The Newton TAB and Press
Newton, Massachusetts

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

The Top Newsmakers of 2007

1. Lt. Richard Geary & the Newton Firefighters
2. Everyone involved in the Newton north construction project
3. David Boyajian
4. Noam Chomsky
5. Paul Levy
6. Newly elected public officials
7. U.S. Army Capt. Michelle Jacobs
8. Boston Red Sox
9. Kristin Kenney
10. TAB Bloggers

Newton – 1. Lt. Richard Geary and the Newton firefighters

Newton firefighters have endured a tough 2007, but none more than
Lt. Richard Geary.
Geary, a 20-year department veteran, suffered severe injuries in the
early morning hours of Tuesday, May 15, when an engine used to fight a
Boston College Dumpster fire lunged forward and trapped the
firefighter underneath.
Geary was transported to Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital, where he was
found to have a compound arm fracture, a shoulder blade broken in two
places, a large head laceration and fractured ribs.
Although far from healed, the lieutenant returned to his Franklin home
on May 20 to continue his recovery process. No word on when, or if, he
plans to return to the Fire Department.
Lt. Tom Lopez, the newly elected union president, spoke recently with
Geary. He said his colleague is still on the road to recovery and was
busy preparing for the holiday season.
Meanwhile, Engine 13 – the 24-year-old truck involved in the Dumpster
fire accident – has been impounded.
Three separate investigations were held to study exactly what happened
that morning to cause the accident. Two reports – one from a
city-hired contractor, the other from state police – pointed to
operator error. The third, engaged by the firefighters’ union,
reported that the engine driver was forced to rely on misfiring
mechanical signals.
Firefighters pointed to the incident as an accident waiting to happen
because of the rundown and faulty equipment and apparatus provided to
firefighters. Since Geary’s accident, union members overwhelmingly
voted no confidence in Chief Joseph LaCroix. However, Mayor David
Cohen has not retracted support for his fire chief.
Many aldermen threw their political weight behind firefighters by
supporting a citizen-sponsored petition to ask the mayor to nix the
sick leave clause in the firefighters’ contract.
Meanwhile, July 1, 2007 marked the beginning of the Firefighters’
Union’s fifth year working off an old contract, without a pay
raise. The contract negations are now in the preliminary stages of
arbitration.

2. Everyone involved with the Newton North construction project
The ongoing saga surrounding the construction of a new Newton North
High School nearly drained this newspaper’s owner’s supply of ink and
occupied the time of many city officials, community activists and a
nervous public.
Though plans for addressing North have been a hot topic for years,
2007 began with a contentious referendum that pitted neighbors against
neighbors and aldermen against aldermen, but resulted in passing a
site plan for the new school.
Opponents worried about the cost, the mayor’s financing plan, the
location of the building’s entrance and warned about toxic materials
waiting to be discovered underground. Supporters saw a new building as
the only alternative and envisioned a high school that wouldn’t be
plagued by poor air circulation and lack of natural light.
Shortly after the referendum passed, following multitudes of design
review, aldermanic and liaison committee meetings, the city broke
ground on the project in June – while architects were revising the
cost estimates upward.
With sledgehammer in hand, Mayor David Cohen said, `This is a
historic day. It has taken us nearly a decade to get here=85This event
isn’t just about today. It’s about tomorrow as well. Long after we
have all departed from the scene, the new Newton North will be
teaching our young men and women and reminding those who will come
after us of the importance of public education.’
Within six months of shuffling the dirt around the site in
preparation for a foundation, the project encountered more
hiccups. Friable asbestos – a hazardous material necessitating an
orchestrated removal process – and underground ledge stalled the
project. Architects also determined that the planned cafeteria and
voc-ed spaces were too small. In all, a project that voters were told
would cost $141 million in January is now believed to be closer to
$170 million – even though construction has yet to begin – and the
mayor does not expect to unveil a price ceiling until May.
`There is also no guarantee that doing anything else would cost any
less,’ Cohen said. `I believe that at whatever the price comes in, we
are going to be able to find a way to pay for it.’

3. David Boyajian
Newton resident David Boyajian illustrated the power of a simple
letter to the editor when he ignited a debate that made national
headlines.
In his July 6 letter to the Watertown TAB and Press – the Newton
TAB’s sister paper – he questioned the Anti-Defamation League’s stance
on the Armenian genocide.
Boyajian was disturbed about ADL national director Abrahan Foxman’s
refusal to unequivocally recognize the genocide that resulted in the
deaths of 1.5 million Armenians. Neither would Foxman support
congressional legislation that would make recognition official. For a
major organization advocating human rights, the ADL’s position was
unacceptable for many.
Boyajian’s letter tugged at the heartstrings of the
Armenian-Americans living in Watertown. Rallying against the ADL, they
asked the town to withdraw from the ADL program, No Place for Hate.
Regional ADL director Andrew Tarsy supported recognition of the
genocide and was subsequently fired.
A few days later, the ADL’s national director, Abraham Foxman,
changed the organization’s position by calling the deaths of Armenians
under the Ottoman Empire `tantamount to genocide.’
But, it was too late and too little. Newton decided to withdraw from
No Place for Hate as long as the program’s parent organization refused
to unequivocally acknowledge the genocide and did not support
congressional recognition of the Armenian genocide. Other
Massachusetts communities followed suit.
Following the Anti-Defamation League’s annual meeting, the anti-hate
organization did not change its stance, and communities like Newton
and Waltham remained detached from No Place for Hate.
All this from one man’s letter to the editor.

