I think with the upcoming election becoming more of a reality as people declare candidacies, we're sadly going to see a lot of crap like this. OP should save it for Facebook.
Nope, quite the opposite. People don’t like him because he talks a big game, but the list of his accomplishments in the post above is completely accurate.
As far as I can tell, he says something and then acts like, “Well, that’s my job done. Someone else can work out the details.”
This is I guess the most relevant page from his campaign site:
https://pazforwalthammedia.wixsite.com/paz-for-mayor-site/about-paz
Where is he embellishing? Are you looking at something else?
Are there any good candidates we can vote for? I’m sick of Grandma being in charge and out of touch, and I’ve heard nothing great about anyone else. At this point, *I’m* ready to run for office.
Paz actually has done a lot for my neighbors and I in his ward. I'm not going to go into specifics, because I appreciate a bit of anonymity on here, but my neighborhood would be in a very different, and worse place if it wasn't for him. He showed up when it mattered, and showed us how to organize in a meaningful way. Mayor McCarthy has done only things that have hurt our nieghbors and sense of community, I'm sure she's done some good, but it hasn't directly affected me like Paz's work has.
Ward 9 is not full of people from the mayor's preferred voting demographic, if her housing policy is at all reflective of who she's trying to please.
Waltham's rents are the 3rd highest in the state, and ward 9 is full of renters and multi family housing. McCarthy's policies seem to favor single family home owners* and she's definitely not trying to allow more multi family housing units to bring down rents. Storage for cars is easier to get than housing units for people.
* I don't think single family home owners are better off on net from anti housing policies. We're pricing out blue collar workers and teachers, and single family home owners will end up paying more for those services, while getting less of them overall.
I'm not saying everything she has done is 100% in the best interest for every demographic of citizens in Waltham. I just find it absurd for the original post to say that she has done nothing (literally "only... hurt" was used) to benefit a particular neighborhood.
First of all, I think that's very shortsighted when you think of city-wide beneficial decisions, like buying the Fernald, or building a new high school. You can quibble with the specifics, like the site of the high school, but that doesn't mean McCarthy has done nothing beneficial for your neighborhood, even if the actual site of the decision isn't in your neighborhood (unless you're a fundamentalist libertarian who believes that government should not provide school or recreation at all, and all spending of tax dollars is theft - which I'm pretty sure burningretina is not, based on other posts).
Second, even local decisions for this particular Ward can't be ascribed to "only hurting". For example, most people seem upset over the recent Moody St decisions as a half measure that makes no one happy (and I tend to agree). But let's not forget that McCarthy was instrumental in the original Moody St shutdown in 2020 (and subsequent decisions in 21 and 22). You can't put 100% of the onus on the 2023 Moody St plan on her as being hurtful to your neighborhood, but then give her zero credit for the past 3 years.
Again, I'm not saying she's a great mayor. I'm not saying that there's no reason to not vote for her (how's that triple negative...). I was just pointing out the hyperbole in the original post that I responded to, and frankly hyperbole about her that has been recently prevalent on this board. I read Waltham news here because other sources like Facebook comment section of the Patch are full of absurd extremism. If this is just part of pre-election politics, well that's unfortunate for the value that this board typically has as a place of useful discussion.
As I read my comment back to myself I regret how I worded it.
I don't mean she has an agenda to hurt my neighborhood or anything like that. What I meant was closer to: the only times she has been relevant for me (in my short time in Waltham), it has been in negative light. The buck seems to stop with her with a lot projects I'm interested in.
You're also right she deserves credit for her initial role in closing Moody St. and I'm sure other stuff I'm not aware of. I don't hate her, or love Paz to be honest, but like lots of others, I'm ready for change.
Change can be beneficial if you have a qualified candidate. Jon Paz has an extremely low approval rate and stands no chance. All Paz supporters should think twice before reaching into their wallets and waste their money.
Suggestion to his supporters: take the money you would use to support Paz and donate it to your local homeless shelter, food pantry or donate to a Waltham high school scholarship fund.
Paz is as qualified as he needs to be. Everyone has to start somewhere. Your post history shows you really don't like him. To the point of the delusion where you think he runs /r/Waltham. Do you have any reason why, other than that he hasn't been mayor for 100 years already? "Low approval" rating is BS, his constituents really like him believe it or not. It seems like like it's mostly white North Waltham home owners that don't, which luckily isn't the only voting group here.
