Category Archives: Planning and Development

Planning and Development, Newburyport, MA, urban planning, the design, construction and organization of Newburyport’s urban spaces, architecture and activities.

The Meeting with Newburyport’s Proposed Planning Director

Proposed Planning Director for Newburyport, MA, for a meet and greet, Christopher Ryan.

I don’t know, I’m singularly under whelmed.

What I’d like to hear is someone who wants to protect Newburyport’s historic character, charm and beauty. I’m hearing vague references to historic preservation, nothing with any teeth to it.

I’d like to hear that Mr. Ryan has already studied the Newburyport Master Plan backwards and forwards and is looking forward to its further implementation. (I’m not hearing that. I could be just down right “catty” and say what I’ve heard is that Mr. Ryan has gotten around to downloading it.)

I’d like to be hearing that Mr. Ryan as Planning Director is ready to drive out “bad apple” developers out of town and looking forward to working with developers who have Newburyport’s best interest at heart. Let me tell you, I’m really not hearing that one at all.

“To address the issues of ‘conflict of development.’ Ryan said he wants to ‘look at the various groups and be as inclusive as possible and find common ground. Divisiveness is not good moving forward.’ ” (Newburyport Daily News, August 8, 2006.)

Let me tell you Newburyport, Massachusetts is polarized when it comes to inappropriate development. There is no common ground. I doubt that there ever will be common ground with development that is seen as destructive to Newburyport’s authenticity.

From what I can make out, Mr. Moak’s point of view is that (it sounds like all) development is vital for Newburyport’s tax base, a balanced budget is crucial…historic character, beauty, charm, environment, all things that in my book ensure long term economic health, take second place. (Can you tell that the Mayor and I have a difference of opinion on this one?)

And it sounds to me that Mr. Moak has found a personable and “amicable, engaging” appointee, one who is qualified enough for the Newburyport City Council to eventually approve.

And I think Mr. Moak has found someone who would be what a friend of mine would call a “silencer.” People who have questions concerning certain projects and players in town could be seen as “uncooperative” if they were not willing to seek “common ground” and address “conflict of development.”

Can you tell that this blogger is not what someone might call a “team player” when it comes to inappropriate development that destroys the authenticity of Newburyport, Massachusetts. I think you can definitely count me out on the “developer common ground” thing, the “conflict of development” thing. No offense or anything, but those don’t work for me.

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

Newburyport, Linkage Fees and Affordable Housing

I was talking to a resident who knows a whole lot more about affordable housing than I do (basically I know zip.)

What I was told is although the Community Preservation Act (CPA) money will go far for open space and historic preservation, affordable housing is very, very expensive.

Housing needs to be bought, and is incredibly expensive, then most probably it needs to be rehabbed, more expense, and then I gather a long term maintenance program needs to be set up. All of this, I would imagine would require a great deal of red tape and an amazing amount of time and energy.

The term “linkage fees” came up.

Now I’ve never heard of linkage fees before, but looking it up very quickly on the Web I got this information:

A linkage fee “requires developers to pay into a housing trust fund. The rationale for linkage is that developers should pay for the impact their projects have on the community.” (Boston Globe, September 9, 2002)

“Boston’s linkage program requires that developers pay an exaction to construct affordable housing.” (Boston Redevelopment Authority)

If the City of Newburyport ever decided to set up linkage fees for affordable housing, which I gather from the little research I’ve done, it would be extremely complicated and it would require an intact and skilled Planning Office. (And we know at the moment that our Planning Office under Mayor John Moak is in complete disarray.)

So why bother with affordable housing? If Newburyport had an appropriate number of affordable housing units (as far as I’m concerned, the more the merrier), Newburyport would not be under the shadow of 40B housing projects like the one Mayor John Moak has resurrected on the Woodman property on Low Street.

40B housing has a huge impact on the historic character, charm and beauty of Newburyport, MA and also, at least in the case of the Woodman property, adversely affects the environment (see previous posts.)

And it would also make Newburyport more economically diverse, a concept I happen to like. It would obviously give people who do not make unbelievable amounts of money or who were lucky enough to buy property before housing prices went through the roof, to have a chance to live in our seaport city, which I happen to think is a good thing.

