Newton Candidate Profile: Jennifer Bentley, At Large Ward 2

NEWTON, MA — The city will have several contested races in this fall's election, including one for at large city councilor from Ward 2 where four candidates -including the two incumbents - are vying for the two seats. Patch asked candidates in the contested races to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as election day draws near.

Jennifer Bentley is one of two new faces challenging incumbents Jake Auchincloss and Susan Albright for their at-large ward 2 seats. The other new face? Tarik Lucas.

Bentley, 45, said she's lived on the north side of the city (Newton Corner, Auburndale, Newtonville, and West Newton) for the past two decades. Her husband, Braden Houston, ran for the same seat in 2017.

They have 2 daughters; Beckett, a 7th grader at Day Middle School and Blake, a 2nd grader at Peirce Elementary.

She has a bachelors degree in art and art history from Colgate University in Hamilton, NY and a graduate certificate in Historic Preservation from the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Fine Arts.

She's the director of marketing for a Boston architectural firm with more than 20 years of experience in the building and design industry. She's been on the Newton Historical Commission since 2018, was a board member o the Pierce PTO from 2016 to 2018, and now is a co-president on the Day Middle School PTO.

She took a minute to answer a list of question we sent her. Here's what she said. Her answers have not been edited.

Previously: Newton Election Calendar 2019: What To Know About Election

Are you running for office in Newton? Contact Jenna Fisher at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com for information on being featured in a candidate's profile and submitting campaign announcements to Newton Patch.

The single most pressing issue facing Newton is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

The single most pressing issue facing our City is the speed and scale of development in Newton. Currently the City is determining Zoning and Land Use permitting for Riverside, Northland, Washington Street, etc. independently from each other. If elected, I intend to push the City to develop an updated, holistic plan that will deal with the impacts these mega-developments will have on the city in terms of our overcrowded schools, increase in traffic, and inability of our infrastructure to keep up with the demand these developments are going to place on the system.

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

I believe there is a clear distinction between the two incumbents and the two challengers in the Ward 2 At Large race. Anyone who is following the election closely knows that the incumbents are for big development across the City, while I am for responsible and appropriately scaled development.

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

Over the last few years, I have begun to believe that our current City government is on wrong path. I have spoken to a lot of neighbors, friends, and residents across the City during my campaigning and a significant number of them tell me that they believe that their voices are going unheard by our current Councilors. A lot of residents are also frustrated by the fact that most of our current Councilors seem to let Developers get everything they want in the special permitting process and that we, as a City, aren't getting very much in return. I think our City Councilor should push back a little more and negotiate on behalf of the residents and the City for a better deal from these Developers.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform:

The lack of affordable and workforce housing in Newton is a major problem, but the proposed mega-developments, with over 80% luxury housing units, won’t fix it. If more truly affordable housing is our goal, we should negotiate a higher percentage of affordable units in their projects during the special permitting process.

In addition, our workforce housing shortage can be addressed with zoning redesign, which will be up for review next term. The current zoning code encourages the tear down of naturally affordable housing; City Council should find ways to incentivize keeping these naturally affordable units in our housing stock. In addition, our redesigned zoning code should support municipal Climate Change Resiliency, with new large developments utilizing solar panels, electric vehicle charging stations, and non-fossil fuel heat, as well as following passive house initiatives. With my experience in the building and design industry, I could provide a lot of knowledge and insight for that process.

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

I have been an avid volunteer and organization leader for many years. In Newton, I have been very active in the PTO (at both Peirce and Day), and have a great connection to the communities at each. I am currently the co-President of the Day Middle School PTO, which has taught me the skills of balancing the needs of many different stakeholders, and making decisions that benefit them all. I have held several executive leadership positions in the Boston Chapter of the Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS), including a Board Member and the VP/President/Past President positions. During my time as a leader in this organization, I led the largest Chapter in the country through the recession of 2008-2011. It taught me how to make tough decisions during a fiscal crisis in our industry. I have since volunteered on many regional and national committees, including conference planning committees for events with 500+ attendees. Through these volunteer efforts I have learned the value of collaboration and listening to all stakeholders.

In addition, I have design and building industry knowledge that will help the City Council negotiate more effectively with developers and help add a different prospective to zoning redesign.

The best advice ever shared with me was ...

The best advice ever shared with me was "use your voice" by my high school creative writing teacher. As a woman, I sometimes need to be reminded that my voice is my strength and my power. If I see something wrong or unjust, I always try to use my voice to speak out against it. For example, because I didn't like what I was seeing in City Council chamber I decided to "use my voice" and run for office to raise my objections to what is going on. And if I lose this race, at least I know that I used my voice the best way I could. To this day, I pass my teacher's advice on to my daughters and encourage them to use their voices to speak up for themselves against the wrongs in the world.

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

I think that most people who know me would tell you that what you see is what you get. During my campaign, I have never given any of my supporters lip service. I am outspoken if I feel Newton is getting the short end of the stick on any of the deals it is making with developers, and if I think a decision is right for the residents, I am not afraid to make the hard choices. I promise to always represent the residents of my Ward and the City to the best of my ability to make sure they feel heard and that their opinions are always considered.

Your social media info (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook)

https://www.facebook.com/electjenniferbentley

My favorite aspect of this city is...

I love my close-knit neighborhood on Mt. Vernon Street. I love talking with my neighbors as they walk down the street, seeing them at our annual block party, and feeling close enough to many of them to borrow tools or eggs or whatever I am short on. While I love my neighborhood now, I have seen the same neighborhood comradery in all the neighborhoods I have lived in across Newton. That's what I love about this City...we all watch out for each other and care about our neighbors. I can't imagine living anywhere else.

What's your take on all the recent development in the city?

While the multiple developments offer an opportunity to create more affordable housing in Newton, they are way too big and dense for their respective neighborhood, and should scaled down so that they are more closely aligned with what the neighbors want and City can handle. We should also be cautious about building up our luxury apartment stock and not providing enough workforce or affordable housing; I don’t think the inclusionary zoning number of 17.5% is enough.

More on Newton Elections:

• Newton Election Calendar 2019: What To Know About Election
• Ward 5 Residents To Head To The Polls Sept. 10
• Humphrey, Winters Win Preliminary Election In Newton's Ward 5
• Rick Lipof Is Running Unopposed
• Marc Laredo Has No Challenger
• Becky Grossman, At-Large Ward 7 - unopposed

More candidate profiles:

• Kathryn Winters - Ward 5
• Bill Humphrey - Ward 5
• Rena Getz - Ward 5 (write in)
• Andreae Downs - At Large Ward 5
• Deb Crossly - At Large Ward 5
• Brenda Noel, Ward 6 City Councilor
• Vicki Danberg - At Large Ward 6
• Emily Norton (Incumbent)- Ward 2
• Bryan Barash - Ward 2
• Jake Auchincloss(Incumbent) - At Large Ward 2
• Susan Albright (Incumbent) - At Large Ward 2
• Tarik Lucas -At Large Ward 2
• Ruth Goldman - School Committee
• Kathleen Shields - School Committee

Are you running for office in Newton? Contact Jenna Fisher at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com for information on being featured in a candidate's profile and submitting campaign announcements to Newton Patch.