Newton Candidate Profile: Tarik Lucas, At Large Councilor Ward 2

NEWTON, MA — There will be several contested races in this fall's election, including one for School Committee, City Councilor at large and for ward councilors. Patch asked candidates in the contested races to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as election day draws near.

Tarik Lucas, 37, is vying to take one of two Councilor at Large Ward 2 seats. He's facing off against incumbents Jake Auchincloss and Susan Albright, who both aim to keep their seats. Newcomer Jennifer Bentley is also hoping to grab one of the two seats.

Lucas moved to Newton in 2009. He comes from Brookline, where he graduated from Brookline High School, and then went on to Springfield College. For the past 11 years he's worked at Harvard University Press as a royalty specialist. Last year he joined the Newtonville Area Council and has served as an alternate on the Newtonville Historic District Commission.

His mom works for the Massachusetts Mental Health Center as a Psychiatric Nurse.

He took a minute to answer a list of question we sent him. Here's what he said. His 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.

Development & Zoning

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

I am for Local Representation; the two incumbents are not. If elected, I will provide the PROPER oversight of the Newton Planning Department. I aim to be a true representative or voice of the residents of Newton.

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

As I said in my previous answer; the proper oversight of the Newton Planning Department. Additionally, the current Ward 2 at-large councilors; acted as a rubber-stamp for the mega-developments in Newtonville. I will always advocate for the residents of the surrounding community and push back on the for-profit private developers.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform:

Being a proper check and balance against developers and other special interest. We are lacking transparency in our elected officials. We need to have easy access to voting records of every single City Councilor and School Committee member on the City’s website. I also would like to down-size the City Council to the 8-8 model (still keeps the Local Ward Councilor).

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

As a Newtonville Area Councilor, I co-authored a residential survey on the future of Washington Street. During the process we held many meetings, sought advice from the public, organized a mailing campaign, analyzed the results, wrote a complete detailed analysis, gave a well-attended presentation of the report, and submitted the analysis to the Planning Department, City Councilors, and Mayor Fuller. And the Newtonville Area Council did all of this for free and at no cost to the taxpayers. We simply wanted to serve our community and give the residents of Newton a voice of what they wanted to see happen to Washington Street. What we found out is that the residents who live near or on Washington Street, want to see new developments controlled and the buildings limited to 3-4 stories in height.

The best advice ever shared with me was ...

Better to be a great listener than a great talker.

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

I have been endorsed by the Newton Teachers Association and Right Size Newton. I volunteered for the No on Charter campaign 2 years ago.

Your social media info (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook)

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tarik.lucas.5648

My favorite aspect of this city is...

The unique village layout. And access to many parks and green space.
For Riverside, I support the Lower Falls Improvement Association’s zoning amendment to the Riverside Train Station.

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

For Northland, I would support one of two proposals. Either reduce the number of apartment units and the commercial square footage. Or build the entire Northland project in phases to see if the Traffic Demand Management (TDM) is feasible and effective.

I spoke out publicly against 28 Austin Street and Washington Place. Additionally, NewCAL could have been built on the Austin Street parking lot, but the City Council lacked the proper vision and foresight. And the Hello Washington Street Vision Plan has been a disaster. Starting with the $500,000 no-bid contract to the planning consultant, which was approved by the City Council. The planning consultant was told by the public to minimize the development, and they created a vision plan to maximize the new development. For Washington Street, the residents would like to see a vision plan that has new buildings at 3-4 stories in height with proper setbacks. This information can be found in the Envisioning Washington Street Survey, that was produced by the Newtonville Area Council.

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
• Rena Getz Is Running As A Write In

More candidate profiles:

• Kathryn Winters - Ward 5
• Bill Humphrey - Ward 5
• Andreae Downs - At Large Ward 5
• Deb Crossly - At Large Ward 5
• Brenda Noel - Ward 6
• 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

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.