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

Newburyport, A Meeting With The Proposed Planning Director

Mayor John Moak has sent a letter out to the Newburyport City Council, Planning Board, Zoning Board of Appeals, Conservation Commission, and Historic Commission to come to City Hall on Monday night August 7, 2006 from 6-8 PM in City Council chambers to meet the proposed Planning Director, Christopher Ryan.

As I understand it this meeting, by law, must be open to the public but not necessarily open to public comment. (The meeting is not posted, at least not on the City’s website.)

So I guess that means folks, if you are curious, you too can show up at the City Council chambers and at least take a peek at Christopher Ryan…whether you will be able to say “hello” or not who knows.

My guess would be that if you have questions and public comments are not allowed, one of the City Councilors or one of the members of the various boards and commissions would be happy to ask them for you.

The Newburyport City Council will vote on the appointment for Planning Director on the following Monday, August 14, 2006 at their regularly scheduled meeting.

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

(Editor’s Note: This meeting did appear in Monday’s Newburyport Daily News, August 7, 2006, so it is posted. Good for Mayor Moak. It is a “Open House to meet new Planning Director Chris R. Ryan, City Hall, 6 p.m.”

The “Central Water Focus Group” is also posted. That is this Wednesday at 6 p.m. at the police station. Again, good for Mayor Moak.)

Poor Management in Newburyport, MA

I put the blame for the complete disarray of Newburyport’s Planning Office squarely on the shoulders of Mayor John Moak.

Mr. Moak campaigned as a manager (which I thought he would well be capable of), and in my opinion the current state of disorder belies the campaign promise.

Not to have a Planning Director for 3 months (Mr. Moak’s idea) is an invitation to disaster. And frankly I cannot blame Julie LaBranche, Newburyport’s City Planner for resigning.

To have a Planning Office so understaffed would invite chaos and burnout.

And what a waste of talent to have highly trained individuals spend their time answering the phone (out of necessity because there is no one else to do it), instead of attending to the myriad of very complicated issues that are before the City of Newburyport, Massachusetts.

Tom Ryan, the editor of the Undertoad, hints darkly on his blog that Newburyport’s Building Inspector, Gary Calderwood (reportedly, Mayor John Moak’s good friend from the Mayor’s 11 years as Newburyport’s City Clerk) had a great deal to do with Ms. LaBranche’s departure.

I have no idea what the story is with Mr. Calderwood, but I will say, coincidentally?? that I did receive a number of emails yesterday with various complaints about our building inspector. I know little about Mr. Calderwood and could not possibly verify any of the information that I received. But it does appear that city politics are at their “glorious” best in Newburyport, Massachusetts.

I do know as a woman working in various civic endeavors in our seaport city, that I am often treated with lack of respect and various people over the years have done their best to try to intimidate me. (Luckily I was born and raised in New York City where intimidation is often viewed as a contact sport—good training for my involvement in Newburyport politics.) One can only imagine, if as a citizen I have been treated this way, what Ms. LaBranche may have experienced over these last 3 months.

And no matter how good Christopher Ryan may be, if he is appointed, he will enter a Planning Office in crisis. I can’t imagine that is what he had in mind when he applied for the job.

And yes, I’ve now read the article in the Newburyport Current on Christopher Ryan. And despite Ulrika Gerth’s “right on” questions, I know almost nothing about where Mr. Ryan stands on pertinent issues. The answers seemed to me to me masterful side-steps.

One always wants to hope for the best. But I finished the article feeling extremely gloomy.

Mayor John Moak is our “leader.” And to have the Planning Office and by ripple affect the various boards and commissions it helps, in turmoil, is a woeful example of managerial style.

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

Planning Director, Newburyport, MA

One of the interesting things that has happened being the editor of the Newburyport Political Blog is that I get contacted by members of the greater planning community.

And one of the things that has come to my attention and has yes, been confirmed, is that what I would consider “ideal” applicants, folks who have experience and education in historic preservation, have battled undesirable developers and yes, even had experience with Mr. Karp were ignored by this administration.

I would put a picture of George Cushing being incensed (see previous post), but I am obviously so concerned about this information that an appearance from George Cushing even to me would seem to be inappropriate.

My guess is that Christopher Ryan, will most likely get the nod from the Newburyport City Council. And this blogger will do everything she can to work with him for the good of the City of Newburyport, Massachusetts.

I haven’t seen today’s Newburyport Current yet, but the report in today’s Newburyport Daily News, August 4, 2006 on Mayor Moak’s new pick for Planning Director was somewhat confusing.

