Yesterday at 5 pm, Senator Elizabeth Warren held a “meet and greet” at the Hyde Community Center Bandstand. This let to the Newton Highlands email list having a spirited argument over whether this was an appropriate use of that space.
Those who objected felt is was inappropriate for a political event to be held at the playground, especially during election season, and felt it should be kept as a non-political open space. They felt a political event should be held at City Hall or a private venue.
Others of us were very happy to see Sen. Warren coming to meet constituents at a time when she isn’t running for anything, and some (myself included) were especially please that this offered a chance to see her outdoors in a place where it was easy for those of us who are high risk from Covid-19 to stay physically distanced from others. The event was not so widely advertised as to draw a crowd too large for the space, so that was not a problem.
What do other people think? If you live in another village, how would you feel about having a local outdoor space used for this?
I think an elected official meeting with constituents in an outdoor public place (especially during Covid times) is 100% fine. The bandstand is used for all sorts of events and activities and I’m puzzled why this would have raised any controversy.
I was at Newtonville Village Day this afternoon and the streets were crawling with candidates running for public office, talking to constituents. Hows that any different?
@Jerry Reilly – I, too, was puzzled which is what prompted me to post the question here.
Did any candidates attend?
@MaryLee – No one carrying electioneering materials or otherwise overly identifying themselves as candidates attended. The Mayor and Rep. Auchincloss both introduced Sen. Warren, but didn’t say anything noticeably campaigning-oriented.
The mayor IS a candidate. “Dollars to Donuts” their will be a photo op out of this. Let’s not be naive.
@MaryLee – I wasn’t trying to imply that she wasn’t. And I’m sure a few other candidates attended. No matter when in the election cycle this event occurred, I would have been surprised if a city’s current mayor didn’t introduce a visiting senator – I would have expected the same if Sen. Warren had been visiting Boston where the current acting mayor is no longer a candidate.
Mayor Fuller didn’t say anything inappropriately campaign-oriented. None of the politicians who went on stage (Jake Auchincloss, Ruth Balser who called the numbers of people who were next to ask questions, Warren) said anything regarding the mayoral election or endorsing a mayoral candidate.
Let just see if/when a photo pops up in the Mayor’s newsletter. Seems this meet and greet just wasn’t necessary
I think folks who are objecting to this are doing so because they can’t separate the upcoming election from ordinary life. Everything becomes another battle. I’ve been to multiple farmer’s markets this month, and I’m pretty sure I’ve seen the city council candidates roaming around. Same with Village Days. We’ve hosted presidential candidates in Newton over the years too. Folks want to get outraged over every little thing these days. I say that no matter who they hosted. As long as folks were also free to protest or hold signs against the candidate, our public spaces are exactly where we should be having our public officials give speeches and hold events.
And MaryLee, the Mayor has the benefits of being an incumbent. That means she gets to hold political events, send out public newsletters, and do the various things an incumbent gets to do. If Amy wins, she’ll have the same advantage next time. Complaining about the incumbent being the incumbent doesn’t do much to change the incumbent in the next election, in my view.
“ The event was not so widely advertised…”
So how was it decided who was invited?
Fig, I am not “outraged” . Just being realistic. I am guessing (since I am not on the referenced Newton Highlands list serve) what the objections may have been. But those who objected can weigh in.
This is high campaign season and so of course City Councilors are active at public events. We know what that is. It’s politics and that isn’t a dirty word. But let be clear that is the game the mayor is engaged in as well. I see no particular and compelling reason for a meet and greet with Senator Warren right now. But I have no doubt the mayor will capitalize on it. Yes she has the benefit of incumbency. She also has the burden of it.
Nathan, I don’t know, but I knew it was happening and I’m not really all that involved in Congressional politics.
The Hyde Bandstand isn’t some sacred space that needs approval from a selected few. I appreciate how folks who are deeply involved in Newton Highlands might think it so, but unless they funded the renovations and upkeep with their own funds, our public servants should have the right to use those spaces for events. If a Republican candidate for office like Governor Baker wants to use that space, good for him. Sign it out, make sure there are no other conflicts, and make it so.
