As another election approaches, Save Nonantum is once again making disturbing accusations about un-named city officials plotting and planning to undermine Nonantum and its traditions. Just like the last time around they don’t share any details that would allow anyone to verify the accusations or know who exactly they are claiming is the guilty party.
Here’s their letter
A Message From Save Nonantum:
Nonantum needs your help – once more!
This past March Newton Special election saw our movement to SAVE NONANTUM born.
We emerged to protect, preserve, and promote the culture of Nonantum AND also the values our residents share with countless neighbors across our city. Those who have felt their voices silenced for far too long, not just in Nonantum, but in Villages throughout Newton.
Impressively, our community came together as one big family – and created a strong voice in Save Nonantum. We fought together and we WON! We elected two great leaders in Tarik Lukas and John Oliver to the Newton City Council. That is only the beginning…
Since the March special election there have been a number of attempts to chip away at our Nonantum culture and heritage, below are just a few that the community has had to battle…
· Plan to remove our iconic community Murals at Pellegrini Memorial Park
· Defacing of the Italian street lines on Adams Street
· Threats to use “full financial and political power” to end the Festival.
We now need to finish what we started. To truly Save Nonantum – We need you to stand up for your community again, in Newton’s upcoming General Election on November 2nd.
Vote to:
Keep- John Oliver on the city council (City Wide -At Large)
Re Elect- Al Ciccone to the position long held by him and his dearly departed son Jay (City Wide- At Large)
Elect Kevin Riffe a lifelong resident and a common sense community leader (local -Ward 1 Council seat)
Request a sign:
https://forms.gle/U2F4boW8AEHSDvgdA
Donate to Save Nonantum PAC: https://www.efundraisingconnections.com/c/SaveNonantum/
Volunteer to help:
https://savenonantum.com/volunteer.html
While some of the current elected officials have been making promises these past few months to appease and placate us, frankly it’s too little, too late… They have been ignoring us for years and we all know what happens to political promises after the election.
We need your help to take back OUR voice at City Hall.
Help Save Nonantum and let it be known…
Nonantum Matters, Neighborhoods Matter, and Solving Local Problems matter.
…. and here’s a response from City Councilors Alison Leary and Maria Greenberg
Dear Nonantum Neighbors,
We are concerned about the recent letter posted by “Save Nonantum” which contains inaccuracies and scare tactics. The letter states that there are anonymous people in power that want to undermine the traditions and culture of our Nonantum neighborhood. There are no specifics or details about who these people are and why they would want to undermine the cherished traditions of Nonantum. The letter states:
Since the March special election there have been a number of attempts to chip away at our Nonantum culture and heritage, below are just a few that the community has had to battle…
- Plan to remove our iconic community Murals at Pellegrini Memorial Park
- Defacing of the Italian street lines on Adams Street
- Threats to use “full financial and political power” to end the Festival.
Then the letter goes on to endorse the Save Nonantum slate which suggests that Councilors Leary and Greenberg are part of this anonymous evil cabal to undermine Nonantum’s traditions. This is simply false. We want to make clear that we both admire and cherish the wonderful traditions unique to our village and do not know of any plots to end the Festival or any other iconic traditions. In fact, if such a plot existed, we would be first in line to oppose it. In particular, Councilor Greenberg has worked with the Nonantum Neighborhood Association and the Pellegrini Family to restore the community murals at Pellegrini Park.
I ask that you do your own research into all the candidates running from Ward 1. Look at their websites, watch the debates or send an email or give a call and make your decision based on facts rather than rumors and misinformation which are solely designed to create divisiveness and instill fear and uncertainty in our community.
It is our hope that we come together to find solutions to our problems and stop the attacks and vitriol leading to angry feelings and fear. We are a close-knit community and though we can have differences on policies and positions, there is no doubt in our minds that we all want what is best for Newton and that we all respect and appreciate the wonderful traditions of our special village.
Warmly,
Alison Leary & Maria Greenberg
Newton City Council
Last time I wrote them off as crazy, but maybe they were actually successful?? Hard to tell if they were indeed successful or if Maddie and Bryan were just not desirable candidates. I’m curious to see how this plays out. I do think Maria is in trouble regardless – there is a ton of enthusiasm for Riffe.
you don”t know who these people
are you kidding us
what are you afraid of?
you just don”t like people
questioning you!!!!!!!!
jerry(sean)and you know who please just say you don”t like the
people from a certain section of our city!!!!!!!!!!
and you want us to keep quiet!!!!!!!!