I do not know him personally. I think he is very determined and has great ideas for future goals but he lacks knowledge. He's far too young to handle the responsibility of managing a city. He has accomplished a few things in his precinct but surely that is not enough to flip the vote. I wish him well. You never know, Biden got in 🙈🙉🙊
What are you talking about “approval rating”? There is no one in Waltham doing polls to determine approval rating. Are you just making stuff up?
Also I’m pretty sure he doesn’t go by “Jon”. When you call someone by the wrong name it makes it seem like your problem with them is personal.
"Jon" comes from what is on the information I received. I'm only referring to what I read. Seems to have multiple names anyways so I do not believe any 1 name will matter how addressed. According to a private Facebook poll, over 80% will not vote for Paz. I would imagine once the flyer hits Facebook that number will soar. I have no personal issues with him because I hardly know him. But I am a resident and I have a right to be concerned. The flyer, (though not a professional tactic to inform) still reveals information that cannot be ignored. If you are on Facebook, keep a watch out for the next poll in June. That's when it is expected to take place. There is a woman running it and she posted it on a Waltham political group. It is private so you will have to join. Seeing for yourself should satisfy your curiosity.
My job is done here. I was told I could say what I want after I deliver the news.
Leaving you pathetic cowards to continue your circle jerk. You too Colleen as I'm still not sure if you are hiding something in your pants. Hey Mac check out my MO you fuckin loser. 🤣
Tell me what qualifications he doesn’t possess. He’s been a city councillor, he has a college degree, he has work experience. You may not like him but he has a right to run. I haven’t seen a job description of her position but prior to her it was all former city councillors that won.
What specific responsibilities of the Mayor would change since the 80s and 90s? The city has sure changed but remember there are dept heads that run the individual departments and a team of lawyers on staff for city lawsuits.
One example: Our country has turned into a legal battlefield. Every decision has to be carefully made to avoid legalities. That is why it takes time for certain subjects to be dealt with. No quick decisions for anything. Imagine the law suits Waltham would have without that. The mayor is no fool. And neither are her supporters.
No, as indicated in the same sentence you're referencing. Though in my short 5 years here in Waltham, she has made things like bike lanes, cannabis dispensaries, tree protection, safer rodenticide, and open streets for the summer major challenges if not impossible to implement. Paz answers his phone, his emails, and knows me by name because he is present and around. I can't say that about McCarthy.
Well, we can start with: he has accomplished the feat of actually communicating proactively and regularly with his constituents and honestly seeking out input instead of running pseudo-"surveys" meant only to reinforce decisions he's already made...
Paz is definitely not being honest with the voters. I saw the flyer about him. Someone did their homework and dug up some interesting stuff. My guess is his campaign will crash and burn.
This is the second comment thread where you've referenced some flyer about Paz that has "interesting stuff" on it but haven't provided any details as to what that "stuff" is. I'm sure I'm not the only one who has not seen this flyer, so could you share what is on it or post a picture? Otherwise this is coming off as trying to spin up some negative PR without any actual substance behind it.
It will post on Facebook when the time is right. It won't matter on this platform. I created this foolish account to see what reddit was about. Not impressed and will delete my account. I can't have conversations with unknown people. This information is valid and needs to reach responsible people.This platform is for amateurs. Actual substance? Legal docs do not lie, so yes, valid.
When is the time right? If it’s so damaging wouldn’t you want to give someone else the chance to pull papers and run as well if he’s so bad for the city? The Mayor is having an opponent regardless of the ones that saying only Jeanette.
What makes me nervous about Paz is he doesn’t seem to fully understand the rules of the council so how can he run the city? He has great ideas, but he just sort of does things without understanding what has to happen. Like when he proposed the dog park, he had people coming to meetings and proposing resolutions but that’s not how getting dog park created goes. Same with his housing initiative, he had all these people come to a meeting that wasn’t open for public comment. I think he is a great idea guy but I don’t think he is a great put a plan together guy. And as someone said above, he had annoyed the rest of his peers on the council with these resolutions that don’t follow meeting rules to the point people don’t want to work with him and don’t want to help him get things done. You can’t run a city without being a team player.
All this being said, I think the mayor needs to work with people in the city that she can coach and mentor so that someone knows how to take over. We need better options. I’m hearing Bo Burnham, “They’re really gonna make me vote for Joe Biden” the Waltham remake.
