Candidate Profile: Barry Bergman, Ward 6 Newton City Council

NEWTON, MA — Barry Bergman is running against incumbent Brenda Noel for Ward 6 City Council. There are 12 people vying for the eight Ward Councilor seats on the Newton City Council in the Nov. 2 municipal election, as well as contested races for Councilor-At-Large, mayor, and school committee.

Newton Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles this week.

Bergman was a Financial Systems Consultant and CPA for 40 years and is now retired. He holds an MBA in Taxation from Bentley University.

Are you running for office in Newton? Contact Annie Sandoli at annie.sandoli@patch.com for information on being featured in a candidate profile and submitting campaign announcements to Newton Patch.

Campaign website

www.barrybergman.org

Age (as of Election Day)

67

Position Sought

Ward 6 City Councilor

Party Affiliation

Democrat

Family

Wife – Susan Daughters – Jessica and Stephanie

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

BS in Business Administration / MBA – Boston University
Masters Degree in Taxation – Bentley University

Occupation

Financial Systems Consultant and CPA for 40 years - now retired

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

none

Why are you seeking elective office?

When I worked as a financial systems consultant, listening to the needs of the client was key to a successful software implementation. The same is true in representing Ward 6. Residents are concerned about out of scale development. They don’t believe that high density will lead to affordable housing. They want our tree canopy restored and natural gas leaks addressed. I am running because I agree with our residents and we want to be heard.

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

The biggest issue is teardowns and the resulting out of scale homes that are built and shoehorned into the smaller lots of Ward 6. The chair of our Zoning and Planning Committee refuses to hear the docketed item on teardowns in her committee. I intend to put public pressure on her to schedule this topic. I also plan to lead the fight to pass zoning ordinances to control out of scale development in our residential areas.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I believe that we need to balance personal property rights with our social contract with our neighbors. My opponent doesn’t.
I don’t believe that building two homes on a single family lot will lead to affordable housing. The math doesn’t work. My opponent is advocating for this.
My opponent voted to cut the FY2021 police budget. I believe we should work as partners with the police to implement the Police Reform Task Force recommendations. We shouldn’t be adversaries.
I believe that we need to be more aggressive in rebuilding our tree canopy. My opponent believes that our tree replacement policies are fine.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)

The current officeholder is in favor of increased density in our residential areas saying that this will lead to affordable housing. This just isn’t true because the math doesn’t work. We can see this if we look at the modest two family homes being torn down on Athelstane Road that are being replaced by two $1.6 million homes on a lot. This is a preview at what will happen if single family zoning is abolished.
The current officeholder believes that Newton’s tree replacement strategy is fine. Yet, our Division of Forestry website says “In recent years the number of trees planted by the City of Newton has been less than the number of trees removed.”
The current officeholder voted against the FY2021 police budget. We need to work with our police on a common vision of how we can all feel safe and to implement the Police Task Force recommendations

How do you think local officials performed in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently?

I am happy with the City’s work in facilitating outdoor dining. However, I believe that we could have handled our schools better by allowing some form of masked, socially distant hybrid learning starting earlier in the pandemic. This mistake hurt the education of our children.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

Newton’s Comprehensive says “Fix it first”. It states the obvious. It is costly to let maintenance of our infrastructure lapse. We also need more budget transparency to make smart spending decisions. Most importantly, we need to listen to our residents and address their concerns no matter who they are, including the disabled community and our seniors.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

From my financial systems consulting experience, I have learned that listening to the needs of the client, teamwork, and compromise are the key elements to success. The same is true in representing Ward 6. I am listening to the concerns of our residents and plan to address them if I am elected. I also believe that by working as part of a team with other city councilors we can successfully address many of Newton’s issues. I will work hard to find points of compromise that can pull us together to create effective solutions and avoid gridlock.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

You can do anything if you set your mind to it.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

In 2007 Wellesley residents dealt with the “mansionization” of their town by voting for a Large House Review process. They recognized that personal property rights need to be balanced with one’s social contract with the neighbors. In Newton we haven’t dealt with “mansionization” at all. Today, 14 years after Wellesley dealt with the issue, our Zoning and Planning Committee chair still refuses to schedule a docketed item regarding teardowns and the resulting out of scale structures. I find this unacceptable.