4. Noam Chomsky
When the Social Awareness Club at Newton South invited left-wing
activist
Noam Chomsky to speak at the school, they had no way of knowing that
they were setting off a media firestorm that would initiate their
nascent principal into the political and controversial battlefield of
the Newton schools.
The club invited Chomsky to speak about his perspective of
U.S. foreign policy in Iraq. Protestors and critics asked Principal
Brian Salzer to intercede and prevent Chomsky from spewing what they
believed was anti-Israel rhetoric to which students should not be
subjected.
Salzer talked with parents who raised objections, with school
administration and with the students, and decided not to intervene in
the club’s decision.
Chomsky spoke to a lecture hall full of students, while 30 parents
watched via a live feed into another room. True to the request of his
hosts, Chomsky spoke of what he sees as failed policy in Iraq, and his
belief that the United States is the center of blame for what he sees
as a road to World War III. He spoke of Israel once, but only in
response to a student’s question.
While students were listening inside, some parents were protesting
outside in an orchestrated media event. TAB columnist Tom Mountain,
who could have attended the presentation as a South parent, with media
in tow, tried to walk in with non-Newton South parent and Holocaust
survivor Stephan Ross, with media in tow. Ross was not allowed in and
the TV stations had their story.
Chomsky told the TAB that his presence at a speaking engagement
hadn’t aroused that much controversy in 20 years. In a letter to the
editor he wrote that the protestors’ stories about his involvement in
Middle East politics were `mere deceit’ and he corrected protestors’
claims.
`In reading an article devoted solely to character assassination, it
is a good idea to check the facts, and having done so, to ask what
lies behind the exercise,’ Chomsky wrote.

5. Paul Levy
When mayoral-appointed Blue Ribbon Commission chairman Paul
Levy said that the commission would not release a final report on city
finances until after the Jan. 23 referendum on Newton North, the TAB
and several community members were concerned that voters would not
have the complete picture needed to make a decision. Levy, whose day
job title is president and chief executive officer at Beth Israel
Deaconess Hospital, proved us wrong and showed the city what
transparency really means.
Levy posted audiotapes of the meetings on the city Web site, released
draft reports and maintained a Blue Ribbon Commission blog updating
the community on the committee’s findings. Equally impressive was that
once the final report was released, Levy spoke his mind on the BRC’s
former blog, chastising Mayor David Cohen and mayoral spokesperson
Jeremy Solomon for suggesting that the administration would take its
time considering the BRC’s recommendation to raise property taxes
through a series of overrides.
Warning of a projected $100 million deficit over the next five years,
Levy said that the time for studying had passed.
`This is not `Star Trek,’ in which we have to explore distant
galaxies,’ he wrote. `The exploration phase is over. Dear Mayor Cohen
and Aldermen: Get to work and raise our taxes.’
The work of Levy and his fellow commission members was invaluable, as
was Levy’s openness both in managing the process and in speaking his
mind.

6. New public officials elected
Eight residents challenged public officials for their seats this
fall. And – bucking a trend – a long winning streak by Newton
incumbent politicians was broken with three political upsets.
Campaigning on a platform of improving math, science and technology
in the public schools, Geoff Epstein decisively defeated Gail Glick,
marking the first time since 1993 when a sitting School Committee
member was defeated at the ballot box. Whether voters chose Epstein
based on his message or because they were unhappy with the School
Committee and its image as a cliquish group is hard to decipher
because it was the only contested school race.

In aldermen contests, Newton Highlands resident Bill Brandel ousted
14-year veteran Christine Samuelson thanks to an incredibly
well-orchestrated campaign. The Ward 5 incumbent was criticized for
neglecting concerns from her constituents, for being too close to
Mayor David Cohen, and for dismissing concerns from the city’s
firefighters while serving as chair of the board’s Public Safety
Committee.
The omnipresent Greer Tan Swiston, a Republican who ran for
state representative in 2004 and for alderman two years ago, ousted
first-term alderman Leslie Burg, in spite of Burg’s attempts to ride
into re-election on the coattails of fellow Ward 3 at-large Alderman
Ted Hess-Mahan.
Three other new faces enter public office in January as well:
health care consultant John Freedman in Ward 8; police officer Allan
Ciccone Jr. in Ward 1 and Kurt Kusiak on School Committee for Ward 3.