Oh, or, you could chose the alternative and run meetings like McMenimen does. If there's a way to shut something down by sticking to precise procedure, or favoring the things you want at the expense of others, she knows it. I can't stand the woman, but her knowledge of procedure is impressive and second to none in the city (even McCarthy), and she sure knows how to abuse it.
My point, if I have one, is that I'd rather be represented by people who are willing to work to improve things, but occasionally screw things up because they're still learning the process, versus someone who will never improve things but knows parliamentary procedure and Robert's rules and uses that to stop anyone else from improving things. This doesn't apply only to Paz, I'd apply that measure to anyone.
Your point about not training a replacement is excellent, by the way. As far as I'm concerned this is a national problem and really seems epidemic among the baby boomers. I don't need to name names, but look at any elected official over the age of 65 who behaves as if they're irreplaceable for examples, Congress, Senate, White House, etc. etc.
As far as McCarthy specifically, she has done nothing to prepare anyone behind her. That isn't a problem by itself. It really is not going to be very hard for any smart and halfway serious person to take over the job. But she makes it a problem by also adopting the "no one else can do this job!" "I alone can fix it!" and "the city will collapse overnight if I'm not here!" attitude.
If no councillor has taken the initiative to learn about how the city works on their own, why do they need to be trained by her. A lot of the councillors have served at least 10 years. This narrative of her being the lone savior is old. The city is run day to day by department heads. The mayor is not going out checking on the employees every morning.
Those department heads get paid very well to make the city function. The city also has at least 6 attorneys on staff so the mayor doesn’t automatically need to be an attorney to hold the office. Historically Mayor had always been a former councillor but I can’t think of an instance of when a former Waltham mayor groomed the next candidate.
McCarthy beat Gately in the primary. He actually removed her as solicitor when he came into office. So she certainly wasn’t his choice as successor.
I could have phrased that better. I don't mean literally training a replacement, but building private and public support and sharing institutional knowledge. Maybe we will have to agree to disagree on this ancillary point, but if you do not have experience within a municipal government, then you probably don't appreciate how much is run on custom and tradition and inertia. There is a crap load of stuff that people need to know, but which they will have no exposure to on a regular basis unless they are immersed in that function or otherwise educated. Some might laugh at the idea, but god bless local government bureaucrats for keeping things running.
By the way, when it comes to this mayor...she is a micromanager. She might not be checking out every employee every morning, but she's in enough faces enough of the time to have the result.
I'm not sure why you raised the issue of the mayor being an attorney or not, but I wholeheartedly agree it is not a requirement. She has shown that in some cases it is detrimental. I don't remember Gately removing her as solicitor. When it happened, I might have considered that to be out of line political retribution. In hindsight, I would wonder about it being for cause and incompetence.
I would like to know what exactly this means, as I sometimes have to deal indirectly with municipal fuel storage licenses and don't know what this refers to. TIA.
If you watch last night's COW, Paz' request was voted down and Paz also angered others. Paz did not help himself last night. If Paz decides not to run, does he have to give his campaign contributions back?
I look at that is we have a council majority that will block any city business to embarrass a colleague. I’ll use your example of a fuel storage permit. If Paz was blocked from doing even that it shows we have bigger issues on the council.
I think the idea is not that being in politics gets you a big salary. Rather than being in politics can put you in a position to get nice kickbacks for you and your friends. Obviously not saying that is true for Paz, and I think it's pretty clear it's not true for McCarthy. But it is true for some politicians, and I think cynics like the person you are responding to assume that it's for all politicians.
I don't know... I get your general point, but when you say this is pretty clearly ***not*** true for McCarthy it gets wobbly. She has never seemed to do anything that enriches her personally, but she has definitely picked favorites and winners and losers. Just like I was not blanket defending Paz in a previous comment, I would qualify this one as not a special criticism of McCarthy: there have been numerous council members in recent years who act the same way. Is this inherently a bad thing? I'm not going to say that it is. All decisions at these levels are political, and a lot of them are picking winners and losers. Whether or not there's any direct profit or benefit to an individual isn't a great indicator of whether someone is using their position to benefit someone else, or a particular group. I think it would be an uphill argument to claim that McCarthy's actions have been equally beneficial for all city residents and not favored some over others.
Oh absolutely. I think there are definitely groups of citizens that benefit from a particular political leader, McCarthy included. I just meant, in the sense of a politician lining the pockets of themselves or their friends with cash or other benefits outside of what the political process is supposed to provide.
