I spent the first 22 years of my life in upstate New York, but, really, I grew up in Newton. When I moved to my first of three Newtonville apartments at age 24, I was single, trying to forge a career in public relations, and had just decided to make the Boston area my home. I chose Newton because a dear friend – who would later become my husband – lived here and introduced me to the New England Mobile Book Fair. Any city cool enough to house an independently owned warehouse of books was my kind of place.
Thirty seven years later, I’m leaving the city where I got married, had my children, built a journalism career and made more good friends than any one person deserves. I’ve been so lucky to live and raise our family here, to build a community to both celebrate and grieve with, to watch the city evolve. I transitioned from PR into journalism after publishing a column in the Newton Graphic in 1997 and realizing that telling readers what was going on outside their doors was my true purpose in life. I covered Newton for the Boston Globe, served as editor of the Newton Tab, wrote a book about notable people who’ve lived in the city, ran unsuccessfully for office, and taught college students to cover Newton for the Globe. It’s all been an honor.
In the 30 years that my husband and I have owned a home in Newton Highlands, our pocket of the city has improved substantially. What was barely a playground is now a beautiful park in Newton Highlands where families congregate, children play, and neighbors walk. An overgrown old railroad corridor is now the Upper Falls Greenway, a place where I walked my dog hundreds of times. The planned development at Northland promises even more reasons to walk up Needham Street.
Of course, there’s still much to improve. One of the first columns I wrote for the Globe – more than 20 years ago — focused on the poor conditions at Countryside Elementary, a school built in 1953. The building is still on the city’s list of schools in need of renovation. Road conditions are horrendous – I invite every elected official in this city to drive the length of Upland Ave. and defend the job we do with our street maintenance. And, too many of us still drive cars where we could walk or bike, resulting in traffic congestion that exists in most metropolitan areas but is still shameful.
I both love and hate that I’m leaving when there’s so much strife in the community, more than I’ve seen in my two decades of covering the city. I’ve covered bitter override campaigns, angry union negotiations, and geographically drawn polarization. But never before have I seen like-minded people express so much anger toward each other. We usually disagree on desired outcomes, but always, I’ve seen this city rise to its appreciation for shared values.
I’m not seeing that right now. People invested in preserving status quo are terrified that their identities and lifestyles are being threatened, and progressives striving for meaningful change are criticizing those they deem not liberal enough. I side with the progressive values most of the time but I’m dismayed by some of the tactics I’ve seen coming from all sides. I’ve witnessed – and been the target of – Newtonians trying to get each other fired from their jobs. I’ve watched – and regrettably, participated in – public assumptions about people’s motives that might have been better addressed personally, and I’ve read ugly attacks against people who probably meant no harm.
I share the gloom many feel about the world, but I wish I’d been more careful with my own words at times. I include myself among the many people in this city who lose sight of how good we have it.
Still, I’ll miss it – and you – all. Moving to Newton 37 years ago was among the best decisions I’ve made in my life. Thank you to all who work to make the city a better place. Take care of each other.
Gail, it was a pleasure for me to be a columnist on your watch at the Tab, and I hope that your transition to a new world fulfills your every desire. I agree that rancor has replaced reason in so much discourse in the Garden City. No one has the lock on ultimate truths, and people of good will have the right to disagree with each other on almost any issue.
Trumpism is where I personally draw the line; to me principled support of that man’s ambitions and behavior is impossible. Otherwise, I hope that residents seek the common ground on issues like development and express their own views on the course and pace of change without disparaging each other’s motives and character.
Thanks Gail for those 30 years of working to always try to make Newton a bit better tomorrow than yesterday.
I first made contact with Gail back when she was the Editor of the Tab. To amuse myself, I began a three day campaign to hound the Newton Tab into running something about how a giant heroic Barbie doll was single-handedly saving the entire city by holding back the flood waters of the Charles River. I sent a photo of the giant Barbie with her finger stuck in the leaking (since replaced) dike in Hemlock Gorge and followed up with endless breathless and ridiculous dispatches of Barbie’s increasingly desperate situation. After three days of this, I got a one line email back from someone named Gail Spector saying “we called Ken for a statement and he said ‘no comment’. To her professional credit and my personal disappointment, Gail didn’t rise to my bait. In the intervening years I eventually met Gail and we became good friends.
