Thoughts on Mayor Warren's Possible Senate Run
Tuesday, March 8, 2011 at 07:45PM On Thurday evening, Newton TAB reporter Chloe Gotsis emailed me a few questions regarding my thoughts on Mayor Warren's possible U.S. Senate candidacy. I was not able to write her back until this afternoon. Here are her questions and my answers:
What do you think about Setti's job so far?
I’ll reserve comment on that until after Mayor Warren presents his Fiscal Year 2012 budget.
If you got elected mayor, would you be making an announcement about higher office 14 months into your term?
No, I spent eighteen years on the Board of Aldermen learning about the operation of Newton’s government. It would have taken me at least a full four-year term to address our major challenges, such as the structural deficit and consolidating redundant departments and functions. I would not have considered a run for higher office during my first term.
What is your reaction to the announcement? Do you think Setti would be able to work full-time as Newton's mayor and campaign at the same time?
I do not fault Mayor Warren for considering a run for the U.S. Senate, although I worry that even testing the waters may be a distraction. However, I will be very critical if he becomes a candidate without resigning his position as mayor, as I do not think he can run for statewide office while giving the job of mayor full-time attention.
Is he leaving too soon?
If he is more passionate about serving in Washington than dealing with local issues like streets, snow, and schools, then by all means he should run for the Senate. But he should not attempt to do both jobs at the same time. If he wants to serve in the U.S. Senate, he should give the campaign his full attention and allow someone else to give the City of Newton his or her full attention.
Reader Comments (1)
It turns out the TAB did go ahead with an article in this week's paper. You can find it here:
http://www.wickedlocal.com/newton/news/x904831108/TABs-Setti-Warren-for-Senate-Watch-Former-opponents-weigh-in-on-mayors-potential-Senate-bid#axzz1G3UOGJkb