A couple of months ago, Marc Laredo did something unprecedented for a new mayoral candidate when he announced a slate of endorsements for School Committee in the upcoming local election.

Now, he’s done the same for the City Council races, announcing to his followers this week a list of candidates in various contested races across the city.

In Ward 4’s contested at-large race, Laredo is supporting incumbent Josh Krintzman, and newcomer John Chaimanis. There are two seats up for grabs in that race, and there are three candidates.

Laredo called Krintzman’s leadership style on the Council’s Programs and Services Committee “a balanced, calm approach.” He doesn’t list any accomplishments of Chaimanis but notes that Chaimanis, his wife and his three kids went to Newton public schools.

In Ward 5, there’s a contested race for the ward seat (voted on by residents of the ward, as opposed to at-large seats which are voted on by all voters in the city). And Laredo has endorsed Julie Irish, current president of the Upper Falls Area Council.

“She has a long history of active involvement in Ward 5 and the city, including serving on the Executive Committee for the Newton Council on Aging, and as Co-Chair of Newton Serves and Co-President of Countryside School PTO.”

In Ward 6, there are three candidates for two at-large seats—Sean Roche, Ted Gross and Lisa Gordon—but Laredo only endorsed one: Lisa Gordon.

Laredo praised Gordon, who serves as director of the Acton Food Pantry, for her activism work, which includes managing a COVID-19 relief fundraiser and helping save the Newton South High School jazz program.

City Council candidates Julie Irish and John Chaimanis attend the Charles River Chamber’s Newton Small Business Awards on Sept. 12, 2025. Photo by Bryan McGonigle

Does it matter much?

Laredo is the first mayoral candidate in recent memory to come out with a slate of endorsements for School Committee races and now, for City Council races.

When he announced his School Committee picks, he said all candidates were free to reach out and ask for his endorsement and that, and the end of the day, he made his decision based on knowledge of the candidates and how well he thought they could serve the city.

And he emphasizes that he’s only giving his opinion and respects whatever choices the voters make.

“Regardless of who is elected to the City Council or the School Committee, I will work collaboratively and effectively with whomever the voters choose, as I have done throughout my career on the School Committee and the City Council,” Laredo said.

Cyrus Dahmubed, Ward 4 at-large candidate, said he reached out to Laredo to talk earlier in the campaign season and Laredo told him he was already endorsing Krintzman and Chaimanis. But he’s not broken up about it.

“I’m interested, no matter what, in collaborating with everybody on the Council and with the [mayoral] administration,” Dahmubed said.

The 32-year-old first-time candidate added that while he questions the process involved with Laredo’s endorsements, he’s not lacking in that department.

“I’m proud to have gotten endorsements from over 20 former and current local elected officials, including former State Rep. Kay Khan, and I have endorsements from over a hundred members of the community, and that grows every day,” he said.

Garry Miller, candidate for the Ward 5 seat, said he’s spoken with Laredo during the campaign cycle but never asked for an endorsement, and Laredo never offered one.

“I am much more focused on listening to voters and doing the work that voters expect from a city councilor than I am on endorsements,” Miller said. “I want to be the kind of hard-working, thoughtful and independent city councilor that the voters deserve, and that makes our city government work as it is intended to.”

In the Ward 6 at-large race, there are three new candidates running for two seats—which means there will be two winners and those winners will be new to the Council—but Laredo only endorsed Gordon.

Roche said he never expected an endorsement from Laredo, with whom he has a contentious history.

“I have been a longtime critic of his, and I feel strongly that the city councilors should be independent of the mayor, to engage the mayor in thoughtful, civil and informed debate on the issues.,” Roche said.

Roche called out Laredo on the endorsements process, or lack thereof, and said it doesn’t give him confidence in Laredo’s ability to unite the city and school district when big matters like Proposition 2 ½ overrides come up.

“Even if you think it’s good governance for the mayor-to-be to weigh in on City Council races, voters deserve more from him,” Roche continued. “He offers no criteria for his selections. He provides no argument in favor of his chosen candidates. He just gives warmed-over summaries of the candidates’ LinkedIn bios. It’s like he’s asking voters to rubber-stamp his rubber-stamp candidates.”

City Council candidate Cyrus Dahmubed speaks with resident Lindsey Gulden at Upper Falls Village Day on Sept. 14, 2025. Photo by Bryan McGonigle

Weighing the value

Jean Weinberg of Auburndale, longtime Democratic strategist who currently works on Dahmubed’s campaign, has been in the local political game for a while—she worked on campaigns for former Mayor David Cohen, former State Rep. Susan Shur and mayoral candidate Scott Lennon—and said Laredo’s endorsements list has her asking: Why?

“When you’re running, others endorse you and you don’t endorse anybody,” Weinberg said. “Obviously he feels he’s the equivalent of unopposed. But how does that mean you represent the whole city? Why bother to do that?”

It can be debated who, if anyone, gets a boost from the endorsements list—the mayoral candidate or any or all of his slate of endorsees—but Weinberg said the biggest help will be to her Auburndale neighbor, Chaimanis.

Chaimanis is an unenrolled candidate, so he can’t get voter lists from either the Democratic or Republican party affiliates as a way to reach out to more people. That can make raising money difficult. According to campaign finance reports he’s filed, Chaimanis has loaned his campaign more than $13,000 so far.

Those kinds of disadvantages can be offset by noteworthy endorsements, Weinberg said, adding that she thinks if Chaimanis is elected, he’ll owe his win to Laredo.

“It feels like it’s a bad way to start politics,” she said. “And it’s a bad way to start being the mayor of the whole city.”

Chaimanis, however, also a first-time candidate, noted that Laredo’s endorsement is not an isolated one.

“I have the endorsement of nearly half of the City Council members, who believe that my experience makes me highly qualified for the job,” he said. “They expect me to ask hard questions, and to contribute a well-reasoned independent voice.”

There are 11 city councilors endorsing Chaimanis, counting Laredo, and in his ward alone, he has the backing of councilors Leonard Gentile and Randy Block, as well as former Ward 4 Councilor Chris Markiewicz. Ward 6 School Committee member Paul Levy is also endorsing him.

Newton’s local election will be Nov. 4.