In the article (and believe me I know that articles can be edited, so I am sure that there is far more to Christopher Ryan than what was in the Newburyport Daily News write up) Mr. Ryan’s emphasis appears to be on the environment (not that there is anything wrong with the environment, believe me) and management and administration.

To quote today’s Newburyport Daily News:

“When he starts Sept. 1, Ryan said he would be getting to know the planning office staff and the community. He sees his main roles as management and administration, project oversight and as a liaison for special projects.”

(Unfortunately for Christopher Ryan, if he does get confirmed by the Newburyport City Council, he will be spending a great deal of time trying to find a replacement for City Planner, Julie LaBranche, and that’s another post entirely.)

What was not mentioned was anything to do with historic preservation, which in my mind is crucial to the economic well being of Newburyport, Massachusetts and what I would consider to be the epidemic of developers in our fair city. And in my opinion, given what I know about this administration, that is absolutely no surprise.

I look forward to seeing the story on Christopher Ryan in the Newburyport Current as well. I am sure it will shed additional light on Mr. Ryan’s experience and goals.

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

Newburyport, MA, City Planner Resigns

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaa!! I just checked the Undertoad Blog and Julie LaBranche, Newburyport’s City Planner is resigning on or around September 6, 2006. Go check out the Undertoad Blog.

Mr. Ryan puts the blame on (from what I understand) Mr. Moak’s good friend, our building inspector Gary Calderwood. Yikes! (And I’m not given to explanation points.)

For the City of Newburyport this is a disaster. Julie Labranche was/is terrific, and to lose Julie without Newburyport having a Planning Director is terrible.

Oy, Vey.

George Cushing (of Frog Pond at the Bartlett Mall), the political consultant for the Newburyport Political Blog is mighty, mighty upset.

george4.jpg
“Oy Vey”
George Cushing expressing his displeasure

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

Newburyport, A New Breed of Developer

A frightening new breed of developer for Newburyport, MA, Ouch.

Mr. Minot Frye apparently has set his sights on Newburyport, Massachusetts.

Mr. Frye is a developer from Wenham, Massachusetts. The address I have is 16 Grapevine Road. (Minot is an old Massachusetts name, going back to the 1600’s.) As I understand it, Minot Frye has formed an equity firm, private money (“old money” I would suppose) to reinvest, I gather in this case in Newburyport real estate, to make investors even more money.

Minot Frye is the gentleman who bought 11-13 Ship Street, yes, that wonderful federalist with the orchard that so many of us love.

No ray of hope apparently. It appears that the plea for restoration has fallen on deaf ears.

Demolition, I gather, is the name of the game and yes, the orchard goes. And I gather, not even building a replica in kind, (alas, how far my bar has fallen.)

From what I know an architectural firm (I believe it is Dyer Brown and Associates in Boston) has come up with several versions of what might go on this piece of property. I’ve been told that the latest version is two Georgian style condos, connected and to be built back to back. Ouch. (11-13 Ship Street is a deeded two family.)

I’ve also been told that Mr. Minot Frye had his eye on 96 High Street, but the owner who sold it didn’t want to wait and see if whatever the project Mr. Frye had in mind (3 units, I’m told?) would go through the Newburyport Zoning Board of Appeals (apparently there were other more appealing offers.) Ouch, one more time.

And I am also told that Mr. Frye is actively looking for property to develop in Newburyport, MA. Look out folks.

Moneyed people with “taste,” “old money” and deep, deep pockets, looking to make yet more money off Newburyport, Massachusetts. It is the opinion of this local Newburyport blogger, that clearly if Mr. Frye is planning to demolish 11-13 Ship Street, and my, my putting up who knows what, that in my book, this is not a good sign.

If one can hire an architectural firm and go through several versions already, surely the money for restoration would be possible. Don’t folks with names that go back to the 1600’s care about historic preservation?

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

Information on the Proposed Planning Director for Newburyport, MA

I talked to Jack Mee, the Building Inspector and Zoning Officer in Walpole, Massachusetts where Christopher Ryan, the Mayor’s appointment for Newburyport’s Planning Director worked as of last week.

I figured who better to know the Town Planner (Christopher Ryan) than the Building Inspector. And Mr. Mee was very forthcoming and extremely helpful. (Jack Mee said it would be ok for me to not only quote him, but also use his name.) What a nice guy.

