Newton City Council Candidate Tarik Lucas Seeks to Make History

NEWTON, MA, FEBRUARY 2, 2021 --“February is Black History Month, and I am running to make Black history in Newton,” declares Tarik Lucas, candidate in the March 16th Special Election for the Ward 2 At-Large City Council seat. It has been almost 40 years since a Black person sat on Newton’s legislative body. In fact, as Newton’s legislative body was renamed “City Council” in 2015, instead of “Alderman”, there has actually never been a Black “City Councilor” in Newton. Tarik believes it is time to bring a new voice and a new perspective to the City Council and twenty five of Newton’s current elected officials agree. They have endorsed Tarik to fill the seat of Jake Auchincloss who was elected to Congress last November. As City Councilor Marc Laredo says, “Tarik Lucas will bring a common sense, calm practical approach to the City Council and add a diverse voice.”

Tarik’s mother’s side originates from the Caribbean, from the Island of Nevis, of Hamilton fame, and she is also a descendant of the Nansemond Indian Nation of Virginia. On his father's side, Tarik is descended from Black and Indigenous Americans with roots on the East Coast from Georgia up to Massachusetts; and he is of Russian Jewish heritage. The son of a postal worker and a psychiatric nurse who both belonged to unions, Tarik spent his early years in low-income housing, and today, unlike most of the current City Councilors, he is a renter. “It’s important to have people from different backgrounds,” Tarik says. “Our City Council should represent the diversity of our city. Representation matters.”

Tarik Lucas would also bring a diversity of civic experience to Newton’s government. He was elected to the Newtonville Area Council in 2017, and served as its vice-president. In that role, Tarik led a massive effort to reach out to 11,000 residents to solicit their questions and ideas for the redesign of the Washington Street Corridor. “We know that Washington Street is going to go through many changes in the years to come,” said Tarik, “but this was our way of finding out what everyday residents of Newton wanted to see happen in the city that they love.”

Preserving what he loves about Newton also inspired Tarik to become an alternate member of the Newtonville Historic District Commission. The City Council will be voting on a sweeping new zoning plan, and Tarik wants to ensure that it carefully crafts a plan that achieves shared goals for the future. “As the Newton City Council undergoes zoning redesign,” Tarik says, “I will be a strong voice for increasing housing choices for low and moderate income families, while making sure we hold onto what we love about the ‘Garden City’ - open space, walkable village centers, and the beautiful historic architecture in our homes and buildings.”

The issue of affordable housing is personal for Tarik. In 1968, his mother, grandmother, and great grandmother were displaced from their home in Roxbury to make way for a highway project that was never built. When Tarik was twelve, his family was displaced because their landlord wanted to convert their building into luxury apartments. “I feel strongly that we must advance solutions that create more housing that is actually affordable,” says Tarik, “not simply more market rate housing that is out of reach to all but a few.”

Tarik believes that a visionary and pragmatic housing plan will also help advance the cause of racial justice. “It has been reassuring to see Newton residents demonstrate strong support for racial equity and the Black Lives Matter movement by posting lawn signs and joining marches. But there is so much more we can and must do,” he says. “We must expand affordable housing options, and design affordable housing lotteries to ensure those who have been systematically excluded for decades due to historical racism can benefit.” He also wants Newton to develop paths to homeownership for low and moderate-income residents who rent.

Tarik’s listening and analytical skills would help to make this plan a success. Matt Hills, former Chair of the Newton School Committee says, “He’s smart. He’s thoughtful. He has a deliberate approach when it comes to understanding complex issues.” And, according to Martina Jackson, former Democratic City Committee Chair and member of the Democratic State Committee, “Tarik cares what people think. He cares what people feel. He will be the people’s voice.”

This press release was produced by the Committee to Elect Tarik Lucas. The views expressed here are the author's own.