Some folks will always complain about any action taken, no matter how benign or beneficial. The city should strive for consistency and fairness and ignore the nattering nabobs of negativity (and yes I appreciate the irony of using the Nixonian phrase, I’m taking it back for the amazing alliteration/attitude, Bob Burke don’t come at me ;-) )
FWIW, this wasn’t when the event was originally planned for – it was rescheduled from several weeks ago due to weather.
@Nathan – there weren’t private invitations. I’m on the mailing list for the Hyde Community Center and there was the same kind of email for it as for any other upcoming event there. Someone then sent it to the local Newton Highlands email list. I have no idea if it was listed anyplace else.
@Fig. Why would I be coming at you for anything you have said here or in the past?? Quite often, you make a lot of sense. Still, I’m still trying to hunt down something a deceased neighbor told me several years back; that Teddy Roosevelt held a rally in the Stevens Building on Lincoln Street when he was running for President on the Bull Moose ticket in 1912. I do know that the precinct that contained most of the Highlands did vote for TR in that election unlike the rest of the City that went decisively for Taft while Nonantum stood alone for Wilson. If TR was welcome here, why not Elizabeth Warren? BTW. She was fantastic. I’m honored she came to my village.
Bob, I seem to recall a comment you made a long time ago about how bad Nixon was. Since the nattering nabobs of negativity was his line, I thought you might take me to task. Just a joke, I also recalled you liked Senator Warren.
The TR fact would be awesome to know. The Bull Moose party has always seemed to me to be a great party name… (or band name).
Actually, it was a Spiro Agnew line, referring to the media hed was constantly at war with.
@Fig – @Rich Shelley beat me to it. Any catchy line that you remember from the Nixon administration almost certainly came from Agnew. Nixon didn’t have that kind of imagination. Agnew also coined “effete snobs”, which led to many of us wearing “Effete snob for peace” buttons.
Bob and Meredith: correct of course. My apologies. Funny how the mind works. Spiro Agnew! Now that’s a name that you don’t hear often! Right now all I can remember of Spiro Agnew is Dick Cavitt’s famous anagram of his name… ;)
@Fig et.al, The source for the TR Stevens Building visit was my neighbor Elmer Somerville, a man of unquestioned probity who never drank, smoked, lied or cussed and who was by every account a proud pillar of the Christian Science Church in Newtonville. Elmer claimed that he saw TR in the Highlands during the 1912 campaign and I have no reason to doubt him. Still, I’ve found no corroborating source for his story nor did anything about it appear in the 1912 editions of the old Newton Graphic. That by itself isn’t all that convincing because the old Newton Graphic was a tight ass, humorless Republican rag that loved Taft and didn’t care much for Democrats of any persuasion.
Why Newton Highlands was the lone Newton village to cast a plurality for TR is more perplexing since the Highlands was every bit as much a Republican stronghold as other parts of Newton outside of Nonantum and a few enclaves in West Newton and Newtonville. I think that Barbara Smiley may have found at least part of the answer when she compiled detailed historical descriptions of many of the homes we hoped to include in a proposed local historic district here. In more than a few instances she found that the homes were owned by high powered professional women who were prominent not only in Newton, but throughout the state and nation as well. A few were national pioneering women in real estate, commerce, development, the arts and education. Newton women also tended to have what we would now term progressive tendencies when it came to honest, clean government, child safety, strong public education with a heavy dose of civics, women’s voting and economic rights, etc. and even temperance that was often an integral part of the progressive movement. Even though they couldn’t vote it is quite probable that they came from Highland homes with these political leanings, or that they helped infuse these homes with those issues. The Highlands I grew up in was staunchly Republican, but you could sense and were immersed in values that can only be described as progressive for the time.
This event was a great example of why it’s so difficult to beat an incumbent mayor in Newton. I don’t see anything wrong with it though. It’s a pleasure to have Senator Warren visit the city, [although I’d have preferred to see her residing in the White House].
@Mike Striar – it’s not specific to Newton. Elected (as opposed to acting) incumbents are hard to beat anywhere.
