Jacob Silber is a first-time candidate running unopposed for a Ward 8 at-large City Council seat, currently held by retiring City Councilor Rick Lipof. The other Ward 8 at-large Councilor is David Kalis. Although Mr. Silber has never before been a political candidate, he is following the path of his father, who served as a Selectman for twenty-five years in Sumner, Maine. Mr. Silber’s decision to run for City Council began with his frustration at the constant traffic issues on Dudley Road, where he lives, just off Route 9, and was fully ignited by the Ch. 40B project at 528 Boylston Street.
Mr. Silber and his family have been concerned about the through traffic from Route 9 to the rest of Ward 8. He began taking pictures of frequent traffic accidents as people hit light poles along the highway. In fact, Mr. Silber and his neighbors refer to their street, which has also had a number of accidents, as “Deadly” Road. He also worried about the safety of students walking on the street on their way to Newton South High School.
The original project for 528 Boylston Street on Route 9, included 244 units in seven stories, on approximately two acres abutting conservation land. According to Mr. Silber, it will be on the largest residential floodplain in Newton. Many of the project’s opponents have been particularly concerned about the impact the large construction project will have on flooding of neighboring properties, as many residents in the area already experience periodic flooding. Mr. Silber noted that in addition to the floodplain, the construction will involve cutting down trees, which he says will increase “significant flooding events.”
Mr. Silber and his neighbors quickly formed an organization called Newton MA Impact. He said, “we organized quickly, and I think that was a huge benefit. And we reached out to other people who had dealt with 40Bs,” thereby gaining a “tremendous amount of information and help.” He believes that well-established organizations are there to help other communities dealing with similar problems. Given the limits of the Conservation Commission, which deals solely with the designated conservation area, and the ongoing issue of flooding across the city, Mr. Silber recommends that the City should provide for an hydrogeologist to analyze the hazards associated with development. Without professional analysis, Mr. Silber believes “we are abdicating our processes.”
Asked about his assessment of Newton’s financial health and sustainability, Mr. Silber referred to the recent Massachusetts Municipal Association report — The Perfect Storm — on the impact of the federal cuts to states and the challenges facing local communities, especially rural towns. He explained that Newton is “very lucky,” in having an “extremely valuable tax base,” and that luxury housing going up across the city, replacing “tear downs,” provides increasing tax revenue. Moreover, people are building larger houses so they can work from home. Mr. Silber and his partner run their digital marketing agency from their homes, which means ”not commuting to Boston.” He says that smaller office space in Newton is benefitting from the trend away from Boston, and he thinks that trend should be an economic driver in Newton.
At the same time, he worries that building more residential developments will have a negative impact on traffic in the city and its major highways. Mr. Silber estimates that in Ward 8, large residential projects like Northland, 528 Boylston, and 160 Charlemont will increase the population by about 20%, “and we’re not building new roads, we’re not widening roads. In fact, we’re shrinking roads….Is 20% the point at which we have more traffic than we can handle?”
His answer to more commercial development, which yields twice the tax revenue from residential development, is to reach out to the city’s largest commercial landlords, Chestnut Hill Mall and The Street, and ask what the City could do to help commercial tenants there and across Newton. He suggests streamlining and improving the permitting process, beginning by consulting with City employees who are engaged in permitting. Having worked with a wide variety of businesses, Mr. Silber believes the City needs to begin with “operational excellence:” how to streamline and make their processes more efficient.
Among his priorities, Mr. Silber includes studying and offering “autonomous transportation,” to attract older residents and students, thereby reducing car traffic. Describing himself as a “techno-optimist,” he advocates for a transportation system that is citywide and predictable, which would benefit the environment as well.
He wants to expand residents’ access to information by offering “bite-sized pieces of information” that they are looking for, such as trash pick-up schedules and where to recycle things. He wants people to know what’s going on. He thinks that “more communication about what the City does can only help the relationship between the residents and the City.”
Mr. Silber, his wife Jessica, and his two children have lived in Newton for nearly ten years. He graduated from Harvard college and holds civil and environmental engineering degrees from MIT. Although he was born in Boston, his parents moved to rural Maine in 1978 and settled on a family farm where they grew and sold a variety of agricultural products. Their decision was driven by increased crime rates and a desire to live in a natural environment.
Hedgehog Hill Farm, where Mr. Silber grew up and worked when he was eleven, provided coleslaw to Maine Arby’s. His parents also grew plants from seedlings, a variety of herbs and honey, and offered cooking and other agricultural workshops. Mr. Silber paid the tuition for the local private high school by beginning his own flower business at the farm.
Looking ahead to his service on the City Council, Mr. Silber said,”I’m excited. I think there’s a lot of opportunity. I think we are in a good place.”
Mr.Silber’s campaign website is silberfornewton.com