Personally, I’m going to really miss you. Whenever there has been some tricky or controversial issues to deal with here on Village14, I always found Gail’s voice to consistently be the most knowledgeable and sensible. Whenever I was trying to make sense of any confusing local issue, Gail was my go-to consultant to figure out what was really going on.
As far as I know, they do actually have the Internet down there in Dennis so please check in from time to time here on Village14. Maybe even especially after you’ve moved away you’re likely to still have a great perspective on all things Newton, maybe even more so if you’re not sitting in the midst of whatever mania is swirling around us at the moment.
A few years back Gail was an invited guest at one of our regular Nomad Story Slams. Her story was about “going home”. So as Gail And Dan are driving east over the Sagamore Bridge, take a listen to Gails’s moving love letter to Newton.
Gail, you will truly be missed in Newton. And I’ll miss your voice on this forum. Please stop by occasionally and say hi.
Gail: We’ll miss you in Newton and at V14. Keep sending your scoops in or we might miss knowing about important political events. Think of yourself as the Tab Ghost. Good luck in Dennis. Will you be starting a paper there?
I wanted to tell Gail that Ted Williams old house on Lucille Court was recently demolished. Don’t know what’s going to replace it.
Leaving, but under state law you can still vote in Newton for six months as long as you don’t register in you new locale. Maybe that means you are also allowed to add your sensible voice to the election commentary here on Village 14. OTOH, it might be more satisfying to use any spare moments to stare out at the bay and the ocean at the Cape!
We’ll miss you!
Good luck Gail! We will miss you in our corner of Newton Highlands! Agree with Paul, hope to keep reading your posts on V14.
I remember your account at the NEMBF. I was the AR “bookkeeper.” You bought a lot of books. Good luck!
Gail, so much of what you write in your “So long” message resonates with me. I am very glad we got to work together in more recent years so we could experience different sides of each other. You have left a very significant imprint on the city. Thanks so much for the hours (and blood and sweat) you put into the Newton-Globe-BU project. While it’s not a sunstitute for a vibrant local paper, it does add substantially to coverage of Newton. I do miss the days when the TAB was a real paper and you played a big role in helping to keep elected officials and others on the straight and narrow. Best wishes for many years of well earned relaxation on the Cape.
Wishing you the best Gail! I’ll never forget how hard you worked with the Bowen teachers and parents to right the wrong at the helm back in the 90’s! Take care and enjoy your next chapter!
Darn, was hoping to see you run for school committee again!
Enjoy Dennis! I love it there.
We will miss you and your civic engagement that challenged us to make Newton the best it could be. I will miss my candidate and confidant who became a respected friend to me and my family. The cape is not that far. We will see you soon!
You have always been a standout role model for civic engagement in the Garden City. Just pulled my copy of “Legendary Locals of Newton” off my bookshelf here in Milwaukee and opened to the bookmarked section on Toula Kourtis and the Knotty Pine:). Enjoy Dennis, stay safe and be well.
Best wishes, Gail. You were an excellent editor of the Tab back when there was support for an actual local newspaper.
Best wishes, Gail (sorry for the late comment, but V14 won’t let me connect from my new job’s network!). Enjoy the Cape, and thank you for all you have done for our fair city. Please don’t be a stranger. We’ll do what we can to produce entertaining reasons for you to keep an eye on us!
All,
Thank you so much for your comments. Like I said, moving to Newton was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I can only hope that I feel the same way about my new home on Cape Cod someday.
I expect I’ll be drawn back to Newton for various events, and I promise to try and make the next blog party!
Wishing you all the best, Gail
Nicely written post/farewell, (no surprise there!)
Good luck, Gail, and all the best always.
Gail, Thank you for everything. Enjoy Cape Cod!
Gail, what a beautiful personal and moving post you wrote. You’ve been covering almost everything that’s happened in Newton over more than 20 years. It’s amazing to think of the tens of thousands of residents that have read your coverage and editorial of issues from the rebuilding of Newton North to Referendums to Overrides, not to mention local elections. Your contribution covering this community for so long will likely never be matched again, both because of your commitment over so many years and the “changing landscape” of local news coverage.
And those of us lucky enough to have deep personal friendships with you are both happy and sad about your move. Sad for the loss of regular visits, but thrilled for you and Dan that you are able to move exactly as you’ve been talking about for a few years.
So congrats on an incredibly impactful and meaninful life here in Newton, and enjoy every last moment in Dennis with Dan and your family. And remember–it’s a short drive back to visit us here in Newton!