April 22, 2003

Councilor sets the right tone

A certain theme kept recurring in an interview this past week with newly appointed Newburyport City Councilor-at-large John Norris: The mayor and the City Council need to work together.

Yes, that would seem to be obvious. But in reality, it hasn't been obvious to the mayor or the council in recent months. The relationship between the executive and legislative branches of the city has been dysfunctional enough to stall major decisions on things like the future of the waterfront and Police Department promotions. Neither side appears willing to budge, and communication has been sporadic at best.

If Norris, a former Ward 2 councilor, can help thaw the current freeze, that alone will justify his appointment.

The council and the mayor don't have to agree on everything. Indeed, the two branches are, by design, each meant to bring a measure of restraint to the power of the other. But restraint does not mean the two sides should settle for governmental paralysis. It is doubtful that the mayor or council members would want "This was the year that nothing got done," as part of their campaign literature for re-election.

The way to accomplish things in politics is to compromise. And the only way to reach a compromise is to talk to one another.

From the look of it, what we have here is a failure to communicate.

That shouldn't be a complicated problem to solve, and Norris sounds as if he is willing to be the one to start talking. Now let's see if he walks the walk.

The others, from Mayor Al Lavender to his fellow councilors, should follow suit. They may find that they agree on more than they disagree. If they disagree, they may find a compromise they can all accept.

If nothing else, they should at least make the effort. That is the only way they will begin to work, as Norris says, "for the good of the city."

Site Plan Review gets a thumbs-up

Newburyport's unique character is a gem that needs to be protected. We can't depend on the goodwill and good sense of developers to protect it for us.

That's why the Site Plan Review concept makes sense for Newburyport. We have been, for the most part, fortunate in how the city has been developed, but people would be appalled by what can be built by a developer who wants to push our zoning laws to the limits.

It looks like we've got a good formula for Site Plan Review on the table. It's a major accomplishment to see a number of developers, residents and city officials say that a workable solution has been found.

The majority of city councilors support the plan, though some think it needs some changes. Before we roll this law out, we should make sure the extreme situations that some people fear -- like unreasonable control over a project by city boards and endless delays -- are addressed.

But let's not throw out the bigger picture -- protection is needed. Let's get it done before the next building boom appears.