Newton City Council Ward 2 Candidate Profile: David Micley

NEWTON, MA — Newton will have two contested races in this spring's Special Election. Among the candidates vying to replace Newton City Councilor Jake Auchincloss in Ward 2, is David Micley.

Micley is facing off against Bryan Barash and Tarik Lucas for the seat in the March 16 election. Patch asked candidates in the contested races to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as election day draws near.

Micley,33, and his wife Molly both grew up in Newton and are raising their two children in town. This isn't the first time he's run for office to represent his community. He was a member of the Brookline Town Meeting for precinct 10, where they lived for a while.

Micley, who got his Bachelors at Emory and his business degree at MIT-Sloan, is the director of sales and client relations at Floating Point Group, a technology startup. He has 10 years of experience in the non-profit and private sector, was a teacher and head of recruitment at Prozdor, a fundraiser at Combined Jewish Philanthropies, and has overseas experience working in the startup ecosystem in Tel Aviv, in addition to experience in investment management at Bridgewater Associates.

Here's what he had to say:

Why are you seeking elective office?

To ensure Newton is a great place to live for people across life stages and that the city is managed in a responsible and sustainable way.

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

Fully re-opening our schools. I will demand accountability and transparency of our city and school leadership to ensure we do what it takes to fully re-open Newton Public Schools, K-12, in a safe and timely manner guided by medical science. Our city has been behind on this issue for the past year and we have a lot of catching up to do - this is an urgent and immediate priority.

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

I am running an independent campaign - I am not accepting donations or relying on the support of any organized groups or elected officials giving me the freedom and flexibility to bring an independent voice to City Council. In addition, I bring the perspective of having children and parents that live in Newton which gives me personal insight into how our city can better serve both our youth and our elderly populations. Finally, my background in investment management equips me to address some of the big financial challenges our city faces such as the looming pension and OPEB liabilities.

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

The position I am running for is an open seat.

How do you think local officials performed in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently?

On re-opening schools we've done a terrible job. We should have invested the time and money last summer in updating our ventilation systems and enlisted the help of medical experts then to create a comprehensive and concrete plan for how our students could have more in person learning in a safe way throughout the pandemic. We also should have moved more quickly to offer restaurants and small businesses creative ways to attract customers such as closing down certain streets to make room for more outdoor seating and shopping.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

Housing - we need to grow and diversify our housing stock in a thoughtful and strategic way that serves current residents, attracts new people to Newton, and balances considerations of affordability, sustainability, and the suburban charm of our city. Technology and Life Sciences Ecosystem - we need to be more proactive in attracting life science and technology companies from Greater Boston to Newton as a way to grow our commercial tax base and encourage economic activity in village centers which will help support our small businesses.

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

I'm a community and consensus builder - in all my work I strive to understand the driving motivations behind folks with diverging view points on an issue and work to find a balanced approach that takes into consideration a range of perspectives.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

Who is wise? The person that learns from everyone.

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

If you have ideas, suggestions, or questions, please don't hesitate to reach out - micleyfornewton@gmail.com. Constituent services is a critical part of being a city councilor and I want to have an open line of communication with all Newton residents starting now.

Finally, I wanted this campaign to be about more than my candidacy so instead of raising political donations, I'm asking people to direct their support to the Centre Street Food Pantry, which has been doing critical work providing food to those in need: Donate to the Centre Street Food Pantry here.

Campaign website

David Micley For Newton

NewTV interview: