Cohen reflects on office

Cohen, who decided not to seek reelection, will hand the reins of the Garden City to mayor-elect Setti Warren on Jan. 1, and won’t be in office to see the school open next fall. But in an interview last week in which he discussed his three terms as mayor, his legacy, and his future, Cohen said “the most difficult decision’’ of his career was the right one.

“I had always said in my 40 years in politics that you should really be willing to risk your political future for what you think is right,’’ said Cohen, 62, who served as an alderman and state representative before becoming mayor in 1998. “It turned out with Newton North that I was called on that.’’

While Cohen said he could have been a better communicator, he expressed pride for having led the city through the current economic crisis without cutting services, even after voters turned down his administration’s request for a $12 million tax increase last year. He’s offered Warren any help he needs during the transition, but declined to say what his plans are once he leaves office.

Here are excerpts from the interview, held in his office at City Hall:

Q. Looking back at your time as mayor, what accomplishments are you most proud of?

A. We’ve been able to maintain and expand high-quality services in a time of real economic uncertainty. We’ve built upon and strengthened Newton as a community, a sense that everyone belongs. And, third, this year we’ve been able to maintain the excellence of our schools and have a city budget that has no cuts in it at a time when other communities are closing fire stations, libraries, and school buildings.

Q. What was your biggest mistake?

A. The things that I regret the most . . . [have] to do with the issue of communications. I wish that I had recognized earlier that electronic communication, such as e-mail, is an effective way of communicating with the people of the city.

Q. Is there anything you wish you had accomplished but didn’t?

A. I was enormously pleased that we were able to acquire land on Crystal Lake that will really enhance the quality of that experience. We set up a planning group that has done tremendous work on suggesting how we should develop that land. I wish that I would have been around to implement that. Of course, with Newton North, we brought it to the point of fruition, but it will be for my successor to be there when it opens in September of 2010. So there are ongoing issues that are moving forward but will not be completed by the end of my term.

Q. Do you think, for good or for bad, you’ll inevitably be remembered for Newton North?

A. I will let people and pundits . . . decide what my legacy will be. Very often people in public life are criticized for taking the easy course on the short term in order to defer the problem to the future. There are things that we did in Newton North that I am quite proud of, that really are investments in the future . . . [such as ] our decision to have an in-house vocational-technical program. We wanted our building to be a green building. What it will save us in energy costs and maintenance costs over the life of this project is in the millions. The third thing is the pool.

I think that Newton North is a good investment for the people of the city of Newton, and I’m content with the decision I made on that.

Q. Is there anything you would have done differently with the Newton North project?

A. I would have started a neighborhood liaison committee a little bit earlier. I think that that may have smoothed the approval process somewhat.

Q. What happened in the process with Newton North? How did it go from being just a school project to something that divided the city and cost nearly $200 million?

A. When you’re a mayor you have to do what you think is right. I know that when the project went from $150 million to $190 million that there were people who wanted the project stopped and reexamined thoroughly. I was faced with probably the most difficult decision of my career. I believe that the decision to go forward really ensured that the building would be built. The advice that I was getting was that it was more expensive to stop than to continue. I also realized that the decision I made would be very controversial. But I think it was the right one for the city. I had always said in my 40 years in politics that you should really be willing to risk your political future for what you think is right. It turned out with Newton North that I was called on that.

Q. You faced a lot of criticism from the candidates in this year’s mayoral election. In particular, the mayor-elect, Setti Warren, said the city has lacked leadership. Was that fair?

A. I am happy to talk about what I’ve done. How people characterize it is certainly their choosing. One of the things that I’ve tried to do is actually embrace change. I was the one who appointed the Citizen Advisory Group.

Q. What do you think the new mayor’s greatest challenges are going to be?

A. The new mayor is getting advice from all corners, and everyone has a tremendous amount of advice to give him. I have let him know that I am available to help him in any way he wants in the transition.

Q. You championed a Proposition 2 1/2 tax override last year that failed. Mayor-elect Warren has said he won’t pursue an override in his first year in office. How soon do you think the city will need to significantly increase property taxes?

A. I worked very hard throughout my term as mayor to make decisions that would put the city in as strong a financial shape as possible. That’s why the city was able to be one of the few cities that essentially had no cuts in the municipal budget during this fiscal year, when local aid was cut by about $3 million. There are a number of areas where we have strong reserves. I was always very careful not to make predictions about an override except for the next year. So I think mayor-elect Warren is being very prudent in making his prediction and his commitment for one year.

Q. What’s next for you?

A. I have always said that there are a thousand ways to serve the city of Newton. After Jan. 1, I will be looking at the other 999. Newton is my home. It’s been the home for three generations of Cohens. It is the city I love, and I look forward to looking at the other 999 ways that I can do something for this city.

Q. What are some of those ways?

A. I wouldn’t even begin to think about that. There are committees, there are advocacy groups, there are not-for-profits.

Q. What about professionally?

A. The greatest privilege in my life has been to serve Newton as an elected official on the Board of Aldermen, as a state representative, and now as mayor. That chapter in my life is coming to a close on Dec. 31. It is with enormous gratitude to the people of Newton that I leave public office and return to private life.

Calvin Hennick can be reached at calvinhennick@globe.com.