A year ago, as the city geared up for a referendum on a proposed replacement for Newton North High School, Mayor David B. Cohen put his prestige on the line and urged voters to support the multimillion-dollar project.
The referendum passed, despite questions about the project's cost and Cohen's own leadership.
But a year later - after a cost escalation of at least 32 percent, construction delays, and a property-tax increase for city residents now on the table - a drumbeat of questions has begun anew.
A number of Newton officials and residents say their trust in Cohen has been eroded by a series of statements and characterizations he has made during the past six years about the Newton North project and the likelihood of City Hall seeking an override of Proposition 2 1/2.
Some critics point to his earlier statements that the cost would remain at roughly $141 million, and his more recent insistence that the project is not the reason for his recent proposal to ask voters for a property-tax increase.
Even supporters say project management oversights and communication missteps reflect poorly on Cohen.
"You have a three-term incumbent who people are tired of, who is at the center of the storm - the mayor should have done a better job communicating with not only the aldermen, but also the residents of the city," said Gerry Chervinsky, a pollster who served as a political strategist in Cohen's 2005 election campaign.
Another Cohen supporter said she sees him as a strong leader.
"He's known for taking really unpopular, strong stances," said Sandra Butzel, a community activist. "I admire him for that. He's a really ethical person."
Butzel said the mayor is taking heat because there is confusion surrounding Newton North and the override. "Both of these issues are extremely complicated and very, very important for the community, and he will make sure to see them through."
Cohen, a staunch liberal who left Beacon Hill for Newton City Hall in 1998, established his dominance over local politics in breezing through two elections without serious threat. His political career began in 1978, when he was elected state representative at age 30, and he garnered a reputation as an advocate for fairness, civil rights, and the environment. He also worked to protect abortion rights and child-care funding, and as chairman of the House's banking panel fought against predatory mortgage practices.
"I have been buoyed by so many people who have come up to me and urged me to 'hang in there' and that the media reports are not representative of how people feel about the importance of this project," Cohen said in a written statement. "Ultimately I know we will be judged by whether we have the resolve to provide generations of youth to come with a school that will give them the first-rate education Newton is known for."
Cohen has not announced whether he will run for reelection next year, but Setti Warren, an aide to US Senator John Kerry, and Ward 6 Alderman at Large Kenneth R.L. Parker have indicated plans to enter the race.
John Stewart, a former alderman and longtime Cohen supporter, said that while he does not blame the mayor for the escalating costs and other problems at Newton North or the city's financial situation, he is planning to shift his support to Warren.
"David Cohen has not been 100 percent the kind of a leader he should have been - the mayor has been far too skittish about giving people the total honest truth about the city's financial condition," Stewart said. "The city needs a new kind of political leadership, from a younger generation."
Like more than two dozen other officials and residents asked for opinions on the mayor, Stewart said he didn't think Cohen had been deceitful, but faulted his leadership and communication.
Several agreed with resident Bruce Henderson when he said he was unhappy about "a lack of transparency in the financial management of the city."
City Hall spokesman Jeremy Solomon said the administration has taken steps to address complaints from aldermen, including more electronic communication and face-to-face meetings.
In a recent meeting with the Board of Aldermen, Cohen said the projected cost of the high school complex had risen to at least $186 million. (A year earlier, he had capped the project at $141 million.) Cohen also told aldermen he would request a tax increase of about $23.9 million to fund municipal and school operating costs, not for the Newton North project.
Aldermen said Cohen had provided more information than they had expected, but the release of those two figures at the same point set off a firestorm of criticism.
The missteps, critics said, began early.
In 2002, Cohen apologized for proposing that students be bused out of the city during a proposed renovation of Newton North without more public dialogue.
The administration faced another controversy leading up to the referendum in January 2007, in which the city's election commission undercounted the signatures on a petition filed by opponents of the Newton North site plan.
The most recent characterization that irks some aldermen and citizens is Cohen's assertion that the override is in no way tied to the rising cost of Newton North High School.
"Even if the mayor is technically correct, it's beside the point," said Ward 8 Alderman at Large John D. Freedman, who joined the board this month. "He is simply mincing words. Newton North at its current cost has become so large, it essentially crowds out the ability to do any substantial work on other projects."
The mayor said last week one or more overrides will be needed to fund the other school building needs, which include the construction of at least three new buildings and renovations to nine others.
Before the referendum, Cohen said no overrides would be needed to fund Newton North or other school building projects.
"Every statement the mayor has made throughout the life of the project is based on the best information we had at that time," Solomon said.
Chervinsky also defended Cohen, saying the city was not aware of the extent of the other school building needs at the time, and that people are confusing the tax override with the cost escalation at Newton North.
"It's also fair to point out there were things beyond the scope of the mayor's knowledge and understanding," Chervinsky said.
"Everything has not broken the mayor's way over the last year, that's for sure."
