Alderman Ted Hess-Mahan confirmed to Village 14 that he is running for both mayor of Newton and re-election for alderman at-large in Ward 3. He said that he informed Mayor Setti Warren today. (However, Warren already knew because he learned about it on Village 14!)
Hess-Mahan said that he thinks Warren has done a good job with some things but there are others that cause him enough concern to make him want to run. Specifically he listed the administration’s policies around affordable housing and the distribution of CDBG (Community Development Block Grant) funds. He’s also disappointed that Warren hasn’t embraced making a strategic plan for the city part of the charter. (I’m condensing his points here but I’m sure we’ll be hearing more from him.)
He’s running for both jobs because he’s had a hard time convincing anyone to run for the seat in Ward 3. When asked if he thinks that will make him look less serious, he said that’s up to people to decide. He did say, though:
“I wouldn’t be in it if I didn’t think I could win.”
Looks like we have ourselves a mayors’ race folks!
Sh*t just got real.
Thanks for running, Ted. We have two strong candidates, and that’s great for Newton. My advice, for what it’s worth, would be to drop the race for alderman. People don’t have confidence in a pilot who’s wearing a parachute. Put 100% into the mayor’s race. You may be the underdog now, but a lot can happen between now and November.
If he wins both what happens? He costs the tax payers money. As a voter, I highly recommend to pick one race….I am more likely to vote for him if runs in one election. I don’t like the idea that he can’t decide which one to run for….so lets do both. Rubs me the wring way….technically he can do it….but it doesn’t feel right.
Actually, if he wins both and decides to serve as Mayor, I believe that our amended Charter would then give the Alderman seat to the NEXT highest vote getter.
After the incident where a Ward 6 Alderman ran for re-election while job hunting in California thus causing a special election to be run … it was determined that if such a thing happened again … I forget the exact time period, I think it is 6 months, then the next highest vote getter (if there was one) would win the seat.
It will be an interesting election season.
Greer, when Basham left for Cal. which spurred a special election, I approached programs and services to change the charter after learning Neil Fleischer wasn’t going to get the seat. What they ended up doing was, through home rule petition, changed one word of the charter. It didn’t change it to the next in line. I was obviously disappointed. Actually Ted was on the P&S committee at the time when this happened, maybe he can recollect. I’m sure he’ll be on soon.
I love a good political contest! I wouldn’t be surprised if there is nothing in our city charter that says a candidate may run for both offices simultaneously, and at the same time doesn’t say one may not!
He’s done a great job with the Land Use Committee and would certainly be voted “Alderman most fun to have a beer with”.
And he can carry a tune:
Oh, Greer got my hopes up, then Tom dashed them. I’ve said before, I wish vacated seats went to the next highest vote getter, as is the case with Lowell City Council. We’d at least get someone who was willing to get into the race.
I think it should be a very substantive, engaging mayor’s race. But I’m depressed about my ward’s dearth of Alderman-at-Large candidates. What’s wrong with Ward 3? We’ve got just as many people as Ward 5, but only one candidate (Ted) who would apparently rather not be in that race. And the new guy is running against Sal, instead of running at-Large. Is it too late for Chris Steele to move to Ward 3? (Just kidding @CSteele02468 — I wouldn’t leave that house, and you’ve got to plant those new trees!)
Julia Malakie lives in Ward 3? …..hmmmmm.
Charlie, I think Im more impressed with the guitar playing than the singing. But maybe that’s one of those songs that doesn’t really have a tune?
Joshua,
I’d like to see someone from your group run for Mayor, so we can have a real discussion on finances and financial philosophy. It’s not too late.
I’m really glad Ted is running. But I wonder if this isn’t so much about winning in November as it is a campaign to increase his chances of being named a legendary local.
@Tom: Joshua has yet to prove that he actually has a “group.”
Greg, Bill Heck would disagree with your statement.
Tom, the alumni from Moving Newton Forward With Fiscal Responsibility and I have had three monthly meetings since the end of the ballot campaign. We are reforming into a new, permanent group devoted to fiscal responsibility and stewardship. Of course Greg Reibman will still claim that that its only me.
@josh: Two would be a duo, not a group.
Thanks @Julia!
I second Julia’s nomination!
As a fellow resident of Ward 3, I third Julia’s nomination!
Josh, so choose someone, like Bill, run him and bring in a differnt perspective for Mayor. Thats how people will learn about your group. Even if you lose, a good showing from your candidate, who is pushing your positions, can bring visibility to your group. Just sayin’. Then we can have a real election over policies and direction for the city.
Greg Reidman — J Norman has been truthful; he’s not hid that he’s not an property tax payer or a user of the schools. The part that is like nails on the board is where he’s identifying people w himself: My Group. There are is someone else that allows this?
BTW — when I read Gail’s post yesterday, my first thought was NO WAY could the events be 100% truthful — why would City Hall be talking about conversations (to Gail!), and why would anyone allow a campaign to start on a rumor and not on true kickoff. The Friday part is also a red flag– you don’t kick anything off on a Friday, but you do send a message on a Friday if you want to gauge reactions. It seemed way too orchestrated. But I read her words a few times and there is no wiggle room to deny her post as being a misunderstanding. So with that I took her to be 100% truthful and it is surprising that she’d jump into reporting mode, and not just read the rumor to others. I’m impressed
Hoss –
Don’t be surprised that I’d jump into reporting mode. That’s one of the things that Village 14 provides me for me. I have not hung up my journalist hat, I’m just a lot more selective about what I report. Essentially, I need to be interested and have available time. Journalism is in my blood.
