Garry Miller of Upper Falls has lived in Newton for more than a quarter century. And now he’s hoping to serve his city in an official capacity.

He’s running for the Ward 5 City Council seat that’s open now that Councilor Bill Humphrey is not running for reelection.

Miller grew up in Concord and attended public schools there. After graduating from Concord-Carlisle High School, he attended UMass Lowell and got his master’s degree in medical information technology from Brandeis.

“After college, I kind of bounced around a few places and settled in Newton in 1999,” Miller said.

Miller has worked for Meditech for nearly 16 years, first as a software architect and more recently in product management.

With Miller and his husband, Tim, enjoying a quiet life in Upper Falls, what made him decide to jump into politics, given the chaos we see in government today?

He’s trying out local politics because of that chaos, actually.

“Part of it has to do with the craziness in Washington and what the fallout’s going to be here in Newton, Massachusetts, and wanting to be active helping to move Newton forward in this kind of hostile environment,” Miller said.

He also feels compelled to serve his community, and he gave a shout-out to his ward’s representatives at City Hall.

“We’ve been very fortunate around here, with the city councilors that we have and their willingness and commitment to Ward 5,” Miller said. “I want to continue in that tradition and really help the people here get connected to city services and be more connected to their local government.”

Fixing that disconnect between local government and the community is important to Miller, especially in a time when running for office and holding office come with so much public distrust.

“I think some of these gaps seem more unbridgeable than they really are, so I’d like to take some of the experience and roles that I’ve had—in terms of communication and active listening—and turn that toward politics to see if we can start working to build some bridges,” he said.

If elected, Miller plans to prioritize the school budget, even though the City Council’s role in school budgets is minimal, because he feels city councilors can help mediate NPS budget battles.

“This divide between the mayor and the School Committee, they just seem to have gotten to a place where communication has broken down,” Miller said.

Miller said he’d push the city to find more money through things like pension fund liability rescheduling and fostering more commercial and residential development in Newton.

Proposition 2 ½ limits how much money the city can raise via taxes, but that excludes new growth. So Miller wants to nurture development by making the permitting processes easier and faster.

“Not to cut people out of the process, but to make the process a little more streamlined,” Miller said.

He wants to do that particularly to help smaller local developers who can’t afford a lengthy permitting process.

“A lot of people who live in Newton just want to develop or redevelop their property, and the process is just really tough for them to get through, and too costly,” he explained.

And he wants to protect Newton’s lush open green spaces.

“With the potential they have to help us create a healthier environment for the citizens and for places to congregate for families and senior citizens, I think they’re really important,” Miller said. “Especially with the potential they have to help us meet our climate goals as well.”

You can learn more about Miller on his campaign website.