When Jonathan “JJ” Kazakoff-Eigen moved to a house in Ward 1 Newton 13 years ago with his wife and first child, he initially considered it a “starter home.”

However, two kids later, and with a discovered love for the community, Kazakoff-Eigen can’t imagine living anywhere else. And, as a candidate for Ward 1 City Councilor, he hopes to give back to his beloved community. 

“I’m really inspired by all these folks who care about the people and the things around them, and they want to make a difference,” he said. “And you know, the very first place they make a difference is within their neighborhood and within their city.” 

Kazakoff-Eigen has sought to improve Newton in various ways. He was part of a group of neighbors advocating for a building project behind his house, and was involved in the Lincoln Elliot Building Committee for the school which his youngest child will attend and at which his wife will be able to teach. He was also nominated for the the Building Emissions Reduction Disclosure Ordinance advisory board earlier this year.

While he has always been interested in how policy and government can affect people’s lives in meaningful ways, Kazakoff-Eigen noted how news on a national scope was the main push to run for city council during this particular election season. 

“There’s a lot about the world that I wish was different right now,” he said. “At the local level, I can show up, shake hands, listen to what people’s real concerns are, and then it may be possible to make a difference in people’s lives that you actually see and experience on a regular basis.” 

A central theme of Kazakoff-Eigen’s campaign is fiscal responsibility.  With the city facing inflation and budget crises and the Trump administration cutting federal funding sources, Kazakoff-Eigen is advocating for restructuring the city’s pension obligations.

“There’s a state law to be able to pay it to a certain point by 2040,” he said. “Newton is right now scheduled to do it by 2031. I think that’s excessively aggressive.”

After the payoff date in 2031, the city is set to see millions of dollars more freed up each year. Pushing back the payoff date would free up money earlier.

Kazakoff-Eigen wants to push the date out or issue a pension bond. 

“There are risks and benefits associated with all of these choices, but there are choices to make where we can still be responsible,” he said. “You know, be thinking about what our retirees need over the course of the long term, paying to get our current residents what they need as well.”

He also expressed conditional support for a possible 2 ½ override, provided that city leadership also prove fiscal responsibility first. 

“Whether we like it or not, everything is a budget question, because one of the big questions is, ‘How does the city spend its money?’” he said. “The reality is that the mayor does make those choices, and the city council has a finance committee for a reason, which is so that hopefully the city council can add its weights to that.”

Within his campaign, Kazakoff-Eigen also highlighted climate change as a key priority and says the need for Newton to act is urgent.

“There was a time when climate may have been something that we viewed as, you know, as a national government issue, but that’s no longer true,” he said. “It is an everything, everywhere, all at once, urgent, multi-generational struggle. That is how big it is.”

Kazakoff-Eigen underlined transportation and housing as two big drivers of climate emissions. As for transportation, working with regional partners to improve public transportation options is a big focus, according to Kazakoff-Eigen. 

“I have used different transit solutions—I’ve taken a bus to work, I’ve biked to work, you know, I’ve driven when I had to, and I’ve walked if I could,” he said. “I’ve used the solution that was best for me personally, and so, we need to find some way to make these green solutions actually meet people’s real transportation needs.” 

With housing, Kazakoff-Eigen has concerns about affordable housing, given Newton’s desirability. 

“What drives the value of homes here is safety and good schools, and obviously we don’t want to decrease that at all,” he said. “While it’s unclear exactly how much more housing needs to be built, I do think that different types of housing would be helpful to actually serve the needs of the people.”

Although the city council is limited in their particular scope, Kazakoff-Eigen stressed the importance of forging strong relationships between other sources of leadership throughout the city, particularly the school committee. 

“I think that any conversation about serving in Newton probably should involve the schools in some way,” he said. “There’s been a trend toward a little bit more cooperation over the past year, and I think that with the new school committee, there’s a possible risk of that cooperation fading. I would like to be a part of keeping that going.”

While Newton prepares for its upcoming election in the fall, Kazakoff-Eigen reiterated the fulfillment already garnered from his campaign, and the potential of future endeavors. 

“The most satisfying things I’m going to do in my life are the things that I do for my community, and for the people who I care about,” he said.

Newton’s election will be Nov. 4.