Who knows. But they’re sure willing to say awful things about Newton residents. I don’t know why anyone from another part of the city would vote for any of these candidates if the Save Nonantum people believe we’re so horrible and these candidates agree with them.
Calling voters awful people is an odd campaign strategy.
Jerry – thanks for posting this letter. No member of the City Council has ever considered any of the things listed in the Save Nonantum Letter. I’m developing a ‘Docket Database” for the City council (Thanks Newton IT Department for giving us a developer to work on this) so that all residents can know exactly what the Council has docketed (and voted on). I’ve asked the Clerk’s office to require that everything that comes before the Council has a docket item. There are no such docket items. I’ve been very clear that everything posted to the City Council has to be part of the official record.
Try looking in the mirror when you say that, Joe.
Jane – “Calling voters awful people is an odd campaign strategy.” Completely agreed, and SN hardly has the franchise on that.
Jane,
Why hasn’t Zilles and NTA endorsed a mayoral candidate yet? His emails love to hype Levy, Fitzgibbons, and Shields.
Was it intentional or ironic for Jerry to post this today of all days?
As a person of Chinese decent, growing up as a local kid, with zero holidays of our own, I can both appreciate and celebrate that there is an IPD.
At the same time, the Nonantum community has long been a historical and cultural mainstay in Newton, so when the its elected officials decided to abolish Columbus Day, they had to have known they’re putting a target on their own backs….especially those representing Ward 1.
Read somewhere once that something like 41 of 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence has owned slaves. Why hasn’t anyone banned the 4th of July? It has been argued that for the Italian community, Columbus Day has similar reverence.
And unless Jerry left something out, Save Nonantum did not have a bad word to say about Councilors Leary and Greenberg. They’re simply supporting….endorsing their preferred candidates. No different than any other group offering their own endorsements in the past few weeks.
One thing I’ve noticed is Maria nor Alison have made an effort to bridge the divide in Nonantum if anything their letter/statement made it worse. It’s funny instead of supporting their constituents and trying to find a middle ground they are only adding to the hate and nastiness. Says a lot about their character and what they really want for the residents of ward one.
I love Save Nonantum!!!! I have lived in Newton for 57 years and grew up enjoying traditions in the Nonantum neighbourhood, because they do not exclude anyone!!! My hope is that Save Nonantum is here forever to ensure the traditions stay for ever…. I love the Festa,Santa,the painted hydrants and street lines,thank you Franny and everyone for all you do for us here in Nonantum!!! Much appreciated…
cry babies
Trumpism has indeed infected the city politics of Newton. Slur, slander, and attribute outrageous claims to unsnmed people. That is the very definition of Trumpism. Scary!
@Bruce C. But someone did provide proof there was a screenshot of email floating around Facebook this weekend where someone claimed to use their full political and financial power to end the annual festival in Nonantum, the name and email were blocked (which I believe was a good choice so no one would harass this person) but to Alison and others this still wasn’t enough? And I don’t believe in Save Nonantums letter they state it’s politicians trying to take these things away just that there were these threats. Living in Nonantum I hear and see these things every day, there were comments on Facebook posts this weekend about how the festival is an unfriendly group of people, clearly they’ve never been down to the festival as they’re the most welcoming group of people you will ever meet, and as with other issues in the city we know all it can take is one person to complain and things get taken down (ie the firefighter memorial flag at station 4 in Nonantum).
As for the other things mentioned by Save Nonantum It’s been widely discussed in the neighborhood about how the city wanted to come in and remove the historic murals. If you have the time please ask someone from the Pellegrini family the history of the murals. Then you’ll see why they’re so important to the history and culture of Nonantum.
Look I’ve lived in Nonantum my entire life and it’s truly a special place to be, but looking to the future I want the councilors for my ward to truly want to represent the neighborhood and the neighborhood issues. The neighborhood has a rat problem that no one is doing anything about (until John Olivier got involved, Alison and Maria both had to be dragged into supporting that) while I agree climate change and social justice are extremely important issues. The neighborhood needs someone that’s going to is going to care about the neighborhoods issues, rats, over development (do you know how hard it is to get down adams street these days with all these McMansions popping up?), finding ways to keep businesses open in Nonantum (loosing Johnnie’s was a huge loss for the neighborhood), trees being cut down for no real reason, pot holes ruining our cars, and finding a reason to why the city always tests their projects in Nonantum first (ie the street incident a few weeks ago where there could have been major accidents because the city messed up) and so on, I also want them to fight for all the bigger issues as well but the well being of the residents and what’s on the top of their mind should come first.
