After reading the FCN story about the “Candidates express concerns about upcoming Area Council debates,” I was disappointed to hear that several candidates for public office claimed that the four Newton Area Councils were incapable of organizing a City Council debate in an unbiased fashion. As a former Area Councilor, I find this attack unjustifiable and offensive.
I ran for City Council in 2019, when I was the Vice President of the Newtonville Area Council. I was never involved in any Area Council Debate logistics, organizing, and communication. The four Area Councils never shared any debate information with me.
The co-signers of this letter should present any and all documentation that demonstrates the Councilors from each of the four Area Councils were unable to provide and plan for a fair and balanced debate. If they cannot present any documentation, they should issue an apology to all four Area Councils, debate moderator, and respected local journalist Majorie Arons-Barron, as well as any other individuals who were involved in the debate preparations.
Additionally, the four Area Councils should be applauded for their immediate response to this vicious attack on their character and dedication to Newton in their letter.
I will also adamantly oppose any restrictions on the four Area Councils’ ability to administer any future Mayoral, City Council, and School Committee debates. Any such action has the effect, intended or not, of silencing democratically elected representatives of Newton and their diligent, volunteer efforts to improve voter engagement and participation by hosting debates.
The co-signers of the aforementioned letter should be grateful that there are honest and dedicated Newton residents who give up their free time to help strengthen democracy and transparency in Newton’s electoral process.
Tarik J. Lucas
Newton City Councilor At-Large, Ward 2
Former Vice President of the Newtonville Area Council