Well according to Jack Mee, it’s good news folks.

History: As I understand it the Town Planner before Christopher Ryan did work at another venture along with the job as Town Planner and that turned out to be difficult for the Town of Walpole to negotiate. So, when Mr. Ryan wanted to teach, the town, because of previous experience, was somewhat apprehensive.

Walpole’s Building Inspector, Jack Mee seemed to think very highly of Christopher Ryan.

Apparently Mr. Ryan set up a “Design Review Committee” for the Town of Walpole. Boy, this works for me.

My understanding is that Mr. Ryan is well aware the political upheaval concerning Nick Cracknell’s leaving, and understands that the community might well be distrustful of him if he were to follow in Nick Cracknell’s shoes.

Mr. Mee, thought that Christopher Ryan would be mindful of the community’s welfare; that Mr. Ryan is capable of being extremely tactful, but in Mr. Mee’s words (I hope I have this right, I am a blogger, not a reporter), Mr. Ryan “would not be a puppet for the mayor.” Whew.

From my point of view it would be really important that the new Planning Director for Newburyport, Massachusetts not to give the green light to all our hungry developers. One would hope that Mr. Ryan would know how concerned so many of us are about developers who see Newburyport, MA as such a wonderful opportunity to make a buck. And from what Jack Mee has told me, it does appear to be encouraging. And if Mr. Ryan is confirmed by the Newburyport City Council, only time will tell.

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

Information on the Proposed Planning Director from The Walpole Times

Good grief, for this blogger not to check the obvious. The Walpole Times, www.walpoletimes.com.

Yes the Walpole Times has a story “Town Planner Ryan Leaves” by Tom Glynn, July 28, 2006.

Go check the whole thing out yourself at www.walpoletimes.com, but here are a few highlights.

“Town Planner Christopher Ryan has resigned after two years in the post to take a position teaching city planning at Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

Ryan, who is working on a doctorate, said he’s long wanted to teach at the college level. With a bachelor’s degree from Miami of Ohio, he has a master’s from Georgia Tech.

He applied for the WPI post earlier this year at a time when there was uncertainty over whether the Walpole town planner position would exist after July 1.

The uncertainty arose when Town Administrator Michael Boynton proposed an article for the spring Town Meeting that would have combined the planner post with that of the town’s economic development director to create a new department.”

“In an interview, Ryan said he tried unsuccessfully to work out a schedule that would allow him to teach at WPI but continue to do planning for Walpole.

With his last day tomorrow, he is leaving just as the planning board is preparing to seek a consultant to overhaul the town’s zoning bylaw.”

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

Newburyport Planning Director – What I know

I was hoping that there would be an article in today’s Newburyport Daily News about the about Mayor John Moak’s new pick for Newburyport’s Planning Director, Christopher Ryan, so I could blog on it. But there wasn’t.

So I thought I would pass on what I’ve heard, and it’s not much, but I trust the people that I’ve talked to.

Apparently there could be worse candidates. That’s sort of damned with faint praise, but there it is.

However, Mr. Ryan was on a number of people’s “short list,” and these are folks that I trust. So that’s extremely encouraging. I’ve also been told that Mr. Ryan has a very different “style” than Nick Cracknell. One would expect that, no problem in my book with that one.

But best of all apparently if Mayor Moak wanted to do something and it was not possible, Mr. Ryan would not hesitate to inform him. (I like this.) And I’ve been told that Christopher Ryan might well have a differing point (or points) of view and might well feel free to express it or them. (And of course I like this a lot.)

So that’s what I know. It’s not much, but it is encouraging. And I really, really want Christopher Ryan, if that’s who ends up being the next Planning Director, to be worthy of the City of Newburyport, and to be able to breath a sigh of relief that someone competent is on board.

And no matter who the Planning Director for Newburyport, MA might be, I think the citizens of this seaport city are on alert, whether it comes to the Central Waterfront, 40B housing, inappropriate infill, environmental issues, demolition of historic homes or outside developers coming here just to make a buck.

The Newburyport Current’s website says that there will be a story on Christopher Ryan in Friday’s edition. I’m sure, as always, that the Newburyport Current’s editor, Ulrika Gerth, will not disappoint, and I’m looking forward to reading the story very, very much.