I know this is longer than I wanted it to be so I apologize for that but I’m tired of Alison and Maria playing victim here. It’s very well known in the community that they don’t really care about Nonantum and cater to Newton Corner and it’s very clear with their campaign strategy as they’ve spent a lot of their time focused on Newton corner and everywhere else in the city. Up until this letter was going out I was still debating on who to vote for, for my at large councilors for ward one, Alison and Maria’s stunt sealed the deal for me this weekend. They could have easily ignored the letter and moved on and kept doing what they have been but clearly Save Nonantum is making them worry and by the looks of it they should be.
I could have also done without seeing Bryan Barash getting involved in this conversation again which he is doing on other outlets. I was actually a supporter and voted for him because I thoughtvmy views aligned closer with his than Tarik, but I found his tone increasingly caustic. I think he’s toxic to local politics and I think his contributions to the discussion only help SN. I think the non-SN candidates need to tread carefully. I don’t think they did earlier this year.
@Matt Lai – I posted this yesterday because I received these emails yesterday.
I think you’re being a bit disingenuous here Matt. The Save Nonantum letter contains unattributed actions and quotes from unnamed people as the explanation of why they are endorsing these candidates. It sure seems pretty clear that the letter implies that the candidates they are opposing are in support of those quotes and actions … with zero evidence.
Endorsing candidates is fine. Innuendo, rumors and cheap shots are not.
On a related note, I am curious in this election (only 3 weeks away), which ward will end up being the LEAST representative, meaning the residents of the ward overwhelmingly vote for one candidate but the city-at-large vote for the opponent.
My understanding is that Ward 6 is considered the least representative last time, but it will be interesting to see if Ward 1 will get that distinction this time. (PLEASE correct me if I am wrong about this.)
One issue that’s come up in Newton economic development circles is the need for village-level business groups. Given the commercial makeup of the city, it would be good for small groups to focus on their area and do some hyper-local promotion. This can be around art, music, gatherings, beautification, etc. Some of this comes from the area councils (like the village days) but some of that promotion can, and should, be done by groups with a vested economic interest in the villages. In many communities, these concepts grow into Business Improvement Districts. Examples of that include Central Square in Cambridge and Hudson, Mass. Participation is often anchored by property owners and then bolstered by retailers, commercial tenants, etc.
What I find so frustrating about Save Nonantum is that they have the potential to play this role. They’ve proven they can raise money and galvanize people. They already have a love for the neighborhood and what it represents, running promotions to bring in foot traffic or connect the office workers to the restaurants and shops is an easy step. Instead, the organizers focus on attacking candidates they don’t like (SN is the group behind the failed attempt to get Alison Leary disqualified from the election, see payments to Attorney Dennis Newman here: https://www.ocpf.us/Reports/DisplayReport?menuHidden=true&id=795112) and playing a victim role.
This is a passionate group that is focused on a wonderful area of the city. I would beg them to turn that negativity into a positive and help the area become the gateway to Netwon that it should be.
Newtonzillenial –
Rats, development, road conditions- These are all valid topics in an election. If you don’t think the Ward councilor or the At-large councilor is doing an effective job at addressing these issues, which happen to be city-wide issues, in Nonantum, then endorsing other candidates makes perfect sense. However, that is not what Save Nonantum is doing or seems to be focused upon. They seem to be focused on the cultural wars of unattributed people taking away their culture and traditions.
If the Facebook email to which you refer is floating around was made by an elected official, then their name should be disclosed. If it was sent by an un-elected private citizen or some other group, it should be ignored and is just noise.You can extrapolate that an unattributed email represents the views of elected officials without proof. By now, I wish people would realize that Facebook has become one of the most toxic social media platforms that exist and it is a genuine threat to democracy in this country. It is protected by free speech (as it should), but at least recognize it for what it is.
A few quick points:
1) The purpose of a letter like this is to energize Save Nonantum’s supporters and to get additional publicity for SN’s chosen candidates. Clearly it is effective, at least in generating online conversation.
2) I can’t see any factual basis for the Festival being under attack or in danger, at least by anyone in a position of power or influence. I’m not sure random emails from angry folks late at night qualify as a serious threat absent something more formal or real. I don’t know anything about the murals or the street line painting, so I’ll let others address those issues. I also don’t think SN is focused on a factual debate about these issues. They didn’t want to get into the debate the last time either. They feel under threat/attack, the reasons for it are less important. (and from my conversations this week, a lot of it seems to be focused on Columbus Day/IP Day, so I’m not sure why that wasn’t listed).