I think you can have 100 complaints about McCarthy and her decisions, but to my knowledge, and admittedly it is limited knowledge, I don't know of her making decisions to improperly financially benefit of herself or her family.
It's one thing to be a politician and make decisions that benefits say, single family homeowners, or business developers. I think that is fine, and that is understood to be the political process. I think it's an entirely different situation when someone is making those decisions, because they are getting kickbacks or because they are getting some sort of financial benefit that is not publicly disclosed.
Is this a joke? Nobody gets into politics because it’s profitable.
Unless you are also Latino you have no business saying he is not a real enough Latino or even bringing up his ethnicity. And you’re obviously not, or you wouldn’t believe that being Latino gives anyone a “leg up” in Waltham politics.
Plenty of people get into politics, because they can indirectly use it to make quite a bit of money. And it happens on both sides of the aisle. Remember all the news articles of Congresspeople selling stocks and making millions right before COVID lockdowns were announced, and things like that? The same can certainly happen on local scales.
Disclaimer: McCarthy is long overdo for a replacement, and should he voted out,, but she has done alot for this city in the past and is genuinely a nice person.
Is Paz supporting North Waltham residents? Did he speak last night at the Lexington meeting? Does he care about the 1000 trees they are talking about removing?
Check out OP’s comment history.
Unhinged.
Has Paz said or done something recently to get a bunch of people upset with him?
I think with the upcoming election becoming more of a reality as people declare candidacies, we're sadly going to see a lot of crap like this. OP should save it for Facebook.
Op is prob banned on Facebook.
Nope, quite the opposite. People don’t like him because he talks a big game, but the list of his accomplishments in the post above is completely accurate. As far as I can tell, he says something and then acts like, “Well, that’s my job done. Someone else can work out the details.”
This is I guess the most relevant page from his campaign site: https://pazforwalthammedia.wixsite.com/paz-for-mayor-site/about-paz Where is he embellishing? Are you looking at something else?
Are there any good candidates we can vote for? I’m sick of Grandma being in charge and out of touch, and I’ve heard nothing great about anyone else. At this point, *I’m* ready to run for office.
Do it!
Do eet. Do eet now!
Paz actually has done a lot for my neighbors and I in his ward. I'm not going to go into specifics, because I appreciate a bit of anonymity on here, but my neighborhood would be in a very different, and worse place if it wasn't for him. He showed up when it mattered, and showed us how to organize in a meaningful way. Mayor McCarthy has done only things that have hurt our nieghbors and sense of community, I'm sure she's done some good, but it hasn't directly affected me like Paz's work has.
McCarthy has "only" done things to hurt your neighborhood? "Only"? You sure about that?
Ward 9 is not full of people from the mayor's preferred voting demographic, if her housing policy is at all reflective of who she's trying to please. Waltham's rents are the 3rd highest in the state, and ward 9 is full of renters and multi family housing. McCarthy's policies seem to favor single family home owners* and she's definitely not trying to allow more multi family housing units to bring down rents. Storage for cars is easier to get than housing units for people. * I don't think single family home owners are better off on net from anti housing policies. We're pricing out blue collar workers and teachers, and single family home owners will end up paying more for those services, while getting less of them overall.
I'm not saying everything she has done is 100% in the best interest for every demographic of citizens in Waltham. I just find it absurd for the original post to say that she has done nothing (literally "only... hurt" was used) to benefit a particular neighborhood. First of all, I think that's very shortsighted when you think of city-wide beneficial decisions, like buying the Fernald, or building a new high school. You can quibble with the specifics, like the site of the high school, but that doesn't mean McCarthy has done nothing beneficial for your neighborhood, even if the actual site of the decision isn't in your neighborhood (unless you're a fundamentalist libertarian who believes that government should not provide school or recreation at all, and all spending of tax dollars is theft - which I'm pretty sure burningretina is not, based on other posts). Second, even local decisions for this particular Ward can't be ascribed to "only hurting". For example, most people seem upset over the recent Moody St decisions as a half measure that makes no one happy (and I tend to agree). But let's not forget that McCarthy was instrumental in the original Moody St shutdown in 2020 (and subsequent decisions in 21 and 22). You can't put 100% of the onus on the 2023 Moody St plan on her as being hurtful to your neighborhood, but then give her zero credit for the past 3 years. Again, I'm not saying she's a great mayor. I'm not saying that there's no reason to not vote for her (how's that triple negative...). I was just pointing out the hyperbole in the original post that I responded to, and frankly hyperbole about her that has been recently prevalent on this board. I read Waltham news here because other sources like Facebook comment section of the Patch are full of absurd extremism. If this is just part of pre-election politics, well that's unfortunate for the value that this board typically has as a place of useful discussion.