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

Newburyport, The Waterfront

As I type away, massive opposition against Mayor John Moak’s stand to pave over Newburyport’s Waterfront is beginning to intensify.

Are we surprised? No.

This is my guess, if Mayor John Moak came out and said, yup, let’s do some combination of park and parking, the majority of opposition that is mounting feverishly would stop and a great sigh of relief could be heard across our small seaport New England city.

The “word on the street” is that Mayor John Moak is entrenched in his position of all parking on the Central Waterfront, and has absolutely no intention of backing down period. One would hope that the “word on the street” is wrong, but it is the opinion of this local political blogger, that the “word on the street” might well be true.

So, I would very much like Mayor John Moak to wake up, politically so to speak, “drop the waterfront rope” and do a little political compromising here.

The truth is there are no easy answers to the parking solution, answers maybe, but not easy ones. To face that reality, and get on with wrapping this whole waterfront thing up, would be a wonder. Plus, Mayor John Moak would go down in the history books as finally helping the whole thing to come to a resolution. Not a bad legacy. Believe me, that would work for me.

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

Newburyport, Land Bank, Housing Bank

In a previous post concerning Nantucket and Steven Karp the “editor’s note” was that I did not know what a “Land Bank” was.

Well, Grant Sanders, the host of www.yakon.com, a website which many consider to be the place to find out what is really going on around Nantucket, sent me this information which I think is pretty interesting:

“The Nantucket Island’s Land Bank, the first org of its kind in the country, is a commission which collects a 2% fee from all real estate purchases here and uses those funds to buy, preserve and maintain open space. Currently just under 50% of the island is preserved as open space (by as many as seven or eight separate conservation organizations). Hopefully by the end of this year, that number will jump to 52% with the purchase of a conservation easement on a 270-acre parcel here known as the Linda Loring property.

Nantucket and the Vineyard are also starting a housing bank which would take 1% from the sale of a new home here. The money (around 9 million annually) will go to fund affordable housing initiatives.

You can read about the Land Bank at www.nantucketlandbank.org.”

You know what I really like? I really like the idea of a “housing bank” which would take 1% from the sale of any new construction by a developer and put it towards affordable housing. That works for me.

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

Newburyport, A Note From Nantucket About Stephen Karp

A lot of us are very concerned about Stephen Karp and what he has in mind for Newburyport, MA.

I decided to contact Grant Sanders the host of www.yakon.com, a website which many consider to be the place to find out what is really going on around Nantucket, about his impressions of Stephen Karp.

Mr. Sanders graciously replied to my email, and this is what he had to say:

“Hi, Mary:

I have not had any 1:1 contact with Mr. Karp, but i can tell you what I know. He seems to understand the value of Nantucket. It’s uniqueness. It’s specialness. All that notwithstanding, we don’t trust outsiders here much and passed a chain-store ban here in the historic district and it will most likely be signed by the Attny General later this year.

He has raised rents 15-19% (according to published reports) here since purchasing the former Winthrop holdings (approximately 2/3rds of the commercial property in the historic district here). He has also dumped a few tenants in order to make room for other tenants. Nothing substantial has changed here, however. No Versace. No Gucci. No Mall brands.

The downtown here is changing, however, because of the rising rents. The artsy crafty stores and clothing spots are being squeezed out by real estate companies and galleries — two kinds of businesses that can actually afford the rents due to the high price of the stuff they sell. One friend with a clothing store is suffering.

Still too early to tell what the impact of Karp will be here, but one thing is certain. If there is money to be made you’ll attract him or someone like him. Best protect your community by initiating a chain ban and some controls over your community retail space. We’ve been toying with the idea of a commercial real estate bank along the lines of your Land Bank. Worth looking into.”

(Editor’s note: I have no idea what a “Land Bank” is.)

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

Possible Planning Director, Newburyport, MA

This whole planning director thing, let’s face it, is just odd.

Christopher Ryan, former Town Planner for Walpole, MA is Mayor John Moak’s choice for Planning Director for Newburyport, Massachusetts.

It’s very odd that the Town of Walpole posted the job for Planning Director this Tuesday, July 25th (see earlier posts.)

I would agree with the comments about Christopher Ryan’s website, www.4pointsplanning.com. Many of the links to the other pages did not work on my computer either (although they seem to be working better today.)