3) Councilors Leary and Greenberg had to respond to something like this. An absence of response would be taken as agreement that they didn’t care about these issues. Clearly, they do, at least in my view from their response. Again, I’m not sure that response will mean anything for SN supporters, but it does matter for the rest of the city to know what the incumbents think about the issues raised, and folks can judge for themselves.
4) Correct me if I’m wrong someone please, but I had thought Kevin Riffe was one of the original founders of Save Nonantum. Or at least very much involved. I think that fact would have bearing on this letter. Could someone confirm?
5) Did anyone think that Save Nonantum was going to endorse Councilors Leary and Greenberg?
6) The last election Save Nonantum clearly had an impact. But special elections are unique, and Bryan and Maddie were not incumbents with a track record, and frankly are much different candidates than Councilors Leary and Greenberg. I’d say this is a much harder task to defeat incumbents, especially Councilor Leary, who will get voted on by the entire city.
7) If you agree or disagree with the letter or Save Nonantum’s tactics and view, the best approach is to vote, and vote accordingly.
As a resident of Ward 6, I have heard the same thing Lisa and speaking for myself, I would concur with that assessment. Ward 5 is said to to be right behind
@Fig yes, Riffe was a founder of SN. I would say that one thing SN does exceedingly well is spending money and driving discussion in ways that benefit specific candidates without that money having to be directly tied to that effort and therefore tracked against it. Example: Hiring Dennis Newman is not tied to opposing Leary, though it clearly benefits her opponent… who is also backed by SN.
In that context, it is possible that avoiding mention of Riffe is a feature, not a bug.
Lisa and MaryLee: It will be interesting to see what this is, but isn’t this the main argument for the Ward councilors? I think several Ward councilors would get defeated if they ran for at-large seats, and vice-versa.
Ah nice to see the misinformation campaign is in high gear.
https://www.newtonma.gov/government/elections/election-results/-folder-1811
Greg Schwartz lost fair and square in Ward 6.
Paul Coletti lost in Ward 5.
and for those counting along. Lucas and Bentley lost in Ward 2.
Don’t let facts get in the way of a good story.
I don’t think any one said that Schwartz and Coletti didn’t come in on the short end in regards to the vote. There is no disinformation. The point being made, I think, is that Wards 6 and 5 turn out a different demographic of voter. Greg lost fair and square by under 400 votes. Still a loss.
In the special election a different demographic turned out in Wards 2 and 1. We will see what happens in three weeks
@Jerry – I commented about the timing of the post simply to point out the irony that it was Columbus Day… nothing more nor less.
As for being disingenuous, my prior statement was in direct reference to the “letter” from SN posted here on V14. I have not received it, so V14 is the only reference I have and there is nothing specially calling out Councilors Leary and Greenberg. Have a missed something?
Regarding the statements about the mural, painted over streets, or potential elimination of the festival… the lack of naming names does not make this this any less credible. It’s a perception believed by a (sizable?) proportion of Nonantuam if not the Ward, and as the saying goes, “perception is (someone’s) reality.” All (3) Councilors – Ms Leary, Mr Oliver and Ms Greenberg – should be actively re-assuring the community that these traditions folks hold dear, will not be taken away. A rebuttal letter to the community calling BS with the use of, “inaccuracies and scare tactics” only adds fuel to the fire – even if the closing says, “warmly”. Want to put an end to it? Someone should docket an ordinance that preserves the mural, painted streets and the festival.
November 2 should be interesting.
What happened to the young people running for office in Newton? Then run once, lose, then disappear. We need them…
@Matt I feel like you are the direct target of this letter. You are so willing to believe that something is true, even without evidence, that you will go so far as to call on the government to take action on something that isn’t proven as actually happening. It’s this same reasoning in which a sizeable portion of the national population believes that the last presidential election was somehow plagued by corruption. There isn’t any evidence of it, but the idea that it COULD be true drove people to take action (many are still taking action).
The gun store debate is a great example of when the process actually works. It’s one thing for someone to say that a gun store may move into the neighborhood, it’s another to see the evidence of that action in building permits and documentation. That’s something very real. People were then in a position to debate and take action. I spoke with many friends who felt that the city went too far, and many others who felt the city didn’t go far enough. That’s fine, and that’s a debate worth having… in fact, we’re having it. But only because we have actual facts to discuss.
Right now it seems like the Save Nonantum allegations are a lot of talk, innuendo, and fear. YES, a lot of people believe it… and that’s the problem. People need to ask questions and ask for proof. That’s what Jerry is asking for.
I love the murals, I think Newton should have MORE murals. So if someone is threatening to remove them, let’s understand why and take the necessary action. Until then, I can’t see this as more than fear-mongering.
