Newton voters will head to the polls, Tuesday, Nov. 4, to elect the city’s next mayor: Al Cecchinelli or Marc Laredo. Both candidates — lifelong Newton residents and Newton North graduates — are hoping to lead a community they’ve each called home for decades.
Laredo, ‘77, left Newton for college and law school before returning to raise his family. A Democrat, he has spent years in public service, first serving on the School Committee for eight years, including one term as chair, and later as a City Councilor for Ward 7. He currently serves as president of the City Council.
“What I tell folks is that I’m not a career politician, I’m a lawyer,” said Laredo, who has practiced law for 40 years. “My combination of personal, civic, and private experience will serve me well as mayor.”
Cecchinelli, ‘82, is a familiar face in Newton’s community, according to Center for Civic Engagement co-director Terry Yoffe. “He was born here, he grew up here. I don’t think he’s ever leaving Newton,” she said.
Yoffe added that Cecchinelli has been active in city nonprofits for decades — from the Sons of the American Legion to the Newton Taxpayers Association. A practicing attorney, Cecchinelli has built his reputation as what Yoffe called “the go-to lawyer for every small problem, whether it’s an eviction or debt issue.”
Although a registered Republican, Cecchinelli describes himself as independent. “I’m an independent person, even though I have the Republican registration,” he said. “I’ve officiated same-sex weddings. I’d like to bring universal primary health care to Newton.”
He explained that his vision for health care would start with a city-run clinic serving municipal employees and eventually expand to include seniors, at-risk youth, and other residents.
Education has been a central point to both candidates’ campaigns.
“When I graduated from Newton North in 1982, we were the fifth best school system in the country. Now we’re not even the fifth best in the state,” Cecchinelli said. He added that he would focus on “bringing money directly into classrooms and cutting administrative costs.”
Cecchinelli, who has taught at North as a long-term culinary substitute, expressed criticism of last year’s teacher strike. “Actually, I’d like to clarify something,” he said. “I don’t consider it a teacher’s strike — I consider it an illegal work stoppage. I hope I wouldn’t have let it get that far, but once it did, that was just something horrible.”
Laredo took a more conciliatory approach. “I respect the work the unions do. I respect their advocacy, and what I’ll work to do is establish personal relationships with their leadership,” he said. “We won’t always agree, but I have deep respect for the union and its members.”
Both candidates expressed confidence in Superintendent Nolin’s leadership and emphasized the importance of supporting teachers.
Another dividing issue in the race is development — how Newton should grow while preserving its character.
Cecchinelli has been outspoken against large-scale housing projects, arguing they threaten the city’s small-town charm. “We’re being lied to about the reasons for development,” he said. “Affordable housing units are not affordable enough, and high-density housing comes at the cost of Newton’s character. We’re allowing developers to strip mine our community for profit.”
Laredo, by contrast, supports managed growth. “The city cannot stay stagnant. We are going to have development,” he said. “That said, just because it has the word development in it doesn’t mean it’s inherently good.” He emphasized that every project should be reviewed and improved before approval.
Laredo also highlighted the importance of protecting local businesses. “We want to help our restaurants and our smaller ‘mom and pop’ establishments that add vitality to the city,” he said. “There’s an appropriate place for certain chain stores, but balance is what gives villages their character.”
Despite their differences in party affiliation and policy, both Cecchinelli and Laredo share deep ties to Newton and a commitment to its future.
“As a Democrat, Laredo is one of the deepest benched candidates the city’s probably ever seen,” said Center for Civic Engagement co-director Claudia Wu. “And Cecchinelli — well, everyone knows him. They both care deeply about Newton.”
In a time of growing political polarization, both candidates share one message echoed by Yoffe and Wu alike: “Get out and vote.”
