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(with Jackie '23 and Aidan '21 circa 2020)


Candidate for Ward 6 Newton City Council

EXPERIENCE MATTERS

  • Two Term Legislator (NH)

  • Former PTO Treasurer (Oak Hill)

  • Current PTO Grants Member (Newton South)

Newton Youth Sports Coach Lax, Soccer, Football
 

Enjoy the rest of your summer. See you in September!

- Mark

 

 


 

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1.      Why did you decide to run?

 

 

I am running to answer these questions commonly asked in the district;

  1. Why is the reputation of the Newton Public Schools falling? Why are we laying off teachers? Why were half the 2023 NSHS class  applicants denied admission to Umass Amherst?
     

  2. Why is it that Newton can’t meet the affordable housing hurdle of 40B in order to halt these zone busting developments? If less than 400 additional units have to be created, why  wasn’t the Community Preservation Fund used to acquire all of the Mishkin/Webster lands and the buildings leased over to the Newton Community Development Foundation for housing?
     

  3. How can we reduce fossil fuel consumption for our homes and automobiles? When will Newton’s Leaders demand Beacon Hill hand over our rights to participate in the Quebec Hydro agreement- delivering fully renewable, sustainable power to our homes at just 5.9 cents a kilowatt?

2.     What do you see as your major strengths?

 I served two terms in a state legislature (Hills NH 3-117) prior to moving to Newton 22 years ago. Newton’s biggest challenge continues to be unfunded Beacon Hill mandates, like the so named ‘MBTA Communities Act’ that has removed Newton’s municipal sovereignty in ways the Commonwealth’s  historical  tradition has never experienced.  Forcing Newton to rapidly urbanize with the construction of 8,000 high density 'eastern bloc'  style buildings  is something few want. This will overcrowd and underfund our schools unless existing taxpayers put up 30% atop our already unaffordable property tax bills.

If the Legislature’s goal is to rescue families from Boston’s failing schools, increase the MBTA’s falling ridership, and subsidize the costs of housing construction- it is the Legislatures legal requirement under Proposition 2 ½  to fund the $95 million dollars Newton will need annually to fulfill their goal. This may be only half what is needed. We have to also consider school construction and land costs if we are to double our student enrollments.

Newton’s City Council must defer action on the village zoning plan until a full fiscal study is completed and sent to the State Auditor for compliance review.

 

Governor Healy along with her Director of Housing should not be dictating Newton's development future- this is our city. Representative Honan's (Brighton) legislation only called for each community to have just one multi-family zone. In fact, Newton is entirely a multi-family zone with the adoption of our accessory apartment ordinance in 2017.

 

Expanding urban sprawl is in no one's interest except big developers. Developers who snarl our traffic, dump in low quality concrete structures, diminish our public coffers, then take their usurious profits.  This will only leave Newton with a more difficult financial deficit while increasing the affordable housing situation.

3.     How long have you lived in Newton?  Why did you move here? Which village is home

Imelda and I moved into Thompsonville in 2022. We raised Aidan (NSHS ‘21) and Jackie (NSHS ‘23) k-12 in Newton's public system.

 

I had the great pleasure to coach several seasons of youth soccer, lacrosse and football teams then going on to serve as a PTO Treasurer at Oak Hill and grants committeeman at NSHS.

I have spent my career serving the technical and datanomics needs of the National Association of Realtors, to which I am also a member-broker through my enterprise W3|RE in Kenmore Square. The NAR is the political voice for home ownership.

 

The past 4 years I served on the Realtor’ Federal Tax Policy committee, directing our immense resources to the full restoration of property tax deductions and mortgage availability for all American homeowners. Due to our efforts, Newton's homeowners will again be able to deduct all their property taxes beginning in 2025. Newton homeowners federal flood insurance policies will continue to be available and affordable.

 

I am currently the project manager for an identity and verification app to ensure the trust and integrity of real estate transactions, authenticating the legal licensing and membership of individuals and web businesses to protect home seekers for both purchase and tenancies.