And, I have a few reservations about the fact that Christopher Ryan will be teaching a course during September and part of October of this year. Let’s face it, it’s not good to have a Planning Director gone 3 afternoons a week, unless of course the goal is to not have the Planning Director around.

And the fact that Mr. Ryan would only be working 30 hours a week during that period is not a good sign.

For anyone hanging around the Planning and Development Office in Newburyport, MA, it becomes obvious very fast that the City Planner, the Senior Project Manager and the (former) Planning Director work around 80 hours a week at least… one of the things I have admired about the top people in the Newburyport Planning Office is that for them, planning and development for Newburyport, Massachusetts is as much a vocation and a dedication as it is a job. I would hope for no less from Christopher Ryan.

We desperately need a Planning Director to “hit the pavement running,” not one that will take a stroll on it every now and then, which would happen those first couple of months.

It will take 6-9 months (at least) for the new Planning Director to figure out all the players, much less all the all the myriad of projects that the Newburyport Planning Office is dealing with. It would be my preference to have someone who could give 100% plus commitment to the job right off the bat.

And is Mr. Ryan going to keep his consulting business going while he is Planning Director for Newburyport?

Is Mr. Ryan going to continue to take time off to complete his PhD. And wouldn’t it be much better to have someone in this position who already has completed all necessary education. And is having a Ph.D. candidate in environmental studies as Planning Director a good thing? I don’t know.

It’s just not me, but I think many readers of the Newburyport Political Blog wonder if Christopher Ryan is indeed “marquee talent” that Newburyport, Massachusetts so deserves.

So I’m hoping that the Newburyport City Council asks lots of hard questions, because it appears that hard questions are in order. And I’m counting on all our local media outlets to find out as much as possible about Christopher Ryan and as well as the hiring process for Planning Director. And I’ll be interested in what the readers of the Newburyport Political Blog are or are not able to discover.

And I would also like to add that it couldn’t hurt for the citizens of Newburyport, Massachusetts to give their City Councilors a call if they have any questions about Mr. Ryan’s qualifications.

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

More Skepticism about the Possible Planning Director for Newburyport, MA

These comments were sent into the Newburyport Political Blog:

“I would agree with the person who wrote to say that they are not convinced about Ryan being on the preservation commission – I don’t know what the nominating group, NRC, was that appointed him (still trying to find out what those abbreviations mean).

A couple other things:

1 – 4 Points Planning – I checked out Ryan’s 4 points planning website. There is limited info that we can get to. For example, if you click the ‘About’ link on his site, you can only access the first item in the ‘About’ list. All of the other items including his resume return an error of “Page Cannot be Displayed”.

Try doing this on any of the links that pertain to either his personal information, company projects, ore references – the same error appears for all of them. Links for “About” and “Portfolio.”

Here is my concern with this:

a – This is just sloppy. And, when your website is the storefront of your business, it just makes it look like you really don’t have much to show for yourself. If this is acceptable for his own business, how much sloppiness and lack of oversight will be acceptable to him if he takes this job?

b – This prevents any of us from finding out anything about Mr. Ryan. It likely is just a coincidence, but it doesn’t help those who are trying to see what Mr. Ryan is all about.

Christopher Ryan’s educational record:

2 – Georgia Tech Masters degree: I checked out Georgia Tech to see exactly what type of master’s degree they have in city planning, it looks like there are 3 ways to get a master’s degree in city planning, it appears – one is online only, one is a ‘traditional’ master’s degree, the last is doing a combined BS and master’s in 5 years. Which one of these options did Mr. Ryan pursue?
http ://www.coa.gatech.edu/crp/index.htm

2 – PhD at Antioch New England – the Daily News reported that he is a PhD candidate in Environmental Studies. When someone is a PhD candidate, this typically means that they have completed all of their coursework and have passed their qualifying exams and are working on their dissertation – there is typically a distinct difference between a PhD student and a PhD candidate. Which of these is Mr. Ryan? There seems to be a PhD program here where working professionals can work somewhat at their own pace toward the PhD.
http ://www.antiochne.edu/es/phd

3 – Walpole job: Walpole published the planner position on 7/25. The second round of interviews for the Newburyport planning director was only supposed to begin on 7/24. So :

a – did the mayor decide so fast that he was able to tell Mr. Ryan that same day that he had the job? Could / would Walpole have put the job description out that fast if Mr. Ryan resigned on Monday afternoon?

b – or, did mayor Moak tell Ryan in advance that he was selecting him for the job but was just having him and the other two candidates come to interview on Monday to make it look like it was an even race? to make the city councilors and others on the interview committee feel like they actually had a valid role in the interview process when they actually didn’t?

c – or, did Mr. Ryan resign or get ‘removed’ earlier and now the job is being posted. If he left on his own, why? If he was removed, why?

d – if he resigned b/c he was offered the Newburyport job by Moak, knowing that the city council still had to approve him for the job?

