Newton City Councilor Jake Auchincloss has just announced an impressive line up of Newton-endorsements in his run for Congress, including City Council President-elect Susan Albright, Vice President-elect Rick Lipof, School Committee Chair Ruth Goldman, Vice Chair Steve Siegel, Vice Chair-elect Bridget Ray-Canada, and 31 others Newton electeds and community leaders.
But I was equally intrigued by the breaking news buried in this statement from Auchincloss that accompanied the news of his endorsements (bold added by me)
“Newton is my home. I graduated from the Newton public schools and returned home after the Marines to serve on the Newton city council. My wife and I, now expecting our first child, look forward to raising our family here. I am proud to have the support of people with whom I have worked closely for four years to serve this great city.”
Congratulations Jake and Michelle on your forthcoming entry into parenthood!
ELECTED OFFICIALS:
Alison Leary, Councilor at-Large, Vice Chair of Public Facilities Committee, Ward 1
Maria Greenberg, Ward Councilor, Ward 1
Bridget Ray-Canada, Vice Chair-elect of the School Committee, Ward 1
Susan Albright, President-elect of the City Council, Ward 2
Andrea Kelley, Councilor at-Large, Ward 3
Deb Crossley, Councilor at-Large, Chair of Public Facilities Committee, Ward 5
Andreae Downs, Councilor at-Large, Ward 5
John Rice, Ward Councilor, Chair of Program & Services Committee, Ward 5
Steve Siegel, Vice Chair of the School Committee, Ward 5
Alicia Bowman, City Councilor at-Large-elect, Ward 6
Vicki Danberg, City Councilor at-Large, Vice Chair of Zoning & Planning Committee, Ward 6
Ruth Goldman, Chair of the School Committee, Ward 6
Rick Lipof, Vice President-elect of the City Council, Ward 8
Congrats Jake & Michelle ! Wonderful news on all counts!
So pleased for the young family!
Interesting that Newton officials would have so quickly drawn lines between the two incumbent City Councilors in this Congressional race. What’s that about?
@Paul – It’s the usual obsequiousness that’s always been put on at the drop of a hat by toadies to the extended Kennedy family.
I wonder how long it will take for word to leak out to the rest of Newton and Brookline that Jake Auchincloss is about as progressive as a 1985 DeLorean.
On the other hand, he should poll really well down in the hicksville towns of Bristol County lorded over by that ridiculous sheriff.
I happen to like the 1985 Delorean, especially the one equipped with “Mr. Fusion” that runs on household trash. No carbon emissions and no traffic! WHERE WE’RE GOING, WE DON’T NEED ROADS!
Congrats to Jake and his wife. I mean that for real–not obsequiously!
Congratulations Jake!
Great news for the Auchincloss family and excellent news for Jake’s campaign, too!
Paul, I think what the endorsement news is all about is a recognition by his colleagues on the Council as well as those with whom he works on the School Committee that Jake has done an excellent job in office, building a record of accomplishment and collaboration with his colleagues that is far stronger than the other Councilor running for Congress. She may have the fundraising prowess of her father-in-law on her side, as well as the endorsements of a few entrenched incumbents who’ve grown dependent on her father-in-law’s largesse over the years, but when it comes to those who’ve known and worked with both and seen what they’ve each done to benefit Newton, there’s no question that Jake’s qualifications make him the superior candidate in this race.
Great news all around.
Paul, it is easy for me to support Jake. He has shown he wants to and succeeds in listening to all sides, then making his decisions for Newton based on facts. He is not an ideologue, he is open to debate on any subject. His newsletters and Commonwealth articles are more like white papers that he’s written after much time spent on research.
Jake and Joe both have integrity and wrestle with decisions they have to make. I think Jake would be a great replacement for Joe’s seat in Congress – and I also support Joe’s run for the Senate.
I have a ton of respect for both Councilors Auchincloss and Grossman. The puzzling part to me about these endorsements, and the early endorsement game in general, is how so many people I also respect line up behind a candidate before knowing or getting to know the full field.
Yes either of our two locals would be good congressmen. But are they superior to the other declared candidates from far off in Brookline? I don’t have an answer to that yet but I’d be fascinated to hear from those who’ve committed to Auchincloss or Grossman how they decided.
Ditto, @Greg.
Both councilors seem like impressive candidates. But it’s obvious what happened here – Jake traded his support for Susan Albright for City Council President for the support of her loyalists. Becky supported Marc Laredo for City Council President and was punished by Susan’s team via their support for her opponent.
I wouldn’t read too much into these endorsements. These are just cold political maneuvering.
I think Jake is emerging as the front runner in this race. He will be a very formidable candidate.