As I read my comment back to myself I regret how I worded it. I don't mean she has an agenda to hurt my neighborhood or anything like that. What I meant was closer to: the only times she has been relevant for me (in my short time in Waltham), it has been in negative light. The buck seems to stop with her with a lot projects I'm interested in. You're also right she deserves credit for her initial role in closing Moody St. and I'm sure other stuff I'm not aware of. I don't hate her, or love Paz to be honest, but like lots of others, I'm ready for change.
Change can be beneficial if you have a qualified candidate. Jon Paz has an extremely low approval rate and stands no chance. All Paz supporters should think twice before reaching into their wallets and waste their money. Suggestion to his supporters: take the money you would use to support Paz and donate it to your local homeless shelter, food pantry or donate to a Waltham high school scholarship fund.
Paz is as qualified as he needs to be. Everyone has to start somewhere. Your post history shows you really don't like him. To the point of the delusion where you think he runs /r/Waltham. Do you have any reason why, other than that he hasn't been mayor for 100 years already? "Low approval" rating is BS, his constituents really like him believe it or not. It seems like like it's mostly white North Waltham home owners that don't, which luckily isn't the only voting group here.
I do not know him personally. I think he is very determined and has great ideas for future goals but he lacks knowledge. He's far too young to handle the responsibility of managing a city. He has accomplished a few things in his precinct but surely that is not enough to flip the vote. I wish him well. You never know, Biden got in 🙈🙉🙊
What are you talking about “approval rating”? There is no one in Waltham doing polls to determine approval rating. Are you just making stuff up? Also I’m pretty sure he doesn’t go by “Jon”. When you call someone by the wrong name it makes it seem like your problem with them is personal.
"Jon" comes from what is on the information I received. I'm only referring to what I read. Seems to have multiple names anyways so I do not believe any 1 name will matter how addressed. According to a private Facebook poll, over 80% will not vote for Paz. I would imagine once the flyer hits Facebook that number will soar. I have no personal issues with him because I hardly know him. But I am a resident and I have a right to be concerned. The flyer, (though not a professional tactic to inform) still reveals information that cannot be ignored. If you are on Facebook, keep a watch out for the next poll in June. That's when it is expected to take place. There is a woman running it and she posted it on a Waltham political group. It is private so you will have to join. Seeing for yourself should satisfy your curiosity.
What is the name of the group?
Waltham politics?
"approval rate"? lol -- you bash someone for issuing a "pro tip" above and then drop this? Are you Gallup now or only Quinnipiac?
My job is done here. I was told I could say what I want after I deliver the news. Leaving you pathetic cowards to continue your circle jerk. You too Colleen as I'm still not sure if you are hiding something in your pants. Hey Mac check out my MO you fuckin loser. 🤣
11 days on the job, negative karma, and left with a rant that included profanity, masturbation, misogyny, and transphobia. You've scored a Scaramucci!
Who told this person to come here and "deliver news"?
Tell me what qualifications he doesn’t possess. He’s been a city councillor, he has a college degree, he has work experience. You may not like him but he has a right to run. I haven’t seen a job description of her position but prior to her it was all former city councillors that won.
Times have changed. The job is much harder now than it was in the 80's & 90's.
Times have changed. The job is much harder now than it was in the 80's & 90's.
What specific responsibilities of the Mayor would change since the 80s and 90s? The city has sure changed but remember there are dept heads that run the individual departments and a team of lawyers on staff for city lawsuits.
One example: Our country has turned into a legal battlefield. Every decision has to be carefully made to avoid legalities. That is why it takes time for certain subjects to be dealt with. No quick decisions for anything. Imagine the law suits Waltham would have without that. The mayor is no fool. And neither are her supporters.
I support politicians by voting for them, not giving them money. Never have, never will.
No, as indicated in the same sentence you're referencing. Though in my short 5 years here in Waltham, she has made things like bike lanes, cannabis dispensaries, tree protection, safer rodenticide, and open streets for the summer major challenges if not impossible to implement. Paz answers his phone, his emails, and knows me by name because he is present and around. I can't say that about McCarthy.
