Before the mayoral election last November, I would walk around Newburyport and in the course of conversation would ask people why they were voting for our then City Clerk, John Moak.

People would say things like, “He’s my neighbor, I’ve known him for a while and he’s a nice guy, he’s been City Clerk so he must know something about running the government.” I would agree with every one of these statements. Unfortunately, being the Mayor of Newburyport, Massachusetts is more than being a “nice guy” (although that it sure doesn’t hurt) or knowing a lot about how our city government is run. Being the Mayor is also about “making policy,” and that was never an issue that came up in any of my conversations (amazingly enough.)

I applaud our new Mayor in his priority of restoring City Hall (not all politicians in Newburyport would agree with him.) Although there is definitely an ambivalence about having a garage downtown, I also think there is a great deal of doubt about paving over the entire Waterfront (see earlier posts, put in “waterfront” in the search box in the main part of the Newburyport Political Blog.)

Historic preservation is a huge priority for this small New England City (there are any number of posts that address this issue.) At the moment we have a Planning Director whose strength is historic preservation. There are an immense number of issues that the Planning Office is addressing, all of them complex. Even if the Mayor would be able to find another Planning Director to replace Nicholas Cracknell, it would take that person at least 6 months if not a year to get a handle on all the things that are going on.

One of my reservations about having John Moak as our mayor is that he had worked inside City Hall as City Clerk for 11 years. And that, yes, this would give him a significant insight into how our City government is run. But, it is impossible as a human being not to be involved in the lives of the people who he has worked with.

I am concerned that John Moak will be able to be objective when he is negotiating the union contract for the City Hall workers, for example. And there are endless rumors about the friction between various people within City Hall and the Planning Office. There is no question that Nicholas Cracknell, Newburyport’s Planning Director, is a strong personality. But I wonder, as I wander around City Hall, hearing conversations, if Mr. Moak’s reluctance to reappoint Nicholas Cracknell to a 2 year contract, has something to do with the personal animosity that some people in City Hall appear to have for Mr. Cracknell.

So, elections matter a great deal. It is not enough to be affable and well versed in the ways of City government. Making political policy as well an ability to be objective and to turn a deaf ear to other’s personal agendas is also extremely relevant.

Mary Eaton, Newburyport