TAB EDITORIAL: THUMBS UP, THUMBS DOWN

Newton TAB, MA
GateHouse News Service
Aug 29 2007

Thumbs up

To David Boyajian for demonstrating that one person really can make
a difference. The Newton resident sent a letter to the editor of the
TAB’s sister publication, the Watertown TAB and Press, berating the
Anti-Defamation League for failing to recognize the Armenian Genocide
of the early 20th century. Boyajian’s letter caught the attention
of many in the Armenian-rich community who, in turn, called upon
the ADL to change its position, which it has done to some extent. As
long as the ADL’s national office does not also support congressional
legislation that would officially recognize the genocide, the issue
remains unresolved. But with just 215 words, Boyajian set into motion
a chain of events that has had positive national, if not international,
impact.

Thumbs down

To Jeremy Solomon, Mayor David Cohen’s director of policy and
communications, for neglecting to tell the public right away that
the city had signed a legal agreement with Newton South contractor
Peabody Construction’s insurance company. Peabody was fired last
year because of shoddy and incomplete work, and the city withheld
$1.2 million in payment.

On July 27, the two parties signed an agreement listing the outstanding
items that will be addressed by Vertex Engineering Systems, at a cost
of $700,000 for the city.

When questioned why the mayor hadn’t announced the settlement in a
statement or at a press conference, Solomon said, "I don’t have a
good answer for you on that yet."

After looking into it, he told the TAB, "This document is public
record and has been available since it was executed." He wouldn’t
elaborate further.

Solomon insists the settlement is good news, which leaves the
TAB wondering: If the mayor’s director of communications doesn’t
communicate good news, what does he communicate?

To the Parks & Recreation Department for closing Crystal Lake two
weeks before Labor Day and just days before last weekend’s crushing
heat. We understand that it’s hard finding lifeguards once many college
kids leave town but, given the predictability of the summer schedule,
there really ought to be an alternative.

Thumbs sideways To Aldermen Ted Hess-Mahan and Verne Vance for
endeavoring to find a quick solution to the unwieldy electoral process
that has Newton voters casting ballots in 17 aldermanic contests
every other year.

Their proposed legislation would stagger terms and could increase
the frequency of head-to-head races. Terms would last three years
instead of two, but, theoretically, candidates and incumbents would
have to work harder to earn their seats.

The TAB still supports reducing the size of the board, as do Hess-Mahan
and Vance, supposedly, and we question why this quick fix works for
these two aldermen while a reduction in board size seemingly requires
years of debate. This discussion is still new, and while we think it
sounds like a step in the right direction, our thumbs can’t reach an
upwards or downwards position until we hear more debate.