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Warren's first task: Bring Newton together

E-mail|Link|Comments () Posted November 9, 2009 09:40 AM

By Calvin Hennick, Globe Correspondent

As a candidate, Newton’s mayor-elect Setti Warren said he could unify the city by bringing diverse groups of people together. That pledge will be put to the test in January when Warren takes the helm of a city whose voters split nearly down the middle between him and his opponent, state Representative Ruth Balser.

Warren took the first step when he announced his transition team on Friday with Balser standing at his side. Balser, who was the top vote-getter in the preliminary election but lost by two percentage points in the final, said she would support Warren’s efforts through her continued role at the State House.

Noting that she and Warren shared many common views on the challenges facing the city, Balser declared: ‘‘Even though the vote was nearly evenly divided, the city is not.’’

Warren echoed that assessment in an interview the day after the election. "What I intend to do is work very closely in partnership with her," he said. "I’ve already started calling and reaching out to her supporters.”

Working in Warren’s favor may be the fact that the campaign was virtually free of negative attacks.

“Because this election was waged in a positive way on both sides, there is not a divide of rancor to try to cross,” said R. Lisle Baker, the president of the Board of Aldermen. Baker remained neutral in the election. “But there is an opportunity to reach out to constituencies that didn’t support him at first.”

“He’s won the election,” Baker added. “Now he has to continue to build on that foundation in order to succeed with his administration.”

Eleven members of the city’s 24-member Board of Aldermen endorsed Balser, including former mayoral candidate Ken Parker. But Parker said Warren won’t have a problem winning over those who didn’t support him during the campaign.

“I think everyone’s going to be supportive of Mayor Warren’s efforts to bring the city together,” Parker said. I don’t think that will be a problem.

Parker said most Newton residents want essentially the same things from their city government.

“We’re not talking national politics here,” Parker said. “There aren’t real divisive issues. People want open honest government. They want reliable services. And they want responsible fiscal practices.”

During the campaign, Warren said the city has suffered from a lack of leadership under current Mayor David Cohen. Warren said that, by contrast, his administration would be transparent and accountable.

Ultimately, though, Warren’s time in office may be judged by how he handles the city’s finances.

Five members of Warren’s transition team come from the Citizen Advisory Group, an influential panel set up to study the city’s operations. The group said Newton is running a “structural deficit,” meaning that some costs, such as employee health insurance, are going up faster than revenues.

The panel also said the city has fallen behind in its commitments to infrastructure maintenance and retiree benefits and recommended that the city cut some services and raise revenues through new and increased user fees.

“What [Warren] has to do is help people understand in a realistic sense the current financial position of the city,” said the group's chairman, Malcolm Salter, who will serve as an adviser to Warren's transition team. “I think a lot of people want to see him be a success.”

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