Thinking of adding your name to the November ballot or helping on a campaign?
The League of Women Voters of Newton invites candidates, potential candidates, campaign managers, campaign treasurers, and all interested citizens to a virtual workshop on running for office.
LWVN President Marcia Johnson will moderate a panel tonight April 28 at 5:30 of guests who will offer practical information and advice on issues like filing official paperwork, creating effective campaign communications, and understanding the demands of public office. Panelists will include…
- David Olson, former Newton City Clerk
- Greg Reibman, President of the Newton-Needham Regional Chamber, and former editor with the TAB, Boston Herald and PBS World Channel
- Ted Hess-Mahan, former Newton City Councilor
- Bridget Ray-Canada, School Committee member
Register here to receive the event Zoom link… https://Bit.ly/LWVN_RUN
Share your questions with the panelists in advance or send questions about the event at [email protected].
You are the next batter up Jerry, or rather Sean Roche is, but i’ll let you guys sort that out.
Chuck Tanowitz should be in the mix also. With the forum that the three of you have at Village 14 comes great responsibility. Greg Reibman, Gail Spector, myself and many of your posters have taken their lumps from a run at elected office in Newton, and if you have any credibility, all three of you will do the same. Personally i would like to see Sean Roche make a run. It would be richly rewarding, not to mention deeply instructive to see what portion of the Newton electorate agrees with Sean’s ideas.
I see what you did there the first time i tried to post this. Cute!
Are there any vunerable councilors out there where a run is worth pursuing?
I can imagine pent up frustration from parents wanting to send a message to union-friendly councilors… beyond that, i dont see any major incentives.
Now, if any existing councilors from Waban, newton centre or chestnut hill were pounding the table to build mega sized large density affordable rentals in their own neighborhood… i could see pushback
Yes, there are a few potential races where incumbent Councilors could be vulnerable. Also, I expect many new faces on the School Committee in January.
@Paul Green – No thank you.
I’m not the most reliable person but one thing you can absolutely count on me for is that I won’t ever be running for public office. That said, I’m immensely grateful to those who do step forward.
@Paul Green – Greg Reibman’s campaign for public office was pretty short-lived. I think it only lasted one day.
Thanks for the memories Jerry!
It reminded me of my absolute favorite moment from my one day in the campaign trenches.
I must have listened to that thing 20 times that day.
@Greg Reibman – You may have bowed out pretty quickly but you did line up an impressive list of endorsements before your did.
We’ll never know why Van Lingle Mungo withheld his endorsement
Personally, I wish that Greg would run for mayor. He’s a person of integrity, intelligence, experience, compassion, and he has a great inner passion for Newton. Greg understands the issues and knows the people of Newton as well as he knows every corner of the city.
I wouldn’t say that I agree with Greg on every issue, but we agree on most. Most importantly, I completely trust that Greg would always put the interests of the city first and foremost. With a mayoral election just months away Newton needs a person with knowledge and character to challenge the incumbent. I’m not knocking Mayor Fuller, who’s had her ups and downs. I just happen to think that Greg Reibman has everything it takes to be a great mayor.
@Mike: We each ran for mayor once. And I suspect we both agree that once is plenty.
@Doug: Mungo and I never could agree on the need for protected bike lanes.
Mike, have you contemplated another run?
I’ve said this before but I’d also like to see Mike Halle consider running.
MMQC, you are very thoughtful and kind to think of me (Unless you’re setting me up to take a fall :) ).
I have enormous respect for the personal sacrifices the Mayor (our current Mayor or any other), City Councilors, and other elected officials make. I also respect the commitment it takes to do the job well. Especially at the Mayoral level, there’s so much attention focused on you personally, in this political and social climate it’s hard to see how an individual makes that tradeoff.
Seven years ago I had a sustained and serious brush with death. As a father of then small children, I was so sick I couldn’t remember their names. I am fully recovered now and forever grateful for it. I have committed myself to helping make the community that my kids grow up in be better for everyone. At the same time, I almost didn’t see them grow up at all. They are such awesome kids and I want to see that happen. I won’t sacrifice it lightly. I guard, and love, my minutes with them fiercely.
I hope to make my neighborhood, schools, and city better. Help bridge people through discussions based on mutual respect if not always shared opinions. Think things and ask why not. Empower people across the city to have the tools to help make their streets safer for their families and neighbors. Build on top of Newton’s traditional values of community and family to try to build new and great things. Trying to leave this place better for those that follow us, as those before us did.
All that stuff might sound like a campaign pitch, but I hope these are things that I and the rest of us can do as involved private citizens, perhaps even more effectively than our elected officials. That’s where I want our city to be. Empowered, informed, listened-to individuals make our city better. I appreciate my opportunity to work closely with the Mayor, the city staff, and City Councilors to do that. The next step is to find a way to bring in more voices so that we are all heard, considered, and valued.
Bravo, Mike Halle. So well put.
We are lucky to have you in any capacity!
@Mike Halle: so many people talk about what needs to be done and criticize the people who are not doing it and never lift a finger themselves. You Mike on the other hand have dedicated so much time working improve the community around the Franklin school/West Newton while having small children to take care of also. All I can say is we really appreciate it. I prefer you don’t run for anything so you can keep doing what you are doing.
Any chance you’ll run for mayor Amy? After selling off Newton to so many off the highest (lowest?) bidders, is Newton going to let Ruthanne Fuller walk right into another four years without an actual race?