About Al Cecchinelli

I’m Albert Cecchinelli, and I’m running for Mayor of Newton. I was born and raised here, went to Newton schools, studied culinary arts at Johnson & Wales, and later earned my law degree from New England Law Boston. I now work as an attorney and have been active in our community for decades.

I’m the only Republican in this non-partisan race and have served on the Newton Republican City Committee for over 30 years. I’ve been honored as Newton Republican of the Year, twice, and have held leadership roles in several local groups.

I’ve served on the Career and Vocational Technical Advisory Committee for over 35 years, focusing on the Tiger’s Loft culinary arts program that I attended and taught in. I’ve also been a longtime member and past chair of the Newton Taxpayers Association, a Special Olympics soccer coach, and a Sons of the American Legion officer, where I am currently their chaplain.

Serving Our Community

I’m not a career politician, but I’ve spent years working in and for our community.Newton has changed—and not for the better. Our schools, once among the nation’s best, have slipped. I want to restore them to the standard that once made families move here just for education. Zoning is a mess. Small businesses get pushed out while high-density projects get rushed through, threatening the character of our neighborhoods. There’s even talk of eliminating single-family zoning. Developers claim they’re helping low-income residents, but 40B units priced at 80% of Newton’s $184,000 median income—roughly $147,000—aren’t affordable. Real affordable housing would be based on 25% of that income, $46,000.