Speaking of murals…heard the one that was on corner of Center and Langley at town green was removed B/c someone found one part on it offensive. Can someone confirm? Anyone know Where is it being stored? I would like to inspect.
@Chuck, your arguement goes both ways. You may be believe SN’s claims are innuendos, but if Columbus Day can be stripped away, are other decades old traditions that far behind?
That said your first paragraph is very insulting to my intelligence and far from neighborly… but I forgive you.
Ken, you mean the mosaic one? If we are talking about the same one, it apparently was falling apart and had reached the end of its artistic life. I could be wrong, going off of memory…
I’ll try and find out for you.
Ken, here is what I found:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/newton.wickedlocal.com/news/20200306/newton-knows-what-is-happening-with-newton-centre-mosaics%3ftemplate=ampart
One of my kids loved looking at those so we spent a lot of time in front of it. Terrific but you could see where the weather had hit it hard.
Thanks Fig.
Trivia question:
Which now city councilor testified in favor of the then proposed change from Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples’ Day at the public hearing on the issue? And, said words to the effect that Columbus was a bad man who did many awful things?
Mr. Lai:
You ask, “You may be believe SN’s claims are innuendos, but if Columbus Day can be stripped away, are other decades old traditions that far behind?”
No. Because nobody has even suggested that there’s anything wrong with the other traditions.
Please stop contributing to the fear mongering in our city.
@Sean – sentence you quoted ended with that squiggly punctution mark. It was simply a question. Didn’t realize you scare so easily. Are we not allowed to pose questions? That said, happy you’re spreading your wings and not simply obsessing on housing. Sleep well. #OneHouse #TwoHouse #ThreeHouse
@Matt I also read your question as less of a question and more of a challenge. In my mind it recalled Pres. Trump’s reaction to the removal of confederate statues in which he tweeted: “Robert E Lee, Stonewall Jackson – who’s next, Washington, Jefferson?”
No one is trying to take away the Nonantum specific traditions and people in Save Nonantum know it. One email doesn’t make a movement or a concerted effort. They’re using a campaign strategy that worked before and are trying to see if it works again. Right now, I wouldn’t vote for at-large candidates associated with the group because of the campaign strategies they’re using.
One commenter noted the vitriol goes in both directions. I’d say it goes in about five directions on social media. If all you knew about Newton was what you read on Facebook pages and V14, you’d think everyone hates everyone else. But in real life it’s a pretty harmonious community.
It’s really easy to avoid the angry people in the city – just leave the group or don’t click on V14. Someone called me a “dope” on one forum today. I just left the group. Click. Bam. It’s over. You don’t like the tone of V14, don’t come here. Life’s too short to get in a lather about every slight that comes your way.
Chuck – Comparing Matt Lai to Trump is a bit of a leap.
Boy, you leave this place for a few days and everyone goes bananas.
In response to Ken Laird’s question from who knows how long ago – Newton Teachers Association is only endorsing in the two contested school committee races.
Chuckles’ quip comparing me, an Asian person, to Trump and a Confederate general is everything that is wrong with Newton politics. It’s a high school cafeteria of cliques, back door alliances and name calling. If you’re not far Left, you’re immediately bucketed as Far right. If you’re not pro ginormous apartment complex, you’re Anti-housing, NIMBY and out to destroy the environment. Is Annissa Essaibi George not democratic enough because she rocks a Boston accent? Or is someone a Trumper because the did not goto an elite college?
For a city that prides itself on equity and being welcoming, classism, elitism and the mighty pen (or keyboard) is the weapon of choice. One will ramble ad nausea about why zoning should dramatically change, yet have little empathy for those who may have differing opinions; those who have invested decades in this community.
“(Our) way or the highway”, is the reason why Trump had (has) so many supporters. When one is so easily ostracized by and feels disconnected from one group, they will find solace in another. Or find the need to start their own, as our friends in Nonantum has done; their own form of Newton democrats; moderate democrats. I’m sure behind closed doors, Newton’s democratic elites are calling them Trumpers as well.
Let the chants of fear mongering fly, but just calling it as it is. #SticksAndStones
@Sean – thanks for posting the transcript from the Oct 2020 meeting regarding IPD (“gotcha” attempt at Councilor Lucas not withstanding). It shows that Councilor Greenberg really tried to do the right thing by her Ward, by abstaining from the vote, then her follow up memo. Very informative and thanks for sharing.
That said, it was interesting to see the strong resistance to sharing the holiday with the Italian American community. Wonder if those against the idea also plans on boycotting Thanksgiving too. American history is full of atrocities to the Indigenous Peoples of this great land, not just by Columbus.