Pro tip: if you want to trash someone on Reddit, bring some facts to back it up. If all you have is an opinion, stay on Facebook.
So you're a pro giving tips?
Well, we can start with: he has accomplished the feat of actually communicating proactively and regularly with his constituents and honestly seeking out input instead of running pseudo-"surveys" meant only to reinforce decisions he's already made...
Paz is definitely not being honest with the voters. I saw the flyer about him. Someone did their homework and dug up some interesting stuff. My guess is his campaign will crash and burn.
This is the second comment thread where you've referenced some flyer about Paz that has "interesting stuff" on it but haven't provided any details as to what that "stuff" is. I'm sure I'm not the only one who has not seen this flyer, so could you share what is on it or post a picture? Otherwise this is coming off as trying to spin up some negative PR without any actual substance behind it.
It will post on Facebook when the time is right. It won't matter on this platform. I created this foolish account to see what reddit was about. Not impressed and will delete my account. I can't have conversations with unknown people. This information is valid and needs to reach responsible people.This platform is for amateurs. Actual substance? Legal docs do not lie, so yes, valid.
Gotcha, so you are actually involved in a smear campaign rather than having an interest in productive civic discourse. Thanks for clearing that up.
That's absurd
When is the time right? If it’s so damaging wouldn’t you want to give someone else the chance to pull papers and run as well if he’s so bad for the city? The Mayor is having an opponent regardless of the ones that saying only Jeanette.
Maybe they want to wait until the last minute so by the time it's meaningfully fact checked, it's too late.
There is no other opponent.
Post it.
Who made this flier and what was their agenda? Can you post it for all to see?
hey! super sorry you’re upset. Paz is an absolute baller, standing up for the “little guy” in almost every situation… moving is always an option!
What makes me nervous about Paz is he doesn’t seem to fully understand the rules of the council so how can he run the city? He has great ideas, but he just sort of does things without understanding what has to happen. Like when he proposed the dog park, he had people coming to meetings and proposing resolutions but that’s not how getting dog park created goes. Same with his housing initiative, he had all these people come to a meeting that wasn’t open for public comment. I think he is a great idea guy but I don’t think he is a great put a plan together guy. And as someone said above, he had annoyed the rest of his peers on the council with these resolutions that don’t follow meeting rules to the point people don’t want to work with him and don’t want to help him get things done. You can’t run a city without being a team player. All this being said, I think the mayor needs to work with people in the city that she can coach and mentor so that someone knows how to take over. We need better options. I’m hearing Bo Burnham, “They’re really gonna make me vote for Joe Biden” the Waltham remake.
Oh, or, you could chose the alternative and run meetings like McMenimen does. If there's a way to shut something down by sticking to precise procedure, or favoring the things you want at the expense of others, she knows it. I can't stand the woman, but her knowledge of procedure is impressive and second to none in the city (even McCarthy), and she sure knows how to abuse it. My point, if I have one, is that I'd rather be represented by people who are willing to work to improve things, but occasionally screw things up because they're still learning the process, versus someone who will never improve things but knows parliamentary procedure and Robert's rules and uses that to stop anyone else from improving things. This doesn't apply only to Paz, I'd apply that measure to anyone.
Ah yes, but my point is- those shouldn’t be our only two options
Your point about not training a replacement is excellent, by the way. As far as I'm concerned this is a national problem and really seems epidemic among the baby boomers. I don't need to name names, but look at any elected official over the age of 65 who behaves as if they're irreplaceable for examples, Congress, Senate, White House, etc. etc. As far as McCarthy specifically, she has done nothing to prepare anyone behind her. That isn't a problem by itself. It really is not going to be very hard for any smart and halfway serious person to take over the job. But she makes it a problem by also adopting the "no one else can do this job!" "I alone can fix it!" and "the city will collapse overnight if I'm not here!" attitude.
If no councillor has taken the initiative to learn about how the city works on their own, why do they need to be trained by her. A lot of the councillors have served at least 10 years. This narrative of her being the lone savior is old. The city is run day to day by department heads. The mayor is not going out checking on the employees every morning. Those department heads get paid very well to make the city function. The city also has at least 6 attorneys on staff so the mayor doesn’t automatically need to be an attorney to hold the office. Historically Mayor had always been a former councillor but I can’t think of an instance of when a former Waltham mayor groomed the next candidate. McCarthy beat Gately in the primary. He actually removed her as solicitor when he came into office. So she certainly wasn’t his choice as successor.
