolling for an argument or playing very, very dumb. I just came up with the following during my (admittedly delayed) train ride – feel free to correct or append:
Jake’s Mom’s CV, past and present:
Board of Directors at Bristol Meyers Squibb for 20 years; Professorship at Harvard; President and CEO of Dana Farber; Dean and Provost at Cornell; upstanding Chilmarkian (on the Vineyard); graduate of Winsor School, Radcliffe, Harvard Medical
Jake’s mom’s dad’s CV: Professorship at Harvard; pioneer in the field of artificial limbs
Jake’s mom’s dad’s parents: Factory owners
Jake’s dad’s CV: Professorship at Harvard; Chief of Transplant Surgery at Brigham & Women’s Hospital; graduate of Groton, Yale, Harvard Medical
Jake’s dad’s family: via Jake’s dad’s first cousin once removed, Hugh D., who was Jackie Kennedy’s stepfather – owners of the Hammersmith Farm estate in Newport and its myriad guesthouses (“the Summer White House” for the Kennedys). Jake’s dad’s dad was a surgeon and professor at Columbia. Jake’s dad’s uncle was the president of the Ford Foundation. Jake’s dad’s other uncle was Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs.
Geesh, you don’t think that maybe Jake had an ever-so-slight advantage over the rest of the world while he was growing up?
Who cares? Let’s cut through the noise. I want the best congressperson possible. Period. That should be the discussion.
I have impressions of Jake rather than any real in-depth knowledge. And while I think it is a problem, many voter’s make decisions based upon impressions vs in-depth knowledge. So here are my impressions:
I’ve had the opportunity to meet Jake a few times. He seems a bit standoffish and unapproachable. It could be shyness but he comes across as aloof. Each time I met him he seemed to have no recollection of meeting me before.
I occasionally watch Channel 9’s coverage of City Council meetings. I don’t know if they change up the camera angle much because he always seems to be in view and I often notice him looking up in the air as his colleagues speak as if he is bored and once or twice rolling his eyes. It gives an impression of condescension.
He never smiles. Well I’m sure he does, but I have never seen him smile.
None of these are reasons not to vote for him obviously. I will listen to all of the candidates and make a decision on the issues. But if others share these impressions, that won’t help him on the campaign trail.
Jake has grown on me. I really didn’t like his stance on marijuana and I thought he seemed kind of like a phony politician. But him being one of the only councilors voting against the pay raise made me think that there was more to him than met the eye so I’ve been paying more attention to him and I’m starting to like him more.
I’ve always been uncomfortable with Auchincloss’s big-business friendly positions given how much of his funding came from outside Newton and even outside the state.
See https://www.metrowestdailynews.com/article/20151111/NEWS/151118825 which reported that “Close to two-thirds of the individual contributions accepted by Auchincloss — the election’s top fundraiser — came from outside Newton, while 45 percent came from donors in New York, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Florida, California, New Jersey and Washington, D.C.”
Auchincloss had $19,000 in non-Newton funds. The next closest were in the $2K range and most under $1K.
At the time, Auchincloss refused to say who those donors were, and to my knowledge, he has never disclosed it. While perhaps legal, I find it very suspicious and not at all what I want in a representative.
@Newton Upper Falls Resident. There is nothing suspicious about raising $19,000 from people in multiple states. They’re probably family, friends, classmates, fellow servicemembers.
Jake’s fundraising success is probably a reflection of the friendships he’s formed over the years. It is certainly not the work of evil corporations and the Illuminati.
@Michael Singer.
You use the word “probably” a lot. And I find your final comment in particular–“it is certainly not the work…”–disrespectful. You are speaking speculatively throughout your comment; you do not know, so how can you possibly say what the funds “certainly” are or are not?
Jane Mayer’s work on Dark Money means that in this day and age it is entirely possible for such funding to be problematic and thus entirely appropriate that voters should want an explanation of the source of the funds.
I am concerned that Auchincloss has not explained these funds because I think that that much more money from out of state than any of other candidates raised is cause for concern. I have not and I will not vote for Auchincloss without accountability of these funds and the relationship of the source of these funds to his positions as a council member.
@Michael Singer, couldn’t Jake just put this question to bed by disclosing the doners. I expect that all of the candidates will have family, friends, classmates, maybe not fellow servicemembers who will contribute.
They should all have 100% transparency in regards to donations. I think we should make that a demand of all candidates
That Metrowest Daily article was a big nothing burger…a few minutes of research would have revealed that one-third of Jake’s “out-of-state” donations were made by his mom, dad, stepdad, and sister, who donated $1,000 each.
The donations are all public record at https://www.ocpf.us/Reports/SearchItems
@Michael: that only adds up to 4K. What about the rest? I emphatically second the call for complete transparency and disclosure. #Followthemoney!
@Claire I have the same impression. I witnessed Jake in action at a Land Use meeting and was utterly unimpressed. Jake spent part of the time at his desk, part of the time standing against the wall looking bored. At issue was a permitted, under construction building later deemed to have been issued a permit in error due to something being slightly out of spec. A long line of neighbors testified loudly about how ugly the building is. Several councilors reminded their colleagues and residents how they are not the design police, the issue was not whether it was ugly but whether it complied with the law. During the once-around-the-table how-are-you-leaning comment at the end, Jake stated he would not support the permit variance — because the building was ugly. I found this shocking. Was he not paying attention, or was it willful ignorance?