@Matt I’m sorry, I wasn’t trying to make a direct comparison of your to Trump there. I wouldn’t suggest that you are Trump in any way. I’m trying to say that the quote itself had elements that recalled another, which can put into context why a reader would take it as to not be a question, but a challenge.
Your opinions are valid, so much as they’re based on some kind of factual level of discussion. This just isn’t. The only verifiable fact I’ve seen so far is that Newton changed the name of Columbus Day to Indigenous People’s Day. Outside of that, there are no facts to suggest that anything else written in the Save Nonantum letter is true.
I do believe that what Save Nonantum is doing is similar to what Republicans are doing nationwide in that they have both created nameless, faceless, often false enemies that elements of the population are eager to grab onto. The division comes from there.
^ I’d argue that the pro-development squad is using similar tactics, but more eloquently. They seem intent on making enemies and they’ve lost some supporters because of it. (Me and a few other folks that I know) Their tone and accusations are ugly and not much different than Save Nonantum.
Obviously I’m not a fan of SN at all, but I think that the tone of Newton politics is growing increasingly more hostile from every direction. I see it on this blog and the Civic Action Forum.
@Matt Lai:
When given the choice to vote for the first and only African American(Tarik Lucas)on the city council in 30 years, Sean Roche, Chuck Tanowitz, Susan Albright, Shawn Fitzgibbons, the entire Newton Democratic City Committee, Deb Crossley, Bill Humphrey, and many other wokesters voted for the white guy. That would be Bryan Barash. Never ever let them forget that. You should be throwing that back in their faces every single day. Sean Roche can cry all he wants about racism in housing, but at the end of the day he voted for the white guy. That’s all anybody needs to know about about any of these phonies.
Excellent comment, Matt. IMO, everyone on all sides should tone it down for the sake of the city.
Paul Green, there have been plenty of instances of casual racism among that crew.
Then you had Brenda Noel who hijacked a thread about a black NPS student who wrote a poem about George Floyd to push her housing agenda.
Then you had Alicia Bowman who decided that the NPD Task Force had an Asian person on it because she assumed that one of the men on it was Indian based off his appearance but he was actually of Tunisian descent.
These folks are not woke. They are white people – generally in a higher income bracket – who think they know what’s best for everyone. They make racist assumptions. They take over conversations to push their beliefs when it suits them.
My mixed race family can see right through it. I hope others can, too.
…. And now I wait for white men like Chuck to tell me I’m wrong.
@MMQC-
Thank you for your comments.
I’m glad other people are watching and aren’t fooled by these hucksters,
because that’s what they are, hucksters.
@MMQC I’m not here to tell you that you’re wrong. The truth is, you just don’t like me. That’s fine. I have no idea who you are, I haven’t done the digging to find you. You know who I am, and you call me out, by name, regularly. Often I’ve seen you oppose something I’ve said only to support the same ideas when it comes from another commenter.
It’s not that you and I disagree, you just don’t like me.
I feel similarly about Sean and Greg, though, and I’ve said so before. I think a lot of us are burnt out on the constant tsk tsking by white men.
Chuck,
That is emblematic of the issues we have here on the venue. You chalk up MMCQ’s comments as personal against you rather than that she has a sincere disagreement with you. You know that you are right and the only reason someone would have a different perspective is that they personally don’t like you.
Also, your comment that you haven’t done “the digging to find you” seemed mildly threatening. I’m sure it wasn’t mean that way, but it is how I reacted to it
Marylee,
“the digging to find you” …
Is kind of scary. When i first started posting on v14, i noticed bryan barash showing up as a “suggested ” friend on my fake(0 friends, 0 posts) facebook profile… so there are those who try to dig to uncover your identity. I assume to get you cancelled
Yeah, the digging to find me is a bit unsettling. I only know these folks from online forums (here and FB) so I suspect anyone would be disappointed to find out that I’m just some opinionated rando.
I apologize, I didn’t mean that to sound threatening. There’s a natural curiosity that emerges when someone comes at you from behind an anonymous shield. I’ve not tried to identify anyone, but I always do wonder who it is and are they watching me as I move around town. I’m exposed… you are not.
Chuck-
You have lost the moral high ground here. Give it up before you further
embarrass yourself.
The bark is slowly being stripped off
all the wanna be gadfly/activists who
lecture all the rest of us about race, housing, diversity and equity. We are not all right wing Trumpsters pal. Neither are all the Save The Nonantum folks. I know that for a fact.