Greg, don’t worry about us. Its more than Bill Heck and I.
Tom, there is a lot more to our group than merely offering up a candidate to run for mayor every four years. We’ve discussed a number of issues that we need to address in order to be effectively moving Newton forward with fiscal responsibility.
Hoss, with regards to Joshua is not a user of the schools I beg to differ. Unlike the eight elected members of the School Committee, I actually attended Newton Public Schools.
I also pay property taxes indirectly in the form of higher rent. Plus I also would like to buy my own house in Newton but the tax, spend and borrow crowd is making it less and less affordable to do so. What is especially galling is that most of Newton’s elected officials didn’t even grow up here and their policies are turning this once vibrant city into a Stale, Sterile, Stepford bedroom community that is unaffordable for those who grew up here. We live in a city, not a school district yet 65% of Newton’s spending finds its way into the school system.
Before another thread gets completely hijacked, this is great news! Delighted to hear that Ted Hess-Mahan is stepping into the Mayoral race.
Lisap, Greg Reibman was the one making snarky statements about me on this thread.
@Joshua – when my kids give me that defense, my answer is always “how about you be the bigger kid then.” And, once again, back to the topic at hand:
Go TED!
Yeah, Go TED!!! It’s a ballsy thing he’s doing for Newton. Let’s not distract.
Lisap, you’re right about one thing, Greg is acting immaturely. I merely responded to him in a manner that didn’t stoop to his level. Unfortunately, Hoss had to pile in.
Charlie,
The camera angle of that video is strangely reminiscent of the “47%” video of Romney. Were you in Boca Raton that evening?
Bruce I was totally just about to comment that! One thing about this video though: it also seems to have a severed hand in it. But why??
Since my prior comment seems to have been censored out, I’ll just say that I thought it was bad when all I had to choose between were Setti and Ruth. Having to choose between Setti and Ted will be a nightmare. I hope some qualified and rational person comes in and gives us a real option.
@Charlie Shapiro and @Julia Malakie:
I promise to put together a band to play U2’s “It’s A Beauthful Day” on Inauguration Day 2014.
@Village 14, I promise to give you my reasons for running in the next few days. I would have been ready sooner but Gail Spector let the cat out of the bag before I was ready. 🙂
@Ted – okay – I forgave you messing with one of my favorite Green Day songs, but if you touch U-2 I’ll have to very seriously re-think my vote.
You didn’t say you’d play it, if you win. So if, for example, Jackie Sequeira wins, you’re still going to play it?
Teddy and the A-Men
Greg, I plan to win.
Lisap, I humbly apologize for messing with Green Day (albeit in a good cause, i.e., roasting my fellow aldercritters). But I will play U2 absolutely straight. And with feeling.
Jerry Reilly, my good friends, former aldercritters Verne Vance (former Prez of the BOA and Sondra Schick (former VP of the BOA) used to have a little group called the “Aldertones” during their joint tenure on the board. Perhaps it is time to resurrect them (the Aldertones, that is–Verne and Sondra are still very much alive).
Okay Ted -just leave Pearl Jam out of the mix and you keep my vote. 🙂
@Lisap, cool beans. How about Nirvana? 😉
@Hoss, I have already talked with Gail and I am totally cool with it. Even though she let the cat out of the bag before I was ready for it, I don’t mind at all that Village 14 got the scoop from Newton’s own Lois Lane. I do have to say, however, that I had been trying to get a meeting with the Mayor so that he would hear it from me first, but Gail beat me to it by an hour or so. That made for kind of an awkward meeting for me (or more awkward I guess)!
@Mike Striar, point well taken. For reasons which I have explained at length to the TAB, and will be explaining again when I have enough time on the blogs, I had to throw my hat into both rings. For now, I can tell you that, so far, there is no one in the race for AAL3 who I feel comfortable about supporting yet and I believe Ward 3 needs good representation on the BOA. Eric Hill has not contacted me, and I know nothing about him or his plans to run, let alone what kind of an alderman he would be. I have talked to Gerry Chervinsky (as did Newton’s own Lois Lane/Gail Spector and Perry White/Greg Reibman, I believe), and at this point it is not clear to me whether he will actually run (although I have learned the secret identity of the person who pulled papers on his behalf). That may change in the coming weeks, as I have been approached by a couple of people who are interested in running that could make fine aldermen. I may be able to save the city the cost of a special election, however, since I docketed an amendment to the City Charter which would give the board the choice whether to call a special election to fill a vacancy, rather than make it mandatory.
So please stay tuned (as if you would or could do otherwise).
@Kim, love your comment, but please forgive me if I don’t use it as a campaign slogan. 😉
Good luck Ted. This campaign will make you both stronger and the City shall benefit. For once we have opposing campaigns that will actually listen to each other