I think that it would be worth calling Walpole city/town hall to see on what day Mr. Ryan resigned and why – it should be public record, I would think.

The Historic Preservation Committee in Concord will be contacted to find out about Mr. Ryan – what his role is, who he was nominated by, how he has voted.”

Skepticism about the New Appointment for Planning Director

Gee, guess what, the readership of the Newburyport Political Blog is a tad skeptical about Ryan Christopher, Mayor John Moak’s choice for Newburyport’s new Planning Director.

Here’s one response that I think is worth passing on:

“I just wanted to comment about him (Ryan Christopher) being on his CPC committee (Community Preservation Committee) in Concord. This might not always be a good thing. Remember that Mayor Lavender put Norbert Carey on the CPC to stack the deck in favor of developers and those who were against the CPA. Before feeling to comfortable about this, I’d love to try to find out why he was appointed to the CPC and what his interests are….are they from a developers view?”

Lots of questions for the Newburyport City Council to consider.

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

Newburyport, Planning Appointee has Consulting Business

Christopher Ryan has his own consulting business in Concord, MA.

You can check it out at www.4pointsplanning.com.

So I guess that explains why Mr. Ryan could leave the Town Planner job in Walpole. And also that he has a fall back position if the Newburyport City Council turns down his appointment.

It does not tell us however, why he left the position of Town Planner in Walpole.

Again, I have no idea what having a consulting business would mean.

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

Newburyport, More on the Mayor’s Proposed Planning Director

Well, I got to tell you that the readers of the Newburyport Political Blog are doing their darnedest to find out who the heck Christopher Ryan is and if his proposed appointment a good thing.

One reader forwarded me this link. Apparently Mr. Ryan is on the Community Preservation Committee in his hometown of Concord, MA. This works for me. And Concord does have 6 historic districts, which in my book is a very, very good thing.

http://www.concordnet.org/townmgr/Town%20Report/
Community_Development/preservation.html

Apparently in Walpole, where Mr. Ryan was Town Planner, there is not much of anything historic in the town or a nod toward preservation. What this means, who knows.

It is pretty pathetic that the people of Newburyport are reduced to finding out about this nomination by in depth Googling and whatever other methods work for them.

An open and transparent government, yes, we would like that. And if Mr. Christopher is the “best of the best,” please, let’s have Mr. Moak tell us all about it.

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

Newburyport, Mayor Moak Picks Planning Director

Wow, it’s pretty weird when you get an anonymous tip and it happens to be right.

Christopher Ryan is Mayor John Moak’s choice for Planning Director for Newburyport, Massachusetts.

I emailed my anonymous tipster, who isn’t from around here, but in the planning and development world somewhere out there in web-land.

My anonymous tipster emailed me back, and I hope it’s ok with “him/her” (I didn’t ask) but I’m going to quote the email instead of paraphrasing it.

“I don’t know him (Christopher Ryan) personally. I don’t even know him by reputation.

I always find it strange when someone leaves a job before he/she is officially hired in a new position—especially when all Mayor Moak can do is make a recommendation to the City Council.

Your original analysis is correct. It is a big leap from being a “Town Planner” in a suburban town to a “City Planner” in a complex, interesting, politically charged small city. I wonder if he has managed a staff before.

Moak must have demonstrated to this fellow that he had the votes to get him approved. If not, this fellow could be bit naïve to assume he has it locked up, especially given the Nick Cracknell situation. Perhaps he might not even be aware of the circumstances surrounding Nick Cracknell’s departure or the emerging Moak backlash.

As you indicated in your blog –this fellow better be good.

It would be very interesting to see who did not make the final cut –I would have to assume that Newburyport should be able to attract marquee talent for this job.”

As I learn more, I will let the readers of the Newburyport Political Blog know what I know.

Mary Eaton
Newburyport