It’s bad enough that Caucasian’s like myself have to tolerate the smug arrogance, but people like Sean Roche and yourself lecturing African Americans is a bridge too far,
even for some liberals. I’m stunned by your lack of self awareness and the victim playing, really breath taking…
And yes it’s very creepy to telling people you aren’t “digging” for them.
It’s hateful actually.
@Chuck T-
BTW, trying to Trump-slime anyone who doesn’t agrees with you is
so yesterday. It isn’t helping your cause. If you want to change the “tone”, or “take down the temperature
in the city”, remember that you are directly responsible for the tone of any discourse in the city as a babysitter for V14.
Greg Reibman never learned that lesson. Frankly I don’t think you or Sean Roche are up to it either.
The jury is still out on Jerry Reilly.
I think if Chuck and Sean did a little research to why Italian Americans celebrate Columbus Day they would understand SN’s position on the matter. I am surprised by how few people actually know the history and the significance it has to Italian Americans.
I also remember the council saying they would find a replacement holiday or figure. Am I misremembering or are they just going to assume we are going to celebrate fictitious-stereotypical Hollywood characters like Rocky Balboa and Michael Corleone?
Paul, ad hominem attacks are what creates a hostile atmosphere here, and it’s against the “guidelines,” so if you must attack I’d suggest you focus on ideas rather than people.
And it’s Caucasians. No apostrophe.
Thanks for the correction professor Adam. As long as people understand what I’m saying, I’m okay not using spellcheck. Every single person I listed
above continued the long, sorry history of systemic racism in our city politics(and housing)
by voting for a white candidate over an African American in the ward 2 race, including Chuck Tanowitz and Sean Roche. Sean Roche has spent the better part of 2+ years traversing the city and internet calling people racist. If I’m the guy that has to point out that he voted for the white guy, so be it. I will name ALL of these faux diversity warriors as the races heat up and we start to hear each candidate drone on about diversity, equity etc in their appearances and mailings. Its a hard cold fact, that no amount of spell check is going to change their racist votes.
When white people preach diversity and equity, then vote for the white guy they become the problem, It’s painful and it’s shameful, but it is what it is.
If they were Trump voters they would be called White Supremacists.
As far as the “guidelines” go,
I would take that up with the V14 administrators, or maybe the human rights commission can help you out.
I did notice that you chose to attack me rather than veracity of my “ideas”
Stick to teaching.
Paul green,
You forgot to call out folks who lecture/shame on the environment while having 2 cars in the driveway or drive to work(when public transportation is readily available)
A vote for Bryan Barash was no more racist than a vote for Tarik Lucas was anti-LGBTQ or anti-Semitic.
Perhaps we can refocus comments on the original topic, that SN is throwing our accusations without naming whom they are accusing (or is it who? we haven’t ruled on grammar policing here at V14), and creating a (false, in my opinion) opinion that there is some organized group of outsiders out to silence Nonantum and dismantle the things that make that community great.
I would welcome more from the PAC about why I should, as a citizen of Ward 1 and of Newton, vote for their favored candidates. I’m not hearing much of that but would welcome it over what we’ve been seeing.
(Side note: as a resident of Newton Corner, I find the impression that Newton Corner gets more attention from the city than Nonantum amusing, tho not funny).
Paul, I’m not attacking you. I’m telling you, as a moderator, that you are violating the guidelines with comments like this attacking someone else’s character.
Woke folks use the term “racist” to indicate that someone is promoting or even just sustaining systemic racism, not to indicate that they have bias or are a white supremacist. While I personally find this meaningful, I can see how the language is often unhelpful, especially to those who aren’t aware of that distinction.
Doug,
“A vote for Bryan Barash was no more racist…”
This whole subject is probably worth an entire discussion.
An endorsement/vote for Bryan put luxury development over diversifying/representation to an “all white council”… with the same people claiming that being against such housing is supporting systematic racism..
.. only in Newton huh?
..which only proves it is not a simple issue.
And since when are we supposed to understand the woke folks language? I for one am not interested in learning it. Or is it a matter of survival already?
@Paul Green
Nah. Whatever the charge, I’m sure I’m guilty.
@Adam-
As administrator, if you or anyone else has issues with any or all of my posts, by all means take them down. It’s your right and duty to see that V14s guidelines are followed. Your house. Your rules.
I leave V-14 for awhile and this is what happens??? Lolololol
Chill out everyone…relax, its just another election season in Newton, Take care.
I’m with Tom Sheff…what ever happened to this part of Village 14: “there’s also plenty of room for humor and a bit of fun too.”