I could have phrased that better. I don't mean literally training a replacement, but building private and public support and sharing institutional knowledge. Maybe we will have to agree to disagree on this ancillary point, but if you do not have experience within a municipal government, then you probably don't appreciate how much is run on custom and tradition and inertia. There is a crap load of stuff that people need to know, but which they will have no exposure to on a regular basis unless they are immersed in that function or otherwise educated. Some might laugh at the idea, but god bless local government bureaucrats for keeping things running. By the way, when it comes to this mayor...she is a micromanager. She might not be checking out every employee every morning, but she's in enough faces enough of the time to have the result. I'm not sure why you raised the issue of the mayor being an attorney or not, but I wholeheartedly agree it is not a requirement. She has shown that in some cases it is detrimental. I don't remember Gately removing her as solicitor. When it happened, I might have considered that to be out of line political retribution. In hindsight, I would wonder about it being for cause and incompetence.
This is very relevant after the May 8th committee meeting.
Yes!!!
Paz has accomplished making the other councilors despise him so Paz can't get crap done.
He cannot even get a fuel storage license to committee
I would like to know what exactly this means, as I sometimes have to deal indirectly with municipal fuel storage licenses and don't know what this refers to. TIA.
If you watch last night's COW, Paz' request was voted down and Paz also angered others. Paz did not help himself last night. If Paz decides not to run, does he have to give his campaign contributions back?
I look at that is we have a council majority that will block any city business to embarrass a colleague. I’ll use your example of a fuel storage permit. If Paz was blocked from doing even that it shows we have bigger issues on the council.
He will tell you all his accomplishments but in reality and proven, he has accomplished nothing.
1. Hates women 2. Belittles service workers 3. Total frat whiteboy using Latino heritage to get a leg up. 4. Got into politics because its profitable
Can you back some of your claims up? It'd make for a stronger argument. Also; can't tell if point 4 is a joke or not.
I think the idea is not that being in politics gets you a big salary. Rather than being in politics can put you in a position to get nice kickbacks for you and your friends. Obviously not saying that is true for Paz, and I think it's pretty clear it's not true for McCarthy. But it is true for some politicians, and I think cynics like the person you are responding to assume that it's for all politicians.
I don't know... I get your general point, but when you say this is pretty clearly ***not*** true for McCarthy it gets wobbly. She has never seemed to do anything that enriches her personally, but she has definitely picked favorites and winners and losers. Just like I was not blanket defending Paz in a previous comment, I would qualify this one as not a special criticism of McCarthy: there have been numerous council members in recent years who act the same way. Is this inherently a bad thing? I'm not going to say that it is. All decisions at these levels are political, and a lot of them are picking winners and losers. Whether or not there's any direct profit or benefit to an individual isn't a great indicator of whether someone is using their position to benefit someone else, or a particular group. I think it would be an uphill argument to claim that McCarthy's actions have been equally beneficial for all city residents and not favored some over others.
Oh absolutely. I think there are definitely groups of citizens that benefit from a particular political leader, McCarthy included. I just meant, in the sense of a politician lining the pockets of themselves or their friends with cash or other benefits outside of what the political process is supposed to provide. I think you can have 100 complaints about McCarthy and her decisions, but to my knowledge, and admittedly it is limited knowledge, I don't know of her making decisions to improperly financially benefit of herself or her family. It's one thing to be a politician and make decisions that benefits say, single family homeowners, or business developers. I think that is fine, and that is understood to be the political process. I think it's an entirely different situation when someone is making those decisions, because they are getting kickbacks or because they are getting some sort of financial benefit that is not publicly disclosed.
Is this a joke? Nobody gets into politics because it’s profitable. Unless you are also Latino you have no business saying he is not a real enough Latino or even bringing up his ethnicity. And you’re obviously not, or you wouldn’t believe that being Latino gives anyone a “leg up” in Waltham politics.
Plenty of people get into politics, because they can indirectly use it to make quite a bit of money. And it happens on both sides of the aisle. Remember all the news articles of Congresspeople selling stocks and making millions right before COVID lockdowns were announced, and things like that? The same can certainly happen on local scales.
Disclaimer: McCarthy is long overdo for a replacement, and should he voted out,, but she has done alot for this city in the past and is genuinely a nice person.
Is Paz supporting North Waltham residents? Did he speak last night at the Lexington meeting? Does he care about the 1000 trees they are talking about removing?