@Fig
Just tired of you continually coming onto V14 and meta-criticizing other’s opinions- not the substance, but that having the opinions themselves are wrong.
You don’t know the reasons behind their thinking, and literally making stuff up- e.g. people can’t separate elections from ordinary life- with no evidence- is annoying.
You’re not the thought police. If you disagree with the substance, please do. But the constant commenting on whether other people “get it” and if they’re unrealistic, angry or whatever else you’ve labeled them in the past is annoying.
Save your paternalistic crap for your kids. We’re all adults, we don’t need you telling others what to say or not say.
(And I get I’m doing the same exact thing right now. Annoying, isn’t it? Imagine seeing it thread after thread.)
PS you can go save face and defend yourself now, I’m not getting into a pissing match. We all read you doing this. A LOT. Jerry and friends can write their supportive posts too. Doesn’t change the reality. Please stop.
@Alec Wilson– There are a million things to legitimately bitch about in Newton. fig’s posts on Village 14 are not one of those things. Your comment is not only out-of-line, your opinion of fig is exactly opposite of mine. In my opinion, fig is among the most thoughtful and valuable contributors to V-14.
Thanks Mike, but no need for folks to defend me (although I do appreciate your kind words).
Alec, this is not the first time you’ve said the above. Clearly I rub you the wrong way (not trying to put words in your mouth, but after the same post a few times, I don’t think that is a reach). If there is something else or if I reacted in a negative fashion towards one of your posts years ago, I apologize. As one prior poster used to say, my “purple prose” can get annoying. And sometimes I’m not my best self online I suppose as well.
I started posting on this forum to gain a sense of community and discussion in Newton that I never found in person. I’m not shy by any means, but it is difficult to have these types of conversations with anyone these days unless they agree with you. And where is the fun in that? (also my spouse hates it when I go down rabbit holes in person on some random topic that no one else cares about and on this forum everything is rabbit holes!)
It is never my intent to try and anger folks with my posts, although I do enjoy a good back and forth discussion with folks who disagree with me.
Based on your continued anger, I don’t think that is in the cards for you and I. I honestly don’t see much to object to in my original post, and the conversation between Bob, Meredith, MaryLee and I was cordial and Bob’s history post was one of the best I read on this blog in a while. I’m sorry you feel differently. Maybe my tone sometimes is a bit lecturing or high-minded. I’ll try and tone that down and watch for it. Not so much for you, but if you are so angry about it to follow me from post to post, others likely don’t appreciate it as well.
I’m certainly not going to stop posting here, and I’m guessing to some degree my style is my style, and perhaps nothing I write will please you, since we don’t seem to agree on much. I’m sure some others agree with you about my posts, and I’m sure others like them well enough. You are free to read them or not, and to comment or not. I suggest just ignoring my posts. What are they anyway, in the grand scheme of things? I’m at peace with what I post and who I am either way.
Cheers, Figgy
Fig, Just wanted to let you know I enjoy reading your cordial posts.
@Alec Wilson – personal attacks are not allowed on Village 14. If you disagree with the substance of what someone is saying, you can argue the substantive points. If you consistently don’t like the way someone posts that doesn’t violate any V14 rules, just don’t read their posts.
@Fig
“Maybe my tone sometimes is a bit lecturing or high-minded.”
Yup.
“I’ll try and tone that down and watch for it.”
Sounds good.
FYI- I’m not angry at you, at all, and find your thoughts worthwhile to read- otherwise I’d skip them, as I do with many others on here. Don’t need to repeat the rest- the meta-criticism detracts from otherwise good points.
Public squares have always been a place where people … especially politicians … get up on their soap box to speak.
I think here in Newton, or at least my neighborhood anyhow it’s not so much our hyped up village centers, but our small neighborhood parks that are at the heart of our community.
I also think people here, more than other places, think they’re entitled to live their lives incumbered by others. “I don’t want dogs peeing where my kids play” “that soccer team shouldn’t practice here” “kids don’t need to play music while they’re playing basketball”
My opinion is there’s no better place for candidate to have an event than at our public parks.
It’s called diversity. sometimes diversity rocks your world and sometimes it’s delightful but you can’t have one without the other.