Maybe after the election, the folks who run this joint can focus some energy on some non-polarizing issues…
@Dave Brigham – This happens every two years like clockwork when another election comes around. This year we also had a special election earlier in the year so this is our 2nd go-around of V14 election craziness.
I’m counting the days until Nov 2
Dave here’s a bit of fun for you. I went for a walk on the Upper Falls Greenway the other day and I am happy to report that the tiger is still prowling the area.
Honestly, that’s why I enjoy Jerry’s posts. The other guys get me riled up. Jerry can see different points of view and doesn’t take himself so seriously.
Yeah. I’ve been away from this site for a day and a half and it looks like I missed quite a donnybrook. I don’t think it worked to change anyone’s mind and that might be the major if somewhat disturbing conclusion.
Paul,
We need more posts from you reminding the people about the phonies. My wife, daughter, and absentee son are def voting for Riffe and anyone who isn’t fake.
If you have kids do your homework on who the NTA endorsed for SC. Shockingly they didn’t find time to endorse a mayor. And Don’t forget how the Newton Teachers behind Zilles backed Tarik in 2018 then didn’t back him in 2020. That left a bad taste in my mouth.
My last kid is out of NPS in three years at which time we are moving. Some outspoken people here have made it insufferable. In Nov we are voting for anyone that isn’t woke. Carry on.
Wow. That’s a lot of anger, Kevin. No wonder you want to move – Newton seems like a pretty unhappy place for you.
Just an FYI, Mike Zilles doesn’t make the endorsements. Each elementary school has one representative, each MS has three, and the HS’s have 5 each. This group is titled the Representative Assembly and it is the group that votes for whom to endorse. The voting is by secret ballot. Needless to say, each election is different with a different set of candidates running for each office. Most people take a loss of an endorsement in stride because so many groups make them these days. As an aside, Tarik and I get along really well and we’ve had long conversations about city issues.
After the special election, it became apparent that the major topic of conversation in the city is development and housing. Given this situation, most NTA members don’t feel that they know enough about Newton-specific issues to vote for city council or mayoral candidates in this election cycle.
BTW, no one uses the term “woke” anymore. The term has passed its 15 minutes of fame.
Jane,
Bloomberg News used it as recently as yesterday:
Markets
Summers Slams Woke Fed for Risking Losing Control of Inflation
By Rich Miller + Follow
October 13, 2021, 6:04 PM EDT
@Jerry – thanks for the reminder about the tiger. I need to prowl the Greenway again – been too long!
Bloomberg is so yesterday!
Excuse me, Ken! I broke my 9pm rule last night (never post on social media after 9), and used the wrong name.
@MattLai, with all due respect, I have to say that I think it’s funny/interesting that you reject the notion of being Trumpy by suggesting that your race makes that an impossibility. Trump values and tactics are not reserved for white people. Those values and tactics can be espoused by all kinds of people, period. It’s no different than your characterizing people as far left or far right. And, just out of curiosity – have you actually seen the mural you’re defending? When we talk about “preserving” things like this we need to ask, to whose benefit and whose detriment? Whose feelings are we centering? As a Black person, I would absolutely be in favor of that mural going away having (unfortunately) seen it with my own two eyes.
And (not just for Matt), just so I can be sure to keep up, is calling someone “woke” the new “politically correct”? Like a dirty word meant to suggest that people who call out systemic issues are fragile and just too sensitive? Gives license to people to just dismiss whatever systemic issues might exist by deflecting? Got it.
Jane
No offense taken as I have been called much worse. Anyway, you didn’t explain why the teachers supported Tarik in one election then not in another. Please get back to me.
Also it’s standard to accept the word woke as it’s used in all forms nowadays. At least that’s what my kids tell me. I asked the youngest if he ever hears it at school and he said, “my science teacher said it today.”
@Claudia – all fair points and something to the think about. Glad you jumped into the fray. :-)
Ken – Just my point – “woke” is teenage slang that just doesn’t fit adults. Adults tried it for a while and it sounded kind of – adolescent. His science teacher is trying to relate to teenagers. I get that. None of my friends use the term.
As for teachers association endorsement, I’m more than happy to have a conversation with you about it. The short version is that Tarik does best when he’s independent. His questionnaire from his first race was powerful. As I mentioned, he and I get along very well but he’s never asked me about the second endorsement process.
I’m not sure how to connect with you personally.
Jane,
It was Larry Summers, who was Obama’s Treasury secretary, who used describes the term “woke” to describe the Fed. That was yesterday. Was he just trying to impress some teenagers too?