Lennon: Ready to lead

by Greg Reibman | Jul 31, 2017 | Candidate columns, Mayor's race

Newton is in my genes. Public service is in my heart. That’s why I want to be your Mayor.

I’m a lifelong Newton resident. My wife Wendy and I are the proud parents of Jenna, who’ll be starting first grade in the Lincoln-Eliot School. She’s the fourth generation of my family to receive a great education from the Newton Public Schools.

I’ve been on the City Council for 16 years, eight of them as Council President, the second highest elected office in the city. My colleagues have expressed their trust in me by electing me President four times. As President of the City Council, I streamlined it, reducing the number of committees, and eliminating some unnecessary legislative steps. I’ve worked to improve the tone of Council debates and overall city government.

My achievements that benefit Newton include upgrading our safety infrastructure. When I realized that our school safety zones didn’t comply with federal guidelines, I led the effort for more and better signs and pavement markings alerting drivers to keep our school children safe.

As the son of a firefighter who served Newton for 27 years, I knew for a long time that our fire stations, which were largely built in the 1940s and ‘50s, were obsolete. It was also a question of