7. U.S. Army Capt. Michelle Jacobs
Hopping from one battle to the next has become second nature for
U.S. Army
Capt. Michelle Jacobs.
The 39-year-old Army Reservist returned home from a yearlong medical
tour in Tikrit, Iraq, to find her home of 10 years destroyed in a
two-alarm fire at New Falls Apartments on Sunday, Sept. 2. The fire
gutted six units in all, displacing Jacobs and her two teenage
children, along with other families.
At the time, Jacobs was finishing up the last weeks of her Iraq
tour. Her days were sporadically filled with trauma cases unlike any
she’d dealt with as an emergency room nurse at Beth Israel Deaconess
in Boston.
Gunshot wounds and burns took the place of heart attacks and strokes.
Jacobs doesn’t consider herself a hero. She reserved that title for
the men and women she patched up on a daily basis in Tikrit.
Since returning, Jacobs and her children moved into a spacious
Nonantum apartment and are waiting on when they can move back to their
New Falls home.
She was recognized by the city on Veterans Day and gave a keynote
address before a crowd of other Newtonites who had served their
country on different fronts.
Jacobs plans to return to school in the spring to pursue another
nursing degree. Returning to Iraq is not the first priority on her
list. She would much rather see her children graduate first from high
school.

8. World Champion neighbors
They play at Fenway Park, but one third of the 2007 World Champion Red
Sox
starting lineup sleeps in Newton.
And Newton residents have gone out of their way to celebrate their
famous neighbors, while also respecting their privacy.
These are the people in your neighborhood: Catcher Jason Varitek
(Waban); outfielder J.D. Drew (Oak Hill) and first baseman Kevin
Youkilis (Auburndale).
In April, zealous pranksters converted a street sign for Varick Road
(just blocks from catcher Jason Varitek’s Waban home) into `Varitek’
Road, with the help of a little duct tape and marker. Then, during the
Sox’s final stretch of the World Series, Waban residents posted
homemade signs in support of Varitek along Beacon Street.
The Barry’s Deli-loving catcher paid back some of that respect by
opening his doors to hundreds of overexcited trick-or-treaters during
Halloween. Forget king-sized candy bars. Varitek dished up autographs
for all pint-sized baseball fans.
First baseman Youkilis’s romance with Ben Affleck’s ex, Newton native
Enza Sambataro (her mom owns Salon De Cinzia) kept his name on the
gossip pages but Yoooukkk was also a regular a local Little League
games and local bagel shops.
And while Drew was about as popular during most of the season as
Donald Rumsfeld, the slugger’s strong finish in September and playoff
heroics had every Newton resident happy to have him as a neighbor by
October.
There have been recent sightings of knuckleball catcher Doug
Mirabelli, a Thompsonville resident. And, of course, we harbor hopes
that Johan Santana will soon be checking out the Newton real estate
market.

9. Kristin Kenney
Odds don’t apply to people like Kristin Kenney.
The 2003 Newton South grad survived a horrific car accident on June
19, 2006, during which she suffered two strokes and lost her left arm
– among other injuries.
It seemed no one could have overcome that level of trauma. But Kenney
did.
Her family, which owns and operates Bob’s Sub Shop in Upper Falls, and
the Newton community closely followed her journey from convalescence
to full recovery.
On the morning of the accident, Kenney was driving to work at
Connecticut’s Assumption College when she suffered two bilateral
strokes. She lost control of her Jeep, crunching it along at least 150
feet of highway guardrail.
Paramedics pried the then 20-year-old from her car with the Jaws of
Life.
Kenney was airlifted to a Connecticut trauma center and remained there
for several weeks in a semi-comatose state. She was then transported
to Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital and later to the Spaulding
Rehabilitation Center for the rest of her recovery.
The now senior at Assumption College took two classes last
spring. Summer was not a time of rest either. Kenney took a community
college course and juggled two part-time jobs to fill her days.
Kenney dreams of someday going to grad school for chemistry.

10. TAB bloggers
The Newton TAB blog was born in April 2006, and in 2007, it took on a
life
of its own.
A discussion board of sorts, visitors have posted more than 10,000
separate comments on the blog over the twelve months. From the
firefighters’ contract to Newton North and from the city’s best
cheeseburgers to the perils of trans-fats – residents discussed,
debated and dissected all aspects of life in the Garden City.
By the summer as many as 2,000 unique visitors were checking out the
blog at least once a week, although a much smaller portion of those
visitors chose to comment.
Dubbed `The Fellowship of the Miserable’ by one frequent blogger, the
discussion venue initially attracted – and continues to attract – many
angry residents, several of whom can find a way to blame Mayor David
Cohen for everything, including, probably, the record snowfall this
month. But behind many silent computers are residents who watch, read
and, at times, can’t stay away.
The TAB began regularly posting videos on its blog this year, with
some videos capturing the attention of thousands of non-Newton
viewers. The mayor’s press conference after the injury of Lt. Richard
Geary, for example, was viewed more than 3,000 times.
All told, the TAB’s blog has become a must-read for insiders and a
place where TAB editors and reporters post breaking news first but
also learn from residents. `The blog has leveled the playing field in
Newton, giving anyone who cares to comment a voice in our community,’
said Greg Reibman, the TAB’s editor in chief. `And as we saw in this
last election, and in other instances, it’s starting to have an impact
on city politics as well.’

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