Steve Siegel for School Committee

Since emerging onto the scene in the past two years, Steve Siegel has impressed us with his willingness to dig deeply and thoroughly into an issue. By the same token, he’s exhibited remarkable flexibility and stellar listening skills — traits too often missing these days in Newton’s political dialog.

A structural engineer by trade, Siegel’s skills in that area will no doubt be useful as our city struggles with critical decisions about rebuilding or replacing our crumbling infrastructure. But Siegel is hardly a one-issue candidate. He’s passionate about improving the way we teach math, while calling for new models for teacher compensation that would allow us to continue to attract top talent as an alternative to layoffs and crowded classes.

In contrast, his opponent Sue Rosenbaum is running on a platform that Newton’s schools are pretty darn good right now. Yes, we have much to be proud of. But we prefer Siegel’s more analytical and realistic assessment of the challenges ahead.

Siegel is worthy of your vote on Nov. 3.